FoodNutrition

It might be the Second City, but Chicago’s first on our list of healthy hotspots in the Midwest—here’s why

There's a reason Chicago is the best city for an active lifestyle. Here's a guide to the healthiest places to sleep, eat, and play while you're in the Windy City.

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Published Sep 25, 2018

Written by 

Arden Fanning Andrews

Gazing up the skyline of Chicago a few years ago, still claiming my East Village apartment in Manhattan as home, I gasped and muttered aloud, “It’s so clean, it’s blue.” And truly, after making these sparkling streets my own for the last two years, Chicago’s stunning eco-certified architecture and dialed train system (imagine signs that tell you how many minutes away your train is before you even descend the steps) are just a tiny glimpse of the multifaceted gem some call the Second City.

With an underground music scene that rivals the best of New York and Austin (not to mention festivals like Pitchfork, Lollapalooza, and Riot Fest), Chicago’s low-key atmosphere is ripe with friendly baristas, understanding fitness instructors, and well-versed Uber drivers ready to give you the scoop on its varied offerings—including the vegan spot that Beyoncé’s been known to hit up when she’s in town.

Keep reading for a city guide of Chicago’s healthiest places to sleep, eat, and play.

Good Sleep

The Robey

The landmark Art Deco Northwest Tower was built in 1929 and transformed by Belgian design duo Nicolas Schuybroek Architects and Marc Merckx Interiors into this contemporary hotel equipped with breathtaking 180-degree views, not to mention a rooftop pool. It’s little wonder why it’s become a hub for cool-kid locals and artists. Take a business meeting or draft some emails in its airy second-floor lounge bedecked with endless and comfy sectional couches, or wander down to the sun-drenched Café Robey for a plate of spicy avocado toast.

The Langham

Ethereal and elegant. This forward-thinking, ultra-luxe escape just off of the river is also a LEED-certified green hotel that touts one of the most breathtaking (and award-winning) wellness destinations in the country, Chuan Spa (think Traditional Chinese Medicine meets magical pink salt saunas and Bioenergetic-Shen Touch massages). Even its indoor pool is outfitted with an overwater lighting installation that makes every backstroke seem like you’re looking up at a softly lit constellation of stars.

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The Gray

Hoping to pack light but still break a sweat during your stay? Located in a historic building in Chicago’s Financial District, the newly upgraded fitness center also touts a unique partnership with Lululemon that allows travelers to borrow workout gear during their stay to keep up their fitness routine without the hassle of carrying around an extra duffel of dirty laundry.

Ace Hotel

Of course, the Ace has officially made its way to the Windy City. Just opened last August, the brand’s first property in the Midwest collaborated with local artisans and artists to capture the city’s modernist design history. The interactive electric blue Jonathan Nesci “dome” sculpture was recently installed on its garden rooftop space, Prairie, while indoors, its signature restaurant City Mouse decreases its foodprint through composting, using the soil it fertilizes to landscape its pretty patio.

Good Food

Lyfe Kitchen

Short for Love Your Food Everyday, locally sourced ingredients are top of menu for regulars that love LYFE for taking the guesswork out of their meals (no MSG, corn syrup, or trans fats allowed). Enjoy a farm-fresh salad and baked sweet potato fries with a grass-fed burger, or go for its infamous “unfried” crispy baked chicken and cashew-cream pasta sauce, not to mention a plethora of gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian and vegan dishes.

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Karyn’s

Thanks to patrons like Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder, this vegan bistro has become a wellness landmark for in-the-know locals. Lauded for her customized meal plans for celebs like Tasha Smith, Taraji P. Henson, and Angela Bassett, holistic expert Karen Calabrese reopens her beloved restaurant to the public next month with a wholesome new menu of raw, conscious comfort foods.

Enoteca Roma

Easily one of the most ethereal back patio setups in the city with twinkling lights strung between giant trees, this is an easy spot for a romantic date or group gathering where you won’t feel like you’re touching elbows while you dine. Light bites like an array of tasty bruschetta options and braised gnocchi only make the affordably priced wines even more delicious, while the soundtrack (regularly playing LCD Soundsystem and indie-leaning outfits like Widowspeak) will soothe your social anxiety.

Somerset

Part of the buzzy Boka Restaurant Group, Somerset’s interior boasts a country club-chic attitude and easy menu of American cuisine, like roasted peach salad, chilled corn soup, and summer squash dumplings. Chef Lee Wolen’s attitude about making “food people like to eat” is a nice match with the friendly interior that begs for another cup of oolong tea to take in its bustling clientele and glistening 1920s interior.

