How Important is Guys Night Out?

In a word?  Very. Everyone needs “me time.” Old, new, single, coupled, permed, bobbed, everyone needs space. But this is mostly important for coupled people. Studies indicate that lack of privacy and/or “me time” significantly accounts for unhappy marriages and bad sex. That’s bad news.

No matter how much fun you have just watching Netflix with your sweetie, or how much the two of you can’t stand to be apart when there’s a birthday party, giving one another a night off to spend with friends or interests is a healthy move for any relationship with future goals. Because (hard as it is to imagine now), you both did have lives before you met. It’s good form to help preserve ties to old friends.

young couple watching TV

When she wants to go to a wine tasting with her friends, I’m totally okay with it, but if I want to go out on the boat to fish, there’s going to be a problem,” said Rick S., 27, graphic designer.

Especially, if you go on a Saturday,” chimed a 35-year old father of two.

There is no Saturday option at my house,” said a 24-year old coder in a new relationship.

Tsk, tsk, we fall in love with boys and men because of who they are. We’re interested in their opinions and tastes, want to learn their interests, anything and everything about what makes them them. Being supportive of a guy’s night out is really just guaranteeing that he continues growing into that awesome person for as long as you know him. It enhances trust between the two of you and creates space for personal growth, including your own.

Men learn from other men and while that has its pros and cons, it’s also how Graham can tell Joe what to do about the rattle in his car. And likely, they’ll bellow a few laughs and share some retold stories and come home feeling inspired. It’s something that comes from that male bond. You do not want to try and squeeze into the bond two guys have over a team’s entire sports history since they were in 6th grade. You need to leave that alone.

When it’s your partner’s night out, it’s also your night to spend however you wish and reap the benefits of being (momentarily) alone. Stay at the studio for a second yoga class; go in search of that tomato plant you’ve been meaning to replace. Invite BFFs over and bask in the glow of a good girlfriend session. Or, of course, go out and hit the town!

Barring any late night phone calls from jail, you’re in for a grateful mate upon return.  Happy people want to make people happy so hopefully, you’ll reap the benefits of this almost immediately. And with some regularity, you’ll quickly see how healthy it is to give each other space for other things.

I Heart Manhattan in One Day

Teeming with an intoxicating array of sights, sounds, and smells as diverse as the more than 1.6 million people who live here, Manhattan can be an intimidating place to dip your toe into for the first time, especially if you only have a day in The City, as New Yorkers call it. But never fear. We’ve put together an itinerary that blends the very best of the very old with the very new, taking you through five of the borough’s most iconic neighborhoods. It’s a day to stimulate passionate conversation, get you existentially inspired, and deepen your connection with the one you love, whether you just met on the LIRR or you’ve been together for years.

Channel the spontaneity and curiosity of Jesse and Céline as they explore all corners of Vienna in the cult classic, Before Sunrise, and sink your teeth into the massive metropolis known as Manhattan for one unforgettable day.

Breakfast at Café Sabarsky

Begin on the Upper East Side at Café Sabarksy, a Viennese café tucked into the first floor of the Neue Galerie. Its dark wood paneling and grand ceilings will make you feel like a member of the 19th-century Austrian intelligentsia. Wake up with one of their eight Viennese coffee specialties and indulge in a decadent brioche slathered with crème fraiche. Don’t worry. You’ll burn it off later.

Café Sabarsky

The Metropolitan Museum

A few blocks away is The Met, an imposing labyrinth of priceless rarities and divine inspiration so massive you could visit every Sunday for 40 years and still not see it all. Get lost among the galleries filled with awe-inspiring displays of passion, yet often empty of other people. Ponder the artistic urge and human drive for self-expression throughout history.

The Metropolitan Museum

Ride Down 5th Avenue

Give your eyes a moment to adjust from the darkened museum as you emerge back into city life on Fifth Avenue. Wait for an express city bus (an M1, M2, M3, M4 will work) outside the museum and let the city wash over you as you roll past Central Park and through Midtown, heading down to Bryant Park.

5th Avenue

Picnic of Kati Rolls in Bryant Park

There is no place like Bryant Park, a magical oasis of lush greenness nestled among some of the world’s tallest, shiniest buildings. Just around the corner from this urban arcadia is the Kati Roll Company, a hole-in-the-wall lunch spot that cooks up all kinds of savory kati rolls, the Indian street food originating in Kolkata. In Bryant Park, find one of the iconic green metal café tables and devour your aloo masala while debating your favorite artwork from the morning.

Kati Rolls

Friendly Competition at Fat Cat

Next, take the F train down to Fat Cat in the West Village, a cavernous underground playground for jazz musicians and table tennis enthusiasts. It’s the perfect venue for cheap beer and friendly competition accompanied by live jazz music as ping-pong balls clack against all surfaces.

