November 28, 2018 at 01:09PM “Everything comes down to poo,” J.D. and Turk once sang in the musical episode of Scrubs. They weren’t wrong—you can tell a lot about your health from your BMs. But for something that we all do on the regular, most people rarely ever talk about their poops openly. It’s not exactly the best brunch topic. Admit it, there are definitely some major things about your poo that you’re dying to ask but are too embarrassed to bring up. Luckily for you, I went to the experts—the brave docs who have devoted their lives to the study of the gastrointestinal system—to get to the answers to the most common healthy poop questions they hear. “I see chunks of food in my poop! Is this normal?” “When you see undigested food, it’s most likely high-fiber vegetable matter—remnants of fiber we eat,” Samantha Nazareth, MD, NYC board-certified gastroenterologist, says. The most common culprit she sees during colonoscopies: corn, because our digestive system can’t break down the cellulose that makes up the outer hull. And food in your stool isn’t necessarily a bad thing, adds Niket Sonpal, MD, adjunct assistant professor of clinical medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. “When the GI tract is performing properly, it takes 24 to 36 hours for food to pass through your system,” he says. But: “If you see anything sooner than that or notice that your poop is [also] floating, oily, or giving you cramps, it could be a bigger issue like an
Day: November 28, 2018
Does running burn or build muscle? Fitness pros weigh in once and for all
November 28, 2018 at 12:52PM It’s indisputable that cardio is good for you and should be incorporated into your fitness regimen (in whichever form you so desire). Despite this, however, there are some misconceptions about just what that heart-pumping modality is doing to your muscles. While lifting weights tends to increase muscle mass, does running burn muscle? It all depends on what else you’re doing, really. “Some of the main benefits of doing cardio include weight loss, stress release, and stronger heart and lungs,” explains Brian Ripka, founder of Ripped Fitness. It’s also increasing your endurance, according to Adam Smith, assistant coach of the Reebok Boston Track Club. Because it involves that uptick in your heart rate, it’s easy to think it’ll burn a lot of calories and burn away your muscles. Alternatively, you have to use your muscles in order to do cardio—so some believe that can lead to gains in muscle. So what’s what when it comes to how running affects the body? “Performing too much cardio could burn muscle if you aren’t adding any type of strength training into your workout regimen or complementing your training with enough calories,” says Ripka. “If you lose too much muscle, or don’t do any type of strength training to gain any, you will lose strength.” When you’re maintaining or gaining muscle, on the other hand, it’s all about incorporating strength training. “The best way to do this is with HIIT-style training about three days a week,” says Ripka. “And for those
Jane Fonda’s finally designing workout clothes and TBH, we can’t believe it took this long
November 28, 2018 at 12:00PM Jane Fonda epitomized the ’80s fitness craze—down to her bodysuits and leg warmers. But somehow, the woman who launched a thousand (technically 17 million) at-home cardio workout tapes never created a collection of activewear…until now. Proving it’s never too late to start a passionate side hustle, Fonda, 80, is adding another hyphen to her multifaceted career by launching her own lifestyle brand. The new line is being created in partnership with the broadcast network Evine. When it launches this spring, it’ll include activewear, athleisure items, and health and wellness products designed with women over 50 in mind. “We are, after all, the fastest growing demographic in the world,” Fonda told WWD. (The woman really knows her way around a one-liner, amirite?) And I know, I know, it seems like every. day. another famous person announces that they’re working on a fashion label. I’ve certainly thrown side eyes at more than a few that feel, let’s just say, inauthentic. But Fonda’s seems like the real deal (I say seems only because there are currently no images of her first collection). What I do know for sure is that given how many decades she’s spent putting other people’s workout clothes through serious sweat tests, I imagine she’ll come to the drawing board with more than a few good ideas. And she plans to put all that knowledge to use by weighing in on all facets of her lifestyle brand from designs to fabrics and where it’s manufactured. While
Halp! How do I get this lash out of my eyeball without tearing my cornea?
