November 12, 2019 at 10:36PM by CWC There is no quicker or easier way to make yourself feel like a grown-ass adult than throwing a blazer on top of your outfit. No matter what you’re wearing underneath, it will instantly morph you into the professional, well-deserving recipient of a Businesswoman Special—and that includes activewear. (Yep, casual blazer outfits are indeed a thing.) The blazer-meets-track-pants look is basically the wardrobe equivalent of “business on the top, comfort on the bottom,” aka the ideal way to make athleisure appropriate for literally any scenario (though, in 2019, it basically is already). In fact, I’ve officially decided we’re calling it “biz-leisure,” because this combo is so good it deserves a name of its own. Pair it with pumps for the office, your favorite sneaks for an easy weekend look, or some strappy sandals and a statement earring for a holiday party look that isn’t some iteration of a sequin dress. All you need to get the look are two things you likely already have in your closet: a blazer and a pair of joggers. But just in case you need some inspo or are looking to invest in a few new pieces that you’ll get just as much wear out of separately as you will when you pair them together, shop our picks for these on-trend casual blazer outfits below. Adidas Originals Cuffed Track Pants ($60), Everlane The Cotton Linen Blazer ($145) This look is basically a business suit, but 2,000 times more comfortable.
Category: Your Regeneration
4 empty barbell exercises you can use to build strength and stability
November 12, 2019 at 10:00PM by CWC There’s a common misconception that a barbell has to be loaded with weight on both sides to be effective, but that’s just a gym myth. A standard barbell weighs about 45 pounds all on its own. And according to Maillard Howell, owner of CrossFit Prospect Heights and founder of the The Beta Way, both beginners and skilled weightlifters should incorporate empty barbell exercises into their workouts. “An empty barbell should always be your barometer,” says Howell. The baseline 45 pounds of the bar allows you to test—and eventually master—the mechanics required to lift heavier loads, he explains. Over time, your body will develop a muscle memory for all those deadlifts, squats, and presses. When you up the weight, you’ll be able to maintain excellent form. Barbells offer a stability that free weights simply don’t. “I think that you can definitely feel your imbalances when you’re holding free weights,” says Howell. If your left side is stronger than your right, your left arm may take longer to tire than its opposite. Barbells even the playing field so you can get your sea legs (er, gym legs?) before diving into more complex compound movements that require dumbbells. The 4 empty barbell exercises every strength-training beginner needs for gains 1. Back squat Begin with a barbell securely placed on top of your traps with your feet hips-width distance apart. Flex your knees to descend while doing your best to keep them in line with your ankles. Keep your torso
Double the number of servings in your favorite recipes with this budget friendly meal hack
November 12, 2019 at 09:00PM by CWC Whether you’re cooking dinner for a family of five or meal prepping for one, it’s easy to create budget friendly meals with the addition of a few sneaky ingredients. This hack won’t compromise the flavor of your favorite recipes, but it will increase the nutritional benefits. In a recent Reddit thread, a number of at-home chefs shared the all-star ingredients you can add to recipes to get more servings out of their meals and make them healthier. When you want to increase the number of servings in from four to six (or more), for example, add these wholesome and versatile ingredients to your favorite recipes. 14 healthy ingredients to help you create budget friendly meals 1. Black beans If you’re a taco or burrito bowl fan (who isn’t?), mix one can of black beans in with every pound of your protein of choice for an even heartier mix. 2. Cauliflower rice Cauliflower rice is currently gracing every freezer aisle. To put the time-saving staple to good use, add it to casseroles, soups, and blend it into sauces. 3. Spinach Spinach is such an underrated ingredient in warm dishes. Mix a bag into casseroles, soups, or any sautéed recipe. 4. Mushrooms Mushrooms add a meaty texture to any dish, no meat required. Make your dishes more filling by adding blended mushrooms to pasta sauces and whole or chopped mushrooms to casseroles and stir-fries. 5. Carrots Put that bag of unused carrots in your refrigerator
The strongest muscle in your body is also the tightest—here’s how to stretch it out
