December 14, 2018 at 12:41PM If your childhood school days were anything like mine, at some point, your teacher divided you and your fellow classmates into three types of learners: visual, audio, or kinesthetic. Since then, you’ve wrapped some fraction of your personality around the fact that a chart is the key to your heart, or that you’ll retain plot points better if you listen to an audiobook. Well, I’m here to tell you, my friends, that it might have all been a lie. Researchers have found evidence to suggest that this model of prescribed learning styles, which is called VAK for short, might very well be a “neuromyth.” A 2004 study found that catering to a students’ VAK didn’t result in better learning outcomes, reports Scientific American. And more recently (in 2010), Cedar Riener and Daniel Willingham, both cognitive psychologists, wrote an article—which is really more of a takedown, TBH—about why the categorization just doesn’t work. “Students do have preferences about how they learn. Many students will report preferring to study visually and others through an auditory channel,” the article says. “However, when these tendencies are put to the test under controlled conditions, they make no difference—learning is equivalent whether students learn in the preferred mode or not.” Until researchers find definitive proof that changing the format of a lesson actually leads to better learning outcomes, they argue that you can’t consider this a reliable format for understanding how you commit information to memory. “The big issue is that when we classify students into
Day: December 14, 2018
Some days it’s just harder to run—here’s why that’s totally normal
December 14, 2018 at 12:18PM As a runner, some days I’m able to happily gallop across a field (okay, the street) or on the treadmill as though it’s the easiest thing in the world and my legs are made of springs. Other days, though? My legs feel 100 times their normal weight—almost impossible to get moving—and I find myself stopping to walk way too frequently for my liking. And so the run, rather than being an easy glide around the park, becomes a torturous task that feels akin to climbing Mount Everest. I know that my seemingly polar running days aren’t a foreign occurrence, though. Other runners agree that this happens to them as well, but still—none of us have a clue why this variation in running stamina happens. And so I set upon a quest to finally figure out why there are good and bad run days. The factors that influence your run You know how some mornings you can practically leap out of bed and others require hitting the snooze button several times? Your body just functions differently every day—and a lot of variables contribute to this. “It all depends on your sleep, diet, and exercise recovery,” says Krista Stryker, fitness expert, 12-Minute Athlete creator, and author. “Some days you’re just going to naturally feel stronger and more energized than others.” Sleep is your number one recovery tool, she says, so if you don’t sleep well, it’ll definitely affect your workout. Also important? What you eat. “Did you eat
Want to amp up your arm workout? Hit the floor
December 14, 2018 at 11:40AM You definitely want strong arms (you know, so that you can lift things and open pickle jars). But the traditional means to achieving that end can be a little, well, boring. Honestly—who wants to do bicep curls or tricep dips or straight-up push-ups for 20-minutes straight? The good news is that you don’t have to burn-out your arms that way. The secret, according to Obe trainer Amanda Kloots? Do arm workouts on your knees. “I find that if you are on your knees doing arms, it’s harder because you don’t have your legs to help you, so you really isolate the muscle and you have to really just focus on using your arms,” she says. “When you have your legs and your feet planted on your floor and your knees bent, you have the support of your lower body, and you can use your lower body to help you move your arms up and down. But when you go down on those knees, you don’t have that—so you really put all that weight into your arms.” Essentially, when you take your arm workout to the floor, you’re making it more efficient by isolating the muscles since the rest of your body can’t help you out. Kloots likes to use this method to target deltoids, triceps, and lats—sometimes all at once. “I was a dancer my whole life, so I’ve always been trained to use your back muscles to lift your arms, and that’s killing two birds
Why I Was Super Skeptical Of Probiotics — And What Finally Changed It For Me
December 13, 2018 at 11:00PM Solaray®’s new Mycrobiome® Probiotic line is this dietician’s go-to. Continue Reading… Author Cassandra Bodzak | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
The dos and don’ts of getting through the holidays happily, despite hating your parent’s S.O.
