February 06, 2020 at 02:00AM by CWC If you peek into any Pilates class, it’ll look like a lot of small movements and core-focused exercises (and space-age-looking contraptions a la the Reformer). While it’s true that Pilates is centered around your core muscles, the low-intensity workout modality has an extensive list of benefits that you might not even realize. Pilates focuses on stability and controlling your muscles so that you get better mobility (and strength too, of course). “This allows you to find better range of motion and to move with ease,” says Rebecca Lubart, Pilates pro and founder of Dynamic Body Pilates. A Pilates class can either take place on a mat or on specialized equipment pieces (Lubart points to the Reformer, Cadillac, ladder barrel, and Wunda chair), but both variations focus on the breath, core activation, and slow, controlled movements. “In a Pilates class, you can expect to receive a lot of cues to coordinate your breathing and your movement,” says Lubart. Unlike in yoga though, Pilates breathing involves engaging your abs in every move you do. Since the exercises are slow and controlled, Lubart says she often hears clients say they’ve worked muscles they never have before, “and that’s because you’re simply not working on them in other exercise styles,” she says. Another perk of the slow movements? You’re working on increasing your range of motion, says Lubart, who adds that speed and momentum are a way of compensating for lack of strength. “That’s why your flexibility
Category: Your Healthiest Relationship
Being cool with your food choices is hard enough—here’s what to do when other someone makes you feel otherwise
February 06, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC Establishing a healthy mindset with food isn’t always easy—especially if you’re recovering from diet trauma. After spending years trapped in a culture emphasizing that certain foods are “bad” (and you are too if you eat them), it can be difficult to extract yourself from unhealthy food narratives, particularly when you’re around other people struggling with their own diet baggage. (Like that friend who is always talking about her “detox.”) While you can’t control what people around you say and do, you can control how you react. Easier said than done though, right? Here, psychotherapist Victoria Blumberg, LCAT and Truce With Food creator Ali Shapiro both give tips on what to do when other people trigger an unhealthy mindset related to food choices. When everyone is bonding over a specific food choices or eating plan Keto, Paleo, Whole30, intermittent fasting…adhering to a specific eating plan or food choices can seem like belonging to a type of “team,” which leaves out eaters who don’t want to live their life based on food rules. “As humans, we crave a sense of belonging, but there are so many other ways to bond besides food,” Shapiro says. But when someone attempts to bond over restriction, it can be triggering if you’re trying to create a healthy (and non restriction-based) relationship with food. “When this happens, you first want to consider the context and the relationship,” Blumberg says. “If it’s a coworker or someone you interact with minimally, changing
The first apartment essentials you need for a healthy, cozy, organized home
February 06, 2020 at 12:00AM by CWC Moving into your first apartment is one of the most exciting things you’ll ever do. It’s a major move that makes you feel independent and shows all your hard work has paid off. Officially having a space that’s entirely yours also means it’s one without rules or judgements about how many TV episodes you can binge-watch in one sitting. Clearly, adulting is going to be awesome. But to set yourself on the right track, you’ll want to pick up a few first apartment essentials before moving day. Since furnishing your first space can be a little intimidating, we compiled all the items you’ll need to ensure your home is healthy, efficient, and cozy. From stocking the kitchen with the items that will allow you to make nutritious homemade dinners to making sure your bedroom is a relaxing retreat, consider this your first apartment checklist. These are the first apartment essentials you need, room by room 1. Kitchen Since you’re just starting out, there are some things you’ll need in order to cook up your favorite meals. You don’t have to go on a spending spree—just stick to the basics first, then add to your collection over time. T-fal Ceramic Nonstick and Toxic-Free 14-Piece Cookware Set, $78 With this set, you’ll have all the pots and pans (and basic cooking utensils!) you’ll need to cook up your go-to recipes. Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, $60 The perfect size for an apartment,
I’m a dermatologist, and this French drugstore find is my favorite fix for dry hands
