Month: March 2019

March 28, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC Usually, the second my muscles start shaking, I’m out. I’ve already put in the work—whether I’m doing planks or bicep curls; lunges or squats. Because IMHO, once my entire body begins to gyrate, that’s a pretty good sign that I’ve put in some good work, and can move onto the next thing. But more-and-more trainers are saying to push through that pain and start counting reps at the point of exhaustion, and their argument is one that’s hard to negate: Results. “The reason trainers might say ‘start counting your reps when your muscles start shaking’ is because this is a point where your muscles are definitely being challenged and looking to recruit more muscle fibers,” says Ricardo Rose, instructor at EverybodyFights. According to Rose, by fatiguing muscles and doing more than 12 reps, you’re able to build muscular endurance, while getting stronger in the process. But the main reason that trainers say this is because we tend to hit fitness plateaus and frequently don’t push out of them to reach the next level. “If you’ve been training with the same set and rep structure over time, you’ll need to make one of two adjustments. Your first step is to increase the weight being lifted. Then, increase the repetitions,” he says. “Most programs call for a basic rep and set structure—for example, the classic three sets of 10 reps. For a more advanced fitness goer, pushing past those 10 reps will create a greater challenge

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March 28, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC As a wellness journalist who lives in hemp-obsessed California, I’ve had the opportunity to taste-test a lot of CBD products. Throughout my time test-driving tinctures and oils, I’ve been told (both from reading the label and from having face-time with creators of these products) that going “sublingual”—aka putting some drops under my tongue and letting them sit for a few seconds before swallowing—is the most effective way to take CBD. But is that advice actually legit? To find out—because there’s been relatively little rigorous research on CBD to date and I’m a skeptic by nature—I reached out to a doctor and a scientist for the 411. As I suspected, this isn’t a topic that has been studied in depth. Yet there is some reason to believe that certain CBD products may truly be more bioavailable when absorbed under the tongue than if taken through food or drink. According to Timothy Birdsall, ND—a member of hemp education platform Prima‘s medial advisory group—when you take certain substances sublingually, they can enter directly into your bloodstream, where they’re immediately shuttled to your tissues. Think of it as a shortcut to digestion, which is a longer process in which the substance needs to be ingested, broken down by the stomach, absorbed by the small intestine, and metabolized by the liver. “Not only do many compounds lose potential bioavailability during [the digestion] process, but the time to onset is delayed,” adds chemist Jessie Kater, vice president of product research

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March 28, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC For the most part, I’m not too worried about the germs in my kitchen. Out of all the places in my apartment, it’s definitely the cleanest. I harness the powers of bacteria-killing tea tree oil, after all. But even though I diligently wipe down every surface, there’s one dirty kitchen spot I’ve been missing my entire life. Your knife block is one of those things that you don’t really think about. The knives in it? Sure, those get cleaned after every use. But the block? Nope, never. According to Apartment Therapy, if your knives aren’t completely clean or dry, those dark slots make for the perfect breeding grounds for bacteria and mold. You might already have both in there without even realizing it. Unless you have time to give your knife block a deep-clean once a month (using a pipe cleaner to scrub inside the slots), it’s almost worth just ditching it in the first place. Instead, setting up a magnetic knife strip is a simple way to prevent anything icky from going down in your space. Not only can you clean it in a cinch, but it’s also a major space-saver, freeing up your counter for that espresso machine you’ve been dying to get. No bacteria or mold and a better morning brew? It’s a win-win. Sorry, but the knife block isn’t the only place that’s covered in bacteria. Here’s how improperly storing your toothbrush can invite germs into your mouth. And

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