December 14, 2018 at 10:02AM The holiday season is already rife with situations of unavoidable small talk. You gotta be your best, most social self at your end-of-year work party, at your significant other’s family dinner, and—especially when your own family is blended—the house where you grew up might not even be safe from cringeworthy communication this time of year. Maybe your mom brought her new boo to the Christmas family feast for the first time—and she’s a total snooze. And maybe it’s Dad’s girlfriend’s second stint of spending the most wonderful time of the year with your brood, but talking with her still feels forced at best. When you don’t like a parent’s choice in significant other, it’s basically just a rift waiting to happen—and there’s nothing like the holidays to highlight that reality. But as a grown up, you know that simply not appreciating the personality of your parent’s partner isn’t cause for ruining the holidays. Unless this person is abusive, a narcissist, or a sociopath, you gotta tolerate them—as tough as that may be. “Usually, your parents are the leaders,” says psychotherapist Aimee Barr, LCSW. “But when the parent and their new significant other need to be accommodated and tolerated, it alters the dynamic.” Now, instead of your parent serving as the welcoming committee to your new fling, you’re the one working to keep an open mind and heart. Still, since you may well just not like this person, experts share the dos and don’ts for dealing. 7
Because you’re a special snowflake, customized beauty is here for your unique needs
December 14, 2018 at 10:01AM If you asked me to predict what the future would look like in terms of beauty—like, I’m talking Blade Runner-slash-The Fifth Element future—I’d picture completely personalized serums put together by robots (naturally) that are specifically tailored to people’s unique skin type and needs. Back in the day, you’d probably think this type of utopian beauty world would only happen once there are flying cars and robotic butlers. Welp, I’m here to tell you that the time is now: Customizable beauty is becoming a thing. Over the past year, customizable beauty products have been sprinkling into the market. Think serums that are concocted once you answer questions or consult with a skin-care expert, hair products that are formulated for your very particular hair needs, and acne products put together based on your breakout ATM. “Technology permits us to customize so much now, and so the expectation is changing for more items and experiences to be personalized, including beauty,” says Janet Pardo, senior vice president of global product development at Clinique. “Sixty-one percent of women are interested in personalized cosmetics, and we saw this as the perfect way to modernize a beloved product.” As a result, Clinique created its customized hydrators Clinique iD, which pair three hydrating bases with five cartridges to offer up fifteen skin-specific cocktails to treat everything from sensitivity to hyperpigmentation. It makes sense. Anyone who’s tried to assemble their perfect skin-care regimen can attest to the struggle of trial and error. One thing can make
My holiday makeup inspo is quite simply: disco-ball-level shine from head-to-toe
December 14, 2018 at 08:56AM I’ll use any possible excuse to put together a look, but in spite of ample opportunities to do so, the holiday season overwhelms me. It’s two months of non-stop holiday parties, familial obligations, and social outings and I am not creative enough (nor do I have the mental capacity) to create a distinctive ensemble for each occasion. So, this season I’m using one glowing and shimmering product to do all the heavy lifting on my face and body. So that I can make the most of my pre-party time rewatching The Office for the nine-thousandth time, I decided I needed a strategy. When I thought about the common thread all of my favorite (and easiest to replicate) makeup looks have in common, I realized it was glitter and glow. I smother my face in Fenty Soft Matte Longwear Foundation ($34) and then I just go to town with a highlighting or glitter product of choice. Recently I’ve been into the Milk Makeup Holographic Highlighting Powder ($25) and all of the Rituel De Fille Rare Light Crème Luminizers ($29). After covering my face I use my fingers to apply the stuff on the highlights of my cheekbones, all over my eyelids, dot it on my nose, the cupids bow of my mouth, and if I’m wearing something that reveals my collar bones, I slather it on there as well. It’s great for a few reasons: I don’t have to spend hours agonizing about what to do with my face, it’s
Steal these royal family decorating tips to deck your halls like a duchess
