December 12, 2018 at 10:30AM So many people regard sex and intimacy as one and the same—and it’s actually pretty easy to see why. Sources (movies, advertising, your friends, the whole freaking world) often spread the message that the way to get close to someone is to get under them. Sure, physical intimacy is a great way to build a connection with your partner, but sex isn’t the only way to accomplish this—though it can indeed be a healthy method. In fact, there are plenty of ways to build a strong sense emotional intimacy without relying on a physical component at all. After all, as anyone who’s ever had casual sex knows to be true, it’s very possible to have the physicality sans any strong, enduring emotions. So, no matter why it is that you’re not hitting the sheets on the reg to do the dirty (hey, maybe it’s just not the best time, hormonally speaking) know that you can still certainly work on the emotional intimacy component of your relationship. And also some physical stuff too that’s a bit more PG. 3 tips for building some sexless emotional intimacy with your partner. Photo: Getty Images/Hero Images 1. Cuddle without the expectation of it turning sexual Ok, so physical touch is still an important part of building intimacy—but the interactions need not lead to doing it. Cuddling, in fact, can improve your relationship satisfaction. In a 2014 study, researchers found that 94 percent of couples that touched throughout the night while
Month: December 2018
Cats Are A Total Vibe. Here Are 5 Things Mine Taught Me About Self-Care
December 11, 2018 at 11:00PM Read on for five mindful self-care lessons your cat can teach you. Continue Reading… Author Karin Ahlin | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
Bridge poses are apparently great for your sex life, so here’s how to do them the right way
December 12, 2018 at 09:31AM There are plenty of reasons to bend into a bridge pose at some point during your yoga flow. Aside from the general benefits of getting upside down every once in a while (working your core and redirecting blood flow, to name a few), the flexibility-improving favorite can also strengthen your pelvic muscles (hello, satisfying sex life). Plus, it opens your heart and hips, and will leave you feeling about as energized as a frothy oat milk latte. But in order to reap the full roster of good-for-you stuff—and avoid hurting yourself—it’s important to know how to do bridge pose the right way. “Inversions put our heart above our head, and this one is especially precarious because your head is literally dangling above the ground,” explains Sarrah Strimel, creator of the Damn Good Yoga class at Project By Equinox in New York City, about why it’s important to flip your practice on its head every once in a while. For the full 411 on nailing a bridge pose, Well+Good tapped Obé fitness instructor and yoga pro Francesca Valarezzo to demonstrate how to properly master the back-bend, even as a beginner. A few common mistakes worth being aware of: Don’t take your feet wider than hips-width apart, try not to collapse your sacrum and neck, and don’t let your knees flay out wide, but rather hold them straight up above your ankles. To do the pose correctly, start by aligning your feet with your sitting bones with your toes turned slightly inward. Lift your
This simple test could tell you if you’re washing your hair too often
December 12, 2018 at 08:57AM When your hair is in desperate need of a wash, it’s obvious—and for those days you wake up with especially greasy strands, thank god for dry shampoo. But how can you tell if you’re sudsing up a little too often? Well, it turns out there’s a simple hack that never fails to cue you in on whether you should rethink your showering habits or not. To find out if you’re overwashing, simply stand in front of the mirror and part your hair in three different places, looking for any white flakes. “This happens when the scalp gets a tad too dry,” stylist Tonya Le told Insider. Dryness is often a telltale sign of overwashing. In doing so, you’re stripping your hair of the natural oils that keep your strands strong, moisturized, and protected, and you’re interrupting the pH balance. Because of that, it’s not uncommon for your scalp to become dry and itchy, and your hair to become damaged due to increased breakage. If you have been overwashing, don’t fear—there’s an easy solution. Just minimize your weekly shampoo and hot water sessions, says Le, which “will help give your oil glands a chance to do its job and soothe the scalp naturally.” And the best rule of thumb to start with? Sticking to only washing once or twice a week. After making the switch, it won’t take long to get your silky-smooth hair back in check—and ensure your scalp isn’t dishing out any unwanted snowflakes this winter. This
