November 13, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3zgHI8QnqE] Some fun activities that you used to do as a kid actually have incredible merits as workouts (as much as that might shock your childhood self that was merely horsing around). Case in point? Skipping, playing tag, and—of course—jumping rope, which has been popping up in fitness studios all over the place. Returning to the rope may be intimidating if you haven’t done it since you were at recess, but it’s worth revisiting, because it’s the easiest way to spike your heart rate in a flash (while also working your entire body). That’s not to say it’s going to be easy, though. Superstar trainer Amanda Kloots, our Trainer of the Month and creator of the AK Rope workout, says there are plenty of ways to sabotage your jump rope workout, whether it’s through bad form or just not being able to get the rope all the way around you. So she highly recommends practicing everything before you even grab the rope to make sure you can really nail it like a pro. “Practice without it and get into the proper position,” she says. “Jumping rope is a rhythm—the rope hits, you jump. Your foot rhythm and your hand rhythm have to be the same.” Avoid the three most common mistakes that people make jumping rope, explained by Kloots in our latest episode of The Right Way, below. 1. Jumping too high: “You never want to jump higher than the rope is thick,” says
Category: Your Regeneration
‘Body stress release’ breathing is like a good long exhale for every muscle
November 13, 2019 at 10:39PM by CWC After a year-long hiatus from meditation, I’ve finally made my way back to the daily practice of “tuning into my breath.” It now feels like I’m navigating the murky waters of my mind for the very first time. But one recent morning, a virtual instructor cued me through a back-to-basics “body stress release” meditation on the Inscape app. I instantly remembered how powerful a tool the ancient practice can be. From a comfortable sitting position, you slowly begin to tense your muscles one-by-one before releasing them with an exhale. “Progressive muscle relaxation is a deeply relaxing technique used by athletes and shared by psychologists to relieve stress and anxiety throughout the body,” Inscape tells Well+Good. “It is very useful for people who suffer from insomnia, students who have been over mentally stimulated, or anyone who needs to release any stress from the day.” When you intentionally tense and release a muscle, it breaks up your normal patterns of physical (and, on a deeper level, emotional) tension. “The act of tensing and releasing these muscles brings awareness to specific areas of our body, which helps reach a deeper mind-body connection,” says Inscape. In other words, the meditation for stress relief acts as a way for you to take back the reigns on how you’re feeling. Here’s how to use breathing meditation for stress relief “It’s nice to rest for a few breaths between each tensing,” says Inscape, “but it can actually be done very
Sorry, your houseplants aren’t cleaning the air in your home
November 13, 2019 at 10:03PM by CWC So you’ve turned your apartment into a greenhouse? That’s cool. If you love the jungle aesthetic and revel in living the life of a plant mom, more power to you. If you’re relying on houseplants that clean the air to remove pollutants, however, don’t hold your breath. Research published in early November in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology reviewed 30 years worth of studies. And the findings suggest that your collection of philodendrons and snake plants doesn’t have any significant impact on air quality in your home. “This has been a common misconception for some time,” said Michael Waring, PhD, an associate professor of environmental engineering in Drexel’s College of Engineering in a statement from the university. “Plants are great, but they don’t actually clean indoor air quickly enough to have an effect on the air quality of your home or office environment.” Your home’s natural ventilation dilutes pollutants too fast for houseplants to catch. You would need between 100 and 1,000 plants per square meter of floor space to match the efficacy of our home’s normal ventilation system, or even just an open window or two. You can blame all the misinformation about houseplants on Bational Aeronautics and Space Administration. Back in 1989, NASA declared that plants could be used to remove chemicals from the air. Unfortunately, the experiment was conducted in a lab and the scientists never looked at how plants interacted outside of that particular environment. Flash
3 next-level ways to serve Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi that prove it’s perfect for every meal
November 13, 2019 at 09:00PM by CWC It’s safe to say that the wellness world is having a major love affair with Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. It’s all anyone can talk about. We want to see it in our IG feeds (and freezers) all the time, and eat it every night for dinner. But as with all romances, the honeymoon phase inevitably wears off. After a certain point, air-fried cauliflower gnocchi or cauli gnocchi with marinara sauce just won’t spark the same joy that they did when the relationship was fresh. But that doesn’t mean your love affair with the TJ’s staple needs to end—it’s just time to start thinking outside the box (or in this case, frozen bag). Here, three healthy food bloggers and recipe creators share creative ways to cook with TJ’s cauliflower gnocchi that you definitely haven’t tried before. You’ll find that spark again in no time. Scroll down for 3 next-level Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi recipes. Photo: Kaylie Johnson 1. Cauliflower gnocchi breakfast casserole In this recipe, Paleo Gluten-Free Eats blogger Kayle Johnson uses cauliflower gnocchi as the starring ingredient for a casserole that works as a breakfast *or* dinner dish. “I love creating new recipes that I haven’t seen before and I love warming casseroles, so I thought this would be a great way to make an easy family [meal] in one dish with an ingredient I knew I already loved—cauliflower gnocchi,” she says. Along with the gnocchi, the dish features broccoli, eggs, and chicken sausage.
