February 27, 2019 at 01:13PM by CWC When it comes to woo-woo practices, there are so many modalities, all of which become more intricate the deeper you explore them. Take crystals—if you’ve graduated from rose quartz and are now delving into crystals on an intermediate level, you’ve probably quickly found out that there are encyclopedias worth of information out there about healing and calming stones. Today, we’re going to talk about a (most commonly) whiteish-blue hued crystal known as moonstone. Generally speaking, moonstone is considered a reminder of purposefulness, explains crystal expert and co-founder of Energy Muse Heather Askinosie. “From more mindful decisions day-to-day to bigger life changes, this crystal offers you support and guidance to help you live a purposeful life,” she says. Moonstone is also one of three birthstones for the month of June (the other two are pearl and alexandrite). Askinosie says, “on an astrological level, both Gemini and Cancer signs tend to have a strong drive to connect with their purpose.” But even if you were born under a different zodiac sign, “wearing, carrying, or placing moonstone in your space helps you to fulfill that desire on a soul level.” So, what else is moonstone good for, aside from illuminating your life path? Here are the 4 main moonstone properties to know about. 1. It’s considered a shining light As its name alludes, moonstone is thought to have a connection to la luna, which enables it to “act as a shining light that helps you recognize what brings you
Day: February 27, 2019
If this giant study connecting work and depression doesn’t get email off your phone, IDK what will
February 27, 2019 at 12:49PM by CWC Each week, we’re all granted a fresh slate of 168 hours of time to fill. Those hours quickly get snatched up by priorities like logging ample shut-eye, spending time with the ones we love, and—of course—making a living. No shocker here, though: Granting too much time on that final line item often comes at the price of your own mental health. And according to a recent study, while the effects spare no gender, they’re especially pronounced for women. The research, published in the BMJ’s Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, was conducted on 20,000 adults and found that women who logged “extra-long” hours (defined as more than 55 per week) experienced 7.3 percent more depressive symptoms, such as feeling worthless or incapable, than those who worked between 35 and 40 hours, a press release notes. Plus, while men who worked over the weekends had 3.4 more depressive symptoms than men who worked only during the official workweek, women who clocked hours on Saturdays and Sundays had 4.6 percent more depressive symptoms on average compared to their workweek counterparts. So basically, if you’re burning the midnight oil or pushing off your self-care Sunday to Kondo your email inbox or perfect a presentation, you might consider drawing a hard line at that 40-hour mark instead. To help, consider even taking your work email off your phone. (Even entrepreneurs have done it and lived to tell the tale.) “This is an observational study, so although we cannot establish the exact causes,
This CrossFit gym wants to help create a fitness community for people in wheelchairs
February 27, 2019 at 12:46PM by CWC Here’s a stat: Nearly 26 percent of disabled people say they’re physically inactive during the week (compared to 13 percent of able-bodied people). This is a BFD, considering that exercise is such an important part of overall health and well-being. Yet disabled people face significant barriers to regular activity, including limited gyms and clubs with fully-accessible facilities, financial constraints, and not being able to find trainers or instructors who know how to serve their needs. To combat this issue, one CrossFit gym in Orlando, Florida, is taking action to help people in wheelchairs be more included in its community. The gym partnered with Orlando Health, a network of not-for-profit healthcare facilities, to create a workout routine adaptive for people in wheelchairs so they can work out alongside other CrossFitters with ease. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbLjpsAxlhw] According to a press release from Orlando Health, the new routine is designed specifically for wheelchair-bound patients recovering from spinal cord injuries. The organization says it was eager to partner with CrossFit because they see first-hand how important fitness is to recovery, and felt it was a way to further help their patients. “After a spinal cord injury, it is crucial that patients build their strength to be able to perform daily tasks like pushing their wheelchair and transferring in and out of their chair,” says Shreya Bhola, a rep for Orlando Health. “These modified workouts are focused on upper body and core exercises that help patients get more independent while also