February 05, 2020 at 10:43PM by CWC There are two types people who I trust wholeheartedly to give skin-care advice: dermatologists and French women. So when New York-based board-certified dermatologist Shereene Idris, MD (known on social media as “The Pillowtalk Derm” thanks to the A+ skin-care advice she delivers from her bed every evening) combined the two when and shared her haul of French drugstore products to her Instagram story, you better believe I whipped out a notebook. Most of her picks—like the Bioderma Micellar Water ($15), which all of our editors swear by, and La Roche Posay Spray Sunscreen ($36)—came as no surprise, since they are cult-favorites in the Parisian beauty category. But there was one item in her cart that I had never heard of before: Nuxe Reve de Miel Hand and Nail Cream, ($20). The cream happens to be a French drugstore staple, but is also (thankfully) readily available on Amazon. It’s packed with all kinds of nourishing, good-for-your-hands properties, like sunflower seed oil, which acts as an emollient to seal in moisture beneath the surface of your skin, vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that protects skin from the environment, and honey, which is known for its healing antibacterial properties. Dr. Idriss likes to put it on after manicures to help with broken skin or sensitive cuticles, but it’s also good for giving your hands a boost whenever they’re feeling extra-dry or cracked. Much like your face, your hands deserve a skin-care routine of their own
I teach 40 spin classes a classes a week, and these are the 3 things I always do to recover
February 05, 2020 at 10:00PM by CWC Akin Akman spends 40 hours a week teaching fitness classes. That doesn’t include his own workouts in the gym, or the classes he takes from the other teachers at his new AARMY fitness studio in New York’s Noho neighborhood (a second location also opened in Los Angeles earlier this month). Considering how much exertion he’s putting on his body on a regular basis—through spin classes, boot camps, and a whole lot of ab exercises—it’s no wonder he takes his recovery routine just as seriously as he takes his fitness regimen. “It’s important to take a moment to assess where you’re at with your body—you don’t necessarily always have to go all out, especially when something feels tweaked,” he says of why recovery is such an integral part of what he does for himself. “Pay attention to the details. Sometimes there’s something that you need to address with recovery before you move on.” Think hip tightness as one example, which he says is key to stretch out before incorporating that muscle group in a workout. As a lifelong athlete (before he was teaching celebs at SoulCycle, he trained as a tennis player), Akman admits that his body can recover fairly quickly from even the most intense workouts… as long as there are some serious zzzs involved. “Since I’ve adapted to this lifestyle, I can take a nap or get a good night’s sleep and I’ll be up and ready to go,” he says. Ice
Berkeley’s carbon footprint calculator shows *exactly* how your lifestyle affects the environment—and how to change it
February 05, 2020 at 09:30PM by CWC Carbon dioxide levels are higher today than they’ve been at any point in the last 800,000 years. In fact, NOAA reports that the last time the global atmospheric CO2 reached current levels was 3 million years ago. With climate anxiety becoming more and more prevalent, its important to know your impact—and where to scale back. University of California, Berkeley’s CoolClimate Network is here to help with a a calculator that delivers an estimate of your carbon footprint. “All the things we do as the result of being humans alive on the planet today result in carbon emissions,” Peter Miller, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Climate and Clean Energy Program, Western Region, previously told Well+Good. Berkeley’s calculator is a kind of quiz that asks a series of questions related to your income, modes of transportation, utility usage, the food you eat, and how much you spend on other goods and services. Once you input your data, it allows you to choose from actionable steps to decrease your footprint, like riding you bike 20 miles a week instead of driving, or switching to more efficient light bulbs. The quiz asks questions about how many miles you drive a year, and how much do you spend a year on electricity, so pull up past bills and look through your purchase history to really get an accurate depiction of your habits. Nearly everything we do uses some form of energy, so it can be hard to
Finally, there’s a peanut allergy treatment for the 1 million children who have them
February 05, 2020 at 08:30PM by CWC As one of the “big eight,” the most common food allergies in the U.S., peanuts have been expelled from most schools and airlines. And for good reason—a nut allergy reaction can lead to trouble breathing, feeling lightheaded, and passing out. In extreme cases, it can even be life-threatening. But the Food and Drug Administration announced some major news: the first drug for children with a peanut allergy has officially been approved. The new drug, called AR101 or Palforzia, helps increase the tolerance of peanuts little by little. This is important because it means that if a child is accidentally exposed to trace amounts of peanuts, their bodies will be strong enough to handle it. The drug is available to anyone between the ages of 4 and 17, but with a price of $890 a month, it won’t be accessible for everyone. And unfortunately, even when taken over time, it doesn’t “cure” someone of a peanut allergy. Still, it’s the biggest advancement for sufferers yet. “As both a dietitian and a mom of a baby with a peanut allergy, I find Palforzia to be an exciting development,” says Lindsey Janeiro, RD. “[Though not a cure], a lessened reaction could still be the difference between life and death in some instances.” As a registered dietitian, Janeiro urges parents to still proceed with caution, and not to allow the drug to give a false sense of security. “Strict avoidance of peanuts is still required, along with
