December 13, 2018 at 08:37AM In 2002, the hottest new perfumes were all about smelling like either cotton candy or your favorite pop star (case in point: The scent of J. Lo Glow still takes me back to my 11th birthday and Britney Spears’ Fantasy will never not remind me of my 7th grade crush). Fast forward 16 years, and in 2018, we’ve started spritzing ourselves for a very, very different reason: To feel better. “Functional fragrance” has become a buzzy term in the beauty industry of late, referring to scents that do a whole lot more than just make us smell good. “The idea behind functional’ fragrance is that it’s actually doing something to help you,” explains Adina Grigore, founder of S.W. Basics, noting that essential oil-based scents primarily fit the bill, having replaced the synthetics we used to spritz ourselves with with to no abandon. “Fragrance, as we traditionally know it, is a compound of synthetic chemicals designed to smell a certain way. These chemicals have become controversial as-of-late because they can cause negative reactions, ranging from allergies to rashes to headaches and more.” Meanwhile EOs, which are the scenting agent in functional fragrances, are tapped frequently for their mood-altering properties, that bring on everything from sleep to mega energy. This happens because there’s a scientifically-backed connection between scent and the brain and the body, that calms or excites the parasympathetic nervous system. So if sniffing these scents can generally have beneficial effects, it’s not a huge leap to assume that spritzing yourself with them
Month: December 2018
Getting cramps and it’s not your period? You might have ovulation pain
December 13, 2018 at 08:31AM For those of us who have a uterus, cramps and PMS are probably the most annoying parts of periods (hello, mood swings and crippling pain!). But there’s a lesser-known kind of menstrual-cycle misery that some of us have the “pleasure” of experiencing: pain during ovulation. Also known as mittelschmerz (German for “middle pain”), ovulation pain tends to happen about two weeks before your period starts. So, consider it an early period present—like, the kind of present that you didn’t want and really wish you could return. Backing up for a sec: Ovulation occurs when a mature egg is released by your ovaries into your fallopian tube, sending it down to the uterus where it will either get fertilized or get expelled during your period. But the act of ovulation is pretty dramatic—an ovarian follicle or cyst holding an egg has to stretch and rupture in order to release it. And for some women, that can be painful AF. What exactly does pain during ovulation feel like? “Some women feel this pop as a discrete discomfort,” says Leena Nathan, MD, an assistant clinical professor and OB/GYN at UCLA Health. She adds that bleeding or fluid released from the popped follicle can also irritate the pelvis and potentially cause pain during ovulation. The good news: Pain during ovulation doesn’t last long—anywhere from a few hours to a few days is normal—and there are a few telltale clues that indicate this is what you’re feeling. “Ovulation pain can feel like a sharp
An abs challenge that’ll turn everything you knew about core work on its head
December 13, 2018 at 07:58AM Let’s face it: No matter how many core workouts you’ve committed to your mental rolodex (and there are many), you’ll inevitably grow bored by the umpteen-millionth crunch variation. So if a change in perspective is what you’re seeking from an your abs workout, why not literally flip your view by going… upside down. “[Inverting] mixes up the regular muscle memory and puts your body in a new position,” explains New York City-based trainer Meg Takacs. “Anytime you do that, you’re going to confuse your muscle memory and test new ways to move.” Doing so on a consistent basis will make you a more well-rounded sweat fanatic, according to the trainer. Plus, think about: You’re holding your whole bod up with just your torso and arms. “In this position, you handling your own bodyweight more because you are at more of an inverted angle, which requires you to stabilize and balance more weight,” she adds. So go ahead, cartwheel all over that gym turf. (I’ll wait.) Below, check out your new world-tipped-on-its-head abs routine. View this post on Instagram Three ways to use a WALL for a TOTAL body workout ! @amandabutlernyc & I released some new beginner and intermediate strength workout in app today. Check em’ out #TeamAaptiv A post shared by Meg Takacs (@meg_takacs) on Dec 10, 2018 at 10:46am PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js Step 1: warm up Before your toss all your weight onto your hands, Takacs recommends starting off with more traditional core exercises to prep the muscles you’ll be engaging. Namely, the shoulders, core, and
A Grounding Three-Step Ritual For Hydrated Winter Skin
December 10, 2018 at 11:00PM This ritual is designed to boost and maintain hydrated skin all winter long. Continue Reading… Author | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
Here’s what a top nutritionist *really* thinks about apple cider vinegar
December 13, 2018 at 07:12AM Anyone who takes a sip of apple cider vinegar—better known as ACV—instantly has a love-hate relationship with it. While it tastes absolutely horrible (sorry but it had to be said), the wellness world darling is loaded with potentially health-benefiting antioxidants and probiotics. But are all those stellar health claims—like how it’s a weight-management, detoxing, cholesterol-lowering marvel—legit? [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQUOv_fhbeI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] In the second episode of You Versus Food—Well+Good’s new YouTube series that gives a no-B.S. nutritional breakdown of the most popular food and drink trends—top nutritionist Tracy Lockwood-Beckerman, RD, hilariously unpacks our obsession with ACV. Here are some highlights: Basically every hyped-up benefit of apple cider vinegar is…totally B.S. (But it does have some benefits!) There is a maximum amount you should be eating a day—2 tablespoons a day. When shopping for ACV at the grocery store, skip the pasteurized stuff because it kills the probiotic-containing “Mother.” Eat it with food (especially if you’re doing ACV shots!) Bonus: The look on her face when she takes a sip of ACV is priceless. To end the debate on whether apple cider vinegar is good for you once and for all, watch the episode above. Spoiler: You’re definitely not going to want to toss out your bottle just yet. Did you miss the first episode of You Versus Food about avocados? Catch up here. Then check out these seven delicious ways to use ACV in your salad. Continue Reading… Author Tehrene Firman | Well and Good Selected by iversue
