You are Here

Day: March 24, 2019

2019 Health

The cosmic ways to get back on track fast as Mercury retrograde ends this week

4 min read

March 24, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC The end of Mercury retrograde is in sight (yes!), and that’s not the only thing that could seriously pick up the pace this week, says astrologer Jennifer Racioppi. Here’s her guide to the cosmic conditions affecting everyone over the next seven days—no matter what your sun sign is. With the sun now zooming along in Aries, the sign of action, the last week of March brings with it the impulse to initiate. Aries, ruled by Mars, offers tenacity to get things moving, both literally and metaphorically. With Mercury, the planet of communication, stationing direct on March 28, the opportunity to distill, and digest the retrograde lessons becomes apparent. Add to the mix that last week’s full supermoon gives way to a waning quarter square with the sun on Thursday too, now’s the time to let go of what you no longer need—especially those limiting beliefs that have you doubting yourself. Consider what life conspired to teach you over the last few weeks with Mercury’s retrograde journey in full roar? Think back to March 5, and ask yourself what you learned. What do you most need to integrate into your conscious now? What’s no longer working that you need to release? Enter Neptune: And a little brain fog, too Before Mercury stations direct, it meets up with Neptune, Pisces’ ruling planet, which amplifies dreams and illusions. Mercury and Neptune conjoin on Sunday, March 24, and travel at the same degree—16 degrees of Pisces—for the

Read More

2019 Health Fashion

The calf-stretching guide that’s way better than a leg massage

4 min read

March 24, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC Lately, I’ve noticed that I’ve been falling up the stairs on a regular basis. Sure, I’m a little clumsy—but not usually to that level. Then, I realized it was all because I have overly tight calves. You surely know the feeling—like the area of your legs between your ankles and knees is pulled taut like a violin string, and every little movement in your lower body makes you wince. Calf soreness is very common, but it can also be behind issues that seem totally unrelated elsewhere, such as shin splints and messed-up rotation of the feet and ankles. Here’s the honest truth: Those basic calf-stretching moves (looking at you, toes up the wall) aren’t fully resolving the tightness in the bottom of your legs. To dig deeper, I found out what can make calf tightness a thing of the past. For that, keep on scrolling. The low-down on your calves First of all, a mini biology lesson: The gastrocnemius is the big muscle in your calf that gets all of the attention, and its lesser-known partner is the soleus. Cameron Apt, the director of athletic performance services at the University of Rochester Medical Center explains that while both start around your ankle, the gastrocnemius comes up and crosses the back of your knee attaching to your thigh. The soleus, on the other hand (er, leg), runs underneath the gastrocnemius and stops right below your knee.  “When the knee is bent, the soleus is more

Read More

2019 Health

No, darker sunglasses doesn’t mean better sun protection—here’s why

2 min read

March 24, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC Shopping for sunglasses isn’t rocket science. Nearly transparent lenses don’t seem like they would do much to protect your eyes, so you’re likely wearing darker shades. But darker doesn’t mean better protection. When considering a pair of dark sunglasses, ophthalmologist Marc Werner, MD, of Stahl Eye Care Experts says thinking about the level of defense in terms of darkness of the lens can seriously threaten the health of your eyes. “One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is that people think their eyes are protected by wearing very dark sunglasses. Nothing can be further from the truth. The tint of the lens has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of ultraviolet protection the lens provides,” says Dr. Werner. “In fact, new technology developed by Zeiss Vision has enabled 100 percent protection from ultraviolet light in completely clear lenses, further demonstrating that tint has no bearing on the level of UV protection in a lens.” While wearing any sunglasses without UV protection is risky, dark shades are actually the riskiest. “Dark sunglasses that don’t protect from UV rays are even more dangerous, because the dark lenses cause the pupil to enlarge, allowing even more UV light to enter the eye where it can lead to significant problems, such as macular degeneration,” he explains. The eye disease affects 10 million Americans as the leading cause of vision loss in the country and its incurable, according to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF). To find

Read More

2019 Health Keto

What everyone should know before trying intermittent fasting, according to experts

8 min read

March 24, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC Unless you live under a rock, I’ll bet you have at least one friend who swears by intermittent fasting (IF). Or if you’re the kind of person who is a devoted celeb follower on IG, then you’ve definitely seen folks there talk about how much they love the buzzy eating plan, from Kourtney Kardashian to keto devotee Jenna Jameson. Basically, intermittent fasting calls for restricting eating to certain time periods within a given day or week. Some plans call for certain fasting windows (time periods where a person can and cannot eat), while others have people eating every day but some days have a lower caloric intake than others. The concept of skipping meals or limiting how much you eat at given times sounds…well, dicey. But proponents of the eating plan posit that by putting the body into a fasting state for short periods of time, people can potentially boost their metabolism, kickstart healthy weight loss, and see other intermittent fasting benefits like enhanced cognition and improved energy and mood. However, exactly how the diet works is a hot debate among researchers, says James Mitchell, Ph.D., associate professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, whose research focuses on dietary restriction. Many people believe that both the potential metabolic benefits and weight loss are just a result of calorie restriction (eating less overall), while again, others believe that going set periods of time without eating plays a role. And while people who

Read More

2019 Health Fashion

Are toddlers doing downward dog pregnancy-predicting witches? Here’s a body-language expert’s take

4 min read

March 24, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Here are two good reasons to keep an eye on babies: 1. They’re vulnerable to the elements, like hawks or coyotes. 2. They might be able to spot a pregnancy before you have the chance to even pick up a Clearblue. Legend has it, if a baby looks through their legs while on all fours, they’re not just practicing for a new mommy-and-me yoga class. Rather, they might be prophesizing a younger sibling is en route. Okay, okay, it’s really just an old wives’ tale that you may or may not have heard while stranded at your cousin’s baby shower. The gist is that if a baby looks through their legs, they’re predicting a pregnancy is on the way and/or “looking for” or wanting another sibling. (There are, BTW, zero baby pictures of me in this pose, and I somehow landed a brother at the tender age of 18 months. Rude.) Recently, elite babies of Instagram have been assuming the pose, making me wonder…is it…could it possibly be…legit? When Man Repeller founder Leandra Medine Cohen recently posted an Instagram of her baby doing downward dog, the comment section bubbled with thoughts like, “PREDICTING ANOTHER PREGNANCY,” and “Another baby, your baby’s waiting patiently for a new addition.” Others @-ed Instagram director of fashion partnerships, Eva Chen, who, in recent months, has posted Instagram Stories of her toddler doing the same thing. “It’s something that @evachen212 use to say when she find her kids in this

Read More

1 2