October 24, 2019 at 07:06PM by CWC You’ve probably seen your fair share of at-home gym set-ups. Typically, they have a few things in common: They’re super expensive and they take up way too much space. Well, I’m happy to report that I’ve discovered a genius product that makes it easy to work out from anywhere without draining your bank account. The Flobody Gym is essentially a yoga mat with about a dozen hidden bonuses. It’s kind of like Mary Poppins’ magic bag, but better. At a glance, Flobody Gym ($119) looks like a thicker rolled-up mat. But it comes complete with removable weights, resistance bands, handles, and foot and hand straps that allow you to get the boutique studio treatment whenever you want, whether you’re into Pilates, yoga, HIIT, and more. A piece of equipment with so much going on might seem like it would be a nightmare to put together, but that’s not the case at all. It’s hard to believe something so compact packs in so many tools, yet it does. From the moment you take the Flobody Gym out of the box, it’s incredibly easy to use—and anything you’re not quite sure about is explained in the detailed instructions and set-up videos available. It’s like a puzzle piece that fits together perfectly, and because of that, it’s just as effortless to roll out and use as it is to put away, making it a breeze to store it in your closet between uses or take it
Tag: Well+Good
Here’s what kind of magnetic Scorpio you are, according to your moon sign
October 24, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC It’s totally fitting that Halloween falls during Scorpio season—after all, this is the zodiac sign that’s associated with mystery, transformation, and all things occult. But those born between October 23 and November 21 have far more layers than their sign’s spooky stereotypes alone suggest. “Scorpio energy is very deep,” says astrologer and women’s empowerment coach Natalia Benson. “They are known to be quite sensitive, but are also very strong-willed, intense people.” In other words, these intuitive water signs are anything but one-dimensional—and Scorpio moon signs add even more complexity to the astrological profile. What’s a moon sign, you ask? Essentially, it’s the sign the moon was in when you were born, and it represents your inner world—your emotions, your deepest desires, and the qualities of your subconscious mind. While your moon-sign traits aren’t usually the first thing people notice about you, they do impact the way in which your sun sign is expressed. So a Scorpio with a fire-sign moon may be extra emotive and intense, while one with an air-sign moon likely keeps their strong feelings closer to their chest. To learn your moon sign—and those of your Scorpio friends—input your birth date, time, and location into a free natal chart generator, like this one. Then, read on to find out what the different combinations of Scorpio moon signs mean. Learn exactly what kind of Scorpio you are, according to your moon sign. Graphics: Well+Good Creative Scorpio with an Aries moon Benson
The most comfortable (and *really* cute) podiatrist-approved boots for fall
October 24, 2019 at 05:40PM by CWC I know what you’re thinking—the words “podiatrist-approved” and “cute” are oxymorons, but hear me out. First of all, you know what’s not cute? Limping around a decade from now due to the bad shoe choices of your relative youth. Meanwhile, what is cute is investing in a good pair of fall boots you can actually, you know, wear—not just for a couple of hours or a couple of months, but for many seasons to come. (Sustainability for the win!) So while I’m not necessarily going to ask a podiatrist to go shopping with me, I am going to turn to such experts for advice on how to keep my feet safe and my footwear functional. Of utmost importance is heel height, says Yolanda Ragland, DPM, a New York City-based podiatrist, foot surgeon, and founder of FixYourFeet.com. “Wearing a completely flat boot is not good for the foot because it can cause plantar fasciitis and provides no support for the arch,” says Dr. Ragland. “Wearing a boot with a heel that is too high is not good because you can wind up getting pain in the ball of the foot—you’re increasing your chances of ankle sprains and plain-old stress in the foot in general.” Choosing a moderate-to-low boot heel is the best option, then, and Jacqueline Sutera, DPM, a podiatrist with NYC-based City Podiatry recommends sticking with block heels with a max height of 3 inches. “The higher the heel ,the more your weight
3 ways to improve your knee stability to move better in your day-to-day life