Fat Cat

Stroll on the High Line

Since the High Line opened in 2009, New Yorkers have flocked to this unique park situated on an abandoned elevated train track, basking in the views and lounging amid the wild vegetation. Before heading up the steel staircase on 14th and 9th Avenue, pick up a picnic at the new Gansevoort Market. You can get a crepe, lobster roll, Thai curry, or all of the above to eat as you watch the sun set over the Hudson. For dessert: a seasonally flavored People’s Pop.

The High Line

Get Down at the Up & Up

Meander over the uneven cobblestone streets of Manhattan’s Meatpacking District toward Greenwich Village, taking in the converted warehouses and contemplating the nature of urban evolution. Unpretentious speakeasy is not an oxymoron when it comes to Up & Up, a little bar located a few steps below street level.

Up and Up

Washington Square Park

And finally, stumble into Washington Square Park, a source of inspiration for everyone from Jane Jacobs to Harmony Korine, and continue your tête-à-tête until the sun rises over beautiful Manhattan.

Washington Park

How to be Glamfordable: Tips from a Wardrobe Stylist

It’s just past sunrise on a blustery day at a New Jersey beach and wardrobe stylist, Kristen Robertiello, finds herself crouching in the sand at Steve Buscemi’s feet. He’s wearing custom-made Italian leather loafers that must be kept perfectly dry. This is no small feat considering the shot the director is trying to capture for the Boardwalk Empire show open involves waves washing over Buscemi’s shoes over and over again. It’s a challenge, but for a seasoned wardrobe stylist, it’s just another day at the office. With nine years of styling celebrities under her belt, she’s learned a thing or two. Here are some fashion tips, shared from the trenches:

 Fashion and Style tips Infographic


  Follow Kristen on Facebook KR Wardrobe Design and Instagram krwardrobedesign.

The Best Nutrition Bars for On the Go

Ideally, we’ll get the vast majority of our nutrients from real, whole foods that come from nature. Realistically, this isn’t always possible; and sometimes we need a healthy snack alternative to get us to our next meal. Nutrition bars are a go-to for many, and there is a wide variety to choose from. Some are hands-down better than others, so knowing which ones to choose and which to avoid is key for making the healthiest decision.

Unfortunately, a lot of popular nutrition bars on the market today are packed full of added sugars, artificial flavoring, and coloring agents, along with binders, preservatives, etc. Knowing how to read ingredient labels is important (this actually goes for any processed food), and always keep in mind that the shorter the ingredient list, the better. If you see a long list of words you don’t recognize and can’t pronounce, this is usually a bad sign.

Without further ado, here are top five on-the-go nutrition bars:

Lara Bars

Lara Bars are widely sold not only at health-food stores (Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, etc.), but often at conventional grocery stores as well. They have a very short ingredient list and combine tasty and satisfying flavors like almonds, walnuts, coconut, dates, and blueberries. These bars have no added sugars, although they are high in natural sugars from dried fruit; so eat them in moderation. Lara Bars aren’t particularly high in protein but are made of 100% whole food ingredients, so they definitely make the list.

Clif Kit’s Organic

The ever-popular Clif Bar brand has finally added a whole foods product with their Kit’s Organic Fruit and Nut Bar. Similar to a Lara Bar, Kit’s Organic Bars are made from nuts and dried fruits and contain less than 250 calories each. They also don’t offer much protein and are fairly high in sugar, but don’t include any added sugars or artificial ingredients, which is a huge plus.

Raw Revolution Live Food Bar

Raw Revolution Bars are more likely specific to health food stores,but are an excellent option if you can find them. The founder of the company is a natural food chef and nurse, and her bars are lower in sugar than Lara and Kit Bars. They also contain nuts and dried fruit, but provide extra booster foods like spirulina and sprouted flax seeds. All in all, these bars offer more nutrition, but they do use agave nectar, which can be hard on the liver. 

Quest Bar


Quest bars are significantly higher in protein (around 20 grams), which makes them a better choice for a pre- or post-workout bar. They are also high in fiber and have a sweet taste, so they aren’t a bad option as a healthy dessert alternative (or as a snack to ward off sugar or candy binges). Certain flavors of the Quest Bars do contain the artificial sweetener sucralose, but others don’t: Opt for cinnamon roll, coconut cashew, strawberry cheesecake, or chocolate peanut butter. All in all, Quest Bars are better than the above options since they’re higher in protein and fiber and lower in carbs and sugar; they do however contain artificial ingredients. 