The dietitian’s guide to the healthiest fast food options at 14 of America’s favorite chain restaurants
November 13, 2019 at 07:29PM by CWC You know how it goes: some weeks you’ve meal-prepped a week’s worth of meals. And some weeks, well, you feel accomplished for nuking yourself a TV dinner. When life gets busy and you find yourself staring into an empty fridge, being in-the-know about the healthiest fast food options available to your can save your week. Below, we rounded up 14 of the healthiest things to order from fast food chains like Chipotle, IHOP, Cheesecake Factory, and more. Dietitians give the healthiest fast food options at America’s favorite chain restaurants Photo: Getty Images/ Piet de Kersgeiter-Eye Em Olive garden Executive chef and registered dietitian Jessica Swift, RD previously told Well+Good that the name of the game at Olive Garden is taking half of the chain’s very generous pasta portion home with you. “I would also suggest taking advantage of the vegetable side dishes, like asparagus with minced onions, instead of just focusing on the pasta,” she said. Order: herb-grilled salmon, chicken Giardino, minestrone soup A dietitian’s go-to pasta variety: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F099FS6XCs] P.F. chang’s Everyone’s favorite Chinese chain has a ton of veggies on the menu, so healthy eating is really NBD. Registered dietitian Chelsey Amer, RD, does have a few favorites, however. Order: ginger chicken with broccoli, miso glazed salmon, stir-fry eggplant, Buddha’s feast [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAZGWNZ5G2A] Chipotle “Your starting point should be either a bowl or salad,” says Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, host of Well+Good’s You Versus Food. After that, just add brown rice, your choice of protein,
Breastfeeding is one of the most heated topics of new motherhood—and it’s time to stop the stigma
November 13, 2019 at 07:00PM by CWC When I had my daughter last year, I set out with the intention of breastfeeding her for a full 12 months. I had heard (many, many times) about how my mom had nursed me for a year, and most of my American friends seemed to be on the breastfeeding train. Except I live in France, where moms on average breastfeed to 17 weeks and less than 10 percent continue for six months, according to a 2015 study by Inserm, France’s National Institute of Health. However, breastfeeding was harder than I expected. Getting my daughter to properly latch onto my breast was surprisingly challenging, and I hadn’t mentally prepared for the reality of nursing every two to three hours, day and night, after a 30-hour labor. The first night after delivery, I only got a few short bursts of sleep, and my poor nipples were soon stinging and bleeding from the near-constant feeding. I begged every nurse who came into my hospital room for help. Fortunately, thanks to France’s affordable medical system, I was able to stay in the hospital for a week to get things on track. But over the next few months, breastfeeding became increasingly tough with my work schedule, and my milk supply couldn’t seem to keep up with one very hungry little girl. I faced pressure to add a bottle of formula from my husband and our nanny, who implied that my daughter was too skinny (she wasn’t, our pediatrician
4 signs your witty banter is actually platonic negging
November 13, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC There’s nothing like a battle of wit to keep your interest. In fact, many of us enjoy the notion that someone can match us in the art of playful banter, whether the verbal-repartee partner is a new love interest, a friend, or a colleague. Personally, I live for these sparring matches—I’m good at it. But sometimes, upon coming down from good-banter high, I’ve felt unsure as to whether I was being witty or plain old mean, which brings me to the concept of negging. It’s not a new thing, but it’s popularly designated for romantic-leaning situations in which one party undermines the confidence of the other in the form of backhanded compliments or comments. This practice may have the the effect of making the negged person so insecure that they feel the need to win the approval of the other via a hookup. But, little known reality: Platonic negging is also thing that can crop up in truly any relationship, be it a coworker, friend, or family member. Sometimes hard to spot in practice, so I’m left to wonder, what is negging, really, and can someone explain to me the fine line separating it from banter? According to clinical psychologist Aimee Daramus, PsyD, the difference is pretty subjective. “You pay them a compliment that makes them self-conscious, like ‘That extra weight looks cute!’ or ‘I think it’s great that you don’t try to bleach your freckles,’” says Dr. Daramus. And even when it’s
Your soul mate isn’t necessarily ‘the one’—here’s how to tell the difference
