Category Archives: Health

In Defense Of Wearing Makeup to the Gym

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When I was in high school, my sworn enemies were the runners who showed up to my cross-country meets with multicolored ribbons woven in their hair, cat-lined eyes, and glitter on their cheeks. Those were the runners I had to beat. Why get all dolled up? We were there to compete—not look pretty. It drove me, with my bumpy ponytail and makeup-free face, totally mad.

But once I got to college, where I continued to race, all that changed. After discovering the magic of the hair straightener, I slowly came around to doing my hair before my meets. And if I was going to all that trouble, why not brush on a little waterproof mascara, and cover up dark circles, and a few acne spots, too?

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When I looked in the mirror before my runs I felt ready and confident. In fact, I ran some of my best races with makeup. And while I don’t think makeup has special voodoo powers or that there's anything wrong with going without, I always think of this when people scorn women wearing a full face of makeup in the weight room or on the treadmill. I mean, if it makes you feel good, who cares?

Turns out professional athletes—including U.S. national soccer team member and world champion Sydney Leroux —agree with me.

“Some people are against [wearing makeup], I am not,” said Leroux, when I spoke with her at a recent Neutrogena sunscreen event. “We have this thing on our team, a few of the makeup-wearing girls: ‘Look good, play good, you know, feel good,’ and I think that that’s such a cool thing.”

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“If you go to they gym, and you’re like, ‘You know what, I feel good right now!’ You’re going to work harder, you’re going to push further,” she added. “I think that makeup is a way to express yourself just like tattoos, or however. It’s an art to me, and I love that."

And contrary to popular belief, it's not a given that wearing makeup to sweat will wreck your skin. "The problem with foundation is if you sweat it can clog your pores," says New York-based derm Debra Jaliman, MD, author of Skin Rules. "But a little concealer and mascara won't hurt."

Currently, I’m training for the Chicago marathon, and while I don’t wear a ton of makeup on my long runs, I plan on giving my eyelashes a curl on race day. Goodness knows I’ll be tired when I arrive at Millennium Park at 6 a.m. And if I feel like I want mascara, too, I won't think twice about it.

RELATED: 24 Motivational Weight Loss and Fitness Quotes

 

5 Healthy Ways This Fitness Star Is Prepping for Her Wedding

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Scroll through Hannah Bronfman’s Instagram feed and you’ll get a nice picture of what healthy living looks like: The 29-year-old DJ and fitness influencer regularly shares snapshots of her killer workouts and stellar skincare regimen with her 364,000 followers. (FYI: She’s obsessed with microcurrent facials.)

But these days, Bronfman’s current motivation to keep up her clean lifestyle is her wedding. She's tying the knot with fellow DJ and social media star Brendan Fallis this weekend in Morocco.

Bronfman's idea of wedding prep has nothing to do with detoxing, however. “There’s all this stupid pressure about losing weight for your wedding,” the HBFIT founder told The New York Times earlier this month. “I’m really not into it.”

The soon-to-be bride's goal is to feel her best on the big day. Here are five ways she has made wellness a top priority during her wedding week.

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Bronfman says she always tries to avoid dairy, but in the last few days, she's been following a macrobiotic diet while staying at the Sha Wellness Clinic in Spain. She wrote on Instagram that this new way of eating has made her "rethink her diet completely."

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In an Instagram story, Bronfman shared this snap of her and the almost-groom getting cozy on the tennis court. Talk about a perfect match.

After slipping into some killer Adidas gear (Bronfman’s a global ambassador for the brand), she got her "om" on. Not a bad idea to get centered before the wedding craziness begins: "will try to channel the zen to calm my inner hype beast!!" she wrote.

RELATED: 22 Exercises for Toned Arms and Shoulders

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Because no skincare enthusiast would be wedding-ready without her go-to products, Bronfman tagged two of her beauty must-haves in this snapshot she posted to her Instagram story yesterday: The Bright Eye Firming mask from Joanna Vargas ($60 for 5 masks; joannavargas.com) and KNC Beauty's All-Natural, Collagen-Infused lip mask ($25 for 5 masks; birchbox.com).

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Does sipping bubbly in a bathrobe count as self-care? We vote yes.

We Tried It: The Rumble Boxing Workout Kendall Jenner, David Beckham and Selena Gomez Love

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This article originally appeared on People.com.

What Is it: Rumble is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), strength training, metabolic conditioning (METCON), and uppercut throwing cardio in one clean class.

Who Tried It: Emily Strohm, PEOPLE Senior Writer

Level of Difficulty: 8/10 This class is a challenge from start to finish! I was dripping in sweat and my muscles were on fire, but the beauty of it is that you can go at your own pace. And NO prior boxing experience needed!

When I heard that Rumble boxing was the best workout in the Big Apple, I decided to try it out for myself. Plus, David and Brooklyn Beckham, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Baldwin are just a few of Rumble’s A-list members, so I was ready to give it a shot. Just in case I needed back up, I brought along two of my People Magazine colleagues, Janine Rayford Rubinstein and Kaitlyn Frey to help test it out.

When I walked in to Rumble for the first time, I knew right away this place is not your average boxing gym. The interior is pristine, the walls are covered with gorgeous pop art paintings of Tupac, Brad Pitt and Sylvester Stallone and the there’s no shortage of six packs or incredibly shredded bodies strolling around.