True or false: Taking a bath is totally disgusting
December 12, 2018 at 08:57AM Although I am a fan of bathleisure, and really any trend in which I get to wear a robe and call it #fashion, I don’t actually like taking baths. And yet, over the last few months, it seems like I can’t stop coming across studies and articles that claim baths are good for alleviating depression and reducing inflammation. I’m still not sold, however, on the concept of basking in a hot bucket of water with no ventilation. To me, baths have always been a last resort—something you do if you’re at an old-timey bed and breakfast that has only a clawfoot tub. This is something that was further cemented by living in New York as an adult and finding that bathtubs aren’t usually an inviting part of the washroom set up. But when this came up at the Well+Good office, it derailed a meeting, sending us into a deep discussion of bath etiquette and whether it’s relaxing…or disgusting. Below, the four sudsy sides of the debate. The anti-bath argument The minute my parents allowed me to choose between a bath and a shower, I stopped taking baths. To me, the concept has always been…icky, to say the least. Aside from the discomfort and potential hazards of stewing in a cauldron of hot water (pruny-ness, heat exhaustion, dead skin floaters), it’s an oxymoron to marinate in your own filth to get clean. And yes, I hear and understand the argument that it’s relaxing, but you know what else
7 French fashion brands that’ll give your style—from the studio to the street—a chic update
December 12, 2018 at 08:47AM The most authentic way to embrace the French lifestyle is planning a trip to Paris. But because of you know—time, work, and money—the next best thing is to embrace those little life and style hacks that will bring you joie de vivre (or happiness). But dressing like a French girl doesn’t mean a lifetime commitment to berets. You can make things easier on yourself by simply shopping from French brands and thereby automatically applying that inexplicable, je ne sais quoi-quality to your wardrobe. Sure, chances are that the big French fashion players (Chanel, Kenzo, Dior, etc.) are already on your radar—but there are some really amazing boutique brands to know about, too. These are the more affordable French sneaker, athleisure, hygge-ready, and ready-to-wear lines you should bookmark, ASAP. 1. Veja Okay, so this one isn’t exactly “under the radar” per se, but Veja is still not a household name the way footwear brands like, say, Puma or Adidas are. Still, this French brand, which specializes in sustainable sneakers, has quietly turned into a street style darling. Plus, it counts Meghan Markle as a fan. View this post on Instagram welcome @bonne.arrivee A post shared by MAISON CHÂTEAU ROUGE (@maisonchateaurouge) on Jun 15, 2018 at 10:11am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js 2. Maison Chateau Rouge Combining inspiration from the African diaspora and traditional French aesthetics, Maison Chateau Rouge is one of France’s most promising and popular streetwear brands. Its tees, which hat tip to sportswear, come in an array of
Google’s top searches of the year show we want change—and we’re ready to make it
December 12, 2018 at 08:11AM If there’s one thing you can thank President Trump for, it’s that his election brought on a total feminist revolution. Women across the country—even those who previously had no interest in politics—have made it their mission to fight for their rights and what they believe in, be it through inspiring marches, telling their most personal #MeToo stories, or running for office. And one of the best ways ladies have ensured their voices get heard? Through voting—starting with looking up how to get the job done. Every year, Google releases its Year in Search stats based on trillions of searches. While some of the stand-out trends include the keto diet and CBD gummies, the top two in the “How to…” category are none other than “how to vote” and “how to register to vote,” proving Americans desperately want change and are more than ready to make it happen. The top search hits came from Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Idaho, but there wasn’t a single state on the map where citizens weren’t looking for the intel on how to hit the voting booths. It might not feel like the world is changing on a daily basis, and there are plenty of headlines that’ll make you feel like your efforts are going unnoticed. But out of the countless number of things people are searching for, this data couldn’t be a more feel-good way to know positive things are coming—even if they don’t come easy. This is the cosmic reason why election day felt
