March 05, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC My high school best friend scored a part-time job selling makeup the summer before our senior year. I watched in awe as her cosmetic bag turned into Wonderland, and she became fearless Alice, braving the before-uncharted lands of cream blushes, whisper-soft makeup brushes, and slick eyeliner. Since that fateful summer, I haven’t had such close proximity to bottomless blush; yet recently, after sneaking a peek inside Ulta Beauty pro artist Deney Adam‘s beauty bag, I felt that same feeling of tumbling head-first into Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland: makeup edition. When I ask Adam his criteria for choosing makeup products, he tells me he loves to think about the trends that could be, rather than what’s popular currently. “I am a seasonal-type makeup artist, and I aspire to create trends; therefore, I tend to go through different products quickly,” he says. “There is so much innovation out there and makeup formulas just keep getting better and better.” Earning a permanent place in Adam’s cosmetic bag is next to impossible, but four next-level makeup products have done it. Keep scrolling to find out which ones. 1. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, $30 All Photo: Ulta “NARS concealer applies like butter and the texture is so light and creamy, it just melts into the skin. I also like that it has buildable coverage so I often use it as a foundation, and it works well on all skin types,” says Adam. The compact tube means it slips into your
Category: Your Healthiest Relationship
This new inflammation index shows just how healthy your favorite foods are
March 05, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC There’s a lot of helpful intel crammed onto the inches that make up a food label’s nutrition panel. The amount of fiber? Check. Sugar, including what’s in there naturally versus what was added in? Check. The vitamins and nutrients, including how close a serving gets you to meeting the day’s requirements? Yup, that’s there, too. As great (and necessary!) all this information is, putting it all together to determine if something is healthy or not still takes a bit of detective work and analyzing. Imagine if there was also a score included on the nutritional panel, which clearly rated the food’s overall health impact. For Suzanne Judd, PhD, a nutritional epidemiologist, it isn’t just an imaginary, cool idea. Dr. Judd (who is a professor in the department of biostatistics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health) and her team recently created an inflammation index of foods, which seeks to determine just how much inflammation many foods cause, as well as how much inflammation some foods prevent. The results were published in the Journal of Nutrition. “My goal was to try to figure out if there is a way that we can use math to create a diet score that represents what people eat and look at that score to see how it represents overall health and the risk of disease,” Dr. Judd says of her research. “We wanted to look at scores that would be associated with inflammation within
This is what it’s like to walk into a real-life wellness wonderland
March 05, 2020 at 05:30PM by CWC Picture this: You step into a room and immediately feel the Zen vibes you’re always chasing during your self-care time. You look around and see tables lined with all the wellness-boosting tech, tinctures, and teas you can imagine, the healthy pantry of your dreams stocked with all the buzziest snacks, and a mocktail bar that makes you forget it’s not the real thing—all in one place. When my entire office started buzzing that such a place finally existed IRL, I knew I had to get myself there ASAP. Where is this real-life wellness mecca, you ask? STORY at Macy’s—an experiential space that brings a new theme to life every few months. And from now until April at the STORY flagship inside New York City’s Herald Square Macy’s (along with 19 variations of the experience at other locations across the country) it’s focused on—you guessed it—wellness. Feel Good STORY (which was created in collaboration with Well+Good editors—we are the experts, after all) is chock-full of all the pro tips and next-level tools you need to feel nourished, balanced, and energized. STORY is like the grown-up version of Disney World, but instead of treats and rides, there are meditation booths and foam rollers galore. First impression? Those grapevine rumors didn’t disappoint. STORY is like the grown-up version of Disney World, but instead of treats and rides, there are meditation booths, foam rollers galore, and tons of other wellness gems I will be adding to my
How to style the OV exercise dress for winter, because we’re team no pants all year round