The trainer for my first class was none other than the founding partner and trainer Noah Douglas Neiman. A former Barry’s Boot Camp instructor, he’s got a serious social media following, (which may or may not have to do with his dog Oz) and the guy can teach one hell of a high intensity boxing class.

Once you check in and get your glossy custom white Rumble gloves and wraps, you head inside the dimly lit room to warm up and start throwing punches. I love the darkness for two reasons: 1. You get in there and get in the zone. No one cares about what the person next to them is doing, even if it’s Selena Gomez … it’s all about putting in the work without having to think about what you look like. 2. The lighting system is timed perfectly with the music so you feel like you’re dancing at LIV Miami. When that red light hits you, it’s hard not to turn it up.

For me (and probably a lot of people) music is also a major part of my workout. Rumble has an in-house DJ who creates mixes for each trainer’s personality. When Noah played Cardi B’s Bodak Yellow halfway through our workout, I suddenly got my second wind.

The class is split up into two groups and you alternate over ten rounds switching from punching the bags to working the floor with weights. It’s 45-minutes of fun and a whole lot of hard work. Before we began, Noah ran through each of the six punches and in case we got lost, the sequence is always listed on a digital screen at the front of the room. He’s an attentive guy despite holding down a jam-packed gym — he wasn’t going to let me slide while doing what felt like my 150th squat. “I love when I look over and you’re giving me side eye,” he jokes after our class. “That’s ok though.”

Verdict: After experiencing Rumble myself, now I know why the members and trainers look as great as they do. Amazing workouts, entertaining trainers and an all around awesome time. Rumble: Celebrity tested, People Mag Approved. Can’t wait to get back to my next class!

The Super-Challenging Exercise That Helped Gal Gadot Get in ‘Wonder Woman’ Shape

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We’re never getting over our girl crush on Gal Gadot, who reprises her role as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in this month’s Justice League. One move that got her superstrong: push presses followed by an active rest hold. "It works your triceps, shoulders, quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings while also helping with overall body coordination to eliminate muscle imbalances," explains Hayley Bradley, an instructor with Gym Jones, which whips Gadot and other actors into superhero shape.

How to do it: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding an 8- to 10-pound dumbbell in each hand just outside shoulders, with arms bent and palms facing in. Bend knees and lower into a half squat (A), then explosively push up with legs while pressing weights up over shoulders (B); lower weights back to start. This is 1rep. Do as many as possible in 30 seconds. Next, for an active rest, rotate palms forward and extend arms up, keeping elbows close to ears (C); hold for 30 seconds. Cycle through this circuit 4 times. Do it 4 or 5 times a week for stronger, more defined arms in as little as 6 weeks.

How to Start Running (or Come Back From a Hiatus) Without Getting Hurt, According to Pros

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New to running, or just trying to get back into it after a hiatus? Great. It’s one of the easiest sports to take up—all you need is a great pair of kicks and a sports bra, and you’re ready to go. Plus making your way through miles can help you shed pounds, bust stress, and even lower your risk of getting certain cancers.

Before you head out the door at full speed, though—which will almost certainly leave you injured—consider this: “Running is really hard on your body and you just have to be smart about it,” says John Hancock Elite Ambassador Blake Russell, an Olympic marathoner, physical therapist, and owner of On Track Physical Therapy in Pacific Grove, California. “The key is just starting out really slow.”

Here Russell and her fellow John Hancock Elite Ambassador Bill Rodgers, a four-time Boston Marathon winner, offer five tips for helping newbies run strong and long.

Stick to soft surfaces

While there is nothing wrong with pounding the pavement, it can be harsh on the body, especially if yours isn’t used to the movement or surface. Russell’s rec: start off on softer surfaces (think grass, sand, or even the treadmill). While a softer surface doesn’t automatically equal injury-free, a small study in the journal Research in Sports Medicine revealed that running on grass, for instance, puts less pressure on the foot compared to running on concrete.

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Give yourself time to build muscle

"It takes the body at least six weeks to build muscle,” says Russell, “so give your body time to build that muscle.” In other words, don’t take on too much mileage too soon; that’s a surefire way to end up sidelined. To help your body adapt, and shore up those muscles, consider strengthening exercises, such as planks, clamshells, side squats. (See how to do them here.)

Try the run-walk method

Can’t make it through your miles without stopping? That’s OK. While you are building your endurance (or if you just need a break mid-run), there is nothing wrong with a little walking. Rodgers suggests trying the run-walk method, which is running for a set amount of time, walking for a set amount of time, and then repeating the cycle. We recover when we walk, notes Rodgers, who believes that the 5K is an ideal running distance and that our bodies were made to run around three miles. (If you will be in the Clearwater, Florida, area in December, there is still time to register for the Cooking Light & Health Fit Foodie Festival and 5K Foodie Race. Register here!)

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Don’t run everyday

Don’t be afraid to slip off those sneaks. “Take some days off if you are new to it, don’t feel you have to run seven days a week,” says Russell. When you exercise, you are basically causing trauma to the body by creating micro tears in the muscle. Days off allow the body to recover and those muscles to grow back stronger.

And don’t skimp on recovery

According to Russell, recovery is just as important as training. What you do when you’re off your feet will surely help you make strides while you’re on ‘em. Great practices to employ in your recovery routine: stretching, foam rolling, and massages. This, along with strength moves, will keep your body and joints loose and strong, she notes. And don’t forget to refuel—a 3-to-1 ratio of carbs to protein (think apple with peanut butter) within an hour of finishing your run helps replenish your energy so you can recover faster.