November 12, 2019 at 05:31PM by CWC Grinding of the teeth, or bruxism, is so common that you might be doing it without even realizing it. If you’re doing it as you sleep, you might wake up in the morning with a sore jaw, a headache, and damage to your teeth. Not exactly the best way to start your day. One way to get some relief is a daily masseter massage, says Inna Chern, DDS, a dentist in New York City. The masseter muscle is the strongest muscle in your body by weight. “The masseter is one of three muscles known as elevator muscles, and those muscles are responsible for closing the mouth and setting the teeth together so we can chew. The masseter is located behind the cheeks and can generate hundreds of pounds of force,” sats Dr. Chern. That force is compounded when you clench your jaw or grind your teeth. “Like any other sore muscle, it’s important to relieve the tension before it becomes chronically problematic,” says Dr. Chern. “A masseter massage is a great way to help alleviate the strain that’s often felt in the morning hours after a bout of grinding while asleep, and it often helps with grinding-related headaches and migraines.” It’s incredibly easy to do, too. All you need to do is apply firm kneading motions to massage the masseter with your fingers or knuckles, says Dr. Chern. How to give yourself a masseter massage 1. Find it The masseter muscle is located
“Cardio yoga” will hands down give you the best full-body sweat you can ask for
November 12, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC When I hear someone complain that they “hate yoga” because it’s “boring” and “not a good enough workout,” I can’t help but get annoyed. Because clearly, they aren’t going to the right yoga classes. Not only can yoga double as a serious strength training workout (especially for your core!), but it can also double as your daily dose of cardio—or should we say cardio yoga—by way of one-beat flows. These series pair breath with movement, so that instead of holding poses for long periods of time you’re moving through them rapidly every time you inhale and exhale. This, understandably, will get your heart racing. “One breath per movement will increase the heart rate depending on the pacing and rhythm of the practice,” says Kajuan Douglas, founder of Merge New York, adding that timing is key with these types of flow. “Instead of moving like you’re taking a leisurely stroll in the park, move in your yoga practice like you a have some place to be five minutes ago. Create a tempo that means business.” In addition to getting your heart pumping, these one-beat flows can also be helpful for centering your practice, too. “I truly believe that the breath is the most powerful tool in a yoga practice,” says yoga instructor Bee Creel. “It encourages us to move fluidly and with intention, it establishes a point of focus, and most importantly, it helps us create space where we feel stuck, both physically and mentally.”
What it’s like to stay at the world’s first ever WELL-certified hotel
November 12, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC San Diego offers no shortage of vegan restaurants, boutique fitness options, and crystal shops, but if those offerings aren’t enough of an enticement to the city for wellness-minded travelers, perhaps this sustainable-hospitality win will sway opinions: As of July 2019, Encinitas—a beach town within San Diego—became the first-ever locale to boast a WELL-certified hotel. The Inn at Moonlight Beach is the five-suite wellness destination that achieved the highest certification honor possible—the WELL Platinum level. And though it’s certainly impressive that the property snagged this designation for satisfying the WELL Building Standard criteria—which, per the Inn’s website, “focuses on enhancing people’s health and wellness through the buildings where we live, work, and play”—I couldn’t tell you what exactly that means in practice. So I decided to experience the newest standard in sustainable hospitality for myself in order to find out. I pulled up to the property with a friend just before golden hour on a Thursday. The building is small and inviting, emanating literal and figurative warmth from the cozy outdoor firepit and patio where guests gather to watch the sunset. Rhys, the property’s general manager greeted us with a steaming cup of the Inn’s detoxifying tea, available at all times in the Inn’s communal living space. Mug in hand, we followed him along a tour through a series of unique spaces on-site, each designed to help guests work on their well-being in whatever way they see fit. For some, this means spending time
Why derms say it’s not a bad idea to take a break from your skin-care routine
November 12, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Recently, I went through a particularly lazy weekend during which I did absolutely nothing to my skin—and I really mean nothing. Sure, I’ve gone weekends without wearing makeup about a zillion times before, but this time I even ignored my skin-care products for two and a half straight days (mainly due to the combo of pure laziness and zero plans). Come Monday morning, guess what? Instead of facing a complexion riddled with breakouts and cracked from dryness, my skin looked great. Amazing, actually. If you’re shocked, trust me—I was too. But, just as breaks can be a good thing—like taking a break from your workouts or taking a break in a relationship—a skincare break can do major favors for your skin. And dermatologists agree with me. “The fewer products you use on your face, the better,” says Michele Green, MD, a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist. “You don’t want to overcomplicate things for your skin, especially since your face is so delicate. Giving your complexion a break from skin-care products will let your skin breathe and rest.” It’s more obvious that skipping makeup once in a while is great for your skin, because not all makeup has skin-care benefits. “Makeup is like a mask with more than one layer, so laying off from these products will let your skin rest,” says Dr. Green. With skin care, though, she notes that it’ll give your complexion a chance to rejuvenate itself and get some much-needed air. “Giving your