Kind Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt

Kind bars are the least healthy of these five options, but probably the healthiest of the nutrition bars that you can find just about anywhere (including airport mini-marts). What’s not so great is that these bars do contain quite a few artificial ingredients (soy lecithin and glucose syrup, for example), but the dark chocolate nuts and sea salt variety is surprisingly low in sugar, coming in at just five grams. These bars are also pretty low in protein and do contain added sugars, but are not a bad option in a pinch. Just be sure to avoid the flavors that have over seven or eight grams of sugar. 

How to Make Your Own Nutrition Bars

Why not make your own nutrition bars? Instead of wondering if the endless store-bought versions are healthy or not, you can actually make them quite easily in the comfort of your own kitchen, and they keep well. These can make a great snack for the adults and kids in your family and can satisfy a sweet craving almost as well as those boxed cookies you might have hidden in the cupboard. Inspired by well-known nutritionist and author Nora Gedgaudas, this Chocolate Energy Ball recipe is surprisingly simple and healthier than your average, packaged nutrition bar.

chocolate energy balls

Chocolate Energy Balls

Ingredients

1 cup peanut or almond butter (no added sugars, preferably)

1 cup of nuts or seeds (your choice, can be walnuts, pecans, almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc.)

2-3 tablespoons of ground chia or flax seeds

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa or raw cacao powder

3/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut flakes

5 tablespoons softened coconut oil or butter (also sold as coconut manna)

Optional: 1/2 cup of your favorite protein powder

Instructions

  1. First, grind your nuts and/or seeds using either a food processor or coffee grinder.
  2. Next, simply mix everything together in a big bowl, adjusting your quantities if needed. It’s pretty hard to mess these up, so if the consistency is too dry, add more coconut oil; if too wet, add more shredded coconut or ground nuts.
  3. Once everything is combined, form them into balls and layer in a Tupperware or any other container using parchment paper in between your levels. No cooking is necessary; you’ll just need to refrigerate them for about an hour or place them in the freezer for 20 minutes.
  4. They’re ready to go! Store in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for a few months.

 

While store-bought or homemade nutrition bars should never replace a diet consisting of real, whole, and nutrient-dense foods, they can be part of a healthy diet every now and then. Because most bars are relatively high in sugar, it’s best not to make them a habit; but for a once-in-a-while snack, opt for the top five we’ve discussed here.

Escape the Cold in the Seychelles

If paradise exists, it’s located roughly 1,000 miles east of Kenya and mainland Africa in the Indian Ocean. Seychelles is a cluster of 115 islands, cays, and atolls. It has talcum-powder beaches lapped by turquoise waters, strange and ancient forests, thriving coral reefs, and a sublime laid-back tempo. Famed for its biodiversity, you can expect to wander among coco-de-mer palms, black parrots, and Aldabra giant tortoises.

 

Anse Intendance

A remote spot nestled in southwest Mahé, Anse Intendance feels like a lost world. It’s got turquoise waters and a mangrove-lined jungle backdrop. Framed by prehistoric-looking granite boulders, it has white coral sands, swaying palm trees, and corner after corner of sun-kissed seclusion.

Though it’s one of Seychelles’ most popular beaches, Anse Intendance doesn’t have a coral reef to protect it from the open ocean. This makes for larger, stronger waves that draw surfers and bodyboarders in droves.

 

Vallée de Mai

“There’s nowhere on earth like the Vallee de Mai,” says Dr. Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury, an ecology professor at The University of Exeter. It’s one of only two places in the world where coco-de-mer palms grow in their natural state. “Their giant leaves blot out the sky,” he says.

Vallée de Mai National Park_Stock Connection

Bird Island

Bird Island is surrounded by water that’s so clear it looks like it’s floating on air. With endless stretches of white sand and coconut palms, the 170-acre coral cay is a birding hotspot. It has a year-round population of more than 20 different bird species, including fairy terns, Eurasian hobbies, and whimbrels.

Bird Island Seychelles

It has a resident pod of spinner dolphins and manta rays. Hawksbill and green sea turtles also lay their eggs here, undisturbed. Aldabra giant tortoises roam safely and freely (and, it must be said, very slowly) around the island, nibbling grasses, woody stems, and leaves. The 550-pound reptiles are an astonishing sight with their huge domed shells, big scaly legs, and oddly ancient faces.

With only 24 bungalows to welcome guests, Bird Island in Seychelles leaves you with a true “castaway” feeling.

 

Anse Source d’Argent

In the age of photo filters, it’s easy to think that Anse Source d’Argent might not live up to its postcard images. However, this public beach in Seychelles doesn’t disappoint. It’s a mixture of emerald waters, incredibly soft, white sands, and pink granite formations that appear to change colors throughout the day. Plus, it’s a mecca for moviemakers. (It was used as a backdrop for Emanuelle, Crusoe, and Castaway, as well as the famous Bacardi ads of the 1990s.)