March 05, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC Many months ago, I packed away my shorts, skirts, and dresses for winter—already wishing that I could rewind the “lazy-hazy-crazy” days of summer and sport them all once more. There’s was one wardrobe exception, though: the Outdoor Voices Exercise Dress ($100) in winter proved too versatile to be exiled to the back of my closet. So with the help of fashion stylist Alyssa Sutter, I learned how to style the garment come sun, slush, or blizzards. “My general rule for styling summer dresses in the wintertime is incorporating layers and textures,” says Sutter. “You can layer a turtleneck or tights under your dress, or pair it with a knit sweater and boots.” Since the dress itself is made with a thin, sweat-ready combo of nylon and spandex, you’re going to want to make sure the rest of the ensemble is built around staples that keep you warm. To help you do just that, Sutter dreamed up three ways you can wear the exercise dress no matter the weather forecast. Then, once you get to the gym or barre class, you can peel off the under layers and get down to doing things. 3 ways to sport the Outdoor Voices Exercise Dress in winter 1. The LB(exercise)D “This LBD can be your new winter go-to if you want to look effortless,” says Sutter. “Pair it with a fitted turtleneck under and a great pair of black, sheer, or opaque tights.” To switch things up,
Just chill, because I’m about to tell you everything you’ve ever wondered about CBD gummies
March 05, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC CBD or cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive element of the cannabis plant, continues to be the most-talked-about ingredient in wellness right now. From leggings to deodorants to lube, that good (wellness) kush is in almost too many things—including squishy gummy candies. But given that there are so many different ways to consume CBD—from powders and supplements to tinctures—are CBD gummies’ effects worth spending your hard-earned cash on? Here’s the thing: People turn to CBD for a number of reasons: to support thier sleep, quell anxiety, or fight inflammation. And boy do they sound great when your grandmother, sister-and-law, and coworkers sing their praises. But when you’re deciding whether CBD gummies (or CBD in any form) are right for you, remember that the science has yet caught up to most of CBD’s fanfare. “There is very little data from rigorous scientific research on the therapeutic effects of CBD,” J. H. Atkinson, MD, of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego previously told Well+Good. Still, though, the massive market for CBD (which is estimated to reach $24 billion by 2024) suggests that many people can make an anecdotal case for the ingredient. And Jessica Mulligan, founder of gummy CBD company Winged, believes that peoples’ interest in CBD in its gummy form (and others) really comes down to a need to calm the nervous system in a world that’s stress-inducing and fast-paced. “CBD nourishes an important system in our bodies called the endocannabinoid
The ‘overhead squat assessment’ tells you everything you need to know about your mobility, stability, and coordination
March 05, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC Sometimes it really feels like you’re playing whack-a-mole with your fitness routine. You get your strength under control at the price of your mobility. Or you head to yoga to tackle stability and end up losing your strength. It’s hard to find the right balance of movement, but one trainer-approved tactic called the overhead squat assessment tells you everything you need to know about your body in one rep. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the overhead squat assessment (OHSA) determines how all of your body parts work as a whole. “The overhead squat assessment is the best measure of how healthy your client’s kinetic chain is,” reads NASM’s website. “This assessment enables the trainer to analyze every part of the kinetic chain for proper function. Since an overhead squat will utilize all musculature from head to toe to successfully complete, it’s the perfect movement to measure overall musculoskeletal function.” From an outsider’s perspective, it may look like you’re just performing a squat, but don’t talk about OHSA that way! The move deserves way more clout than that. Because the trainer will ask you to raise your hands overhead and repeat the movement 15 times, the exercise reveals your body’s weaknesses and where it’s really, really strong. For example, if your knee moves slightly inward when you complete the overhead squat assessment, NASM says that could mean your glutes and hamstrings are underactive and a move like ball squats could strengthen
This dietitian’s ‘Rule of 5’ makes healthy grocery shopping so much easier
March 05, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC When you’re trying to find out if a food is healthy, you might start by reading the ingredients lists. Valuable information? Absolutely. Nothing beats knowing exactly what’s in your food. But sometimes there just isn’t time when you shop for groceries—especially when you’re making a big trip. If you choose to focus on just one or two aspects of the nutrition panel, it’s good to know how much sugar is too much and how much fiber is enough. “I do this ‘rule of five.’” If a food or drink has less than five grams of sugar per serving and more than five grams of fiber per serving, it’s a good indicator that it’s a healthy pick,” says Rachel Swanson, RD. “It’s not perfect and there are exceptions, but it’s a pretty good rule of thumb.” If you’re wondering how much sugar is too much for a food or drink to be a healthy choice, the takeaway tip is to keep it under five grams per serving. Here’s how a dietitian gets out of Whole Foods spending less than $30: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4aGeQEf0_I] Swanson also calls out a “5:1 rule.” “This is another trick I teach clients that basically is dividing the amount of carbs by the amount of fiber as they are both listed on the label,” she says. “For example, sprouted grain bread has 15 grams of carbs and three grams of fiber per serving, so it would make the cut as being