Finish every workout with this simple move to avoid lower back pain
February 05, 2020 at 07:30PM by CWC Every exercise you do helps to strengthen those beautiful muscles of yours. The only issue is that certain exercises, despite doing wonders, can cause aches and pains in your lower back if you’re not ending your workouts with some glute bridge pulses to combat it. Glute bridge pulses are great after glute, thigh, and core moves because they open up the hips and prevent any exercise-induced strain that results in lower back pain. If you commonly experience pain in the area after working out, giving your hips a boost could help put the issue to rest. “[Glute bridges] rehabilitate anything that’s going on in your lower back and even your hips, but it makes your ass look amazing. So it’s a double win,” says celebrity trainer Isaac Calpito in a recent Obé fitness class. “The posterior chain is all interconnected. From our hamstrings to our glutes to our lower back, they each work together to help keep us aligned,” says personal trainer Sam Tooley, founder of Alpha Fit Club in New Jersey. “Ending a workout with glute bridge pulses to strengthen your hips can help anyone who’s having lower back pain specifically. My recommendation would be to focus on the contraction at the top, pausing, and squeezing for a few seconds before releasing. You can also try mixing it up with some single leg efforts as well to isolate them unilaterally.” Before you finish up your next workout, be sure to add in
Climate change is making it harder for Olympic athletes to train—Nike wants clear the air
February 05, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC Put yourself in the sneakers of an athlete who’s spent the majority of their life dreaming, training, and spending every waking hour living for the chance to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Now, imagine there’s a very real, looming adversary standing between you gold—beyond those with the same hopes of winning it. It’s happening as we speak: Climate change is affecting how athletes prepare for their given sports, and it’s posing a threat to performance. The number of days above 90°F has increased by nearly 25 percent since the 1980s, and the change in weather has forced some United States states to adopt rules around when the temperature necessitates postponing or cancelling practice altogether to keep athletes safe. Nike reports that the current rate of climate change could decrease the time athletes spend on the field by up to two months in southernmost states by 2050. And meanwhile, viable snow days for snowboarders could decrease by 11 to 22 percent within the same timespan. The escalating temperatures are so top of mind, in fact, that the 2020 Olympic marathon site has been moved from Tokyo to Sapporo (a city 500 miles north) due to heat concerns. It’s enough that Nike, as a brand that outfits athletes from all over the world, is looking to address in the concerns of sustainability while also offering performance-forward gear that allows athletes to succeed and continue to break records in more grueling climates. “At the
Take a note from ‘Cheer’ and use structure to win the Grand National Championship of your own life
February 05, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC The six-part Netflix documentary Cheer follows the Navarro College cheer team along its journey to compete for the annual Grand National Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida. To lead her team, coach Monica Aldama leans heavily on principles of fierce, structural rigidity. No spoilers here about whether her tactics—which often land her squad members in the hospital—end up working (but, frankly, her championship-winning record can speak for itself). Aldama’s regimen of blood-sweat-and-tears-level intensity begs the question, though, of whether structure can also answer the question of how to plan success in your own life, landing you on top of your proverbial pyramid. Or, is it more likely that an unwavering relationship with structure becomes a hindrance that sends you tumbling backward, with no spotters (or stunters) in sight? First, know that structure is a necessity for living a fulfilling, healthy life. “Structure is fundamental to physical and mental well-being in humans,” says life coach and physician Anna Stratis, MD. In her work as a physician, Dr. Stratis career focuses on helping people create healthy habits that eventually form their backbone for living well. For example, something as simple as knowing that a daily bowl of oatmeal keeps you full until lunchtime can make you feel more productive and happy overall. Structure is fundamental to physical and mental well-being in humans.” —Anna Stratis, MD But regardless of how heavily or lightly you lean on structure to design your life, coping skills are crucial for being