The Best Gut-Healing Foods You Can Buy Right Now
February 27, 2019 at 12:01PM The best grab-and-go products in stores today. Continue Reading… Author Liz Moody | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
Combat rounded shoulders and sit straighter with these simple stretches
February 27, 2019 at 11:44AM by CWC With all of the slouching over a computer that I do, it’s no surprise that I often get comments on my posture. “Sit up straight!” friends will tell me. “Put your arms back!” My buds might be on to something, slouching for an extended period of time contributes to poor posture. To combat it, I wanted to ask a trainer to share their exercises for rounded shoulders that could help to open me up. “The appearance of rounded shoulders comes from your shoulders sitting forward and down,” says Erika Bloom of Erika Bloom Pilates. “It’s an alignment issue that can lead to upper back, neck, shoulder, and even arm pain. It also emotionally closes off your heart center and presents to those around you as tired, meek, or closed off.” More specifically, rounded shoulders are when the curve of your upper back is pushing your head forward and down, says Astrid Swan, celebrity trainer and Barry’s Bootcamp instructor. “The appearance of rounded shoulders comes from your shoulders sitting forward and down.” —Erika Bloom “Rounded shoulders can also be caused by muscular weakness or muscular imbalance,” adds Swan. “It means the upper trapezius and levator scapula become strained while the major and minor pectoralis muscles are tight and shortened.” There are other postural imbalances that can lead to the look as well, such as weakened rotator cuff muscles, according to Bloom. “More surprisingly, short lats can contribute to rounded shoulders,” she says. “We often
Can’t sleep? Thank your grandma, because genetics may be to blame
February 27, 2019 at 10:42AM by CWC When you’re a kid, you just don’t appreciate how easy it is to fall asleep. It’s like a million times more likely that the biggest stress keeping you awake at night is wondering where you misplaced your favorite Lip Smacker than it is a case of sleep FOMO. In grown-up real life though, there are many culprits behind your shut-eye struggles, from a snoring bedmate to worrying about work and general anxiety. But something you can’t do anything about? Being genetically prone to insomnia. A meta-analysis published in the journal Nature Genetics looked at data from more than 453,000 people and found that 57 gene regions are associated with insomnia. Because the discovered links weren’t affected by common risk factors of insomnia—such as “lifestyle, caffeine consumption, depression, or recent stress”—the findings provide even more evidence that the risk of the sleep disorder can be inherited. “Our findings confirm a role for genetics in insomnia symptoms and expand upon the four previously found [gene regions] for this condition,” says lead author Jacqueline M. Lane, PhD, in a press release. “All of these identified regions help us understand why some people get insomnia, which pathways and systems are affected, and point to possible new therapeutic targets.” So basically, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is no matter what steps you take to fight insomnia, it could simply be part of your genes. And the good? Having a better idea of the cause provides doctors more insight
A deep dive into dirty talk—and how to do it without feeling like an awkward llama
February 27, 2019 at 09:46AM by CWC F*ck me like someone who closes deals. That is an actual line I actually once said. Verbatim. Out loud. To my partner. When he was inside me. Why? Because he had just closed a deal at work, so that felt like a good thing to say in the moment. What ensued was the kind of sex I imagine inspires romance novels. But after, we burst out laughing as we repeated my bold outcry in different accents back and forth to each other. Dirty talk. So many of us think it’s hot (in fact, research has shown that those who communicate pleasure during sex are more likely to experience sexual satisfaction than those who did not). But outside the bedroom (or kitchen counter, or really wherever the urge strikes), those grunted phrases come across as naughty and awkward in the best of scenarios and filthy and degrading in the worst. So what is it exactly about erotic-leaning chatter that is such a turn on for so many people? Below, experts dish on why the discourse can be so sexy—plus, seven tips for how to talk dirty without feeling like an awkward llama. Why dirty talk can be a turn-on Beyond being undeniably hot, talking dirty also appeals to our brains, our bodies, and it flips the bird to standards of societal decorum. Furthermore, it introduces an additional sense (hearing) to any sexcapade, and is therefore able to stimulate the brain more so than touch alone.
