December 28, 2018 at 12:59PM A few years ago, a friend of mine prepared to take off on a much-anticipated journey to Germany for Oktoberfest. As she finished packing her bags, she shared only one wistful regret with me. Alas! A 6-pack of Pedialyte, the unofficial hangover tonic (which is not TSA-compliant), would have to be left behind. Now, in a statement titled “Get Bubbly This New Year With Abbott’s New Pedialyte Sparkling Rush Powder Packs,” the company seems to finally be owning its reputation as an adult favorite. The new product, manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, is a powdered drink mix that stashes easily in your coat pocket en route to any boozy occasion (Oktoberfest, New Year’s Eve, and beyond!). In the press release, Abbott research scientist Jennifer Williams, MPH, never explicitly calls Pedialyte a “hangover cure,” but the suggestion is certainly there: “There’s a reason so many turn to Pedialyte when they need help hydrating—it works,” said Williams. “Pedialyte is so effective because the levels of electrolytes and carbohydrate are optimal for rehydration, and now our Pedialyte Sparkling Rush powder offers a new, on-the-go option for those who love some bubble in their beverages.” I see what you did there, Williams… “With flu season in full effect, air travel to visit loved ones, and even those late nights out with friends, you’ve got a recipe for your body to lose more water than it takes in, causing dehydration,” the statement continues. “The ingredients [in Pedialyte] address three factors that contribute to a hangover: dehydration, drop
Day: December 28, 2018
Here’s a secret: Sprinting on a treadmill doesn’t have to totally suck
December 28, 2018 at 10:51AM A few weeks ago I discovered what I consider the Holy Grail of tips for running on the dread-, er, treadmill. During an audio-guided workout, the coach let slip that front-loading a running-in-place session with an incline makes it easier to sprint like a cheetah during the latter half of your mileage. Naturally, I had to investigate. According to Hollis Tuttle, coach of New York City’s Mile High Run Club, applying the “eat the frog” mentality to your treadmill time pays off in speed. “Prior to picking up the pace, I strongly recommend running up a few hills to ensure that you are better prepared to find your top speed when on flat ground,” she says. “Running uphill improves your form because you must lift your knees higher and land with your feet beneath you.” As a result, you’ll increase your joint mobility and activate your fast-twitch muscle fibers, explains the coach. “All of which will ultimately improve your leg turnover and make your stride more efficient,” Tuttle says. In other words, hitting your hills before sprints will make crushing that 9.0 speed oh-so-much easier. But if you want to test the method for yourself, grab your sneakers and try the Tuttle-approved treadmill routine below. Hollis Tuttle’s incline-first treadmill program Warm-up 5 min: Dynamic warm-up 5 min: Easy jog warm-up Treadmill intervals 2 min: Conversation pace 1 min: Recovery (walk or light jog) 1 min: Conversation pace with 1 percent incline 1 min: Conversation pace with 5 percent incline 1 min:
Born in 2018: These 6 things didn’t exist a year ago, but now I can’t live without them
December 28, 2018 at 10:07AM Over the past couple of years, everyone I know has become fond of saying that every month feels like a year, and every year feels like a decade. (I know, the math is weird—but it feels accurate, right?) Mostly that’s due to huge events beyond our control sending a steady drumbeat of traumatic shocks to the system, like mass shootings, humanitarian crises, political turmoil, and those celebrity deaths that hit you harder than you expect them to (RIP Anthony and Aretha). But sometimes, in this era of elastic time, you look back and realize that some good things have come along—and it’s hard to imagine a time when they didn’t exist. So here’s a (very subjective) list of all the things I can’t believe we survived without, pre-2018. And here’s to a new year, and all the “wow, we needed that” delights that we’ll enjoy next year. Keep reading for the born-in-2018 highlights that made my life a little bit less stressful, more joyful, and overall healthier this year. Photo: Getty Images/Nathan Congleton/NBC Nailed It! As therapeutic Netflix time goes, it’s hard to beat watching comedian Nicole Byer and chef Jacques Torres banter. Byer is one of the funniest comics working anywhere, and her French chocolatier co-host’s “Nee-cole” refrain is like aural Prozac to me. And then there are the contestants: Think of it like the American answer to The Great British Baking Show, with way less expertise and way more laughs. While GBBO is famously humanistic,
3 places where you can DIY an affordable wellness retreat
