Happy Thursday. Welcome to The Skinny, which will take you three minutes to breeze through (or less). And for anyone new here: this is a free newsletter, full of snackable lifestyle news, designed to entertain and save you time—everyone’s most valuable resource.

What we’re covering:

• From skijoring to night running, inspiration for winter outdoor activities and the season’s best carnivals 

• Gut punch: tips and recipes for better digestive health (including: Marry Me Chickpea Soup)

• Dry January MVP Hilary Sheinbaum is back with what’s in her NA bar cart, and tips for the sober curious

• Plus, getting cozy with sweatpants, villages that turned into hotels, 16 ways to make your canned soup more highbrow & the best houseplants based on your Zodiac sign

💡Did you know: all The Skinny editions are online and searchable—so you can easily find topics/links/recipes/items to shop that we have written about in the past. Bookmark this link for easy reference.

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Being outdoors in the winter is ‘in’

Listen to your Mother [nature] 

The Skinny:While many use winter as an excuse to stay indoors, we say … get the F out. Below, our The Skinny-approved ideas. 

• If anyone recalls the epic power ballad “Don’t Cry out Loud,” the lyrics—about a girl dreading the circus leaving town from the minute it rolled in—are a metaphor for disappointment. And Jill shares the same ballad-y, tearful sadness every January when the San Juan Skijoring event comes barreling into Ridgway, CO and the picturesque, charming town fills up with skiers, boarders, and horses. Yep, the horses pull skiers/ boarders over an obstacle course (cool video alert) with jumps and kickers … and she’s as sad as the song when it goes away.  

• Nike is off and running with a new “After Dark Tour” for women. The nighttime women’s race series, which features a community-powered Nike training program and designed as the “ultimate girls’ weekend,” kicks off in Sydney and travels to a host of cities (including LA and Mexico City). 

• Bundle up, bring a flask of vodka and make a plan to attend any of these top winter carnivals in the U.S., like

• For anyone not drinking, we were tipped off to a group called Sober Outdoors (which, coincidentally, is also based in CO). Aside from the spirit of support these events foster, Sober Outdoors founder Nick Peason notes that spending time in nature has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety—which is key to sustaining any lifestyle change. 

Pantry raid

Digest these tips for better health

The Skinny: Maintaining optimal gut health is essential for overall well-being, influencing digestion, immunity, and, some say, even mental health. Experts emphasize the importance of a balanced diet rich in fiber, probiotics, and prebiotics to support a healthy gut microbiome. To note:

• Gastroenterologists recommend incorporating foods like asparagus, avocado and onions rich in prebiotics and fiber can prevent bloating and promote beneficial gut bacteria.
  

• The American Medical Association notes that a healthy gut is crucial for digestion, metabolism, and immunity, and poor gut health is linked to conditions like IBS and mental health disorders. 

Three gut-healthy recipes to try:

• Marry Me Chickpea Soup with Kale: A hearty soup combining chickpeas and kale for a heaping spoonful of fiber and plant-based protein. However, to be balanced in our reporting we must let you know about Divorce Chicken and, ofc, the original Marry Me Chicken (though neither are necessarily gut-healthy).

• One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo: Inflammation, be gone. 

• Baked Oatmeal with Berries and Seeds: Brunch just got a little more gut-friendly.  

Staying dry

Tips and tricks for the sober curious  

The Skinny: Author Hilary Sheinbaum, the “MVP of Dry January” is here for a series this month. Each week, we’ll see what’s in her bar cart, and she’ll be providing actionable tips for anyone sober curious or who is already aboard the Dry January train. 

Last week you talked about NA mixed cocktails, what else is in your bar cart? 

Giesen 0% offers a variety of tasty alcohol-removed wines, and it's the most comparable NA range to full-proof wine (which the brand also produces). From rosé to chardonnay, to pinot grigio and sparkling, there are NA sips for every occasion, whether you're sitting down for dinner, hosting a happy hour, or celebrating with friends and family.  

For those trying Dry January, they’re over the halfway mark. Thoughts on what to do if temptation prevails? 

Be Kind to Yourself. Giving up booze can be hard, and it's everywhere. It's okay if you slip up— just start again. (Important to note: dry months and dry advice are not for people in recovery or seeking a recovery program, so if you are having difficulty with Dry January early on, please consult with your doctor/a medical expert.) There are also great apps like Reframe, which is backed by scientific research and has helped almost 1 million people cut back on their drinking habits.

Thanks, Hilary! For more inspiration and a how-to, you can pick up her latest book, Going Dry: A Workbook: A Practical Guide to Drinking Less and Living.

Last licks

Newsfeed + our most popular winter links

• Ticket-with-Purchase: Helly Hansen offers the best GWP of all—a FREE lift ticket at over 50 resorts in NA and Europe with the purchase of a ski or pant from their latest collection.

• While you’re stuck inside, re-decorate with the best houseplants based on your Zodiac sign. 

• While some of these are a little costly, that is the price you pay for your home to smell like “a luxe ski lodge” this winter.

• For the love of sweats: this round-up of chic versions for women does not disappoint, and our other faves right now include Spanx AirEssentials (Nicole got the luxe tapered version for Christmas), these (new!) Chalet Living Après-ski pants, and thermal leggings from Calzedonia. Guys: What we like includes both luxe (all the active/casual/errand/golf joggers from the wolf pack at Greyson Clothiers) to less (these under-$20 joggers that reviewers and Esquire editors swear by). Want more options? GQ has put in the work, while reminding us that “joggers” are really “gussied up sweatpants.” 

• Take advantage of your pastiest winter skin self to figure out your skin undertone, once and for all. Here’s how. 

• It’s hard to avoid having a sad bowl of canned soup in the winter, so when you find yourself with a can opener in hand, know that it’s easy to transform into something more highbrow with these 16 ways to upgrade canned soup. 

• A more immersive kind of lodging: alberghi diffusi are hotels that are “distributed” throughout a village (primarily in Italy, but here is one in Switzerland as well). Said differently, these are small and often abandoned towns that have been turned into hotels—with rooms, common areas and dining as individual locations. Interessante, no?

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