Good Sweat

Exhale

This studio embodies the wide-open spaces of the Midwest while still feeling like a cozy, dimly lit retreat that’s faintly scented with lavender. Next-level total fitness offerings like barre and power yoga are just steps away from soothing spa therapies that combine traditional Eastern practices with modern Western services like acu-healing (think acupuncture, acu-organ detox, and Reiki). For a fancy treat, try a Hammam Detox Therapy session, or simply wrap up your workout with a languid lounge in the steam room for a full-body detox.

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Page One Pilates

Page Barker’s intimate studio featuring eight intuitive reformer machines is more like a personal retreat than an icy fitness setup—immediately apparent with the warmth of fig-scented Tatine candles and supportive instructors. As for the workout, Barker is known for her fresh take on the Pilates method that incorporates tailored music and surprising sequences to better facilitate a brain/body connection. Even the cleaning methods tout an earth-focused connection, meaning the equipment you lounge on is kept up with organic, non-toxic cleansers and all workout gear is washed in Guppyfriend bags to keep microplastic fibers from entering the water supply.

Chill

Just opened last spring, its founder Laura Sage dreamed up the yoga-meet-meditation hot spot when she was in search of her own meditative escape. Part of the ClassPass program, guests can stop in for a gentle movement and stretching class that can be followed by meditation and even an out-of-this world chair massage. Thanks to Sage’s other passion project, a breast cancer research non-profit, a complimentary Thrivers class is available to cancer patients and their caregivers each month.

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The 606

For a scenic (and free!) run or bike ride, this 12-mile stretch repurposed the old Bloomingdale train line into a community space for outdoor fitness at your own pace. This “rails-to-trails” project makes taking in the city even easier with elevated views and a pet-friendly strolling environment.

Good Times

Azeeza

Owned by the only local womenswear designer on the city’s famous Magnificent Mile, this see-now-buy-now luxury boutique offers zero-waste fashion thanks to hand-cut patterns and repurposing scraps from the cutting room floor. The atelier space doubles as a showroom, meaning Azeeza is often on premises to providing advice or even design a new garment in customized fabric and colors with the final product available to deliver or ship to your home base in just a few weeks. Since it’s the label’s creative hub, you can walk in and witness the team patterning the upcoming season’s collection samples or shooting their next lookbook.

Schubas Tavern

A favorite music venue for indie bands and local songwriters, the intimate theater setting feels as appropriate for an ambient punk show as it does for an electro dance party. Grab a drink at the storied bar in the old Schlitz Brewery during soundcheck, or a kale salad in its retro kitchen to make an entire night of it with just one stop.

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The Occult Bookstore

Looking for energetic stones, herbs, and possible mystery circles? This neighborhood landmark is filled with almost 100 years of history offering books, classes, and esoteric wares with a homespun appeal. Even those that aren’t actively practicing woo-woo arts will appreciate the welcoming (and highly knowledgeable) staffers who prove quick to share their tips on cleansing crystals and organic gardening.

Kokorokoko Vintage

Satiating your sustainable shopping needs, owners Ross Kelly and Sasha Hodges have pulled together a technicolor array of finds from the “post-hip-hop, pre-Internet era” that feel like a time capsule-preserved dream for the past decade. Everything from cassette tapes to retro candies is on display, with prices that make cramming an extra ice dancer-inspired leotard or high-waisted ski legging into your suitcase an easy decision.

There’s a reason Chicago is the best city for an active lifestyle. Here’s a runner’s guide to the best routes by which to see the Windy City on foot.

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FoodNutrition

Hold Up: Is Your Nutrition App Working Against You?

Here are 6 warning signs experts say to watch out for when using nutrition and fitness apps.

High angle shot of fitness young Asian sports woman relaxing after working out, lying on yoga mat and using her smartphone against sunlight in the morning, reusable water bottle and headphones by her side.
Photo: Getty
Published Mar 7, 2025

Written by 

Korin Miller

Fitness and nutrition tracking apps provide an easy way to keep tabs on your health data. But new research suggests that you could accidentally work against your health goals when you use these platforms. 

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The scientific review, which was published in the journal Body Image, analyzed data from 38 studies on fitness and diet apps, along with symptoms people had while using them. The researchers ultimately found that people who used health and fitness apps regularly were more likely to struggle with disordered eating, body image concerns, and compulsive exercise. 

While it’s hard to say whether the concerning habits or apps came first, mental health professionals aren’t shocked by the findings. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll fall into damaging health habits if you use one of these apps, but this is an important association to at least be aware of, according to Hillary Ammon, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety & Women's Emotional Wellness. 

Below, mental health providers break down why fitness apps can work against your health, plus warning signs that your use is venturing into unhealthy territory.

