Month: March 2019

March 21, 2019 at 08:08AM by CWC Over the years of dealing with my skin woes, I’ve learned a very important thing: Inflammation is behind a ton of conditions, from rogue breakouts to things like rosacea. Usually, said inflammation starts in the gut, which means that while skin is a giveaway that something could be up with the microbiome, so too, are conditions like constipation and diarrhea. In other words: If you suspect something is up with your microbiome, look to your skin and your stools for validation. When you think about it, though, your entire body sends signals to you about what’s going on beneath the surface. “Digestion is the root of all health—something that Ayurveda has known for thousands of years,” says Jessa Blades, herbalist and natural beauty and wellness expert. “A healthy body means having ways to get rid of waste and toxins through different pathways: kidneys and urine, skin and sweat, and through bile and the intestines.” Since everything’s so incredibly connected, I’m taking a deep dive into the two biggest indicators that something’s up with your gut: your skin and your stools. So what’s up with the skin-gut connection? For starters, a little biology refresher: “Your gastrointestinal tract, or digestive system, runs from your mouth to your anus and includes your stomach and intestines,” explains Niket Sonpal, MD, a New York-based internist and gastroenterologist. “It’s responsible for not only breaking down your foods, but also absorbing the nutrients from that food and filtering any waste products

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March 21, 2019 at 07:29AM by CWC Call me boring, but I live for a daily routine. Without one, I spiral into a sea of anxiety and bad decisions. Perhaps this is why I deeply relate to Ron and Diana Watson, the couple who have eaten the exact same meal at the exact same restaurant six days a week for 15 years. They save their appetites to dine out exclusively at the Texas Roadhouse in Wichita, Kansas. The Washington Post explores the Watson’s seemingly peculiar “comfort in sameness” and it got me thinking. I would be fine eating the same thing every day like Ron and Diana. I, too, find comfort in sameness. The thought of removing the question of what to eat is oddly soothing. I don’t enjoy figuring out how to follow recipes or—let’s be real here—what I’m going to order from Postmates. But apparently this is a polarizing viewpoint. Some people find the thought of eating the same thing every day to be downright horrifying. But Ron and Diana (I like to think we’re on a first name basis) describe their daily routine as thoroughly efficient. “By the time you start your car, go to the grocery store, go through all this hassle, go home, cook and do the dishes…you’re taking an hour or hour and a half, minimum,” says Ron. I relate to this on a spiritual and emotional level. “Many people respond well to habits and structures but some people may rebel against them because to them variety

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March 21, 2019 at 07:25AM by CWC Agree or disagree: There’s nothing more life-affirming than finding your person. We’re not talking about your romantic partner—but rather the friend who truly gets you (and your 24/7 affinity for dog memes) and supports you 100 percent of the time. To find out why finding the Selena Gomez to your Taylor Swift can spark big things, we asked the BFFs and co-founders of female-focused wellness community Sweat and Tell, Joanna Huckins and Jacquelyn Fisher, to spill. “Jo encourages me to stay on track with my health and wellness goals,” says Fisher. “As a friend and business partner she is always there to listen, pick me up if I am feeling down, and call me out on my BS. Supporting another’s success will never damper yours, so why not contribute to creating a positive community?” In that spirit, we teamed up with ASICS—makers of empowering threads (ahem, THE NEW STRONG™ apparel collection) and champions of wellness warrior women—to examine the small ways you can show up for the ladies in your life. Scroll down for 3 ways to be an even better friend—and how wellness can help. 1. Schedule regular hangouts, even if they’re quick A less-than-lovely truth about adulthood is you might not see your friends as often. While working at the same tech startup, Huckins and Fisher conveniently shared the same schedule and naturally became workout buddies. “Back then, we were together from 6:30 a.m. until post-workout around 5 p.m.,” says Fisher, who’s pursuing

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March 21, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC I recently identified my top party foul, and it’s a doozy: While chatting with an acquaintance at a social event, he began flailing his hands and jamming his fingers like two scissors trying to slice each other down the middle. As he performed this epically violent charade, he turned to me and the woman next to me with an asymmetrical haircut who he assumed to be my partner and asked, “So do you two, like, scissor?” Yikes. As a queer woman—especially as a queer woman who is vocal on the internet about both sex and being queer—I get this question relatively often, but not every day. (Still, it certainly happens more than it should, which is never.) Generally speaking, while most folks seem to know it’s a no-go in the ask department, my experience tells me that if you give a nice-seeming guy named Chad a few beers, all of a sudden, he can’t help himself. Or, if you have any one-on-one time with a straight friend who’s so vocal about being seriously so cool (!!!!) with you being gay, she suddenly feels compelled to ask (always in a whisper) whether you and your partner make love like scissors. There’s a misguided sense of entitlement to a queer person’s sex life from people who have a different experience. Usually I’ll dismiss the invasive Qs and gesticulations with a sweet-as-sugar response: “Honey, you’ve been watching too much Pornhub.” But sometimes, I’ll go with the overly

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March 21, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC There’s only one thing in the fitness world more aggressively polarizing than burpees, and that’s gym selfies. Sweaty selfies. #swealfies, if you will. Whether you love them or hate them, you’ve most definitely got some sort of strong opinion about your IG feed being populated with flexed biceps. The practice has become so commonplace over the last few years—it’s nearly impossible to get through an entire fitness class without seeing someone whip out their phone to smize for the camera mid-plank, but when we take a closer look, is there really any benefit to broadcasting our workouts to the world? The answer, it seems, is slightly complicated. First, let’s start with the good stuff. “It’s a great way to announce: ‘I have a goal,’” says Janine Delaney, PhD, psychologist and fitness expert. “It’s a great way to keep yourself accountable for a goal, and I definitely think that is a very good motivation. A lot of people feel like once they put it out there into the universe, they need to be held accountable.” Once the selfie is live, the positive feedback you receive on it can actually help you stick with your regimen. “People work really hard, and if they get any sort of positive reinforcement, it’s nice to hear and it motivates them,” says Delaney. In addition to helping motivate you, these shots can also help motivate anyone who might happen to stumble upon them when they’re scrolling. “Not everybody may respond to you

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