Pencil down these 4 pro tips for dealing with regret if FOMO is your nemesis
February 27, 2019 at 09:43AM by CWC When you’re bombarded with social media at every waking moment—AKA photos of people living their best lives (supposedly)—it’s easy to begin to feel unsatisfied with the trajectory of your life. People tend to portray their most ideal selves on their profiles, so it’s only natural to look back at a lovey-dovey photo of you and your ex and think, “Why did that relationship end? We looked so happy.” Or you could wonder what would’ve happened if you didn’t turn down that opportunity over a year ago once you see that a friend just made an exciting career move. In other words: Social media can lead to an avalanche of “What if?” thoughts, which can leave you feeling not-so-pleasant. That uncomfortable, gut-level feeling has a name: regret, and it’s not fun for anyone. But, like any emotion, it has a purpose—it sends you a message about what you should do with your behavior, and indicates that something is occurring in your environment. Essentially it’s a flag that you need to work through something. To help, I tapped licensed social worker Shannon Thomas and clinical psychologist Dr. Lara Fielding for the 411 on the all-too-common feeling that can plague you. “Regret stems from a major disappointment that things haven’t worked out—that deep, soul-level disappointment that things aren’t different,” says Thomas. She believes that hindsight really is twenty-twenty. “Sometimes it’s about having to step back and realize that you did what you did with the information
4 questions a personal stylist says can help you figure out how much clothing you actually (I mean, really) need in your life
February 27, 2019 at 09:09AM by CWC One day, as I was going through my usual getting-dressed routine—pulling everything out of my closet and then staring at the mess I’ve made until making myself 15 minutes late—I had the radical (ha) thought that maybe more clothing options aren’t better. “How many clothes do I need?” I pondered as I lie on my bed covered with errant clothing, silk blouses and sequins strewn across my duvet. (Okay, that was melodramatic—I really had this epiphany when I was doing laundry and I realized that now that I have to use a coin-op machine, washing all my clothes just became incredibly expensive. But the other image appealed to my sense of drama.) Like, isn’t there a magical number of clothes to own? Which is exactly what I ask Lisey Barela, Chicago head of sales and styling for Trunk Club, a subscription box service that pairs you with a stylist to help you “build a better wardrobe” i.e. one you’ll actually wear and that fits your fashion needs. “I don’t believe there is a magic number. Everybody is so unique in their preferences,” she tells me. (I take this as my cue to continue buying things—come here Dr. Martens currently in my cart.) “I think a specific number is very individual, but I do think having certain basics; however, will help ground your wardrobe.” She is also a proponent of investing in quality items over quantity. “I firmly believe in less is more when it comes
Gommages are the gentlest, most effective way to exfoliate
February 27, 2019 at 09:00AM by CWC When it comes to exfoliating, there are methods aplenty that will get the job done, but many of them can aggravate skin and leave it feeling dried out and sensitive. If that rings a bell, it’s time to get acquainted with gommages, the easiest, gentlest way to tell dead skin to peace out. Gommages actually borrow their name from French verb meaning “to scrub.” Since their advent, they’ve have been used worldwide, and according to Uma oils founder and Ayurvedic expert Shrankhla Holecek, they’re frequently tapped in India, because the gentle ingredients in them align with Ayurvedic skin-care philosophies. “Ayurveda applies powerful but thoroughly gentle ingredients and rituals to ensure that skin is perfectly cleansed, but never stripped of the natural oils it produces as a barrier to fight environmental attack or altered in pH,” she tells me. Essentially, you slather on the typically rough-feeling, textured product (though some can be more of a smooth paste consistency) then leave it on for a couple of minutes before rinsing it off. Rather than sloughing off your dead skin cells (like other exfoliators do) gommages work by simply binding to the external debris on your skin—which comes off with water without leaving your skin sensitized. “Synthetic or traditional cleansers can sometimes be overly stripping, cause unwanted damage to the good skin cells, and negatively impact your pH, explains Holecek. “Facial scrubs use granules to buff the skin, while gommages very specifically bind to what’s external on