October 24, 2019 at 04:01PM by CWC Remember that song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”? Sure, it teaches children about anatomy, and gets them moving a bit, but the more I started to think about it (don’t ask me why it was on my mind), I realized that these parts of our body are somewhat ignored in our fitness routines—yet they’re important. Big toe flexibility is crucial, your shoulders are the steering wheel of your body, your head holds your brain, and your knee is center to every movement you do. Think about it: Your knees are the all-important joint that’s smack in the middle of your legs, so their stability and overall strength makes for smoothly functioning gams that can, well, take you wherever you need to go. To be more technical: “A stable knee is a knee in which all ligaments and surrounding muscle groups are intact, healthy, and strong enough to support body weight during movements and activity,” says Jeff Brannigan, program director at Stretch*d in New York. Stability in your knees, of all other joints in your body, is even more important because you’re utilizing them with literally every step that you take—so they’re the most prone to get injured. “The knee is already vulnerable to injury, so when the integrity of the joint is compromised, the risk for injury skyrockets,” says Brannigan. Not that any and all movements take a toll on your knees. Brannigan points out that the knee is especially vulnerable when it’s moving in
There are more vegan and plant-based products than ever—but don’t assume they’re all healthy
October 24, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC From lentil- and chickpea-pastas and cauliflower-based everything to alternative milks (so. many. alt. milks.), it’s clear that plant-based eating is more than just a trend; it’s here for good. After a long-held belief that meat should be the focus of their meals, Americans are leaning in to the scientific research that repeatedly finds that a plant-forward diet is the healthiest way to eat and giving veggies more real estate on their plates. Of course brands have taken notice and for the most part, that’s awesome. There are more vegan products on the market than ever, making it easier for consumers to up their plant-consumption, even if they don’t want to (or can’t) eat all vegan all the time. However, dietitians have a PSA to healthy eaters: not all foods marketed as “vegan” or “plant-based” are legitimately healthy. “Companies often use terms that cast a health halo around their product,” registered dietitian Debbie Petitpain, RDN says. When it comes to food confusion, you could say using “vegan” and “plant-based” is the new “natural.” Why not all vegan and plant-based foods are healthy While the term vegan is pretty straightforward (indicating that animals weren’t used to make the product at all), registered dietitian Amy Kimberlain, RD, CDE, an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics media spokesperson, says that “plant-based” is more nebulous, which adds to the confusion when shopping for healthy foods. “[Different people] have different definitions of what it means,” she says, adding that it’s
How hiking Machu Picchu on my period taught me the power of gratitude
October 24, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC I was in the middle of the Peruvian jungle when I finally started feeling like myself again after slogging through life on the heels of a recent heartbreak. Then I unexpectedly got my period. Let’s rewind: After my boss returned from hiking Machu Picchu with her husband, she kept saying how magical the experience was and that I should plan to visit soon. Not expecting her to say yes, I jokingly responded: “Okay, can I go next month? Will you give me the week off?” She paused for a second before replying, “Get your work done in advance, and go for it!” So I worked, and then I went. Energized by the last-minute trip I now needed to plan, I spent hours every night researching and soon felt like an expert in altitude hiking, Peruvian customs, and archaeology. I cashed in all my frequent-flier miles for a business-class flight, booked lodging at hostels, and built myself a custom weeklong itinerary packed with cultural experiences, adventure, and relaxation. My solo-travel goal was to heal and to reconnect with myself. I spent the first couple of days upon arrival in the main city of Cusco, Peru, acclimating to the altitude (and sipping plenty of pisco sours, the local libation of choice), and then I was ready for my four-day group trek to Machu Picchu. Despite my best-laid plans, after two full days of hiking, mountain biking, and white water rafting, I woke up on day
What you should know about sugar—according to a doctor
October 24, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC intro Today, the average American consumes almost 60 pounds of added sugar per year, which translates to about 17 teaspoons a day. Despite this mass overconsumption of sugar by Americans, it is well understood that eating too much sugar is bad for your health. It contributes to weight gain, cavities, acne and long-term health problems like type 2 diabetes, cancer, liver disease, heart disease, dementia, mood disorders, and metabolic issues. While most people know that sugar is not doing them any favors, the reality is much more serious than that: Sugar directly impacts your biology in addictive ways. Research presented at the Society for Neuroscience annual conference shows that sugar actually activates the reward center of your brain—the same one that lights up from cocaine and heroin. The stimulation of these neural pathways is reinforced every time we eat sweets and causes the brain to become increasingly hard-wired to crave sugar on a regular basis. Sugar directly impacts your biology in addictive ways. Even if you don’t think you eat a lot of added sugar, after you start to look at your diet, I bet you’ll find sugar is hiding in more places than you thought—like the smoothie you grabbed from the juice bar, the dressing at your go-to salad spot, the tomato sauce with your favorite dinner, and let’s not forget that after-dinner chocolate. If you just read that and thought, “Crap!” you’re not alone. It’s not your fault. We’ve all been