Anse Source d'Argent

Anse Source d’Argent is quite popular. If the crowds are too much for you, wade south through the shallows. You’ll probably spot endangered humphead wrasses, moray eels, octopus, and even baby blacktip reef sharks (no worries, they’re harmless). Or, take the path along the back of the beach and you’ll feel like you have an uninhabited piece of paradise all to yourself. Here, you’ll also find little, palm-covered shacks, where you can get fresh coconut water and fruit smoothies.

To reach the beach, you’ll have to pay an entrance fee to L’Union Estate, which also entitles you to explore its park and museum, where you can see vanilla plantations, giant tortoises, and an old boatyard.

Le Jardin Du Roi

Sitting on the hilly terrain above Anse Royale, Le Jardin Du Roi is the reconstruction of Pierre Poivre’s 18th-century spice garden. The 23-year-old garden is steeped in the aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, citronella, nutmeg, and clove. Avocado, lychee, starfruit, and macadamia nut trees also throw shade.

Le Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden
Image via Pixabay

Take a guided hike around the 87-acre orchard-crossed-with-forest where you can learn about the spice trade and view artifacts like marble mortars and brass pepper grinders at the planter’s one-room museum.  If you’re feeling peckish, try the Creole-style restaurant with special “Plantation Lunches” served on Sundays.

8 Contemporary Female Athletes Who Inspire Us

All around us, women are rising up, as we have been for centuries. But perhaps one of the most physical displays of perseverance in the face of inequality is in the arena of athletics. Here, women must quite literally find the strength necessary to break records and defy patriarchal norms, overcoming barriers of sexism and in many cases, many other layers of adversity. Here are some of our favorite contemporary female athletes who inspire us to keep pushing hard.

1. Mira Rai

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27-year-old Mira Rai is kind of a sensation right now, especially after being named the 2017 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. The petite, high-altitude ultra-runner grew up in the mountains of Nepal, where her family tended livestock. In a country where her opportunities are extremely limited because of her gender, Rai spent much of her childhood helping her parents with labor-intensive farm chores.

At 12, she dropped out of school, and at 14 joined a group of Maoist rebels without her parents’ permission. After returning home several years later to care for her family, she ventured to Kathmandu. While jogging in the hills, she met a group of runners, which led her to unexpectedly begin her first trail race the next day. In the last two years, she’s gone on to win many races across the world.

2. Maya Moore

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As a WNBA player, Moore started her career with recognition. She was the first overall pick for the 2011 draft, then went on to 2011 Rookie of the Year, as well as several WNBA championships and MVP awards in the years that followed. She also won both the EuroLeague and Spanish League title in 2012. Oh, and she has two Olympic gold medals. Oh, and she’s the first female to sign with the Jordan brand. What else do you need to know?

Born in Missouri, Moore and her three sisters were raised by a single mother. Moore first started playing basketball when her mother put a hoop on the backdoor of the apartment. Now, at 26, Moore shows little interest in adding dating to her busy schedule, and doesn’t talk much about her personal life.

3. Simone Biles

female athletes who inspire us

This 4’ 8”, 19-year-old gymnast stole our hearts during the 2016 Olympics with her signature move, “the Biles.”  According to Bustle, the move is a “tumbling double half layout, complete with full twist.” Whatever that means, right? Anyway, it’s pure gold to watch in action, and apparently the judges thought so, too — Biles took home four gold medals and a bronze, setting the record for the most medals in women’s gymnastics in a single game.

Before moving in with her grandparents, Biles and her three siblings spent time in foster care after her mother and father left the picture due to their struggles with addiction. At six, her grandparents adopted her, and shortly thereafter she began doing gymnastics. By the time she reached her mid-teens, she was competing and winning medals.

4. Rafaela Silva

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When the 24-year-old Brazilian Judo fighter took home gold at the 2016 Olympics, it meant more than just the prize — her win was also about earning respect for where she came from. Until the age of eight, Silva grew up in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, also known as the “City of God.” It’s a rough place that sees little government intervention, but her victory brought hope to its residents.

The victory had even more impact when taken into consideration alongside her disqualification at the 2012 London Olympics, according to the Washington Post. Silva had been kicked out of the tournament after executing a newly-illegal move, which was responded to by the Brazilian public with a barrage of racist slurs on her social media account. The trolling affected her so deeply that she almost gave up judo, but after struggling for several months, she eventually returned stronger than ever.

