January 07, 2019 at 10:00AM We spark-noted her new show for you. Continue Reading… Author Emma Loewe | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
Month: January 2019
How to stay healthy when your contagious coworker won’t take a sick day
January 07, 2019 at 10:00AM Don’t come to work sick. It’s a mandate given to employees at workplaces from coast to coast, but it doesn’t stop people from arriving at the office clutching the Kleenex. Yes, there are deadlines to meet and meetings that feel too important to skip. But sometimes a day’s rest under a fluffy duvet with a bowl of chicken noodle soup is all it takes to get on the mend. So, how do you avoid getting sick at work, especially when a sickly coworker refuses to take a day off? (Darn you, open-plan offices!) People pose this question to Eddie Fatakhov, MD, a lot this time of year. You can’t control whether or not your contagious coworker takes a sick day, but you can be proactive about your own health. In addition to getting a flu shot, here’s how to decrease the odds of catching whatever is going around the office: 1. Give communal spaces a frequent and thorough wipe-down. “The use of a simple disinfectant wipe on light switches, doorknobs, and computer keyboards can minimize exposure to germs and viruses,” says Dr. Fatakhov. Literally any surface or object you share with your coworkers is worth making sure is disinfected. And while sharing is great and all (you know, most of the time), if people in the office are getting sick left and right, try to minimize your exposure to their germs by bringing in your own coffee mug from home or being a little stingy when it comes
The gym shower is pretty much a petri dish, so maybe it’s not the best place to shave
January 07, 2019 at 09:42AM In the wellness-ified world we’re currently living in, gym and studio showers are turning into IRL places to experience some of the chicest beauty products around. Take: Oribe on tap at Barry’s Bootcamp, giant Kiehl’s bottles at Equinox, and Le Labo stocked at SoulCycle. With these extensive sampling opportunities, I’m not totally sure why anyone would even want to shower in their own piddly old bathroom anyhow…until I started thinking about shaving my legs, that is. Lots of gyms provide disposable razors (the one I go to even supplies shaving cream), so it’s certainly an environment for removing your body hair, if you so desire. But this begs the question whether it’s, well, a clean enough space to do your shaving. Think about it: When shaving, you’re manually exfoliating your skin, opening pores with the steamy water, and even could be creating nicks where bacteria or fungus from the shower could fester. To clear the air, I sought out a dermatologist’s advice. “Certainly people are more exposed to other people’s various types of bacteria, fungal infections, and yeast when using public places like the gym,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, FAAD, and board-certified dermatologist at New York City’s Schweiger Dermatology Group. “That being said, if the gym is incredibly clean and manages to wipe down surfaces and sterilize the showers daily, your risk should be minimized.” “Never reuse a blade or razor that you left at the gym, and definitely don’t place it down on a public
9 acai bowl recipes that are the perfect escape from boring winter breakfasts
January 07, 2019 at 09:34AM No matter where you live, January and February are, well, pretty bleak. The holidays are over, it’s too dark before and after work to do your regular outside run, and the sweaters you were jazzed to wear in October no longer seem all that exciting. And as far as breakfast goes? You’re so over that regular bowl of oatmeal. In which case…may we suggest an acai bowl? Acai bowls—which typically include other fruits and sweeteners, like honey, along with the namesake acai—get a lot of love in summer, when fruits are plentiful at the farmers’ market. But they could be just what you need to give your wintry morning routine life. Not only will they mentally transport you to warmer days, but the antioxidants and vitamins in the fruit they contain will help keep your immune system in top form, ready to fight off all the nasty germs going around your office. Stock up on frozen fruit (plus all the fresh stuff you can find at the grocery store), and you’ll be good to go with these easy, healthy recipes. You’ll be saying “thank u, next” to your boring bowl of overnight oats in no time. Rounded up here are 9 healthy acai bowl recipes to get you started. Hello, tropical vacation vibes! Photo: Hummusapien 1. Banana cacao avocado acai bowl You don’t need to have been raised on banana splits to know just how well bananas and chocolate (or in this case, cacao) pair