December 14, 2018 at 08:56AM There’s something so magical about the holidays—especially when it comes to all the sparkly, mood-boosting decorations. Everyone has their own traditions, from what goes on the tree to how to decorate the wreath—royals included. And this year you can bring some of their very festive touches into your own home, letting you deck your halls like a duchess. The British royal family’s social accounts have been lit up lately (literally), showcasing all the work that goes into those mesmerizing decorations you see all throughout the palaces. Now, let’s get one thing straight: Having dozens of helping hands (and, umm, actual cranes to reach the high places) definitely makes the process easier. But that doesn’t mean you can’t steal their style on a smaller scale. Here are 3 Royal family decorating tips to use yourself this year. View this post on Instagram Watch the 30ft Christmas tree being installed and decorated outside #KensingtonPalace! This Christmas at Kensington, meet Victoria & Albert and discover how the Victorians shaped Christmas – link in bio. . . #christmas #christmastree #christmasishere #victorianchristmas #kensington #royalchristmas #palace #christmastime # A post shared by Historic Royal Palaces (@historicroyalpalaces) on Dec 7, 2018 at 12:46am PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js 1. Add touches of gold to your Christmas tree. Not everyone can just put up a 30-foot Christmas tree and have it decorated beautifully within a few hours like the one in front of Kensington Palace, where Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle live. One
Costco has now jumped on the cauliflower tots bandwagon and I’m here for it
December 14, 2018 at 08:36AM At this point, you can make anything—no, really, anything—your heart desires out of cauliflower. Pizza, mashed potatoes, wings, rice, grilled cheese, bagels, enchiladas, hash browns, nachos…you name it. Out of all the things I’ve ever tried, though, cauli tots are by far one of the best. And the fact that Costco is now carrying them in bulk is basically a dream come true. The Instagram account @costcohiddengems recently shared one of the latest additions to the frozen food section of Costco: a 3-pound bag of organic cauli-tots from the brand Maas River Farms. And get this: You get all that goodness for under $10. There are 16 servings per bag, and each is just 140 calories, 290 mg of sodium, and 2 grams of sugar—none added. Not too shabby, huh? Also, extra bonus: Unlike Green Giant‘s version that can be found in most grocery stores, this version doesn’t contain any eggs or milk, making it a great, vegan-friendly option as well. Whether you like keeping things simple and dipping your plain tots in ketchup or want to get fancy and whip up a lower-carb casserole for the holidays, it’s safe to say this might just be the best gift Costco has #blessed us with so far. (You know, aside from the discounted gym memberships and natural beauty products.) Spoiled is an understatement. View this post on Instagram Maas River #Organic Cauli-Tots at #Costco for $9.69! Who doesn’t love #tatertots?! The only thing stopping me from eating it by the
8 infused water recipes for when plain H20 just won’t cut it
December 14, 2018 at 07:59AM The first rule of wellness: Hydration, hydration, hydration. Basically every healthy influencer swears by downing a glass of water first thing in the a.m. (with a nice slice of lemon, of course), dietitians preach about its importance in aiding digestion, and beauty experts swear it’s the key to having dewy, glow-y skin. But here’s the thing: Not everyone loves the taste of plain water, making drinking enough a bit of a struggle. And it probably means you’re more likely to reach for juice, soda, or kombucha than H20—making your hydration habit come with a sizable side of sugar. Womp, womp. But there’s no need to just be sad and basic with your water in the quest of good health. You can infuse your water with fruit, herbs, and spices to add flavor without any added sugars—so it’s really the best of both worlds. And a word to the wise: Infused waters are also clutch during holiday season when you’re trying to hydrate after a long night of nog and mulled wine. What’s not to love? Here are 8 infused water recipes to try—enough to keep things interesting. Photo: Simple Vegan Blog 1. Strawberry-orange mint water This combo of citrus and mint from Simple Vegan Blog creators Alberto Aragon and Iosune Robles is basically the definition of refreshing. Since winter isn’t exactly peak strawberry season, buy a bag of frozen ones, slice, and add a few after they de-thaw. Photo: The First Mess 2. Strawberry rosewater chia fresca The First