Sadly, it’s more common for a New Yorker to wait in the 45 minute line at Shake Shack for that cheeseburger above, than to take a 45 minute stroll in the park after said cheeseburger to burn off the calories. Right? Don’t worry, I’m just as guilty.

If you call New York City home and get a kick out of  cool spa trends or mid day Pilates, then you should check out one of my favorite sites: it’s witty, it’s wise, and it’s all well and good. Founded by superstar journalists Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula, Well+GoodNYC is your virtual ticket to insider scoop on health, beauty, fitness, and living well in the city that never sleeps.

The duo just released their second annual wellness trend report, and they’re totally on point for 2011. After a year of interviews conducted with the city’s wellness experts, they evaluated what was simply a fad and what is here to stay. From non-toxic NY spas to the new “Vegan Vogue” sweeping the Big Organic Apple… they’ve got the scoop. Click below for the list:

Keep up the great work, ladies! On behalf of Spa Week, I thank you for making New York a good-er place to live.

Founders of Well+GoodNYC, Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula

The lymphatic system is probably not one you give much thought to – but you should! The lymphatic system helps clear excess fluid from the cells and distributes powerful immune cells which work 24/7 to ward off viruses and bacteria that want to make you sick. But  did you know you can get a spa treatment to help your lymphatic system work optimally? It’s called electro-lymphatic drainage, and here are the details!

What: The treatment uses gentle electric currents, massage, and heat to increase circulation and stimulation along the body’s lympathic pathways. ELD treatment is said to boost immunity, relax the whole body and mind, reduce pain, even skin tone, and increase energy.

Who: People suffering from chronic pain, conditions that can cause chronic pain like shingles, and lymphedema (painful swelling) are proven to have the best (and quickest) results from ELD therapy. But anyone can benefit from the feeling of whole cleanliness, inside and out, that the treatment can provide!

When: Give ELD a try for just $50 during Spa Week, April 12th-18th.

Where: Bruno Salon & Spa in Brooklyn is offering 55 minutes of ELD during the Spa Week event. Give it a try! You just might find yourself hooked!

Many of you may have seen this video that’s gone viral of a woman fainting on The Price Is Right when she hears she may win a trip to Minneapolis and a rockin’ Dodge car. Her swooning is rather spectacular, but she was fine (and she won!)

Doctors call fainting an episode of “syncope”, or a sudden loss of consciousness. Fainters lose consciousness when blood stops flowing to the brain, and it can be caused by a number of factors. Environmental factors (think hot, crowded rooms), stress or threat, and physical factors (particularly standing too long with locked knees, dehydration, or low blood sugar) are the most common culprits, but fainting can also be a sign of illness or more serious underlying medical conditions.

If you faint repeatedly and/or for no reason with no other symptoms, head to the hospital to get checked out! If you’re prone to fainting and have been cleared by a doctor for more serious conditions. And while there’s no direct link between regular spa visits and fainting, we do know body treatments can improve circulation and nervous system function – so putting in your time at the spa sure can’t hurt!

As I blog at 2:18 AM, I’m reminded of the excerpt on sleep deprivation that smacked me upside the head. The excerpt that directly inspired my New Year’s resolution of getting 7.5 hours of sleep a night (which I’ve actually been doing fairly well at until tonight). The article that sensibly compartmentalized my sleep options and called me to a higher understanding of how sleep deprivation has been deteriorating my mind and body.

Thank you to SELF Magazine for this fantastic piece from The Big Snooze:

Droopy eyelids and low energy are the least of your worries when you’re sleep-deprived. If you aren’t getting the seven to eight hours that’s ideal, you can seriously compromise your health.

More than 8 hours Sadly, you can have too much of a good thing. Regularly amassing more than eight hours a night disrupts blood sugar levels, which makes type 2 diabetes a concern, according to findings in the journal Diabetes Care. And sleeping more than nine hours is linked to an increased risk of dying due to any cause, say researchers at the University of California at San Diego and elsewhere, possibly because other health conditions that cause fatigue are a factor.

Fewer than 7 hours You’re three times more likely to catch a cold if you sleep fewer than seven hours per night than if you get eight, possibly because sleep helps regulate the body’s response to infection. Weight gain also becomes a worry: We produce more of the appetite-promoting hormone ghrelin and less of the satiety-producing hormone leptin when we’re low on sleep.

6 hours or fewer You may think you function fine on this little sleep, but snoozing six hours or fewer a night for a period of only two weeks will impair your memory, reaction time and general cognition in the same way that staying awake for up to 48 hours straight would, according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

5 hours or fewer Averaging five hours or fewer of sleep weakens your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels, which may double your risk for type 2 diabetes, according to Diabetes Care. And people who sleep five or fewer hours a night are 50 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure than are those who get more than six, possibly due to their elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which strain the heart, the journal Sleep reports.

Read The Big Snooze in full at SELF.com. And if you’re still up late too for no good reason, start imagining a thinner, healthier, smarter and more alert version of yourself and GO. TO. SLEEP. 

Photo courtesy of SELF.com

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but that doesn’t mean you never have to pay a visit to the doc. In fact, the number of visits necessary to keep a body up and at ‘em can seem rather overwhelming. Print out this handy list  to keep track of what doctor to see when.

Physical: Advice on this varies, but most official sources seem to agree that you should get physicals more frequently as you get older. Every 2 years in your 20s should suffice, but you shoudn’t wait too far into your 30s to start scheduling check-ups yearly.

Dentist: Twice a year. And you should floss!

Dermatologist: Everyone should have a yearly skin screening to make sure moles and sunspots haven’t gone wild, regardless of how much you might think you don’t need it.

Optometrist/Opthamologist: Believe it or not, you should see an eye doctor once a year (this is old hat to anyone with glasses or contacts, but people blessed with 20-20 should visit to make sure everything’s A-OK.) If you can’t manage that, try to squeeze in a checkup every other year.

Mammograms: This has been a point of particular contention this year. The US Department of Health & Human Services recommends a screening every other year beginning at age 50; some radiologists still call for yearly screenings beginning at age 40. Women should confer with their own doctor on which route you take, but make sure you’re getting screened on a regular basis.

Prostate exams: Unless your doctor (remember how you’re getting regular physicals?) wants you to get one more frequently, males should start annual prostate exams at age 50. Women, you do not have prostates. Don’t worry!