Here’s what your go-to snack should be, according to your zodiac sign
November 12, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC You might have already turned to your zodiac for insight into a stress relief technique that works best for your personality or the type of partner you’re most likely to be compatible with. But your horoscope and food go together like…well, like Castor and Pollux. (Geminis, you got that one, right?) Just knowing your sun sign can help you figure out what snacks will make you truly feel fed—as in on a deep, spiritual level. Everybody knows that reaching for a handful of nuts is healthier than a candy bar, but let’s be real here: If your snack choice doesn’t satisfy you emotionally as well as physically, you’re going to be rummaging through your pantry again before your next legit meal. That’s where the newly released Your Astrological Cookbook by Catherine Urban comes in. Each astrological sign has a dedicated chapter and over a dozen recipes spanning breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and drinks. Keep reading to get an (ahem) taste of her new cookbook, with tips from the book on the types of foods that work best for each sign when it comes to finding something to nosh on between meals. Scroll down to see what to keep in mind when whipping up a snack, based on your zodiac sign. Photo: Getty Images/Larissa Veronesi Aries As Urban points out in her book, Aries are adventurous in nature. A run-of-the-mill granola bar likely isn’t going to be all that enjoyable for you.
5 techy gadgets that can actually make your holiday season less stressful
November 12, 2019 at 01:30PM by CWC Once Halloween is behind us, we’re full steam into holiday mode (if Mariah says so it’s gotta be true). And while dreaming about Thanksgiving recipes and humming holiday tunes are just a few of the many joy-inducing parts of the holidays, when stress creeps in it can make the whole season… not-so-cheerful. Despite the bad rap tech gets for contributing to stress (the Instagram comparison trap is real), there are a few mindful devices that can actually help you chill out when you start to feel overwhelmed by your endless holiday to-do list. From a smart fitness tracker to a snooze-boosting white noise machine, we rounded up the wellness-ified gadgets that will help you hang on to your Zen all season long. Keep reading for our 5 picks for techy gadgets to help reduce holiday stress. Amazon Echo Alexa-enabled Bluetooth Speaker, $100 With all the things you have to remember to do during this jam-packed time (buy cookie ingredients, pick up a gift for your aunt, find the perfect New Year’s Eve outfit) lists are your friend. Instead of slowing yourself down with a physical list, dictate your to-do’s to Alexa. Pro tip: Keep it in your kitchen so you can add items to your grocery list as you notice you’re running out to help keep your healthy habits on track. Fitbit Versa 2 Smartwatch, $200 Your workout routine is often the first thing to get the boot when your schedule is filling
I went to a toe reader to get insight about my life path—and the results were totally on point
November 12, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC “You have really nice toes. To be honest, I don’t see a lot of toes like these.” I raise an eyebrow when Angela Wieland tells me this, because I’ve never considered my feet to be even a little bit attractive. But if I’m going to take this type of compliment from anyone, it’d be from Wieland. As the Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico‘s resident toe reader (which is kind of like a palm reader, but with a strict, below-the-ankles focus on things like toe length meaning), Wieland sees dozen of digits every week—maybe more than anyone other than a podiatrist or a foot-modeling agent. When Wieland seeks to find symbolism in a given foot, she looks at toe length meaning in addition to size, straightness, and relationship to other toes, and combines this intel with her own intuition to give clients insight into their life path. Basically, she says, she uses toes like other readers use tarot cards or lines on a hand. The main distinction is that she doesn’t give future predictions, meaning the length of your third toe won’t distill intel, like, say, how many kids you’re going to have. Rather, all of the information Wieland supplies is rooted in the past and present. “I give you a snapshot of where you are right now based on where you’ve been,” she says. “It’s a summary of your belief systems, your upbringing, and the stories you’ve told yourself.” There’s also an