Month: January 2019

January 04, 2019 at 12:59PM I’ll admit it: I’m a treadmill snob. If someone suggests that I give other gym equipment—like the rower or, worse, the stair climber—a chance, I pop my earbuds in and slowly back away. And that all happens in double time for anyone who suggests that I try an elliptical machine (scoff!). All that changed, though, after some big talk from a fellow Well+Good staffer, who challenged me to give her go-to elliptical workout a try. To quickly summarize the experience: My body got schooled. As I hopped on the cross-trainer (which is the fancy name for an elliptical that requires you to use your arms) this morning, my first task was to turn the thing on. “Where’s the ‘quick start’ option?!,” I thought as I furiously hit every button. Once that was under control, I grabbed the moving handles and attempted to replicate Arianna Grande as Elle Woods near the end of the “thank u, next” music video. As I glanced over at myself in the mirror, I noticed that—apart from the high pony—I look nothing like the mega-pop star. For one thing, I’m really, really sweaty. For another, I’m so breathless that I definitely could not drop a beat right now. The brunt of the workout (which you’ll find below) is a progression. Meaning, you start at one speed and work your way up on the minute. Resistances of 8 and 10 feel pretty comfortable for me, but when I reach the 12 and 13, I’m a goner. It’s a

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January 04, 2019 at 12:33PM Raise your hand if you’ve ever downed an enormous salad for lunch with all the good stuff (avo included)…only to feel ravenous an hour later. The. Worst. And if it happens to you on the reg, the feeling is enough to make anyone ask themselves “why am I always hungry” while frantically Googling the symptoms of a tapeworm. There could be a few things behind your perpetual hunger pangs that have nothing to do with a parasitic infection (whew). From not sleeping enough to simple dissatisfaction with your food, we asked the experts to determine all the reasons you might feel hungry all the time. Check them out below, and see what you might need to change in your daily routine to beat your rumbly stomach once and for all. 1. You’re not hungry—you’re just craving something. “I think the first thing to do if you’re hungry right after a meal is determine if you’re actually hungry, or just hungry for a cookie,” says Lauren Slayton, MS, RD, and founder of Foodtrainers, a New York City-based nutrition practice. “I have my clients do the ‘chicken test’—aka if you’re not hungry for a piece of protein like chicken or eggs, chances are you’re not really hungry.” Instead, Slayton says you’re likely craving something like carbs or sugar. If you don’t pass the “chicken test,” and having a treat isn’t something you want to have, Slayton says you can distract yourself from those cravings with something non-food

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January 04, 2019 at 12:43PM If you’re a most judicious avocado connoisseur like I am, you may have heard the pro tip that choosing oblong fruit specimens over round ones yields more of that delicious green interior for your toast—the reasoning being that longer and narrower fruits have smaller pits and therefore more meat. (Exhibit A.) But is this true, or an optical illusion? In an (extremely non-scientific) experiment, I’ve just discovered precisely which avocado silhouette yields the most green goodness for your dollar. The bottom line: longer and skinnier avocados should definitely get first pick. How did I reach this conclusion? Earlier today I went on a mission. I bought a dozen avocados and a food scale. I divided the produce into four categories: Long and Skinny, Long and Fat, Short and Skinny, and Short and Fat. I weighed each avocado, removed the pits, and weighed them again. Finally, I performed the necessary calculations to determine pit weight as a percentage of total weight and compared the averages. (I know, this all seems pretty extra, but it’s for science!) Here’s how the avocado shapes shake out (in terms of more flesh, less pit) Photo: Abby Maker for Well+Good These are the results, noting pit weight as a percentage of overall weight: Long and Skinny: 13 percent Long and Fat: 16 percent Short and Skinny: 16 percent Short and Fat: 18 percent The pit doesn’t do anything except take up room inside the fruit (unless you need a new houseplant), so a smaller pit

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January 04, 2019 at 11:33AM At we roll into a new year, the love fest for the Mediterranean diet continues—and the hype is well-deserved. The easy-to-follow eating plan has a seemingly endless variety of health benefits, including strengthening bones, improving gut health, and maybe even lengthening your lifespan!  Why is anyone surprised that the Mediterranean diet has been named the best diet of 2019? “The Mediterranean diet is an incredibly balanced way of eating and is sustainable for the long-term—which is why it’s been so popular for so long,” says Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, of Amy Gorin Nutrition. “What’s more, this diet can also help with weight loss, and it may also help lower your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.” Unlike some eating plans with a seemingly infinite number of rules, the Mediterranean diet is fairly straightforward and that makes it simple to stick with it. “Because the Mediterranean diet reflects the dietary habits of people who live in the Mediterranean, it typically includes vegetables, fruits, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, pulses, and a moderate amount of foods like red wine and dairy,” Gorin says. If you’re switching to a diet that truly stands the test of time, consider this list your guide when it comes to stocking your refrigerator. Your Mediterranean diet food list THE CORE OF YOUR DIET fruits and vegetables of all kinds whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, couscous, oats, whole grain pasta and bread, etc.) nuts and seeds tubers (white and sweet potatoes, beets, etc.) healthy fats (avocados, olives, etc.) beans

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