5. Yusra Mardini


Another Olympian, this time from 2016’s debut Team Refugee: 18-year-old competitive swimmer Yusra Mardini. Mardini is from Syria; and when crossing the Aegean Sea to safety, the boat she shared with 19 other passengers started to sink. She and her sister jumped into the water and started to swim the boat to land. They swam for three and a half hours before reaching the Greek island of Lesbos.

Eventually Mardini found refuge in Berlin, where she was discovered by a coach who saw her swimming at a local pool. At Rio, she won her heat but didn’t qualify for the final round, but she hopes for more in Tokyo in 2020.

6. Bethany Hamilton

female athletes who inspire us

Hamilton, now 26, always loved the water, especially surfing. But it’s challenging enough on its own to make this passion into a career without the unexpected barriers Hamilton ultimately had to face. In 2013, when surfing off the coast of Kauai with her friend and her family, Hamilton was lying back on her surfboard, dangling her arm in the water. Suddenly, she felt a tug on her board — a 10-foot tiger shark, who ended up taking one of her arms with her. Never stepping foot in the ocean again? Yeah, me neither.

Or at least, that’s what many of us would have said. But for Bethany, it only took about three weeks for her to get out to the water again, board in hand, and then three tries before she got up on her board — with one arm. She went on to see success with her surfing career, plus a book, a movie, and many different appearances on TV shows.

7. Adriene Levknecht


Diving into more extreme outdoor sports means high stakes — life or death, in fact. For 27-year-old kayaker Adrienne Levknecht, her relationship with whitewater has gotten her through the tough things, including the death of a friend as a result of a kayaking accident and her own losses at the World Championships. She’s well-decorated in the niche world of freestyle kayaking, including 2012 Female Paddler of the Year. And she’s also a teacher — she now works for a program called First Descents, a program that gives intensive one-on-one kayaking classes to cancer survivors.

8. Lhakpa Sherpa

Mountaineering also leaves little margin for error; but when it comes to Mt. Everest, it’s all about the end goal: the summit. Lhakpa Sherpa is what Outdoor Magazine calls a “housewife” — she lives in Connecticut and takes care of the kids, mostly. But simultaneously, the native Nepali holds a record for being the woman with the most successful summits of Everest.

The time spanning her first and most recent summit marks a difficult period in Sherpa’s life. Recently, she divorced her husband of 12 years (another climber) on the grounds of domestic abuse. She had grown up in the mountains of Nepal, then worked on the mountain for numerous years; but after moving to Connecticut to be with her husband and raise a family, her life changed drastically. For 12 years, she’d lived in a country where she didn’t speak the language; and because she hadn’t had access to education as a child, she couldn’t read in any language.

For a long while, Sherpa held six summits, which still would have been a record. But this past summer, after her divorce, she completed her seventh summit.

Our Favs in Celebrity Athletic Fashion

Isn’t working out more exciting when you have something cute to wear? The athleisure trend popped up a few years ago and has been going strong ever since. By creating pieces that are functional for exercise but wearable for everyday life, being inspired and prepared to workout has become even easier. Celebs have always had a huge impact on the fashion industry and have become a mainstay in the athletic fashion space as well through creating collections of their own. Here are a few of our celebrity athletic fashion line picks.

EleVen

by Venus Williams

If there’s anyone I’d trust to make the most amazing athletic wear, it would be Venus Williams, the four-time winner of Wimbledon, two-time winner of the US Open, and the first African American woman to reach #1 on the WTA singles rankings. She knows her way around the tennis court and definitely knows what it takes to create great athletic fashion wear because she has to wear it every day. EleVen was created by Venus and aims to be fashion-forward and celebrate self-expression and individuality.

 

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Reach for the Starlet collection. Available now on EleVen site. Link in the bio. #BeAnEleven

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MPG Sport

Julianne Hough Collection

Julianne Hough, well-known for her career as an actress and appearances on Dancing With The Stars (she won the show twice and later went on to become a judge), curated a collection of athletic clothing with MPG Sport, made to transition from the gym to wherever else the day may take you.

 

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FINALLY it feels like FALL!!! 🍁🍂🍂 It was super hot, high 80’s and sunny, when I first got to Birmingham, and now it’s dropped down to the low 60’s…. and I LOVE it! I absolutely LOVE fall fashion, but being on set and in the hair and makeup trailers for hours at ungodly hours of the morning, I want to first and foremost be comfortable. So…. that’s why I wanted to create pieces for my @mpgsport collection that were cozy, fashion forward and practical! I’m layered up in the Harmony bodysuit and Mila down bomber jacket from my fall #mpgbyjules collection in this photo! I feel like I put “real clothes” on to go to work, haha – we all have those days of grey on grey on grey sweats all day, yet also still super comfortable! Go check out the 🔗 in my bio for all my cute fall pieces! 💋 📷: @brianbowensmith

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Caelum

by Brooke Burke

Another Dancing With The Stars alum (one-time winner and later host) Brooke Burke-Charvet created her activewear line Caelum (which stands for “create, active, evolve, live, uplift, and motivate”) to be a luxe, minimalist athletic fashion brand that can transition from the gym to your girls’ night out through the use of fabrics that are both beautiful and functional.

