March 14, 2019 at 12:30PM by CWC As editor-in-chief and co-founder of Miss Grass, an elevated lifestyle shop and publication for women and cannabis, Anna Duckworth has tried cannabis for everything from sex to cooking. And now, she’s sharing her cannabis knowledge with Well+Good. Today, she takes on a topic we’re all more than a little bit obsessed with over here: how to get a better sleep. We are an exhausted nation: Roughly 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders. And, considering lack of sleep can lead to mood and personality changes, we’re a cranky one, too. To put it simply, we’re tired of being tired and we’re looking for solutions. Cannabis—CBD (cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive component of cannabis that’s cropping up in everything from lotions to lattes) in particular—is a tantalizing alternative to the typical Ambien prescription or medicine cabinet full of melatonin that, according to Elizabeth Cramer Ernst, nurse practitioner and owner of the medical marijuana clinic Hamptons Medi Spa, could provide significant relief for insomnias. In recent studies, CBD has shown promising signs of being both an effective and safe way to get more zzz’s, although much more research needs to be done before definitive conclusions can be drawn. Through the fog that comes with pulling unintended all-nighters night after night, however, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that difficulty sleeping is very rarely just that. It’s almost certainly the result of an underlying condition. For many people, a lack of sleep comes down to anxiety—which,
Month: March 2019
This Anti-Inflammatory Tea May Treat Leaky Gut
March 14, 2019 at 12:31PM It can also help with weight-loss! Continue Reading… Author Caroline Muggia | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
9 killer full-body workouts using the most underrated thing at the gym
March 14, 2019 at 12:21PM by CWC At the gym, veering too far from the equipment you’re used to can feel intimidating. It’s hard to know how to vary your workouts if you’re not familiar with every piece of equipment. (Who is?) But the workout you’ll get from one of the most popular and underrated tools at the gym makes it worth stepping out of your comfort zone. Used regularly, a rope workout delivers some serious results once you get the hang of it. Plenty of gyms have a section featuring ropes—particularly battle ropes, which you see your favorite fitness-loving celebrities working up a sweat to on the daily. “Battle ropes are an unparalleled upper-body conditioning tool. One of the most effective—yet low-impact—ways to train metabolically, it helps you build both strength and endurance. It’s also safe for all populations, and the creativity and variety of exercises with it are endless,” says Gerren Liles, a Hyperwear trainer and master instructor at Equinox. “With a properly designed workout, battle rope training can help boost your metabolism, burn fat, and add definition.” Battle ropes aren’t the only option you should try for a rope workout, though. Remember having to try and climb the rope in gym class as a kid? Well, that’s a prime trainer-approved way to increase your muscle tone, too. “Rope climbing is one of the ultimate displays of total body strength and mastery. It encourages upper-body strength—especially grip strength—and demands proper technique and synergy to move quickly and efficiently,” Liles explains.
What to do if your friends swipe left on your new romantic interest
March 14, 2019 at 12:12PM by CWC For those of you #blessed enough to have skipped The Bachelor’s most recent “most dramatic” season, allow me to offer a quick recap. No less than five women warned Colton Underwood—this year’s contestant—that certain “girls in the house” weren’t “ready” to get engaged. So naturally, the former college football star proceeded to pledge his love for Cassie, the woman who raised the most red flags, according to the others. All of this made for good—scratch that, amazing television. But beneath all the cringe-worthy melodrama, there’s a very real problem at play. What the heck do you do when your friends, relatives, or—sure—other love interests think that your current bae might not have the best intentions? How do you know when you should listen and when you should make like Underwood and charge forward with blinders. Before you can even begin to consider the validity of an accusation, relationship expert and life coach Jillian Turecki recommends evaluating your relationship with the individual expressing their concerns. “The right question to ask is, ‘Who is the person telling you this?’ It depends on the relationship that you have with the friend,” she tells me. “So if you really trust this person, then you listen. But if you don’t exactly trust this person, then it’s a relationship question between the two friends.” “If someone really close to you is warning you about someone you’re dating, chances are that your intuition is warning you, too.” —Jillian Turecki, relationship expert and
Virtual fit squads are on the rise, and they’re about much more than working out
March 14, 2019 at 11:20AM by CWC Naomi Gugliotta looked around the table at the 17 other women she was spending a four-day weekend with in Florida. Boarding her flight back home in Oregon, she’d been nervous to meet them, but now, a day into her trip, it was hard for her to believe that up until then, the group had only DMed and texted, but never met in person. The crew was from a spattering of different states and their personal interests varied, but all were part of the Tone It Up community. “I joined TIU in April 2017 after the birth of my second child,” Gugliotta says. Super motivated, she started a new Instagram, NaomiTonesItUp (now @that.healthy.blonde) where she detailed her meals and fitness routines. “It was basically a way to hold myself accountable,” she shares. Gugliotta would tag and DM with other people using TIU hashtags, and over time, their exchanges became more personal, going past conversations about just their fitness goals and meal prep hacks. In groups like Tone It Up, and in other fitness communities like WW, Aaptiv (the world’s biggest audio fitness brand), and Peloton, wellness goals are only a fraction of the conversation that’s happening amongst members, both in public forums and private messages. While it’s not unusual to go to a boutique fitness class without exchanging so much as a high five with the person next to you, virtual fitness communities have become not only a place where people sweat together (virtually, of
Therapeutic cooking is meditation for people who love to eat (or hate to sit still)
March 14, 2019 at 11:14AM by CWC As someone whose job it is to write about wellness, I have a (somewhat) shameful confession to make: I hate meditating. It’s not for a lack of trying; I’m well aware of how it can reduce anxiety and depression, and its other major benefits for your brain and overall well-being. But for some reason I just can’t get into it. Even in a sensory deprivation tank the other day, with literally zero distractions, I just floated from edge to edge of the chamber while thinking about what I was going to eat for lunch. If you find yourself similarly stuck (i.e. you want the benefits of meditation without actually having to meditate), rest assured there is a solution: therapeutic cooking. Basically, it’s using the act of cooking for yourself as a mindful, meditative experience. And it’s a viable meditation alternative, says Harry Ritter, MD, the founder and CEO of Alma, a co-working space for therapists. “Meditation as a concept is this idea of taking time out of your day, shutting everything down, and withdrawing into yourself for a period of time,” he says. There’s nothing wrong with that per se (again, meditation has so many proven benefits), but the traditional practice of sitting on a pillow, not doing anything, and just focusing on breathing is a tall order for some people. With therapeutic cooking, Dr. Ritter says you can use the act of cooking as another opportunity to create that space for yourself—no culinary
Why true-crime and murder content is so frighteningly addictive—especially for women
