Year: 2018

October 02, 2018 at 09:06AM This summer, while most people were packing up the office early on Friday afternoons to head to the beach, BBQ, or Barry’s Bootcamp, 29-year-old Taylor LaRese was on her bike. And we’re not talking a pre-Hamptons-escape SoulCycle class: LaRese spent 58 days riding 3,700 miles—mostly by herself—from the west coast to the east. The Southington, CT, native is a second-year medical student at the University of Connecticut (she’s leaning toward an emergency medicine specialty), and spent her summer riding 80 miles a day while raising money for Mental Health Connecticut. But what started as a goal to raise money and awareness for others ended up providing a huge shift in LaRese’s own mental health. Here’s her story, in her words. Every year, a group of students from my med school goes on a cross-country bike tour. After a few years working as a researcher at the school and seeing updates from the trip, I knew it was time to take advantage of this incredible opportunity. I was ready to be a part of it. The bike tour is more than just a ride—we also choose a charity to raise money for. We wanted our dollars to go as far as possible and to make a big impact in our local communities, so we chose Mental Health CT, which is a nonprofit organization devoted to advocacy, service, and education for the betterment of Connecticut residents’ mental health. (The group has currently raised nearly $14,000.) On June 14,

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October 02, 2018 at 08:20AM Looking for more ideas on how to take things up a notch in your love life? Here’s one: Hit the gym. There are five major ways working out can seriously rev up your sex life, starting with the fact that strength and conditioning training can help improve your stamina—and not just to help you make it through another round of burpees. “We need endurance and lung capacity in everything we do to increase our energy,” says Burn60 master trainer Julie Diamond. Cardio workouts like spinning and running are particularly helpful ways to fight off fatigue and boost your libido. But when it comes to supercharging your sex life, there are four areas on the body Diamond suggests strengthening as well: the abs, lower back, upper body, and pelvic floor. Luckily, she’s sharing moves below that are targeted to each, so you can feel stronger and more confident in between the sheets. Keep reading for 3 exercises that can help improve your stamina and sex life. Photo: Stocksy/Studio Firma 1. Plank “The abs and lower back get used quite a bit in every sexual position,” Diamond says. “Planks help engage and stabilize these muscles.” Any variation (high, side, single-leg) of the move will work. And perhaps check out these common plank mistakes most people make, so you can practice “core”-ect form. Photo: Stocksy/Alexandar Novoselski 2. Push-up “Push-ups are great because they increase your ability to support your own bodyweight,” Diamond says. Being able to literally hold you own can

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October 02, 2018 at 08:00AM Get this: A Google search for holistic nutritionists in the Los Angeles area will bring you more than 400 results. And while it’s great to live in a city with so many options, it can be flat-out daunting to weed through all the potential providers if you’re looking to tune up your diet. So what is a holistic nutritionist, anyway? Unlike a typical dietitian, who focuses primarily on the intersection of food and physical health, holistic nutrition experts dive more deeply into other aspects of their clients lives when making recommendations—namely, the mental, emotional, spiritual, and environmental factors that influence one’s relationship with food. (So they may, for instance, offer you stress management tips and adaptogen recommendations alongside your meal plan.) Some of them are licensed as nutritionists through a state board, while others are actually certified in health coaching, which requires a less scientifically-rigorous, more counseling-heavy course of study. To take some of the leg work out of your search, I rounded up a group of holistic nutritionists and health coaches who consistently receive rave reviews from their clients. While not exhaustive, these healthy-eating pros all offer a personalized, 360-degree approach to diet—whether you’re looking for a short-term detox or a long-term shift in your habits. Read on to discover 9 of the best holistic nutrition providers in Los Angeles. Photo: Getty Images/Colin Anderson East Meets West Holistic Center At East Meets West, a team of experienced practitioners offer a wide range of services, including nutritional therapy.

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October 02, 2018 at 07:27AM Unpacking your cold-weather clothing is a quintessential fall moment that signals the official start of sweater-and-leggings season. Yet, despite pulling on a cozy knit solving one major problem this time of year (keeping you warm when the weather’s not), it often creates another: static hair. But according to one celebrity hairstylist, banishing the frizz—like, stat—is simple: Run a little lotion through your locks. “Moisturizer is great to keep on hand if you have coarse hair, whether that’s a hand lotion you have in your bag already or a small package product like Ouai finishing creme,” says Ashley Rubell. “A little pinch will go along way.” So if you’re sitting at your desk, and you start to notice that your hair starts looking electric, she recommends taking a moment to: First, give your hands a little hydrating TLC, and then smooth the last little bit of product over any rogue strands of hair. “Don’t use too much pressure with your application or it can make your roots greasy. Similar to conditioner, you want to focus on your ends and not your roots,” advises Rubell. Better yet, if you don’t happen to have lotion on hand, pat your hair with a few drops of H2O for a similar effect. “Water’s an easy fix for almost everything,” she says. (Ain’t that the truth.) Once your tresses are back in formation, Rubell has some tips for how to keep them there long-term. Next time you wash your hair, use a wide tooth comb

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