- Fresh research confirms Denver and Colorado Springs are among the healthiest cities in US. Read
- This vegan cookbook proves that plants and pots go together. Read
- January 28 is National Plan for Vacation Day 2020. Read
- What Matters This Month Read
- Yoga-inspired dog wear is finally here Read
- Apricot Lane Boutique is the newest fashion boutique at the Belmar Center in Lakewood. Read
- Vortic is taking vintage timepieces to a new level. Read
- Combine a mother mushroom and hops and you get a drink that blends the best of kombucha and beer. Read
- If looks could kill, you?d slay all day? Read
The Fit List
Fresh research confirms Denver and Colorado Springs are among the healthiest cities in US.
The MindBody Wellness Index surveyed the most populous 50 cities in the US and ranked them by health. In 2020, Miami topped the list as the healthiest city in America. A number of factors contribute to a city?s score, including how much locals prioritize wellness and ultimately invest in it (including fitness, beauty and grooming, and integrative health services), their healthy habits (across multiple dimensions of wellness), and the success of wellness businesses within the city.
Denver, which came in at number four behind Atlanta and San Francisco, is home to some of the most dedicated fitness fans in the country. Over 80 percent of residents work out at least once a week. And those sweat sessions are paying off; 40 percent say they?re satisfied or very satisfied with their fitness level (compared to the national average of only 31 percent). Denver residents especially love yoga and weight/strength training, and the top reason Denver works out is to feel good. The same research put Colorado Springs as the 24th healthiest city in America, based on physical activity, BMI, alcohol consumption, connection to the community, healthy eating, and spiritual wellness.
Instant Potted Plants
This vegan cookbook proves that plants and pots go together.
Nisha Vora may be one of the most brilliant and flavor-forward, down-to-earth vegan chefs you?ll come across. She has devoted her life to finding delicious, nonboring ways to make plant-based eating the greatest thing since vegan sliced bread. Though she started out as a lawyer, her story isn?t unlike most. She worked hard, joined a legal team, but after two years realized that she wasn?t happy. So, she threw caution to the wind, quit her job, and she and her partner backpacked around the world for six months. In that time, she gained a totally new perspective on life, which included transitioning to veganism. Not only did Vora adjust her own lifestyle, she started blogging about it, learning the art of food photography, and launched a highly successful platform sharing her thoughts, her poems, her musings, and her recipes for living an intentional life.
The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook features 90 recipes meant to be made in an Instant Pot pressure cooker and includes cooking tips and cooking guides. Between the YouTube tutorials, brand partnerships, and overall awareness raised around the joy of cooking, Vora is doing more than making plant-based eating appealing. She?s making it downright gorgeous and practical.
The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook / $15 on Amazon
Plan to Get Going
January 28 is National Plan for Vacation Day 2020, a campaign organized by the US Travel Association. The goal is that you plan your vacation days for the full year at the start of it. If your anxiety spikes at the thought of committing to anything a month in advance (feel you on that!), there are a bunch of reasons to consider daydreaming about your dream trip this month. First, the mere act of planning a getaway is shown to improve happiness, boost morale, prevent burnout, and reduce stress. Second, Americans who plan their vacation time are more likely to use it to venture away from home (76 percent) compared to non-planners (50 percent), according to the US Travel Association. And people who actually do get away report they are happier with their job, company, relationship, and health. Carve out some time on the third Tuesday of the month and commit to taking some time off. It?ll be good for you.
Sensibilities
What Matters This Month by Stephanie Wilson
1. Goals are the new resolutions. And since we?re in a new decade, let?s set loftier targets, hit them, surpass them. Where do you want to be in 2025? 2030? Start manifesting the life you want. In the shorter term, however?
2. Manifest the outfits you want by signing up for Nuuly clothing rental from Free People?s parent co. For just $88/mo., you get six temporary additions to your wardrobe?perfect excuse to try out new trends.
3. Be extra extra. I resolved to be just that at the start of last year. Met that goal and have a photo of the statement jacket I borrowed from Nuuly as proof. See @stephwilll if you?re curious just how extra ?extra extra? is.
