Wellness
Your Holiday Survival Guide: Fitness + Wellness Edition
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The holidays are upon us! It’s such an exciting season - more family time, more social occasions, but ultimately more on your plate.
With so much going on, life can get overwhelming. The holidays can be stressful! Before we enter full holiday mode, here is a quick 1, 2, 3 on how to survive the holidays and maintain balance and harmony in your life.
Keep moving.
The natural inclination when we get busy is that there’s no time to move. We have to use up every minute to conquer that to-do list. However, mindful movement is so important when practicing self-care. It’s a dedicated time for you to prioritize your physical, mental, and emotional health, before you use your energy to take care of others.
Movement can also help to keep sickness at bay. It is cold and flu season, so it’s time to strengthen our immune system. The more we move, the better it is for our cardiovascular health too!
Depending on your movement of choice, here are some great studios that offer low impact and effective options for you!
Lit Method: I love the resistance bands. Surprisingly, I feel that not many boutique studios offer this as a part of their regular programming. The bands, mixed with the rower, is the right combination to help you both break a sweat and tone your muscles. After each workout, the instructors always lead you through recovery with a foam roller too. Recovery after a workout essential, and I love that this studio recognizes the importance of it!
Coreology: There is Pilates, and then there’s Pilates on a Megaformer. The Megaformer at Coreology helps you not just lengthen and tone your body, but you also hold the positions longer with more resistance. I am always surprised at how much I sweat!
Y7 Studio: Speaking of sweat, Y7 is the ultimate yoga studio to help you do just that. Their classes are set up in an infrared studio, so even by just staying in Child’s pose, you’ll get centered and sweat out those toxins in no time.
1
Keep moving.
The natural inclination when we get busy is that there’s no time to move. We have to use up every minute to conquer that to-do list. However, mindful movement is so important when practicing self-care. It’s a dedicated time for you to prioritize your physical, mental, and emotional health, before you use your energy to take care of others.
Movement can also help to keep sickness at bay. It is cold and flu season, so it’s time to strengthen our immune system. The more we move, the better it is for our cardiovascular health too!
Depending on your movement of choice, here are some great studios that offer low impact and effective options for you!
Lit Method: I love the resistance bands. Surprisingly, I feel that not many boutique studios offer this as a part of their regular programming. The bands, mixed with the rower, is the right combination to help you both break a sweat and tone your muscles. After each workout, the instructors always lead you through recovery with a foam roller too. Recovery after a workout essential, and I love that this studio recognizes the importance of it!
Coreology: There is Pilates, and then there’s Pilates on a Megaformer. The Megaformer at Coreology helps you not just lengthen and tone your body, but you also hold the positions longer with more resistance. I am always surprised at how much I sweat!
Y7 Studio: Speaking of sweat, Y7 is the ultimate yoga studio to help you do just that. Their classes are set up in an infrared studio, so even by just staying in Child’s pose, you’ll get centered and sweat out those toxins in no time.
Get more sleep.
Living in a society of constant “to-do’s,” I don’t think we emphasize the importance of rest and sleep enough. We are so often defined by how much we get accomplished. However, none of the things on our list will get done if we don’t take care of our health first. Sleep is crucial to replenish our bodies. It’s a time for us to repair and recover from the stress we put ourselves through during the day. Getting as close to eight hours of sleep a night should always be the goal.
2
Get more sleep.
Living in a society of constant “to-do’s,” I don’t think we emphasize the importance of rest and sleep enough. We are so often defined by how much we get accomplished. However, none of the things on our list will get done if we don’t take care of our health first. Sleep is crucial to replenish our bodies. It’s a time for us to repair and recover from the stress we put ourselves through during the day. Getting as close to eight hours of sleep a night should always be the goal.
Change your scenery.
Plants aren’t just an Instagrammable moment; it’s so replenishing and nourishing for my soul. No matter how stressed I feel, being with greenery always helps alleviate any heavy energy I may be carrying. If you don’t have greenery nearby, even taking a moment to step away from your office or work area to go for a walk outside can help you! Transitioning from a potentially stressful environment to calmer surroundings can help you move through the rest of the day with more ease.
3
Change your scenery.
Plants aren’t just an Instagrammable moment; it’s so replenishing and nourishing for my soul. No matter how stressed I feel, being with greenery always helps alleviate any heavy energy I may be carrying. If you don’t have greenery nearby, even taking a moment to step away from your office or work area to go for a walk outside can help you! Transitioning from a potentially stressful environment to calmer surroundings can help you move through the rest of the day with more ease.
Write it down.
Journaling and writing down thoughts is so important for my emotional well-being. It helps to clear out a lot of negative thoughts that might be throwing me off balance. Once it’s out on paper, it soothes my mind and provides more space for me to create and be productive.
If you’re not the journaling type, the following quick exercise might help you if you are struggling with stressors this season.
Step 1: Split a piece of paper into three columns: In the first column, write down all of the stressors you have in your life. Perhaps it’s a relationship struggle, a problem at work, a health issue, anything!
Step 2: In the middle column, write down how you want to feel. If you have a problem at work because you aren’t getting the validation you need, your middle column would be that you want to feel recognized.
