Índex per November 2020 a Shape

When your hair is drenched, its outermost layer—made up of flat, overlapping cells—swells up, which temporarily weakens the structure. During this vulnerable state, we’re likely to vigorously dry with a bath towel or attack knots with a brush or a fine-tooth comb—moves that can end up breaking off or splitting the fragile strands. The good news: It’s easy to adopt a do-no-harm hair-care philosophy. Simply follow these steps to keep your mane healthy and strong. DRY WITHOUT THE DAMAGE Set yourself up in the shower: “After you wash out your conditioner, change the water temp to cool, and rinse strands to help flatten the cuticle layer,” says Koni Bennett, a hairstylist in New York. “Then gather hair and gently squeeze out excess water.” Now, about that bath towel—the coarse…

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RECOVERY AND REGENERATION are a key pillar in the Wright Fit’s approach to training. Lucy Fernandez can personally attest to the power of that R&R. “Doing respiratory drills transformed my training by helping me manage the alignment between my rib cage and pelvis,” she says. The two movements she samples here are a hook-lying tilt (with a forward reach) and an all-fours belly lift. They’re subtle but mighty. With both, you’ll tuck your pelvis to get into position—though one is lying on your back faceup and one is on all fours—breathe in through the nose, and exhale through your mouth long and slow to really empty your lungs. “Even more challenging is to hold that exhale for three to five seconds—that’s where the magic happens,” Fernandez says. Try the combo…

If you’re not sleeping well, chances are your sex life is feeling the effects. Women have a 40 percent higher risk of insomnia than men do, research shows. And that sleep gap affects our libido, since we’re less likely to be in the mood if we’re tired. Your sex hormones play a role: “Evidence suggests that estrogens help us maintain normal sleep patterns by binding to receptors in the brain that govern sleep,” says Jessica Mong, Ph.D., a pharmacology professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. And when progesterone is higher, you may feel sleepier. Fluctuations in estrogens and progesterone are linked to sleep quality. Big hormonal shifts during a woman’s lifetime, like puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, cause the worst sleep disruption, Mong says. But it can…

MARY MOULTRIE Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, and add 1 ounce vodka, ½ ounce Aperol, ½ ounce rosemary syrup, ¾ ounce blood orange juice, and ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice, and shake vigorously. Strain the drink into a collins glass filled with crushed ice, and top with club soda. Garnish with a spoonful of pomegranate seeds. To make rosemary syrup: Steep a small bunch of rosemary in 2 cups hot simple syrup (made from equal parts sugar and water) for 30 minutes. Strain, remove and discard rosemary, let cool, and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 3 weeks). CRANBERRY-AND-SPICE SPRITZ Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, and add 1 ounce brandy, ¾ ounce spiced cranberry syrup, ½ ounce fresh lemon juice, and 2 dashes cherry bark bitters,…

BE WATERPROOF NEAL SCHULTZ, M.D. Dermatologist DENDY E. ENGELMAN, M.D. Dermatologist MONA GOHARA, M.D. Dermatologist ELIZABETH K. HALE, M.D. Dermatologist MICHELLE HENRY, M.D. Dermatologist MELISSA KANCHANAPOOMI LEVIN, M.D. Dermatologist ELLEN MARMUR, M.D. Dermatologist RON ROBINSON Cosmetic chemist GITA BASS Makeup artist PORSCHE COOPER Makeup artist NUNZIO SAVIANO Hairstylist BE STRONG + WELL JEN WIDERSTROM Consulting Shape fitness director, trainer, life coach ADAM ROSANTE Strength and nutrition coach NICOLE KEITH, PH.D. President of the American College of Sports Medicine CEDRIC X. BRYANT, PH.D. President of the American Council on Exercise JORDAN METZL, M.D. Sports medicine physician MICHELE OLSON, PH.D. Clinical professor of sport science SHAUN T Celebrity trainer ALEX SILVER-FAGAN Nike Master Trainer HARLEY PASTERNAK Celebrity trainer JAY WRIGHT Trainer, studio owner CARRIE PAGLIANO Clinical specialist in orthopedics CHRISTINE CARTER,…