4. See Also: posts about my apartment/urban jungle.
5. Putting it out there now. I?m setting my first intention for 2020: I will get my place featured on Apartment Therapy as a home tour this year. Boom.
6. Wanna be my goal buddy? DM or post a comment?we?ll start a club. One with books and discussions involved. Community and knowledge will result. We?ll call it?The Book Club. Let?s do this.
Downward Dog
Yoga-inspired dog wear is finally here. How did our pooches live without this apparel? If only they could tell us. Alas, we?ll just have to trust they are able to move freely and comfortably during zoomies thanks to a new line from Pet Life. The collection features state-of-the-art materials that are antimicrobial, quick-drying, and breathable. The collection includes stretchy dog T-shirts, polos, full-body gear, tank tops, and hoodies.
?It took years to develop this collection after studying what the leading activewear manufacturers are doing in the human space,? says Joseph Braha of Pet Life. ?We understand the yoga fashion market very well and how dog yoga is becoming a larger trend.?
With breathable four-way stretch fabric, the Eboneflow dog yoga T-shirt worn here starts at $43.
Boutique Buys
Apricot Lane Boutique is the newest fashion boutique at the Belmar Center in Lakewood. A locally owned women?s and teen shop offering a handpicked assortment of on-trend clothing, accessories, and gifts, Apricot Lane Boutique has a curated collection of casual and going-out styles of well-known and up-and-coming brands along with a great selection of the latest denim brands. ?Think of us as your fashion fairy godmother: we transform your look by providing the outfits of your dreams,? said Owner Lisa Hild in a recent press release. Cheesy? Yes. Still a cool store worth checking out? For sure.
Going Back in Time
Vortic is taking vintage timepieces to a new level.
Vortic Watch Company is a small-batch, vintage timepiece restoration company headquartered in Southern Colorado. Vortic offers several wrist watch lines: American Artisan, Railroad Edition, Military Edition, and Red Rocks Edition. You can also have your own timepiece custom-made from your own family?s heirlooms with the ?convert your watch? program.
Each line is unique, from the American Artisan pieces made from upcycled parts to the Railroad Edition?s removable bezel and other features. The newest line, Military Edition, features meticulously restored AN5740-1 pocket watches, which were commissioned by the United States government at the beginning of World War II. The originals were designed to withstand altitude as they were utilized by navigators on bomber aircrafts including B-17s and B-29s, equipped as stop watches, used as location devices, and made to meet very clear specifications to ensure the navigators would always have accurate time.
Timepieces steeped in American culture combined with the Vortic promise to preserve history through truly refined and unique watches is what sets them apart.
$1,295?$6,995 | vorticwatches.com
Strange Brew
Combine a mother mushroom and hops and you get a drink that blends the best of kombucha and beer.
Kombucha is that increasingly popular drink that owes its probiotic properties and tangy taste to a mother fungus. Beer is, well, you know. Kombucha can contain small amounts of alcohol due to fermentation, and it also mixes well into a cocktail, but Unity Vibration has taken the pairing one step further with its kombucha beers. They combine the healthy tonic with organic hops and fruit flavors ranging from ginger to peaches to elderberries to create a concoction that?s easy to sip. Just be prepared: it packs a whopping 8 to 9.1 percent ABV. The Bourbon Peach is the beer snob?s favorite, and the Raspberry is a crowd pleaser.
Expletive Infixation
If looks could kill, you?d slay all day? No, actually, you wouldn?t because you?re not totally clich? like that. You?ve got all sorts of style, and you?re used to standing out in crowds of Coloradans. You?re a badass statement maker who commands attention when you walk in a room. Maison BangBang?s latest release lets you make an effin? statement without so much as parting your lips. The US-designed, French-made products are produced in super limited numbers and sold exclusively through the company?s website. This limited-edition unisex Nessuno Black & Gold Ros? bag, crafted from non-animal leather and adorned with a gold ros? motif, is going for $449.