How are tracking apps working against your health goals?

There are a few things that could be happening here. “We don't necessarily know that diet and fitness apps ‘cause’ symptoms of disordered eating, body image concerns, and compulsive exercise,” says Isabella Anderberg, lead study author and researcher at Flinders University. Meaning, it’s entirely possible that people who already have concerns around eating and body image are drawn to the apps as a way to manage this, Anderberg says. 

But some apps can also create an environment that can be stressful, says Rebecca Boswell, PhD, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry and director of psychiatric services at Penn Medicine. “Diet and fitness apps set rules about how people should and should not eat and exercise,” she points out. “They are designed to provide praise for eating less and punishment for eating more.” Boswell also notes that these apps are also designed to encourage activity to compensate for eating.

Certain apps also offer guidelines that can be customized without flagging goals that aren’t medically or nutritionally sound, Boswell says. “Apps often default to very low-calorie recommendations, e.g. 1,200 calories, the recommended intake for a toddler, and do not raise flags when people lower their ‘budgets,’” she says. “They rarely focus on the quality, balance, and nutritional density of foods.”

These apps tend to center around numbers and setting goals, which can be “unhelpful” for some people, Ammon says. Some even contain images that push thinness as an ideal body type, which excludes the rest of the population, she adds. 

Who does this impact? 

Again, plenty of people use fitness and wellness apps with no issue, and the link between problematic health behaviors and this tech is still being explored. But certain people may be more susceptible to developing unhealthy behaviors while using fitness apps than others. 

People with a previous history of disordered eating or body image concerns should probably steer clear of these apps, Ammon says. “This is because these apps can bring greater focus to their eating habits, caloric intake, and weight,” she explains. “Individuals with disordered habits tend to track caloric intake or caloric deficits, as a means of controlling weight [and] these apps can enhance those tracking habits with real time metrics and reminders.”

People who have struggled with overtraining in the past may also be at risk of using these apps in an unhealthy way, says Eric Storch, PhD, professor and vice chair of psychology at Baylor College of Medicine. 

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But even if you don’t have a history of disordered behavior around food or exercise, Ammon says it’s still a good idea to keep an eye on how you react to fitness and health apps—especially if you tend to be very goal-oriented or have a type A personality. Boswell agrees. “People who are prone to perfectionism may have a harder time flexibly using these apps, especially because of their greater sensitivity to reward and punishment,” she says. “It’s very hard for some people to get feedback that they’re not getting an A+ in health behaviors, even when the healthier behaviors might be striking a balance and setting more moderate goals.”

What are the signs your app isn’t helping?

There are a few clues that your app isn’t being a positive force in your life.

  1. 1.
    Being rigid around your app is a big red flag. “When you start to seem like you ‘have to’ work out daily or ‘have to’ track every single calorie ingested or burned, it may be teetering with an unhelpful focus on these habits,” Ammon says. 
  2. 2.
    Feeling frazzled about not meeting certain goals can also be a warning sign that something is off, she says. “If you notice yourself getting anxious or distressed because you didn’t hit your move goal for a day, it may be worth exploring why you need to hit that goal daily,” Ammon says. 
  3. 3.
    Guilt is also an emotion to be wary of, Anderberg says. Meaning, while it’s OK to feel a little disappointed that you didn’t make a goal on any given day, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it.
  4. 4.
    This is more indirect, but is still important: Boswell recommends keeping tabs on your internal monologue when using these apps. “If you can’t stop thinking about food or activity, it’s time to take a break and listen to your body instead of an app,” she says. 
  5. 5.
    Negative lifestyle impact is also a big warning sign that this isn’t a good fit for you, according to Ammon. She cites examples like staying up late to burn 500 calories before the end of the day because you feel pressure to, or cancelling plans with friends because you feel like you need to fit in a workout that day as being problematic. 

How to use an app in a productive, healthy way

Ammon points out that there are risks and rewards to practically every decision you make in life, including using health and fitness apps. “Rewards can be an improved lifestyle and improved physical health,” she says. “For many, these apps can act as an accountability system with virtual rewards.” Focusing on the positive—as in, you’re doing the best you can to support your health and wellness—is a productive way to view these apps, she says. 

Storch also recommends trying to be flexible in how you use these apps, looking at them as more of a guide than what you have to do on any given day. “Approach these apps as a tool to achieve goals, but ones that should be used flexibly versus rigidly, and without angst motivating their use,” he says. 

Of course, if you start using an app and you find that you don’t have a good relationship with it, it’s OK to stop. “It’s important to approach them with some level of caution,” Boswell says. “However, not everyone will have a negative experience with diet and fitness apps, and some might find them to be a helpful tool.”

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