November 13, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Theoretically, finding your soul mate should mark the end of your search for “the one,” right? Because what is a soul mate if not someone with whom you have a life-altering connection that gives purpose to those countless nights out and Hinge swipes and bad dates and awful breakups? (Just me?) Well unfortunately, relationship pros say finding your soul mate and living happily ever after aren’t necessarily linear events, because finding your soul mate doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found a healthy relationship. “When you meet someone who has the same worldviews, you tend to find them more attractive, intelligent, and moral, but this bias can lead you to invest in those relationships based on this alone, ultimately making you feel that this person is your ‘soul mate,’” says Greta Tufvesson, co-founder of matchmaking service The Bevy, adding that these qualities alone aren’t necessarily enough when it comes to the person with whom you want to share the rest of your life. “The one is the person who complements you and makes you want to be better.” Still, finding someone who gives you a twin-souls vibe can obviously send sparks flying. But over time, you need something more than that to sustain a relationship. “It’s possible to meet somebody with whom you feel a soul connection that’s deep and profound, yet you’re not a good romantic match for each other,” says relationship expert Susan Winter, author of Breakup Triage: The Cure for Heartache. “Regardless
Bye chunky Dad Shoes, this is the new sneaker trend you’ll soon see everywhere
November 13, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC While the popularity of the Dad Shoe isn’t going anywhere soon, there is a new front-runner that will soon outshine the beloved (and worn to death) chunky sneaker this fall—and if you haven’t picked a pair up already, it’s time. The latest favorite goes even further into the past. This fall, it’s all about the vintage-style running sneaker. Life after the Fila Disruptor 2 and Martine Rose’s reimagined Nike Air Monarch 2 moves away from chunky and more towards sleek, like the sneaker worn by first-ever women’s Olympic Games marathon champion Joan Benoit Samuelson in 1984. Specific? Yes. True? Also yes. Photo: Courtesy of Nike The most hyped versions of this vintage-inspired trend include Nike’s Sacai collaboration, the LDV Waffle. Released in three different colors, there are some obvious fashion-over-function additions like the double tongues, double swooshes, and double laces in the marrying of two old running silhouettes, the LDV and the Waffle Racer. Samuelson’s marathon-winning shoe also saw an August re-release as well as fashion rehaul with Japanese imprint, Undercover. Both versions of the Daybreak are still available on Nike.com, whereas the Sacai collab is only available on resale sites like StockX and GOAT. Photo: Courtesy of ASICS You can easily hop on board with this trend without going full sneakerhead, too. ASICS has quietly been releasing updated, fashion-forward favorites in the last few months and just debuted a Kiko Kostadinov campaign shot by (and featuring) fine arts photographer Juergen Teller. Look to ASICS
Learn how to save for a big life goal from two nutritionists-turned-entrepreneurs
November 13, 2019 at 02:30PM by CWC https://content.jwplatform.com/players/tUKnTeLS-AjgxWzQ7.js Come meet registered dietitians and Food Heaven founders Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones in person this Thursday, November 14, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Citibank Union Square at 52 E 14 Street in New York City to learn savings tips and nutrition info, sample healthy bites, and score giveaways while supplies last. See you there! Once you start the process of tackling a big goal (think: start a business, buy a home, plan a celebration—you get the picture), does your brain end up malfunctioning and command-quitting on you? Good news: Saving for a big goal doesn’t have to be so overwhelming. Take it from Food Heaven founders and registered dietitians Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones, who turned to a strategic savings plan to create the online healthy-eating platform. “Food Heaven started off as a passion project, and through savings we’ve really been able to grow our business and turn this into a full-time job,” explains Lopez. “We’re a go-to nutrition resource, especially for people who feel underrepresented within the wellness industry.” Saving was a major factor in launching the endeavor—and continues to fuel Food Heaven today. “[We set] up a savings account that was completely separate from our checking,” Jones says. “It allowed us to have a different mindset about the money that was already put away and really think about the big picture.” Watch the video for more ways you can save money in order to achieve a big