December 28, 2018 at 09:52AM Wellness retreats are a dime a dozen. Okay, so, they’re actually way more expensive than that, but it holds true that more options exist than you could possibly know what do with. You could easily spend weeks trying to decide which one best fits your needs. Or you could DIY your own wellness retreat, ensuring that every detail rises to your very specific standards. Throughout the past year, we all seemed to be working way too much and the general population was more anxious than ever, meaning that total burnout felt imminent. With that, according to data compiled by vacation home rental company VRBO, the latest traveler searches make perfect sense: Queries on the site that include the term “yoga” are up 65 percent, searches for “fitness centers” are up 40 percent, and those for “gyms” are up 30 percent. Holidaymakers are looking to get active outdoors as well, with searches spiking for activities like like skiing, hiking, and golf. While a professionally organized wellness retreat can make for a great escape, planning it yourself can mean big savings. With room for you and up to 19 of your closest friends, any of these houses (currently available on VRBO) would be the perfect locale to host an affordable wellness retreat. 1. Waikoloa, Hawaii As if you need any convincing that Hawaii is the way to go, consider that this place sleeps eight people, has a meditation room, a half basketball court, access to an open-air exercise pavilion, and a beach club
What we can learn from England’s battle against the loneliness epidemic
December 28, 2018 at 09:24AM When it comes to health crises, experts tend to focus on the conspicuous, like obesity and diabetes. But the hidden struggles, like depression, anxiety, and loneliness, can be just as damaging to your health. And the sad thing is, according to a sweeping survey, we’re lonelier than ever. Fortunately, several organizations are working to change that. Global health service company Cigna recently launched a free online quiz to help people assess their loneliness, paired with steps to curb it if needed. And across the pond, the English government is pledging to direct more than £11 million ($13 million) toward ending the loneliness epidemic. The money will be used to fund more than 120 initiatives aimed at helping people feel happier and less isolated. From LGBTQ-focused organizations to a support system for displaced Pakistani women, a variety of groups will be eligible to participate in the program, according to The Guardian. There’s something everyone can learn from England’s nascent initiative to combat loneliness: Community is key. Find your people. If you have a chronic illness, connect with other people online who understand exactly how hard it is when you can’t leave the house. If you’re a single parent, grab coffee with someone who gets it. With apps like Vina and Bumble BFF, finding your tribe is easier than ever before. Do your best to get out there. Your health depends on it. Here are some tips for making friends as an adult. Plus, how friendships from your
How to deep clean your dishwasher with vinegar (because you know it needs it)
December 28, 2018 at 09:15AM Believe it or not, even your lean, mean, dish-cleaning machine needs a good scrub down every so often. Cleansing your dishwasher helps prevent build up of food particles, grease, minerals, and soap scum, which over time can cause inefficiency at best (and a device that bathes your dishes in bacteria at worst— yuck!). Though this might seem like a chore to bury somewhere between cleaning your jade roller and sudsing up your shower head, there is a surprisingly quick, single-ingredient method you should be able to work into your cleaning routine with minimal hassle. Becky Rapinchuk, the voice behind Clean Mama and author of Simply Clean, offers expert advice on how to use vinegar to keep the dishwasher happily humming along. Dishwasher Maintenance 101 Rapinchuk suggests a deep clean of the dishwasher about once every three months (up to once a month if you use it more often than most households—say, if you’re known for throwing killer dinner parties). “If you can see residue built up or find that the appliance isn’t cleaning as well as you’d like, it’s time to clean it,” she says. Pro tip: A bit of light maintenance, including cleaning the sink disposal and the drain beneath the lower rack of the dishwasher, helps to prevent unpleasant odors between more thorough scrub-downs. As for materials, all you need is a towel to wipe down the dishwasher, a toothpick, an old toothbrush, and a cup of white vinegar. 4 expert-approved steps to make your
The beauty tips that gave Well+Good staffers their glowiest skin in 2018
December 28, 2018 at 07:00AM Over the course of 365 days, a lot can happen in terms of your beauty game. That’s plenty of time to slather on armfuls of new products, incorporate varying practices into your routine, get your skin used to new ingredients, and try all the buzzy treatments out there. Personally, I’ve had my skin zapped, needled, and peeled, and with each professional appointment I learned something new (like microneedling isn’t as scary as it may sound). Sure, 2019 will have a lot of exciting skin-care innovations to experiment with. But before you start slathering on bakuchiol (the modern-day retinol alternative) or integrate beauty IV drips into your regimen, the Well+Good team would like to take a moment to look back at the best-of-the-best skin-care tips we’ve picked up in the past 12 months. As you could imagine, just as everyone has unique skin types, so too, has everyone gleaned a variety of beauty tidbits that have upgraded their skin-care routines. For me, it’s that taking acne medication is totally fine (thank you, Spironolactone). It’s the year that some have discovered the game-changing benefits of retinol while others now incorporate beauty products they would’ve never touched before—regardless, one thing rings true: We’ve all gotten better skin for it. Photo: Getty Images/JulyProkopiv Well+Good’s top beauty advice from 2018 “My sister told me to ice my face for two minutes a day—AKA set a timer on my phone and rub an ice cube all over my face. It’s a total game-changer—it’s
