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Day: April 20, 2019

2019 Health Relaxation Yoga

The yoga poses that can most benefit from adding blocks

6 min read

April 20, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC Whenever I’m in a yoga class, I feel really bad for yoga blocks. They definitely get a bad rap, and there’s such a widespread misconception that only the most novice yogis need to rely on yoga blocks for support—when in actuality, even the most advanced yoga practitioners turn to the tools in their practice. And so I reached out to a number of yoga pros to find out all of the yoga block uses worth knowing about and incorporating into your own Vinyasa class. “We love blocks,” gushes Kyle Miller, yogi pro and co-founder of Los Angeles’ Love Yoga space. “Yoga blocks are scaffolding and support. Our teachers always say when you are building a cathedral, a structure to house spirit, you use scaffolding. For us, blocks aren’t for beginners—they’re for informed practitioners who are supporting themselves while they practice. We use them throughout the practice, incorporating them into many poses.” So a major, functional use of yoga blocks is that they’re truly for support. “I use yoga blocks to help create more space or to act as a boundary,” says Beth Cooke, yogi and instructor at Sky Ting. “I’ve learned the Katonah yoga lineage that blocks create healthy boundaries in my body, and that gives me more freedom on both the mat and in life. If I become too flexible, I have a harder time feeling stable and grounded in my body.” Besides that, blocks are great because they allow you to cater

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2019 Health Relaxation

Zap your headaches away with these 6 natural home remedies

5 min read

April 20, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC Headaches are day ruiners that halt your big plans in their tracks—or at least make them difficult to flawlessly execute. As someone who gets many an angry migraine, I know that the pain forces me to pack it up for the day and retreat into my dark cave (AKA my bedroom with the shades drawn). But most days, we don’t have the time to sleep off a headache. What’s a gal to do? While doctors maintain over-the-counter or prescription medications are most effective to relieve the tension headache or migraine itself, there are some home remedies worth taking a spin to quell symptoms and feel a bit better, fast. “Treating as early as possible is the best chance to get pain under control,” says Susan Broner, MD, medical director of the headache program at at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian. She says home remedies can help get through an attack alone or in tandem with medication, so whip these fixes out sooner rather than later. And if your headaches are getting more frequent, more painful, or harder to treat, definitely talk with your doctor. Okay, now grab a glass of water (hydration is important here, like in so many aspects of our lives!) and let’s get into what to keep in your arsenal of instant home remedies for headaches: Essential oils You’ll want to grab peppermint, lavender, and rosemary essential oils for their pain-busting properties. “It’s not just, ‘Oh it’s relaxing,’ or

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2019 Health

The fear of rejection has been keeping us down since grade school, but there are ways to cope

7 min read

April 20, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC I can’t say for sure when a classic fear of rejection starts blossoming, but my first guess is during recess. So many of us start as itty-bitty extroverts who can ask “Will you be my friend?” with unfaltering bravado, knowing that the answer will be a default yes. Then one day, some 9-year-old shithead in a popcorn shirt tells you that you can’t be Baby Spice, or worse yet, you can’t play Spice Girls at all. All of a sudden, we realize that not everyone is going to like us, and that terror of being rejected leaves us swinging solo on the swing sets. I’ve been ruminating on rejection recently (clearly) because as a newly minted staffer at Well+Good, the last thing I want is for my new co-workers to not like me—in fact, that situation low-key petrifies me. My editor will probably eye roll at that because everyone has been very welcoming and awesome, but recess anxieties are so hard to shake, you know? [Editor’s note: Everyone at Well+Good loves you, Mary Grace!] We’d like to think we get more confident upon reaching adulthood, but by that point, we’re well aware that the scope of rejection extends beyond friendship. That’s why so many of us are terrified of being spurned by anyone and everyone, whether it’s an HR rep, a Bumble match, or the 550-some odd Instagram followers who aren’t double-tapping on that newest post even though that outfit is SO CUTE,

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2019 Health Keto

If you aren’t using every lemon peel, you’re missing out on some surprising benefits

5 min read

April 20, 2019 at 04:15AM by CWC Putting a slice of lemon in your water is hands down the easiest way to feel like a wellness rockstar. You could have spent the whole weekend eating double-stuffed Oreos and your sneakers could be gathering dust in the back of your closet, but put a little citrus in your H20 and boom—you feel healthier already. But while much talk is done around lemon water, the benefits of the lemon peel are pretty much ignored. Which is honestly too bad because they’re full of benefits just like the rest of the fruit. “Despite the fact that lemon peels are often discarded, they do have nutritional benefits,” says registered dietitian Katherine Brooking, RD. “The lemon peel is contains small amounts of calcium, vitamin C, and potassium, as well as fiber.” Considering you’re not exactly going to sit down and nosh on lemon peel, you might be wondering what the best way is to reap that stellar list of benefits. Well, keep reading my friend. Besides more details on the nutritional benefits, we’ve got some other surprising ways to put lemon peel to good use. Scroll down to see the nutritional benefits of lemon peel, how to consume them, and other ways to put them to good use. Nutritional benefits of lemon peel 1. Lemon peels contain calcium. As Brooking pointed out, lemon peels have a small amount of calcium, which is important for maintaining strong bones and cellular communication. Simply put, if you don’t get

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