The rise in video calls has meant a lot of hours spent straining—and staring at—our necks. Plus, we bow our heads over our phones and laptops many times a day. This causes the horizontal wrinkles aptly called tech neck, says David Shafer, M.D., a plastic surgeon in New York. Yet as we dutifully apply serums and lotions to our face, we tend to skip the area right below it. With neck concerns front and center—and some interesting new products and treatments—perhaps we’re ready to give this neglected skin its due. THE ESSENTIAL SKIN CARE The neck’s skin is thinner than almost anywhere else on the body (except for undereyes and the backs of hands), and it has almost no hair follicles and oil glands. This makes it susceptible to dehydration.…

Yoga has a special effect on your brain chemistry beyond the general exercise high. “Yoga is more than physical. There’s a contemplated aspect to it, as opposed to when you’re running and your mind can be chatting away,” says Chris C. Streeter, M.D., a psychiatry and neurology professor at Boston University School of Medicine. In fact, in a study conducted by Dr. Streeter, healthy people who did yoga showed better improvements in mood and anxiety than those who walked at an equivalent intensity. “The neurotransmitter GABA is increased after a yoga class—in both healthy individuals and those with depression,” she says. That’s important because when GABA is low, so is mood. The key to keeping up your GABA levels may be doing yoga twice a week: In a subsequent study…

When she started seeing reports that indicated parents were less happy than their child-free counterparts, Katherine Nelson-Coffey, Ph.D., set off to investigate. “Much of my research suggests that, in general, parents tend to be at least as happy—and often slightly happier—than people without children,” says Nelson-Coffey, a psychology professor at the University of the South. Seeking to find where the parent perks occurred, she looked at the mood parents were reporting when they were spending time with their kids compared with when they were not. “When moms were interacting with their children—playing, reading stories, talking, doing activities—they experienced more positive emotions than they did during other parts of the day.” The Biological Link One mechanism behind those positive emotions may be the steady doses of the hormone oxytocin (the…

Cameron Diaz loves a good wine. But she had never really thought about what’s in it until a few years ago, when she and her pal Katherine Power were hanging out on her patio enjoying a glass. “We thought it was weird that there was no ingredients list,” says Power, the cofounder of the fashion brand Who What Wear and its skin-care line, Versed. The pair decided to learn about wine making, and they soon realized “there could be additives in there,” Diaz says. That’s when their idea for Avaline, a clean wine brand with few ingredients—which are listed on the label—was born (a white, a rosé, and a red have all been released this year). Here, Diaz and Power explain their passion. WHAT EXACTLY IS CLEAN WINE—AND WHY IS…

Elizabeth Goodman Artis, Editor in Chief SHAPING THE FUTURE OF WELLNESS Recently, I met someone who asked me the best way to work out. I get this question often, considering what I do for a living, and I delivered my usual response: whatever makes the most sense for your body, your lifestyle, your age, and your bank account. I’m not a certified trainer who can prescribe exercise plans, but I am an editor who’s been working in the wellness content space for some time, and I’m certain there’s no single “right” way to exercise or to be healthy in general. Good health journalism, what we excel at here at Shape, requires constant surveillance of news reports, academic studies, cutting-edge products, and trends, then curating it all in a way that’s…

Nothing in my life is perfect, the mom of three begins. “That just seems exhausting. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve let go of perfection. I’m happier when my outfit, makeup, and home are a bit undone, lived in, and effortless,” says Kristin Cavallari, who moved into a new house in Tennessee a few months ago, after announcing that she was getting divorced. “It has the best energy, and I’ve gotten to make it my own—it’s become a sanctuary,” she says. Two things that contribute to that: At 5 a.m., she wakes up to work out. “I lift weights and do other muscle-building moves, like lunges, squats, and pull-ups, while my kids sleep. It’s the alone time I need before the chaos begins,” she says. Then, often at the…

The way your skin looks on the outside has a lot to do with what’s going on inside your head. Mental states, like stress and exhaustion, can bring on dark circles, breakouts, and flare-ups of chronic issues like psoriasis and eczema. “Stress is a physiological response that causes a disturbance in the equilibrium of your body,” says Evan Rieder, M.D., a dermatologist and a psychiatrist in New York. When your body’s functions are off, which is especially prevalent in these trying times, it shows. But psych experts say that the opposite is also true, and that it’s just as possible to solve your skin problems from the inside out. You have the power to mind control your way to a calmer, clearer complexion. Here are the tools. TAKE CONTROL OF…