Being single’s completely transformed my personal style—for the better
January 07, 2019 at 08:38AM My last relationship ended not with a bang, but a whimper. We slowly grew apart until it felt like we were just roommates existing in the same space but not really connecting. At the time, my life and my identity was so caught up in this relationship that, when we finally broke up for real, I really didn’t know who I was. I moved into my new apartment with a clean interior design slate—no mattress, no couch, no television, no wine glasses. The first thing I bought to furnish my place was not one of those essentials, but a completely frivolous fluffy, faux sheepskin stool. My ex would have hated it, both stylistically and from a practicality standpoint. It was a simple act of rebellion. I call it my independence stool, which is admittedly a really lame name, especially coming from a writer, but it gets the point across. My sartorial choices have undergone a similar treatment since going from LTR to single. You can almost trace the dissolution of my coupling through my clothing choices. In the latter years of my relationship as we got a little too comfortable with each other, I didn’t really experiment with fashion, instead opting for basics in neutral colors. It was what I felt comfortable in. I lived in a uniform of jeans and T-shirts. As I felt it start to end, though, I subconsciously tried to stop the break by wearing clothing that was a little outside
Is disinfecting your toothbrush really necessary?
January 07, 2019 at 08:20AM Ever wondered how to clean a toothbrush? Unlike other items you might take the time to disinfect—like jade rollers and makeup brushes—toothbrushes typically just wait to be replaced. But should you be cleaning your toothbrush between uses? According to orthodontist Ana Castilla, DDS, your mouth is home to millions of germs and becomes “contaminated with bacteria, saliva, food debris, and maybe even blood the moment you use your toothbrush,” but, she says, disinfecting your toothbrush isn’t necessary—or even recommended. “The human body is constantly exposed to potentially harmful microbes, and it’s very capable of protecting itself with a healthy immune system,” says Dr. Castilla. “While various means of disinfecting or sanitizing toothbrushes between uses have been developed, there’s no published research that says brushing with a contaminated toothbrush has led to recontamination of a user’s mouth, oral infections, or other adverse health effects. In fact, some cleaning methods—like UV light cleaners or cleaning in a dishwasher—may even damage your toothbrush, making it less effective.” While you can skip the disinfectant, other things you can do to limit risk include proper storage and personal usage. “Don’t ever share your toothbrush,” says Dr. Castilla. “Rinse it with tap water until it’s completely clean and let it air-dry in an upright position where it’s not touching anyone else’s toothbrush.” And keeping it in a cabinet or drawer isn’t recommended: “Don’t put a little case around your toothbrush head or store it in a dark place. Bacteria grows best in a dark, moist
Does honey expire? Here’s what you should know about the pantry staple
January 07, 2019 at 08:01AM Whether it’s a half-gallon of milk or package of tortillas, tossing out food that’s past the expiration date is often accompanied by guilt. Your wallet takes notice, too. Alas, waste is unavoidable as almost everything “goes bad,” save for a certain sweetener that boasts an impressive shelf life. Like, eternally impressive. Honey never expires. The healthy sweetener—which contains antibacterial proteins and enzymes as well as plenty of antioxidants—is good forever. Seriously. Kept sealed in an airtight container, the National Honey Board says honey remains edible indefinitely—even if it crystalizes or darkens over time. Case in point? In 2015, archeologists discovered pots containing 3,000-year-old honey in an Egyptian tomb. They could have stirred some into their tea right then and there because it was very much still edible. So, go ahead, splurge on the everlasting good stuff knowing you’ll be able to use every last drop. And if you’re just as shocked about honey as I am, wait for it—it’s not the only pantry staple that’s lasts forever. Salt, sugar, rice, white vinegar, cornstarch, dried beans, canned foods, and pure vanilla extract also have the potential to keep for millennia if stored properly. If only avocados had the same power. Here’s what’s actually going to happen if you eat expired butter. Or, even more disgusting, accidentally bite into moldy bread. Continue Reading… Author Tehrene Firman | Well and Good Selected by iversue