Step 3: In the last column, jot down a list of solutions. If you want to feel recognized at work, a few solutions could be setting up one-on-one time with your manager, talking to your peers, and letting them know of your needs, praise others more so it allows coworkers to return the compliment, etc.
By being mindful of our approach to dealing with stressors, we can hopefully alleviate stress and find a sense of calm this holiday season!
4
Write it down.
Journaling and writing down thoughts is so important for my emotional well-being. It helps to clear out a lot of negative thoughts that might be throwing me off balance. Once it’s out on paper, it soothes my mind and provides more space for me to create and be productive.
If you’re not the journaling type, the following quick exercise might help you if you are struggling with stressors this season.
Step 1: Split a piece of paper into three columns: In the first column, write down all of the stressors you have in your life. Perhaps it’s a relationship struggle, a problem at work, a health issue, anything!
Step 2: In the middle column, write down how you want to feel. If you have a problem at work because you aren’t getting the validation you need, your middle column would be that you want to feel recognized.
Step 3: In the last column, jot down a list of solutions. If you want to feel recognized at work, a few solutions could be setting up one-on-one time with your manager, talking to your peers, and letting them know of your needs, praise others more so it allows coworkers to return the compliment, etc.
By being mindful of our approach to dealing with stressors, we can hopefully alleviate stress and find a sense of calm this holiday season!
Beauty
Black-owned Beauty and Wellness Businesses to Know
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February is Black History Month—a celebration of the achievements and contributions of African Americans in society. As the beauty and wellness industry becomes a more welcoming and inclusive space for all, we are taking this opportunity to continue to shine a light on the gap of inclusivity and diversity in our industry, and take action to promote, empower, and honor the Black community that shapes and grows wellness.
While the beauty industry is making improvements—it's important to showcase and support Black businesses and the creatives in this space every day. To honor them, we're shouting out some of our favorite Black-owned beauty and wellness businesses to support.
1. Beauty Bin
Beauty Bin is a full-service day spa and dry bar located in Asheville, NC. With a focus on inclusivity for people of all backgrounds, genders, and races, their MO is to match the outer beauty of every client to their inner beauty. From eyelash extensions and hydrafacials to waxing and massage, Beauty Bin is a one-stop-shop for all the spa services.
2. KIKA Stretch Studio
The KIKA Method® is a gentle assisted stretching process that loosens up tight muscles freeing your body from pain and stress. By practicing this method, clients can experience decreased muscle tension, increased energy, enhanced flexibility, a substantial reduction in stress, improved posture and relaxation, and increased mental clarity. While its headquarters is located in Las Vegas, NV, they have multiple locations sprinkled throughout the US, including Atlanta, New York City, and Dallas—just to name a few.
3. Kimberly Coleman Salon
At Kimberly Coleman Salon, their philosophy begins with promoting healthy tresses, elegant sets, unique accouterments, perfect pampering of hands and feet, and precision cuts. Known for working with models and celebrities, they fully appreciate and celebrate the diversity of their clientele which also includes super moms and warrior dads.
4. Pressed Roots
Pressed Roots was developed with the simple concept in mind—that everyone deserves access to easy, and quality hair care. What started as a single pop-up shop in Boston, grew to a multi-city pop-up tour, and is now slated to be the largest national hair salon franchise specializing in the care and styling of highly textured hair, they launched their first flagship location in Dallas, TX.
5. SW3AT
Jersey City resident, Alyza Brevard-Rodriguez started SW3AT. The company began as a fitness apparel line in 2015 but evolved into a sanctuary catered to health and wellness now known as SW3AT Sauna Studio—the first infrared sauna studio in Jersey City. The healing power of infrared heat therapy is a phenomenal option for holistic health proven to strengthen the immune system and provide relief from joint stiffness and muscle pain. It is also supportive of any fitness program as it aids in weight loss (you can torch up to 900 calories in a 45-minute session) while also detoxifying your body from some of the most harmful toxins.
6. The TEN Nail Bar
Kelli Coleman and Anika Jackson opened The TEN Nail Bar in Detroit to address a void in their city. They saw a need for a quality, modern nail bar that could also serve as a fun social space for Detroit’s residents and professionals. They designed the TEN to provide their clients with a #Perfect10 experience—where you can relax, enjoy music, a drink, your friends, a clean and precise manicure, and a much-needed break from all your hectic days.
7. Bettye O Day Spa
Located in the beautiful downtown Hyde Park Chicago area, Bettye O Day Spa specializes in first-class treatments. They aim to nurture and relax each of their clients with individualized and innovative therapeutic techniques. From body wraps and massages to facials and hydrotherapy, this day spa promises to be a safe place for healing to occur.
Looking for more businesses to support? ClassPass has also created a list of Black-owned business to check out all year-round. While both of these lists are a great start to get you familiar with many of the Black-owned businesses either in your neighborhood or around the globe, we have only scratched the surface. We'd love to keep these lists growing.If you have any businesses you'd like to see on this list, click here to submit a Black-owned business we should be highlighting as well!