 

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Sunday FunDay playing around with our Queen B @brookeburke #Caelum #FitnessFashion

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Fenty Puma

by Rihanna

When my personal style icon came out with a collection with Puma, I swear my heart stopped. In 2015, Rihanna launched her first sneaker with Puma and sold out within three hours of the pre-sale. Rihanna then expanded to clothing, with pieces featured in New York Fashion Week. Since then, Rihanna has continued to drop collections that push the boundaries of athletic fashion and keep us all wanting more.

 

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The second drop of #FENTYxPUMA SS18 hits stores May 3rd. Race Jacket out June 14th! Ready for another heat wave? 🔥

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Touché LA x

Morgan Stewart

Rich Kids of Beverly Hills reality show star-turned sportswear designer Morgan Stewart launched her first collection with Touché LA and has continued to build and expand on her collections since. Morgan frequently complained about exercising on the show, which makes her so relatable, because who really loves working out? (Definitely not me.) The Touché LA x Morgan Stewart styles are simple, sleek, and extremely wearable. Morgan wants to further expand into size inclusivity as her next steps with the brand.

 

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#tlabymorganstewart

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Jessica Biel for Gaiam

Jessica Biel has recently become the Gaiam brand ambassador and has signed on to create a signature apparel collection for fall 2018. Jessica was a gymnast in her younger years and later transitioned into yoga for a lower impact workout. She now practices yoga every other day. Her collection with Gaiam takes inspiration from the runway for pieces that go from the gym to school pickup, and straight to dinner. Her goal was to create expensive-looking pieces that are budget-friendly (and has done just that).

 

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Kickin’ off the weekend with our favorite superwoman @jessicabiel 🙌🙌🙌 Shop her look now only at @kohls #linkinbio

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A Native’s New Orleans

“Welcome to Nawwwlins,” the cabbie says as I shut the dilapidated white taxi door outside the Louis Armstrong International Airport. It’s Monday night, and tomorrow is Mardi Gras. My plane departs again in 24 hours but that’s all one needs to experience New Orleans, as long as you’ve got an itinerary from a native and the ability to fend off sleep with a little voodoo. Most visitors to the Crescent City head straight for Bourbon St., but any local resident knows there’s a whole lot more than a Hurricane at Pat O’ Brien’s.

The cab driver drops me off uptown at the Columns Hotel, a historic 19th-century era home along St. Charles. Trolley cars trundle by the hotel, which is held up by the tall white columns that you’d expect to see on a plantation home. Humidity hangs heavy in the air along with draped Spanish Moss on oak trees, providing a spooky atmosphere unique to the city. I walk through a tall and elegantly engraved doorway, joining the small crowds that have gathered in a mahogany-walled smoking room drinking Sazeracs in front of a mirrored bar. The Columns is a great hotel to rest your head, but on this night of the year, sleep isn’t on the agenda. At least that’s the mantra of Frank Purpera, a local physician and my wingman. We’ve known the city and each other for years, having grown up on the bayou. And each year we unite for a few hours that can often seem like days.

Columns Hotel New Orleans

Walking just a couple blocks north along the steel trolley tracks, we find the door to Cote Sud, a small, cash-only French bistro on Maple Street. We order steamed mussels swimming in garlic and white wine butter, baked oysters with a side of blue cheese butter, baked frogs legs, salmon with creamed spinach and grilled hanger steak served with Dijon mustard and mixed vegetables. Fat Tuesday is a celebration of decadence before Easter fasting or Lent begins. In New Orleans, the restauranteurs are experts at indulging the local practice pretty much year round.

Cote Sud New Orleans

After dinner we visit the laundromat, Igor’s. I don’t have any clothes to wash (yet) but the combination pool-hall, laundromat and bar serves the best Bloody Mary’s in the country. Maybe the world. Home to several scenes from the movie, The Pelican Brief, Igor’s offers great drinks at reasonable prices and drink specials from 5 AM until 7 AM. For a second I wonder if it’s weird that a laundromat is also a bar. But on second thought, shouldn’t that be the norm?