4 surprising health benefits of myrrh
January 07, 2019 at 08:00AM You might think of myrrh as a very, very old-school gift only given by a certain three wise men, but it’s currently seeing new life in the wellness and beauty communities. The buzzy ingredient is a mainstay in incense and perfumes, DIY moisturizers, and even cold remedies. But…what is this stuff, exactly? Well, myrrh is made from tree sap harvested from a type of tree native to northern Africa and the Arabian peninsula. After being harvested, the tree’s sap is left to harden into a gum, and then it gets scraped away to be used. Myrrh (along with frankincense) was considered an essential commodity by the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans. And both are still commonly used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine as a pain-reliever and infection-fighter. And unlike some other old-school remedies, myrrh’s benefits are pretty legit. A review of studies published between 2000 and 2011 found that myrrh—both the extract and some of its molecules—“have exhibited a wide [variety] of in vivo and in vitro pharmacological effects, including antiproliferative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial,” the authors write. In other words, myrrh was shown to be a successful treatment in studies of both living subjects and isolated cells. But what exactly are the benefits of myrrh? Here’s what recent research has to say: 1. It could help fight germs. “Myrrh is primarily used as an antiviral and antibiotic. It stimulates white blood cells to help your immune system fight infections, and additionally has direct
Science just gave me the best excuse to buy new leggings
January 07, 2019 at 06:39AM Every night before I go to bed, I lay out my workout clothes and pack up my gym bag. This is in part because there is arguably nothing more stressful than searching for a sports bra in your closet at 5:49 a.m. when you have to be at the gym at 6 o’clock, and also because I plan my gym outfits like some people plan their work outfits. There are colors that need to be matched, silhouettes that go together better, and don’t even get me started on textures and fabrics. I’m not rolling into my gym wearing just any old leggings and tank combo—I’m coming in with a look. But as we enter the new year, a time when I arguably should be most pumped about getting to the gym because of “resolutions” or what have you, I find myself kind of meh about the whole thing. I’ve been having trouble motivating myself to exercise, and once I finally get there, I struggle to push myself the way I normally do. Because I prefer to blame intangible things instead of doing any real soul searching (just kidding… mostly), I decided that my lack of motivation to go to the gym can be traced to my blah attitude about my current workout wardrobe. Naturally, I went to the internet to back up my theory, and it turns out science actually has a term for this: enclothed cognition. Admittedly I will take almost any excuse to
Asking for a friend: What happens if I take a two-year-old vitamin?
January 07, 2019 at 05:45AM Picture this: You’ve decided to renew your healthy lifestyle in the new year, and thus are rummaging around your house for that bottle of crazy-expensive vitamins you bought a while ago that is still basically full. Vitamins = health, right? But then you discover (only after you’ve popped that vitamin in your mouth) that the expiration date is…way, way old. Like, #Jelena were still a thing when this bottle expired. But do vitamins expire the same way that milk and meat does? Is it dangerous to pop a multivitamin once that “best by” date has actually passed? Before you ring up Poison control, here’s what you need to know about expired vitamins. Is it dangerous to take expired vitamins? The short answer: probably not. While you definitely want to stay far, far away from milk or chicken past its sell-by date, vitamins don’t really expire in the way certain foods do. But according to experts, the ingredients will degrade over time, meaning the vitamins you’re relying on for a nutrition boost may not be meeting your needs. You won’t suffer any ill effects, but you will have wasted time—and, if you accidentally bought expired vitamins at the store, money. According to Harvard Medical School, citing a column published in Psychopharmacology Today, this holds true for most medicines as well as vitamins and supplements. A large study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the military in the 1970s tested the potency of drugs