November 28, 2018 at 11:07AM Today marks approximately the millionth time I’ve arrived at work with an unidentified object (Eyelash? Dust? New York City detritus?) adhered to my eyeball. I don’t know if my corneas are extra-sticky or what gives, but my immediate mission was pretty simple: To ask an optometrist how to clean out my eye the proper way. (Because I’m pretty sure probing said area with my fingernail like I normally do is basically a one-way ticket to the hospital.) “Many loose foreign bodies can be removed through exaggerated blinking to accelerate this process,” says Mark Jacquot, OD, Clinical Director at LensCrafters. So go ahead: Flutter those lashes like a romance novel character. “[T]he next step is to irrigate the eye,” says the expert, who recommends using an eye wash, normal saline, or just plain old tap water to do so. If the pesky particle still remains after that, Dr. Jacquot recommends seeing an eye doctor as soon as you can. They can remove whatever it is through a simple procedure that likely won’t result in any damage. Contact-wearers can repeat the same process—just make sure to remove the lens first just in case the optic visitor has stealthily hidden beneath it. And regardless of whether you wear them or not, the doc says to avoid rubbing your eye at all costs: “[T]his can cause some foreign bodies to become embedded in the cornea on the front of the eye.” When I take the doctor’s advice, blinking rapidly doesn’t quite do the trick. So
Busy Phillipps’ trick for making any floor workout more intense? Try it on a trampoline
November 28, 2018 at 10:30AM Busy Phillipps is, well, a busy lady. The actress is currently promoting a brand-new talk show and a best-selling memoir, all while also keeping me (and her 1.4 million other Instagram followers) hilariously up to speed on everything she’s got going on in her day-to-day. So, it’s safe to assume that when the she hits the gym, she’s looking to get maximum results in a minimal amount of time (isn’t that what we *all* want in in our fitness routines?) which is why her go-to workout kicks classic floor moves up a notch by doing them on a trampoline. Phillips shared a video of herself to Instagram in the midst of an intense sweat sesh at Los Angeles studio LEKFit—literally, she was dripping, which is exactly how she likes it—cycling through donkey kicks on everyone’s favorite childhood toy. Trampolines (or, as their known in the fitness world, “rebounders”) have become a trendy way to trick-out your cardio routine of late, but it turns out that they have body-boosting benefits for strength training, too. “Doing your strength work on the rebounder—for example, with your legs on all fours—forces you to engage your core by preventing yourself from sinking down, much more than you would if you were doing the same exercise on the floor using a mat,” explains Lauren Kleban, founder of LEKFit. “The rebounder is also much more comfortable on your knees than being on the floor.” “Doing your strength work on the rebounder forces you
Swear to God, this facial gave me better posture
November 28, 2018 at 10:28AM Serving me tea in her airy suite at Chicago’s Four Seasons hotel, Liza Egbogah, BSc, DC, DOMP, a Toronto-based myofascial release expert, floats around in a gauzy white dress that highlights the sort of angelic, fairy godmother glow she bequeaths to the complexions of stars like Yara Shahidi, Sally Hawkins, and Amanda Brugel. It’s not just her otherworldly manners and presentation that warrant the attention—it all started a year into her decade of practice when clients started to report surprising side effects after myofascial release appointments. “Not only did they feel better, but also looked markedly younger and more refreshed. An actor had come in for back pain, but when he returned to set his co-stars asked if he had work done because he looked like he just took 10 years off,” she shares. Though the promise of a fountain-of-youth facial surely caught my attention, I’ve come to discuss rumors that her aforementioned treatment is actually helping clients to sit straighter, stand taller, and reverse the dreaded “cashew” shape that spending hours slouched over a keyboard can create. “Posture is greatly affected by receptors in the joints and muscles in your upper neck region,” explains the facialist who’s gained a reputation for her magic fingers and signature Face Lift Facial. Here’s what to know about the posture-enhancing facial, and how to replicate the sit-straighter results at home. Photo: Stocksy/Victor Torres Re-posturing via release According to Dr. Liza, the whispers are true, and she illustrates the reposturing process in impressive
How to make sure your humidifier isn’t making you sick
November 28, 2018 at 09:39AM If you’ve used the internet at all since the first hint of chill hit the fall air, you might well feel like the world is screaming at you to get a certain device that’s essentially a seasonal miracle worker: a humidifier. The little jugs of wonder that emit either cool or warm mist are the keys, it seems, to getting your life in order once your heat kicks on. Dry skin? Your humidifier can help fix that! Can’t kick a drippy case of the sniffles? Yep, your good ‘ole humidifier is here to help. Adding in the humidity that your furnace saps from the air is, in fact, insanely beneficial for your sinuses, which tend to take a hit in colder temperatures. But all of this goodness can get wiped away if you don’t take proper care of your device. Without taking the time to regularly clean and maintain your humidifier, you’re essentially self-subscribing to a world of (sinus and dry-skin) pain more severe than what you might have dealt with sans device. Since the star ingredient is water, these tools—like essential oil diffusers—can easily develop mold, mildew, and bacteria. “There are definitely health issues that can crop up from using a humidifier that has developed mold or mildew or bacterial contamination, dermatologist Jessica Krant, MD, MPH, tells WebMD. “Itchy skin rashes and itchy eyes could be a sign of mold or mildew allergy coming from the humidifier.” Since the star ingredient of a humidifier is