5 major reasons why sleeping next to your S.O. is so freaking hard
December 12, 2018 at 07:37AM Falling asleep—and staying asleep—can be a struggle even in the best of circumstances. A fluffy duvet and a California king-sized bed aren’t always enough to counteract bedtime anxiety, a crying baby, or neighbors who love to rock out to heavy metal at 2 a.m. But an extra obstacle to getting that sweet, sweet shut-eye: your significant other. A 2018 survey of 2,000 people who live with their partner found that one in five people say their partner is the biggest reason why they have trouble sleeping. And having a partner snoring in bed was the biggest complaint on the list. For more insight, I called two of the most respected sleep experts in the industry: Shelby Harris, Psy.D, C.BSM, who is the director of the behavioral sleep medicine program at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center (she’s also an assistant professor of neurology and psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine), and Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine owner W. Chris Winter, M.D., a sleep researcher, neurologist, and the author of The Sleep Solution. Regardless of what the issue is, both experts stress that having the exact same sleeping preferences as your partner isn’t always in the cards—and that’s normal. The key is to approach it with compassion. “You should care about your partner’s sleep quality,” Dr. Harris says. “If you don’t—or they don’t care about yours—that’s a whole other discussion.” Here, they share some of the biggest sleep problems for couples—and how to deal with them. If you
Bury me in chenille: a love letter to winter’s softest, most underrated material
December 12, 2018 at 06:42AM There are two stages of winter—there’s the part where you can wear either a jacket or a thick sweater and then there’s the part where you have to wear both (at the minimum). And I know this goes against the idea of sweater weather and the rest of it, but I’m not big on the layering staple. My skin is sensitive and I end up with real and phantom rashes whenever I put straight up wool on my body. So come winter, the only word I want to hear—and the only cloth I want to feel—is chenille. It’s the best winter fabric in my opinion. It feels like being hugged by the physical embodiment of softness and unconditional love. Chenille, which is the French word for caterpillar, in case you were wondering, is a yarn usually made from 100-percent cotton, silk, or a synthetic material, that’s got a pile-face weave (which makes it tufted and fuzzy to the touch). The stuff is like a cross between plush velvet and the unidentifiable magical property that makes the LoveSac so comfortable. It feels like being hugged by the physical embodiment of softness and unconditional love. If hygge season had an official fabric, given the comfort and warmth it provides, chenille is the mind-blowingly obvious choice. Over the last two years of my obsession with the material, I’ve found a wild number of ways to incorporate it into my wardrobe and home. It started with the obvious selection—chenille sweaters. It’s soft
We scouted the top fitness journals to help you crush your 2019 workout goals
December 12, 2018 at 05:59AM Way back in 2017, seemingly an eternity ago, I entered into a love triangle, splitting my gaze between the guy I was seeing and CrossFit. It wasn’t a relationship per se, but it was codependent, eager, and lustful in the way all Nicholas Sparks movies and soap operas are (rewatch and The Notebook or Dear John and then tell me I’m wrong). We spent all of our time together: working out, debriefing our workouts, planning our next workouts, fueling for our workouts, and watching other people workout. Riveting, I know. Month after month, this went on and on, and I fell more and more in love with them both each day. But then one day, said guy called it quits (for another girl at the gym, no less). I felt not only heartbroken and confused, but also like my relationship with CrossFit was in limbo, as well. Somewhere in the span of time we were seeing each other, my love for him had become indistinguishable from my love for CrossFit. So, to actually get over my workout-buddy-slash-ex, I couldn’t just trudge through the emotional sludge and physical hurt of the break-up. I also needed to redefine my relationship with fitness, outside of him. Unsure of where to start, I called up my CrossFit coach Mike Ramirez, CF-L2, for advice. His number one suggestion? Start a fitness feelings journal. “If you want to relate to fitness in a healthy and authentic way, then you need to connect to it mentally, emotionally, and spiritually