You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Which is why we have new regular column: Well-Balanced. Check back weekly for our latest wellness obsession.
Image: Healthy Stream
A few weeks ago, I went to a friend’s place, ostensibly to watch Downton Abbey. Little did I know that both football and a rerun of the CrossFit Games were on, and that the man of the house was home. Needless to say, the historical British drama was trumped by sports. Read on for my experience:
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You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Our weekly column, Well-Balanced, is dedicated to our latest wellness obsessions—they might become yours, too.
Nutritionist and chef Tricia Williams in the kitchen.
Photo: Food Matters NYC
For this month’s Birchbox Magazine, I test-drove Fitist, a new startup that brings boutique fitness classes together into a single program. In addition to creating a custom workout plan for me, Fitist also introduced me to Tricia Williams, the founder of Food Matters NYC, a personalized food delivery service.
Williams, who is a chef/nutritionist, works with clients to design meal plans based on health history, workout routine, and goals. Instead of using calorie counts, she employs medicine guidelines to create the routines—that means no gluten, dairy, or refined grains, and Williams even focuses on the pH of the foods by cooking ingredients in high-alkaline water. If you’re looking to rehab your diet on your own, Food Matters also has health coaches and professional chefs who can visit your house to do a full “pantry purge.”
I gave Williams a rundown of my diet and asked her for simple changes that I can make. Read on for a healthy ice cream alternative, cocktail party saver and more.
Better Than Ice Cream: Dairy is a no-no, but ice cream doesn’t have to be. Williams approved nut milk ice creams, which can be found at natural food stores or spots like Lula’s Sweet Apothecary in New York. I’m partial to Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss ice cream, which tastes even more decadent than the traditional stuff. (Note: these are not low-calorie by any means.)
A Smarter Pre-Game: For nights when you’re going to be drinking, Williams has a special pre-game cocktail: chia seeds and water. “Put a tablespoon in water and wait until the seeds expand. It will fill you up so that you’re less likely to nosh and also helps reduce inflammation.”
Eat Grains Earlier: You don’t have to give up grains altogether; just take them off your dinner plate. Williams says, “Have them earlier in the day so that your body can burn them off and use them as fuel. When you eat them at night, they just convert to sugar.”
Top Snacks: Dark chocolate ranks high on Williams’ approved snack list, as long as it’s raw or 70 percent or darker. She also loves, almonds, pistachios (the ones in the shell, so you eat them more slowly), fresh fruits and veggies, and nuts.
—Mollie
Want more healthy eating tips? Read what the world’s best spa chefs have to say.
You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Which is why we have new regular column: Well-Balanced. Check back weekly for our latest wellness obsession.
New York’s Figure 4. Photo: Verging on Serious.
Many moons ago, my college boyfriend gave me a gym membership for Christmas. My friends were appalled — ‘Is he trying to tell you something?’ — but I was thrilled. I had been dying to join a tricked out gym, but couldn’t justify spending the money when there was a perfectly good (read: free) exercise room in my dorm.
While they’re not as sexy as, say, a slick gadget or a sparkly piece of jewelry, fitness classes are one of my favorite things to give and get. Especially with the prices of yoga, spin, and other boutique classes rising, it can be hard to justify buying them for yourself — which makes them an ideal present. Click through for my picks for different types of workout geeks.
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You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Which is why we have new regular column: Well-Balanced. Check back weekly for our latest wellness obsession.
Photo: healthfitnessnation.com
Between the holiday shopping, the holiday baking, and the holiday eating, it’s hard to find time for work, much less working out. To ensure that the merriest season doesn’t turn into the laziest season, we asked a fitness guru for advice. San Francisco-based Equinox fitness instructor Caroline Jordan shares her best healthy holiday tips after the jump.
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You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Which is why we have new regular column: Well-Balanced. Check back weekly for our latest wellness obsession.
Whenever we have a question about wellness, we turn to the ladies behind Well + Good NYC. From juice cleanses to fitness crazes, co-founders Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula are all-knowing. This holiday season is no different. They’ve put together a Healthy Holiday Gift Guide, filled with items that combine style and wellness. Trust me, this is not your average collection of overpriced cashmere blankets and whimsical-yet-impractical objects d’art. Instead, you’ll find everything from cute performance windbreakers and OM-worthy yoga gear to healthy cooking products and a luxe $10,000 at-home Kinesis Personal machine (what, I didn’t say this was a budget gift guide). They’ve also got picks from New York’s wellness royalty, including Tata Harper and Jillian Michaels, and a roundup of splurge-worthy spa treatments. Download it now and see for yourself.
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You wouldn’t know it from how much we talk about cookies, but Birchbox staffers are a pretty healthy bunch. We love our veggies and mind-clearing workouts, and are always up to try the latest fitness class or nutrition bar. Which is why we have new regular column: Well-Balanced. Check back weekly for our latest wellness obsession.
After a Thanksgiving holiday filled with nonstop eating and drinking, I’m due for a little de-puffing. I gave up diets long ago, but I like the idea of an occasional detox. I don’t mean the Master Cleanse variety — my idea of a detox is going a week without drinking, a few days without processed foods, or even just a weekend of yoga and only homecooked meals.
My latest cleansing tool: Kusmi Tea. The Paris-based brand has a range of high-quality teas, but I especially love the wellness blends. Their Detox tea is made from green tea, mate, and lemon grass, all of which spur digestion, flush out toxins, and generally undo your Thanksgiving damage. It’s aromatic and smooth, with none of the bitterness that lesser green teas can carry — I’ve been sipping it in the afternoons instead of coffee. A few more vinyasa classes and I’ll be back to normal just in time for the next round of holiday feasting.
—Mollie
Another tea that does wonders for digestion: Chamomile. Try Zhena’s blend, which is one of our faves.
If you follow @birchbox on Twitter, you’d know that we like snacking almost as much as we like beauty. But as much as we love our cookie breaks, we’re a pretty healthy bunch. This month, we’re upping our wellness factor with five easy ways to improve mind, body, and health. Read on for more.
If New York is known for exporting restaurants, Los Angeles is developing quite the rep for its cult exercise classes. There’s Tracy Anderson, Barry’s Bootcamp, Yoga for Athletes, and many more. I was in L.A. this past weekend and, in between eating and beaching, decided to give the local fitness scene a spin.
I had heard great things about Pop Physique, a chain of stylish fitness studios specializing in ballet-inspired classes. I’ve been hooked on these thigh-shaking sessions ever since our barre class test-drive earlier this summer, so I signed myself up for one of Pop’s signature classes. Their whole vibe is very L.A., from the American Apparel-like models on the website to the zen-ed out lounge area at the studio. But there was nothing laid-back about the hour-long class: it had familiar arm work with light weights, thigh-shaking exercises at the barre, and ab-crunching curls to finish. By the end, my legs felt like Jell-O and I swear my arms looked more toned. Best of all, the class was $20—not inexpensive by any means, but a definitely less than New York studios. On my next trip, I’m planning on trying out Yoga for Athlete’s hybrid yoga-cycling—two of my favorite things in one class!
—Mollie
Read our roundup of the best ballet-style exercise classes—plus tips for preparing for your workouts!