Cross these presents most likely to be purged off your holiday shopping list
November 28, 2018 at 09:30AM Everyone has had that instant moment of regret after seeing someone’s less-than-stellar, fake-excited response upon opening a gift you gave them. Sure, you may have been really pumped about that new activewear set—and even considered keeping it for yourself!—but you already know an “it-just-didn’t-fit-right” excuse is in the near future. (Honestly, it’s already giving me flashbacks to when my parents misheard my Backstreet Boys CD request for the Beastie Boys.) Now, if only there was an easy way to prevent the disappointment altogether…. This year, the online thrift store thredUP is saving you a whole lot of hassle (and money!) by releasing some insider intel on the most-purged holiday gifts. In January, the site sees a 60 percent increase in never-worn items for sale—that’s approximately 250,000 new-with-tags additions, which are most likely things people got for the holidays and didn’t want. Some of those items might not be too surprising with the number-one unwanted item being J.Crew cardigans, followed by ASOS maxi dresses, Banana Republic ruffle dresses, and Victoria’s Secret swimsuits. But two popular wellness-y items also didn’t make the cut: No one wanted Lululemon cutout shirts or Nike sneakers, either. So, what should you be getting your friends and family this year? The brands with the least regret—also known as the items thredUP receives without the tags attached that people have already worn and loved—are from Everlane and the outdoors-centric company REI, as well as Citizens of Humanity and designers like Prada, Gucci, and Coach. But if you’re still totally unsure what
12 foods that are good for your heart (including, yes, avocados)
November 28, 2018 at 09:27AM Here’s a shocker: According to new research published in the journal Circulation, 31 percent of people hospitalized for heart attacks in 2010-2014 were young women. Add to that the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, and it should be pretty clear to everyone that heart problems are not just an old dude thing. Thankfully, there are some simple tweaks most women can make to ensure their heart stays healthy, like combining cardio and weight training, having mind-blowing sex, and doing household chores (honestly I’m less excited about that one). But experts agree that eating certain foods can also nourish your ticker in a major way, and can help reduce your risk of having things like high cholesterol and heart disease when eaten as part of a healthy lifestyle. Here, two doctors share 12 foods that are good for your heart as well as how to eat them to reap the benefits. While “heart healthy” doesn’t always translate to delicious (looking at you, whole wheat pasta), consider these legit-delicious picks added to my regular meal prep rotation: 1. Salmon “With its appealing hue and buttery texture, salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids,” says Jaclyn Tolentino, DO, of Parsley Health. “Increased consumption of salmon has been proven to decrease inflammation, triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and your risk of stroke or heart failure,” thanks to the presence of those fatty acids, adds Elroy Vojdani, MD, IFMCP, functional medicine practitioner and founder of
These 5-ingredient vegan rice krispie treats are about to become a year-round staple
November 28, 2018 at 09:02AM Growing up, my mom made Rice Krispie treats on the regular. That melt-in-your-mouth, ooey-gooey combo of cereal and marshmallows was basically a kid’s dream come true—not to mention the perfect option to jazz up with food coloring and festive sprinkles for literally any holiday, ever. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since I’ve had the staple: It isn’t exactly the most vegan-friendly—or even healthy—dessert in existence. That is unless you switch things up a bit. Normally, the treat is made with a whole lot of butter, the aforementioned crispy cereal, and plenty of marshmallows—which are not only a no-go for vegans since they contain gelatin, but also not great anyway since they have 29 grams of sugar per cup. (Eek!) But leave it to Caitlin Shoemaker of the vegan food blog From My Bowl to create an equally delicious mix using a wholesome combo that lets you revisit your childhood in the best way. View this post on Instagram A little chocolate never hurt nobody …and it certainly took these Healthy Vegan Rice Crispy treats to the next level Have you tried these yet? The base recipe has only 4 healthy ingredients + is sweetened with fruit! Get the full printable recipe via the link in my bio or at https://frommybowl.com/healthy-rice-crispy-treats/ #FromMyBowl A post shared by Caitlin Shoemaker (@frommybowl) on Nov 27, 2018 at 1:09pm PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js The simple 5-ingredient recipe results in treats that are still pure sticky goodness thanks to Medjool dates and almond butter, and