Yahtzee! Making family QT way more pleasant is as easy as classic board games
December 13, 2018 at 05:30AM Picture this: A fir covered in twinkle lights is sagging in the corner. Garland hangs from the fireplace. A made-in-middle-school clay menorah (apparently a thing all Jewish families have?) rests on the kitchen table while a holiday movie in the background soundtracks the festive scene. And in the middle of the scene? Eight adults with nothing in common—well, except for the fact that we’re all sick of talking about what seems to be our sole common denominator: the weather. For the first years (seriously, plural) my mom’s boyfriend and his family spent the holidays with us, the supposed most wonderful time of the year was marred by a near-palpable stink of awkwardness. Blending two families of grown-ass adults is a pretty tall order, and it certainly didn’t help that our broods couldn’t be more different than those on opposing sides of the great bed-making debate. Nothing felt safe to discuss—not politics, not social issues, not even hobbies. (Okay, we did agree on the issue of how awesome my mom’s Brussels sprouts are.) Despite our best Brady Bunch-esque intentions, we were struggling—until one night when my mom’s BF whipped out Code Names. For the uninitiated, it’s a pretty simple board game wherein all players are divided into two teams. It’s strategic. It requires teamwork. And it’s mildly competitive. Photo: Stocksy/Bruce and Rebecca Meissner And guess what? We had fun. There was laughter! Nobody said “wind chill” or “snow” or “wintry mix” for the full two hours we played! I may have
I moved into a “tiny home” and it’s actually not making me crazy
December 13, 2018 at 04:54AM This October, after a particularly blissful morning at the beach, I had a little chat with the universe. “Okay, here’s the deal,” I said out loud, sitting in the driver’s seat of my car and staring at the ocean in front of me. “I need you to send me an apartment in this exact neighborhood—one that will allow me to foster big shelter dogs but costs less than the amount I’m paying in rent now. Got it?” (Anyone who’s familiar with Los Angeles’ oceanfront real estate knows that the odds of this happening are basically the same as having Ariana Grande show up at your door bearing avocado toast.) Without giving it a second thought, I drove back inland to my place in the city. But with Amazon Prime-like swiftness, the powers that be fulfilled my order: While scanning apartment listing sites a couple days later, as I’d been doing for the past several weeks, I spotted a rare, all-pets-allowed place across the street from the beach that was priced about $300 less than the one-bedroom condo I was sitting in. It was a studio, and from the few pictures in the post, I could tell that it was small, but full of light, with a killer ocean view. Oh, and it was situated about 1,000 feet away from the exact spot where I’d made my request earlier that week, in a neighborhood that is most definitely above my freelance writer’s pay grade. (If I
A doc explains how to get those tiny bumps on your tongue to go away
December 13, 2018 at 04:47AM The other day, I thought that I had a pimple on my tongue. It came out of nowhere: All of a sudden, I felt a tiny but hugely annoying little bump on the tip of my tongue. And then I proceeded to play with it—pushing it against my teeth, my mouth, and grimacing my face in all sorts of weird positions in an attempt to pop it out of its uninvited existence. I didn’t feel like I did anything out of the ordinary to deserve this petulant blob on my tongue, but, alas—there it was, inhabiting my mouth and causing a serious disturbance that I couldn’t ignore. My coworkers knew exactly what I was talking about when I brought it up. Is it a pimple? Is it a blob? A taste bud? I sought the truth, once and for all. So a bit of a biology lesson: The tiny bumps on your tongue are called papillae (AKA clusters of taste buds), and these papillae can get irritated. “The little tiny bumps that you see on the end of your tongue are called transient lingual papillitis,” says Jason Abramowitz, MD, an ear, nose, and throat doctor. “They typically occur when the tongue is inflamed or irritated—so that’s in periods of stress, viral causes like the common cold, or bacterial infections, as well as allergy flare-ups. They can also be caused by acid reflux and really spicy or acidic foods.” A-ha! (And also, damn me and my love
How to use your body to deal with (really) big feelings
December 13, 2018 at 03:30AM Taryn Toomey, founder of The Class by Taryn Toomey, is the embodiment of “living the practice.” In each of her sessions, she heightens the mind-body connection by fusing movement and emotion—and even when one Class ends, she keeps her practice going. You can, too—and learning this process can help you cope with all kinds of intense feelings. Here, the Well+Good Council member shares her process for observing her feelings (and, crucially, choosing how to respond to them). Get ready to get settled Looking around is a human instinct to make sure that the environment is safe for us to close our eyes. So give yourself permission to scan the room, touch your water bottle, or adjust your clothing. Whatever you need to do, do it. When you’re ready, close your eyes and place your hands on your body. Tune into your body; notice your mind In The Class, we ask people to wiggle their toes, feel their feet on the floor, and feel their own touch. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and notice your mind. Your brain is an organ; it has a job, which is to create thought. The part of you that’s hearing thought is your consciousness, so pay attention—because we’re about to take the body out for a ride. Move and feel Here, the idea is to use movement to create feelings, and through that, experience our thoughts about those feelings. This process involves actively creating discomfort through a series
These Are The Best Nontoxic Lip Colors For Winter
December 13, 2018 at 01:00AM Nontoxic lipsticks have never been better. Continue Reading… Author Lindsay Kellner | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue