March 23, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Everyone has dating wants and dating won’ts. (For instance, I want a kind, wellness-minded person who won’t make fun of my status as a cat person—but I won’t go for a Gemini, anyone with a pet snake or iguana, or a CrossFit hater.) But when I got my nipple pierced four years ago, it didn’t occur to me that a bit of boob-bling could land me on someone’s “won’t” list. One evening when my top came off during some heavy petting though, that reality became glaringly clear. I came to learn that the way my intimate partner felt about below-the-neck piercings mirrors how I feel about unsolicited dick pics. What followed was a look of sheer horror. And not the variety that comes as an involuntary reaction to your boo farting (and it being really smelly)—no, think more like Scream or The Exorcist. So, on went my shirt, and out the front door went my ex. While in the moment it didn’t even occur to me to remove the metal rod from the piercing, upon further thought, I actually didn’t even want to take it out, willy-nilly, for someone who, bafflingly, found it to be a deal-breaker (as opposed to a general preference). I like my nipple piercing; it’s an empowering form of self-expression that makes me feel great, literally and otherwise. So then and there, I resolved to never waste more time with folks who like me…but only until my shirt comes off. Enter the advent my relationship-potential litmus test:
Month: March 2019
New Evidence Reaffirms How Important The Gut Microbiome Is To Our Overall Health
March 23, 2019 at 03:01AM The future of gut health is promising AF. Continue Reading… Author Ray Bass | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
3 Ways To Use Topical CBD To Solve Your Change-Of-Season Woes
March 23, 2019 at 01:36AM Here’s how to use topical CBD to solve all of your change-of-season woes, including dry skin, sunburns, and itchy eyes. Continue Reading… Author Gretchen Lidicker | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
What To Say To Your Partner When They’re Not Taking Care Of Their Health
March 23, 2019 at 12:21AM It’s a tricky situation. Continue Reading… Author Margaret Paul, Ph.D. | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
How To Unlock Your Wildest Dreams This Aries Season
March 22, 2019 at 11:22PM Time to turn your focus toward new (and never-been-done-before) ideas. Continue Reading… Author The AstroTwins | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
Woah: You should lace your shoes based on your foot type, according to a podiatrist
March 22, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Growing up, my parents were the ones who dealt with my shoelaces. They taught me the bunny ear trick, sure, but lacing up my sneakers was a whole different story. Nowadays, I just pray the shoes come already laced and ready to go—and if they don’t, I haphazardly put the shoelaces through the holes, hoping it results in a decent enough result that keeps my shoes on my feet. But then my colleague told me this a.m. that he has a special trick for lacing his sneakers that’s specifically designed for those with high arches (like himself—hi Jamie!)—which led me down into a whole spiral of thoughts like “Why did I never know there are shoe-lacing methods for different feet types?!” and “Have I lived under a rock for 30 years?” With feet that don’t have a high arch, I’m now curious whether I require a certain arch-lacking lacing technique. And so I consulted a podiatrist for the low-down once and for all. “The lacing of a shoe can impact the way that pressure is put on the top of the foot, or the way the foot is secured in the shoe,” explains Dr. Emily Splichal, DPM, MS, a New York-based podiatrist. “The factory standard of X-patterned lacing doesn’t work for all foot types and can actually put pressure on the toes and the nerves on the top of your feet.” I feel like my world has been turned upside down. It’s not
This Google graph pretty much confirms squats are the most misunderstood move
March 22, 2019 at 12:42PM by CWC If my browser history is any indication, I have a bad case of gym confusion. In the past month, I’ve Googled “how to do a trap bar deadlift,” “what is a bear crawl,” and “what’s the difference between a forearm and a hand plank.” Above all though, the squat (which comes in sumo, jump, and many more iterations) is the move that eludes my understanding the most. Apparently, I’m in good company: A quick Google Trends search of burpees, planks, crunches, squats and lunges reveals that the rest of the internet is equally as perplexed as I am (see below for graphical proof). Photo: Google Clearly (the data doesn’t lie!), we could all use a refresher on the biodynamics of this booty-centric move. And fortunately, Obé trainer Megan Roup provided Well+Good with full scoop. The general aim of a squat is to “break parallel” with the ground, she explains. “Feet are nice and wide. You’re in a strong stance. And as I shift back [pouring the weight into] my heels, my chest is up. Ignite your glutes, squeeze back up,” she says. For an extra challenge, place a resistance band around your knees or hold a medicine ball between your palms. Once you repeat 25 to 30 reps total, you can consider your butt workout done, done, and done. Oh, and you can take satisfaction in never opening your browser for an explainer again. Megan Roup demonstrates the correct form for squats: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OfycnUL0h8]
Why a coffee shop is the most psychologically strategic spot for a first date
March 22, 2019 at 12:05PM by CWC I get heart eyes for anyone who buys me a strong cup of coffee with a splash of oat milk. Maybe it’s the rich, luscious aroma. Maybe it’s the heady taste that signals my brain to leap into a brand-new day ahead. Or maybe, as Scientific American argues, I’m really experiencing a “misattribution of arousal,” a term in psychology for confusing which part of a given interaction is appealing to you. “Most of the time what we feel is not really ‘anger’ or ‘happiness‘ but simply arousal, a word that tends to take on a sexual connotation yet really just means an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and sensory alertness,” reports Scientific American. When your brain scans your emotions for the source of these physiological responses, it may attribute your racing heart beat to attraction rather than the onslaught of caffeine. The same goes for fear, according to the “love bridge” study, which was conducted in 1974 on heteronormative test subjects. In a scenario that could be straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock film, researchers asked 85 male participants to walk across two different bridges. One was suspended 230 feet off the ground; one was only 10 feet off the ground. Once they’d made their way across their respective surfaces, each man was approached by an “attractive” woman who asked them to fill out a questionnaire and write a story about an image she provided for them. She then gave them permission to
What your go-to sleeping position says about you, according to the pros
March 22, 2019 at 11:40AM by CWC Everyone from scientists to mental health professionals to Arianna Huffington agrees that getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your well-being. You’ve probably heard the arguments for getting eight to 10 hours of shut-eye every night, and you’ve committed yourself to at least attempting to snooze more. But what you may not know is that different sleep positions can be just as important as how much you sleep, and it can tell you some pretty significant things about your health and habits. Whether you snooze on your side or are a hard-core on-the-back relaxer, here’s what different sleep positions are trying to tell you about your body. Photo: Stocksy/Lyuba Burakova If you sleep on your back There’s a reason why every yoga class ends with savasana. According to some experts, being on your back is one of the better sleep positions in which you can relax. “The reason it’s an excellent position is that there’s no compromise of any circulation,” says sleep expert Nancy H. Rothstein. “Everything is free to flow.” But if sleeping on your back is has you feeling more “ouch!” than “om,” your body could be trying to tell you something. Keelyn Nielsen, a sleep disorder coordinator in New York City, says an issue called “positional sleep apnea” can be triggered when you’re on your back. “When someone is lying on her back, gravity alone is going to weigh her down,” she explains. “So if they
Trainers say to only do the same workout *this* many days in a row
March 22, 2019 at 11:30AM by CWC Trainers are constantly telling us that in order to see results from fitness—whether that’s getting stronger or just getting better at the workout we’re doing—consistency is key. As in three-times-a-week consistent for the best results. Because of this, the fitness team here at Well+Good is currently in the heat of what we’re calling a “triple sweat” challenge. Three editors (Ali Finney, Rachel Lapidos, and yours truly) are doing the same workout (SLT—*gulp*) three days a week for the next three months. As we began to map out our workouts based on this three-times-a-week principle, we all had the same question: Is it okay to do the same (very intense) workouts three days in a row, or should we be splitting them up throughout the week? “If you are committed to doing a particular workout three times a week, it’s ideal to split it up with a day of complimentary workouts in between, or rest,” says Ackeem Emmons, master trainer at Aaptiv. “Consistency is key with any endeavor. In regards to physical training, it is important to allow your body to rest, and feel rejuvenated before breaking it down again.” And there are a few other reasons why you should be staggering the way you do things. “It’s better to split up your workouts rather than doing the same thing day after day, because it’ll keep your body guessing,” says Alonzo Wilson, founder and director of training at Tone House. “You’ll work harder and burn