At around 9pm, Frank and I wander from St. Charles to Tchoupatoulis [Chop-a-too-lis] Street to Tipitanas, a music venue where many local and national bands cut their teeth and get their big breaks. Tonight, the Raw Oyster Cult is performing, and The Radiators’ front man and guitarist, Dave Malone and Papa Grows Funk’s founder John Gros are leading New Orleans style blues vocals. Gros plays his monster Hammond B-3 organ like the Muppets’ Animal at a church rock wedding. On any given night at Tipitinas, you might hear rock, blues, jazz or any number of local or international favorites like The Rebirth Brass Band or The New Breed Brass Band. The lineup is always changing and you can usually get a front row standing spot.

Tipitina's New Orleans

After the show we stop by Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge . It’s a “club/lounge” in the sense that someone’s decided to convert their uptown garage into a Christmas themed bar well over a decade ago. The fat tabby cat is lounging on the bar as mixed breed dogs wander around the pool table. The black and white TV is plugged into an old school Atari, which was not placed there for hipster irony. I dig in a bin for the paddles to play Pong and survey the scene. It’s rumored that if you show up in a birthday suit at Snake and Jake’s, everyone drinks for free. We don’t stick around to see that. After a two-dollar Schlitz, we move on.

Snake and Jake's Christmas Lounge New Orleans

Ten PM is quickly 2AM, and at 6AM sharp Mardi Gras will kick off. Not in one place, but in hundreds across the Pelican State. The most unique site is the Courir De Gras Festival, in a town southwest of New Orleans named Mamou. There are only about 3,500 residents in Mamou, but their Mardi Gras celebration is one of the most interesting and historically rooted in the world. There’s no time to drive the 80 or so miles west so we ring up a local helicopter pilot and friend, Beau Randall. Beau’s father made a living flying blue crabs from the Gulf up to Maryland where they fetched top dollar in the 80s. These days, he’s carrying on the family tradition as a private helicopter pilot to the big players in the oil and gas industry.

After a quick flight over the Atchafalaya Basin, we touch down in a Mamou rice field. Down the gravel lined street the Courir de Gras is getting under way with a whip yielding costumed man atop a horse instructing eager participants on how the race will be run. Masked men and women listen to his commands before chasing chickens and pigs through the muddy fields, collecting ingredients for what will become a celebratory gumbo dinner. The tradition, which originated in Europe, was carried to Louisiana by the French Acadians in the late eighteenth century.

As the festivities carry on, Beau and I walk back over to the Robinson R22 that’s parked in one of the nearby rice fields. He powers it up and we’re back in the sky on our way to New Orleans once again for the pièce de résistance of my twenty-four hour stay: The Zulu Parade.

But before heading to the parade near the French Quarter, we stop for breakfast at Café Du Monde. Its famous powdered sugar beignets are the perfect breakfast on pretty much any day, not to mention Fat Tuesday. Frank, Beau and I match them with hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and Irish Coffees. We talk about Zulu and about our chances of catching an elusive coconut, careful not to inhale the powdered sugar, a rookie Café Du Monde mistake.

Cafe Du Monde New Orleans

Early in 1909, a comedy at the Pythian Theater in New Orleans included a skit entitled, “There Never Was and Never Will Be a King Like Me,” about the Zulu Tribe. That comedy evolved into an African American Mardi Gras crew in New Orleans that each year celebrates Fat Tuesday with a parade and the most coveted throws of all: a hand-painted coconut. The jungle beat of drums thud through the crowd, people scream for coconuts and beads, and I’m attempting to call an Uber to get back to the airport when Frank inexplicably catches the prize. It’s all a bit hard to believe, but that’s just New Orleans done right. Feb 9, 2016, it all happens again.

Get in Fighting Shape at These 5 Boxing Gyms

Boxing isn’t just for professional fighters anymore, it’s become the latest go-to workout for your favorite celebs and supermodels. Studios are popping up all over the US and they feature multiple methods and systems to incorporate boxing into your fitness routine, regardless of your fitness level or expertise. Great for improving your hand-eye coordination, decreasing stress levels, and improving your cardiovascular health, boxing is also a great stress reliever. Here are some boxing gyms across the country to get you started.

 

Rumble Boxing

Rumble Boxing features a unique mix of boxing and strength training all in one class combining high intensity interval training (HIIT), strength training, metabolic conditioning, and cardio in each class.  The group-based fitness classes give a sense of community which means extra motivation to push through your workout. And music is a big part of any rumble class! Celebs like Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez, and Justin Bieber have all been known to frequent Rumble boxing classes. Rumble currently has studios in both New York City and Los Angeles.

 

9round

Shannon and Heather Hudson, a couple from South Carolina who previously owned a Karate school, founded 9round in 2008. The mission behind 9round was to create an affordable workout that would allow busy parents (like themselves) to fit an amazing 30 minute workout into a tight schedule. By 2012, 9round had expanded to over 100 locations across the nation, and they now boast over 700 locations all over the world with more in development.

 

Impact Strong

 

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“You can’t hire someone else to do your push ups for you” -Jim Rohn

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Impact Strong features 30-minute-long kickboxing classes that will have your body burning fat for up to 48 hours after you’ve finished your workout. Classes are available for all levels of fitness, from beginners to advanced and if you have extra time in your day, Impact Strong also has a separate 30 minute HIIT workout class that can be taken before or after your Kickboxing class to amp up your results.  Impact Strong currently has gyms in Texas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Jersey, and Utah.

 

Title Boxing Club

 

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#WCW – @xo.healthy – Stiff jabs over stiff drinks any day of the week. 🥊🔥 — #boxing #TITLEBoxing #FightLikeAGirl

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Title Boxing Club features boxing and kickboxing classes committed to giving people of all ages, fitness levels, and abilities access to an empowering workout. These classes aren’t routine, making every class different and challenging. Each workout includes a warm up, rounds, active rest, and a core and cool-down session. Title Boxing Club has over 180 locations and is available all over the United States.

 

Everybody Fights

 

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Our love for boxing is real 🥊❤️ #everybodyfights @rachelg_photography @hloonan

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Everybody Fights was founded by George Foreman III, a professional boxer with a perfect 16-0 record who grew up in the World of Boxing alongside his father, legendary two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman Sr. George opened the first Everybody Fights location in Boston in 2014 and now has locations in New York, Boston, Kentucky, and Chicago (a location in Philadelphia will be opening in 2019).

10 Reasons Having Kids May Not Be For You

Single and married women alike today have something new in common: Roughly half of each group is undecided about having kids. If this describes you, you are not alone – 2014 saw the largest annual birth rate drop since the U.S. Census began.

Ultimately, it is totally fine to not know yet if you want kids, or even to be sure you don’t. Here are 10 of the most common reasons women today say they are on the fence about having kids.

You adore travel.

If you don’t fancy trading in your exotic intercontinental travel plans for a nonstop, non-glamorous domestic itinerary of washer-to-dryer round trips, it may not yet be the right time for you to have kids.

couple adventure
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You can’t imagine life without wine.

Let’s try a little meditation. Sit in a comfortable position. Breathe deeply in and out a few times. Visualize nine long months without a single sip of wine. If this part doesn’t sound fun, you might want to postpone having kids for a bit (or a lot) longer.

cheers wine
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You can’t imagine life without sex.

Oh yes. Or, rather, oh no….as in, oh no, where did all the sex go? And is it ever coming back? With the average new mom waiting 120 days or longer after giving birth to resume intimacy (due to pain, discomfort, body image issues, sleep deprivation and other factors), this is a valid question, and one you may not ever want to hear yourself asking.

couple
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You are loving your slim and trim figure.

In addition to the eight to 11 pounds or so of actual baby in your belly, you can expect to gain anywhere from 17 to 26 extra pounds during your pregnancy (up to nine of which will likely be pure stored fat).

girl water bikini
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You are single and “actively looking.”

Dudes with baby strollers in Central Park (or anywhere) still retain a fairly decent chance of scoring a date. But gals with a stroller may all too easily find their park time dominated by doting grannies instead. Not to mention that the moment you conceive, your mind may readily turn from fantasies of necking to fantasies of napping for the foreseeable future.

woman on laptop
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You enjoy taking the time to prepare gourmet meals.

You will still have the task of preparing meals, but the gourmet aspect will likely look a lot more like pureed apples and squash than mint-parsley ceviche or shrimp bouillabaisse.

seafood cooking
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You like checking your bank balance and watching it grow.

Recent estimates show that having and raising one child tends to cost the average family around a quarter of a million dollars (and that figure doesn’t include college tuition).

mercedes car
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You are super happy in your relationship.

Guess what 67 percent of couples cite as a major cause of relationship discord? If you guessed it’s having kids, you’re right.  In other words, if the phrase “marital slump” doesn’t sound appealing, you might want to move any thoughts of having a baby to the back burner.

black and white couple
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You are pretty (or very) happy with the way your life is now.

If you have a kid, prepare for all that to change, unless you can afford the kind of star-studded post-delivery care that makes your actual hands-on participation in parenting a totally optional task. The harsher reality is that most new parents report a significant reduction in their own personal sense of well-being following the birth of their first child. Eep!

girl jumping
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You think the world is already overpopulated.

‘Nuff said.

solitude climbing travel
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A lifestyle magazine inspired by author Sylvia Day