How to deal with exercise headaches without giving up on your favorite workout
December 28, 2018 at 07:00AM Going to your favorite SoulCycle class is all fun and games until your head is on the verge of exploding. You know that feeling: the pulsating pang that seems to throb with every step and jump. What’s going on? First of all, you’re not imagining it: Exercise headaches are a real thing. Also known as exertion headaches, they’re typically caused by “abnormal rapid expansion of the arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to your head,” says Elroy Vojdani, MD, IFMCP, and founder of Regenera Medical. The rapid increase in blood flow that happens during a workout, he says, can make the arteries throb and can actually trigger a headache after exercise, he says. Exercise headaches don’t happen to everyone, Dr. Vojdani says, and it’s unclear why some people are affected by the increase in blood flow differently than others. “It’s theorized that for some [the widening of arteries] doesn’t happen to the full extent that is needed, which leads to a buildup of pressure—think putting your finger on the end of a hose—thus triggering pain centers in the brain,” he says. What exactly is causing my exercise headaches? Everyone reacts differently to certain activities and again, headaches after exercise aren’t a thing for everyone. But some workouts are more notoriously headache-inducing than others, like weight lifting, distance running, or other aerobic activity, says Nicole Schultz, PhD, MPH, director of training at EverybodyFights. “Intensity of exercise has been shown to be a factor that influences exercise headaches, with
How to choose a Champagne with the least amount of sugar
December 28, 2018 at 06:24AM With the holidays going strong and New Year’s Eve right around the corner, chances are you’ll be raising a glass of bubbly sometime between now and January 1. And if you’re tempted to skip it due to its sugar content, don’t refuse a flute just yet. According to Champagne expert Chantelle Corbo — ambassador to Champagne Taittinger, sommelier, and partner of RBC Hospitality Group — there’s a super-easy way to select a low-sugar varietal. Take a quick peek at the label. “The dosage [of added sugar] determines the category of Champagne: brut nature, extra brut, brut, extra dry, demi-sec,” Corbo explains. Brut nature has the least amount of sugar and demi-sec has the most. She adds that while wine producers do add sugar to Champagne to balance the naturally high acidity of the grapes and help with the aging process, “one of the most fascinating things about wine is that it doesn’t take much sugar to make it taste sweet,” she says. “The grams of sugar in a 5-ounce serving glass are actually quite low compared to other beverages.” “One of the most fascinating things about wine is that it doesn’t take much sugar to make it taste sweet.” According to Corbo, 90 percent of Champagnes are dosed as brut, which have less than 15 grams of sugar per liter—about 2 grams of sugar per 5-oz. glass. (By comparison, a 16-oz. bottle of kombucha has 10 grams of sugar on average, or roughly about the same amount per 5-oz. serving.) For a slightly
How to set New Year’s resolutions that will *actually* make you happy, according to science
December 28, 2018 at 06:06AM As a glass-half-full kind of gal, I’m of the opinion that 2018 wasn’t all bad. It did gift us inspirational moth memes and cauliflower tots in bulk, after all. But admittedly, this year had its share of challenges—like political scandals and natural disasters—and it’s pretty clear we could all use a fresh start. So let’s begin 2019 by revolutionizing resolution-setting. Instead of, say, vowing to quit sugar or pay down debt (which are definitely important but sound quite dreary, IMO), why don’t we all just set the intention to be happier in the New Year? I know, this nebulous advice goes against all the conventional goal-creating wisdom of making resolutions that are specific, measurable, blah blah. But that’s the whole point, says happiness coach and Arrive at Happy founder Tia Graham. (Yes, that’s a real job—Graham is wrapping up her certification at the Happiness Studies Academy, created by former Harvard professor Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD. And Graham already has a busy slate of corporate and private coaching clients in Los Angeles, plus a Malibu retreat on deck for March.) “From what I’ve studied, a lot of people set their New Year’s resolutions to attain something, whether that be weight loss, a promotion, a bigger bank account, or a relationship,” she says. These goals sound fine, in theory, but we’re largely falling short of them. According to a 2002 study from the University of Scranton, more than half of us completely abandon our resolutions within six months. If we focus on simply cultivating