Pets have a way of lightening our mood, no matter how irritable or anxious we might feel. Mental health professionals use this phenomenon for treating patients; emotional-support animals help their owners function better “on almost every level,” says Philip Tedeschi, the executive director of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. “People are able to relax and be more social, confident, friendly, and optimistic around them.” These are the ways our furry friends work their magic. THEY MAKE US MORE PLAYFUL “One of the ways that all mammals take care of themselves is through play,” Tedeschi says. If you’ve ever watched a normally serious adult speak baby talk to a pet, you’ve seen how pets can bring out our silly side.…

THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS CONNECTION Experiencing a sense of well-being can have a fortifying effect on the body that is distinct from simply having an absence of stress. “It really looks as though these positive processes are acting independently from the negative ones. If anything, they may have stronger links with immunity,” says Julienne Bower, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and psychiatry and a researcher at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA. “Sometimes it’s easier to increase people’s happiness than to decrease stress.” In other words, even during the heaviness of a pandemic, practices that boost eudaemonic well-being—which includes a sense of connection and purpose in life and is associated with healthier immune profiles—can help. IMPACT ON YOUR DEFENSES In two 2019 studies, Bower and her colleagues found…

“It’s not just about taste and aroma. Flavor also involves our emotions about food intertwined with our sense of its textures, colors, shapes, and sounds,” says Nik Sharma, the author of The Flavor Equation. “What we define as delicious is actually a combination of elements that come together in one extraordinary experience.” Turn the page for Sharma’s tips for building that full dynamic into your dishes. 5 building blocks of flavor UMAMI A special phenomenon occurs when two or more ingredients come together and produce a greater effect combined than they would have alone, Sharma says. That’s called umami synergism. To achieve it: > Combine seaweed like kombu or nori with shiitake mushrooms for a powerfully flavorful vegetarian broth. > Elevate the taste of garlic and onions by sautéing them with…

Meal-delivery services are making it even easier to eat vegetarian or just incorporate more plant-based foods into your diet. Many of them offer ready-to-go dishes with healthy, sustainable, and high-quality ingredients. And they’re flavorful and filling too. These are three of our favorites. DAILY HARVEST This brand works directly with farms to source their ingredients—all the fruits and vegetables they use are frozen within 24 hours of harvest to lock in nutrients and flavor. Meals, smoothies, and snacks are organic and free of refined sugars, gluten, fillers, preservatives, and anything artificial. WHAT’S ON THE MENU: Artichoke and spinach flatbread, sweet potato and wild rice hash harvest bowl, and pureed butternut squash and rosemary soup. HOW IT WORKS: Select weekly or monthly frequency, then choose from more than 75 chef-crafted…

Coconut Creamed Greens & Acorn Squash Casserole START TO FINISH: 1 HOUR SERVES 4 1 tablespoon cornstarch1 can full-fat coconut milk (15 ounces)2 tablespoons grapeseed oil1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger (from a 3-inch piece)½ jalapeño, seeded, stemmed, and minced4 large garlic cloves, mincedKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper2 large ripe plum tomatoes, chopped2 teaspoons ground cumin2 bunches Swiss chard (8 ounces each), stemmed and torn into 2-inch pieces (7 packed cups)2 bunches Tuscan kale (12 ounces each), stemmed and torn into 2-inch pieces (10 packed cups)1 teaspoon light agave syrup1 tablespoon fresh lime juice1 large acorn squash (1¼ pounds), halved, seeded, and sliced crosswise about ⅛ inch thick 1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Whisk the cornstarch into the coconut milk, and set aside.…

I lived four blocks from Central Park, and I would see the New York City Marathon there every year. A friend mentioned that if you run nine New York Road Runners races and volunteer at another, you get an entry in the marathon. I could barely finish a 5K, but it was my aha moment: I would aim for that! Runners up Looking around at the starting lines, I questioned why more Latinos like me weren’t at these races. We all have running shoes, so why the huge gap? I typed “Latinosrun” into GoDaddy, and nothing popped up. I bought the site name and thought, Maybe I’ll do something with it. A few years later after a PR job gone bad, I left my career in fashion and did.…