March 14, 2019 at 11:13AM by CWC Making a Murderer. The Staircase. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. The Jinx. The Keepers. Abducted in Plain Sight. O.J.: Made in America. This is just a quick selection—honestly a mere fraction—of all the true-crime series and documentaries that have become binge-watchable cultural phenomenons of sorts. And when you’re not watching the often murderous content, you can listen to podcasts about the stories (My Favorite Murder, Serial) or read books about them (I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, A Serial Killer’s Daughter). While offerings of the genre are pervasive and plentiful across platforms, many still can’t consume enough of it. But why do so many people crave this dark-leaning form of escapism—is any part of it relatable? Weirdly exciting? Alluring, even? According to clinical and forensic psychologist Paula E. Bruce, PhD, a large part is because reality can actually be stranger than fiction. “True-crime shows are compelling to many because they can provide a window into a reality that we do not readily have access to.” “True-crime shows are compelling to many because they can provide a window into a reality that we do not readily have access to.” —Paula E. Bruce, PhD And given that the victims of the brutal and violent crimes covered (including rape, torture, and murder) are often female, it’s worth noting that research points to women also being the biggest fans of the genre. According to Dr. Bruce, that’s no coincidence. “Women, in general, are more attuned to
This quiz reveals your happiness language, based on your personality type
March 14, 2019 at 10:45AM by CWC Indulge me for just a second and imagine we live in an alternate universe where demistifying your ideal formula for “happiness” is as simple as identifying your blood type. A world where just a prick of a finger could tell you whether gratitude journaling, goal-crushing, or self-care was your gateway to bliss. Alright, so science hasn’t gotten us there (quite) yet, but Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, a psychology professor at University of California, Riverside, has developed a self-diagnostic to help you determine which happiness practices feel the most natural for your personality. “I believe that all of us want to be happy, even if we don’t use the same language to describe that wish, and even if we define happiness differently or we pursue happiness differently,” said Dr. Lyobomirsky in a 2009 talk with Google. “In every culture that researchers have surveyed, they ask people what are their top goals in life, they’ve found that most people put happiness at the top of their list.” Not only does Lyumbomrisky believe that we all have unique joy-sparking DNA, she also has the research to prove it. Using both her own research and other scientific serotonin inquiries, Lyubomrisky generated a worksheet-style quiz, known as the Person-Activity Fit Diagnostic, which helps you determine which of 12 research-tested happiness activities will feel most “natural and enjoyable” to you. Developing coping mechanisms, learning forgiveness, and leaning in to life’s joys are all on the list. In just 15 minutes, you’ll know which ones speak
8 shirataki noodle recipes that hit the spot every time
March 14, 2019 at 10:22AM by CWC Once you try shirataki noodles, you’ll be hooked. Despite an appearance quite similar to pasta, shirataki are made with the Japanese konjac yam, and usually found in the refrigerator aisle packaged in a pouch filled with water rather than a box on the shelf. But physical resemblance to spaghetti is where the similarities stop. In addition to being carb-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free, shirataki are about 97 percent water, which makes which makes the calorie count super low. No wonder they’re often referred to as “magic” or “miracle” noodles. While commonly used in traditional Japanese dishes, shirataki are ready for any sauce of your choosing. Before rinsing shirataki, they might have a slight fishy odor from the konjac yam, which is usually displayed as konjac root flour or glucomannan (the dietary fiber of the konjac root) on the ingredients list. The texture can be described as a bit gelatinous. But with the right recipes, you’ll hardly be able to distinguish the versatile shirataki from a typical spaghetti. These 8 shirataki noodle recipes ready to replace spaghetti and meatballs Photo: It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken 1. Rainbow shirataki bowl with peanut lime sauce You can taste the rainbow in this bowl of veggies and noodles slathered in a creamy peanut sauce. Photo: Wallflower Kitchen 2. Shirataki noodles with almond butter sauce Can you beat a sauce made with almond butter? It’s mouth-watering in this recipe paired with onions, broccoli, and cabbage. Photo: Create Mindfully 3. Pesto shirataki noodles The
Why you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation
March 14, 2019 at 09:48AM by CWC You’d think that after a blissful break from work, far away from the daily stressors of everyday life, that you’d feel rejuvenated. Maybe you just spent a week at the beach, basking in the sun. Or maybe you were exploring a new city, filling up on the local cuisine and soaking up the culture. So why is it that the second you get home, you feel so damn tired after vacation? There’s a pretty reasonable explanation. “When you have a routine, there’s less mental energy that has to go towards figuring out what we have to do,” explains Tim Bono, PhD, a psychological and brain sciences lecturer at Washington State University in St. Louis. “It’s part of the reason why vacations can be so exhausting. You have to figure out, okay, ‘where do we park the car? Where do we get our coffee? If we want something to eat, where do we go? What are the choices for what we’re going to do today?’ Those are all things you don’t have to really think about in your typical day-to-day life.” It’s why, Dr. Bono explains, humans thrive on routine. It saves you from making a bunch of small decisions, which in turn saves a heck of a lot of cognitive energy. And of course if you were trying to do all the things on vacation, that can contribute to feeling exhausted post-trip, too. So how can you make sure you feel truly rejuvenated before