Why all women should be saying they want to be rich
October 24, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC When I was a kid, I liked money unabashedly. I collected it—whatever I accrued through chores, odd jobs, gifts from grandparents—in a special box, saving up for big and small things I thought I wanted: a Twirly Curls Barbie; a new book in the Sweet Valley series; the color-block Benetton shirt my mom wouldn’t buy me that, like, all the cool kids were wearing. I regularly counted my coins with pleasure, and when I finally had enough to make my purchase, I walked into the store proudly and handed over my cash. It all felt great. I had power, even if it was only the power to buy a doll with hair I could then curl with a weird plastic crimper. Money meant you didn’t have to ask someone else to buy you something. You could do it yourself. But as I got older, things changed. For one thing, I started writing, and writing seemed to be something you were supposed to feel grateful simply for the opportunity to do. I felt I was supposed to see the paycheck as besides the point—I was supposed to make art because it was my passion, because I couldn’t conceive of a world where I didn’t create. Never mind that the adage is Very Much True: Money is time, and time money, and art takes time. Never mind that I (and all artists) need money to make art in any substantive fashion throughout a life, and
3 savings tips from a professional foodie pursuing her dreams
October 24, 2019 at 04:45AM by CWC Together with Citi, we’re finding out how inspiring entrepreneurs saved to make their dreams reality. Find out the money saving tips recipe developer and food stylist Studio Jodi Moreno used to do it below, and get more information on how to be smarter with your savings here. Ever wonder what a day-in-the-life of a professional foodie looks like? For Jodi Moreno, it could include styling one of the gorgeous meal spreads you see in magazines, dreaming up a menu for a new restaurant, or creating a recipe for pink beet hummus for her blog, What’s Cooking Good Looking. But it wasn’t always all inventive recipe gigs for the culinary school grad. In fact, she started out in a corporate career as a head hunter, miles away from the food scene—and it took some creative savings strategies to make the transformation happen. “I would find myself pining for nights and weekends so I could get back in the kitchen and experiment,” says Moreno. Then one night over dinner, a friend helpfully pointed out that Moreno couldn’t stop talking about food and cooking—and perhaps that’s where her real career aspirations were. “That was the very moment I realized I should do everything I could to follow my dream of working with food full-time,” she explains. This “aha” moment resulted in her slowly (but purposefully) saving in order to achieve her dream-turned-full-blown day job. “The first thing I did was create a separate, more focused saving
This easy recipe for ‘DIY’ eye cream will save you an actual fortune
October 24, 2019 at 02:30AM by CWC Skin-care products in general can get really pricey. Tack on a teeny-tiny eye cream to your order, and the total cost of your shopping cart skyrockets. Well, according to one beauty expert, there’s no need to spend big bucks on the staple. Not when you can so easily DIY your own and still wind up with the exact same results. Lalita Vedantam, the cosmetic scientist behind the popular Instagram account @skinchemy, has made it her mission to share the secrets to the science of skin care and makeup. And most recently, she let her followers in on a money-saving tip for DIY eye cream. “One major similarity between moisturizers and eye creams is their formulation. Almost every eye cream has a very similar formulation to a hydrating moisturizer, but with lower concentrations of active ingredients,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “This makes sense because the area under the eye is very thin and delicate. Hence, it’s important to ensure that we only use a low concentration of ‘actives’ to prevent any irritation or redness in the area.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Science of Skincare & Makeup (@skinchemy) on Oct 20, 2019 at 4:50pm PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js To make eye cream at home, Vedantam recommends using a drop or two (less than you would normally use) of your “actives”—which includes things like retinoids, niacinamide, vitamin C, and tocopherol—and mixing it with your everyday hydrating moisturizer. “Ultimately, using