How to reinvent yourself into anything you want to be, according to a transformation mentor
March 05, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC The question of how someone defines themselves is a tricky one because the options are so vast. Many, for example, have an identity that’s tied to their profession of choice. It often makes sense why, too, since if you’re lucky, you’ve actively chosen your career path, and your success along it is a result of diligence and hard work. Others may define themselves by a relationship role that’s important to them—like being a parent or spouse—or who they are in that relationship (ex: “I’m a giver”). Or maybe it’s a talent or interest that’s your defining factor: A runner. A yogi. A photographer. In all of these cases, no one is wrong in their assertion for how they self-identify. But what happens when the way in which you define yourself falls apart? Or you want to change who you are? As an empowerment and transformation mentor, Sophie Nik helps clients ask big, looming questions about who they are and then helps them reinvent themselves into who they want to be. She says most of her clients are women who want to do a total career 180. They’ve defined themselves by their profession for so long, but since that identity no longer resonates, they want to do something different despite having no idea what it is or how to get there. Other times, women come to Nik because they’re sick of the role they always seem to play in relationships. “Many women come to
Your core workouts have never burned as much as this 15-minute Pilates sesh
March 05, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdLPaGdYIZc] If you’re ever looking to burn out your core, one of the best—and lowest impact—ways to do it is with Pilates. The entire fitness modality centers around the core, but it gives you added benefits of things like better posture and added strength, all while hitting other muscle groups, too. In our latest episode of Well+Good’s YouTube series Good Moves, Pilates instructor and physiotherapist Chloe Gregor from East River Pilates is taking us through a 15-minute Pilates core workout that will make you feel as though you did a thousand crunches. “Everybody wants strong abs so that we feel stronger and move better,” she says. Rest assured that this 16-move, abs-centric workout lights up every single muscle within your core, from your obliques to your lower and upper abs. What’s even better is that the exercises within the workout secretly strengthen your hips, glutes, and shoulders, too. Basically, you could classify it as a full-body workout, but your core is what’s really going to be sore the next day. Get ready to w-o-r-k—all you need is a mat. Try this 15-minute Pilates core workout Toe tap: Start on your back and float your legs up into tabletop position. Keep the back of the neck long and the spine neutral, and slowly lower one of your legs down toward the mat as far as you can with control. Then pull the leg back up into tabletop, and do the other leg. Inhale as
The magnesium-rich snack a health coach swears by for better sleep and digestion
March 05, 2020 at 03:00AM by CWC Pumpkin gets a lot of hype in the fall, then everyone forgets about those big orange squashes for the rest of the year. Well, everyone except for Brit Trainor, RD, a health coach at Parsley Health, who believes they’re far more than just a decoration for your doorstep. Her pumpkin muffin recipe tastes just as good in October as it does in July. Pumpkins are loaded with so many nutritional benefits that they should be enjoyed year-round—especially their seeds. First of all, they contain a high amount of fiber—around a half day’s worth—which Trainor says helps keep you full for longer and helps moves things along in your gut, leading to better digestion. They’re loaded with an important mineral that provides many body-boosting benefits, including better sleep. “Pumpkin seeds are unusually high in magnesium, which is involved in many biochemical reactions in your body, including blood sugar control, heart rate regulation, muscle movements, protein formation, and energy creation,” says Trainor. “Magnesium also plays a role in supporting deep, restorative sleep via helping to maintain healthy levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter responsible for promoting sleep. Unfortunately, studies suggest that too many people get less than the daily recommended amount of magnesium in their diet, thus pumpkin seeds are an easy way to boost this important mineral.” Trainor says pumpkin seeds also help increase the production of nitric oxide in the body. “This helps to open blood vessels and circulate blood more smoothly, helping with