It’s totally normal that you can’t move on from an ex—even if you don’t want to be together

February 22, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC Sometimes I feel as if I’m always trying to get over an ex, no matter how grandiosely responsible they were for the relationship’s demise. I’ve lost sleep over the attention I pay to these formerly significant people in my life, wrestling with the question: Is it normal to still love my ex, or am I—you know—wildly defective and completely devoid of more interesting things to occupy my mind? According one kind, anxiety-assuaging expert, I’m totally normal (phew). But since I deserve happiness (and some rest), it’s important that I learn tools for moving on completely. “When it comes to dealing with past relationships, there is no right and wrong,” says Erika Ettin, relationship expert and founder of A Little Nudge, a coaching service for online dating. “I do, however, contend that if you are still feeling so connected to your ex, it is worth a clean break—no talking, texting, social media-stalking. Out of sight, somewhat out of mind. That is necessary in order for the mourning and healing process to begin.” “I recommend figuring out the things that make you happy on your own. Then do those things. Don’t search for other people to date as a Band-Aid. Take the time needed, perhaps with a good therapist, to sort out your feelings. Gradually you’ll be able to look at things more objectively.” —Erica Ettin, relationship expert And to be clear, it will be a process—not something that you’ll just be over after sleeping on

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“I’m a registered dietitian and I would never, ever recommend the keto diet”

February 22, 2019 at 02:15AM by CWC Even though the Mediterranean diet is once again basking in the sunny spotlight, plenty of people are Team Keto. The low-carb/high-fat ketogenic diet was the buzziest eating plan of 2018, with advocates raving about how they experienced weight loss, fewer sugar cravings, and even reduced anxiety. Even brands have caught on, crowding the market with “keto-friendly” products that make sticking to the eating plan easier. Not among the legions of keto fans: registered dietitian Brigitte Zeitlin, MPH, RD, owner of BZ Nutrition. “The keto diet was created by doctors to help treat children with seizure disorders, like epilepsy, from whom medication was no longer working and it was monitored under medical supervision,” she says. “This diet was not intended for generally healthy people to use—and it wasn’t intended for weight loss. The fact that the children were under medical supervision is a pretty good indictor that this diet was not created for the general public to adapt. I was actually really surprised that this form of medical nutrition therapy has become the latest in fad dieting.” Yet here we all are. While many do say the keto diet has been beneficial for them, Zietlin is wary of anyone sticking to it long-term. Unlike the Mediterranean diet, for example, the ketogenic diet is so new (at least in terms of how people are using it as adults) that scientists haven’t been able to study what the effects are of keeping up with it for a longer period of time.

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Waking up at 3 a.m.? Your energy meridians might be triggering that alarm

February 21, 2019 at 02:15PM by CWC Real talk: My body clock has not been working with me and my Eastern Standard Time way of life lately. I’ve been sending out middle-of-the-night texts like I’m in college again, just searching for a soul to communicate with and help me pass the time. Not even my trustiest sleep hacks (4-7-8 technique and ASMR vids, looking at you) are, well, trustworthy for getting me through a night. So, I’ve made a mission find out, once and for all, why I’m waking up at 3 a.m. every night (and no, it’s not to pee). The most intriguing possibility? My energy meridians may be super effed up. First a quick refresher on energy meridians: According to traditional Chinese medicine, your chi (or qi) is your energy current that flows through your body via energetic pathways. Those pathways are referred to as meridians, and TCM recognizes 20 of them. Energy meridians come into play here because sleep issues can indicate an imbalance of your chi. Your body’s internal clock syncs with different hours of the day, and a different organ (12 of the energy meridians are associated with a specific organ) works its hardest during the different shifts. So it’s best if you work with your organs so they can perform energetically efficiently when they’re meant to. Tl;dr: Time intervals relate to organs; catering to organs helps energy meridians; balanced energy meridians theoretically mean we all sleep better. So in an effort to prioritize turning off my

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Kayla Itsines says *this* is the most common mistake people make during HIIT

February 21, 2019 at 01:31PM by CWC Having spent many a gym sesh in the last few years sweating through Kayla Itsines’ BBG workouts, I would estimate that I have done upwards of 5,000 squats. And there’s a reason why the move—in its various iterations—is featured so heavily in her routines: Because it really, really works. Those seemingly simple up-and-down motions will make you feel the burn in your quads and thighs, and leave you with a seriously perky peach. But according to Itsines, though squats are one of the most common moves in any workout, they’re also one of the easiest to do incorrectly, which you may not even realize while you’re doing them. “The biggest mistake that women make when they’re squatting is that their knees will fall in,” says Itsines. “Women get pain in their hips and don’t even realize that the right leg might be coming in.” So, when you wake up the next day, that’s why you might wonder what you’ve done to your left leg to make it more sore. The easiest fix? Add a resistance band into the mix. She suggests placing a small resistance band around your thighs in order to keep your knees pointing in the right direction.  “What you’ll do is push against the band, so it focuses more on your glutes, and you’re engaging your muscles more,” she explains. “If you’re looking to engage or warm up your muscles, a resistance band is a great thing to add in. With this

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