May 06, 2019 at 08:38AM by CWC Oh, sleep. How is it that a single syllable contains so much meaning and causes the human population so much grief? Feeling tired all the time seems to be the collective mood of the 21st century. So many of us are in relentless pursuit of a good night’s rest. And if Apple’s trending podcasts are any indication, sleep hypnosis meditation is the audible solution we’ve all been dreaming of. Being the wellness podcast nerd that I am, I often scroll through Apple’s top 100 podcasts just for fun. It’s there that I first noticed an episode called “Autogenic Relaxation for Sleep,” which has been dominating the list for a few weeks (by my count). The 15-minute sequence was created by Meditation Oasis, and involves drawing attention to how each of your body parts feel from head to toe (e.g., my hips are warm and heavy) as you’re lying between your heavenly soft sheets. Calming music rounds out the listening experience. Autogenic relaxation is a method developed by psychiatrists defined as “a technique which involves progressive relaxation of the extremities, heartbeat stabilization, and maintenance of slow, deep breaths,” according to anxiety.org. If you’ve ever done a body scan in yoga class or tried the U.S. army’s technique for falling asleep, you’re familiar with the mesmerizing process of checking in with each and every extremity. A 2002 meta-analysis of 73 studies found autogenic relaxation useful for treating sleep disorders, as well as hypertension, migraines, and
Month: May 2019
Nutritionists cut the cheese on whether or not you can eat mold…on cheese
May 06, 2019 at 08:02AM by CWC My entire life, I’ve thought that cheese is a form of mold. But then, last night I adventured into my refrigerator looking for a cheesy snack, only to pull out my fave crumbled parmesan to sprinkle on something. I ate it, and when I was finished and putting the container away, I… saw that there was actual mold on cheese—as in, little blue flecks that I was horrified that I had just consumed. To see whether I was minutes away from dying or not, I immediately sought a nutritionist’s take on the matter. First of all, some types of cheese are meant to be made with mold, according to Lisa Richards, certified nutritionist and author of The Candida Diet. “These include various types of blue cheese, as well as brie and camembert,” she says. Then, similar to mold, it takes several types of fungus to make cheese. “These are mostly from the Penicillium family,” she explains. “For example, brie and camembert are made using Penicillium camemberti. Cheeses made from mold tend to be the softer varieties.” More live stuff lives in cheese too—like bacteria. “Most cheeses are made with bacteria, using live cultures from the Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, or Streptococcus families,” says Richards. “These are more likely to be harder cheeses like cheddar or parmesan.” Fun fact: Some of these probiotic cultures used in cheesemaking are the type you’ll find in your probiotic supplements. But here’s the thing—the types of cheeses made with bacteria
An astrologist spills the tea on the Royal Baby of Sussex’s birth chart
May 06, 2019 at 07:36AM by CWC Unless you’ve been avoiding both the Internet and humans for the past few hours, you know that the royal baby of Sussex has arrived. This morning, Meghan Markle gave birth to a healthy boy, weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces. The Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry will be enjoying privacy with their son in the coming days, so you’re going to have to wait to find out if you’ve won the Royal Baby Name Pool or if the child has ginger hair. I know, I know, that the baby has been born just isn’t enough information. You need more! Well, bless astrologers Monte Farber and Amy Zerner. The bestselling authors of Astrology for Wellness and Signs & Seasons: An Astrology Cookbook have already completed a birth chart for the hours-old newborn. A birth chart is a map noting the location of the planets in their journey around the sun at the moment a person is born, providing insight into specific strengths and weaknesses, and the best time to make important decisions. What does the position of the planets tell us about the baby boy of Sussex? The Royal Baby of Sussex’s Birth Chart Graphic: Monte Farber and Amy Zerner “The royal baby was born just before sunrise and so he is a double Taurus, Sun and Rising Sign—aka Ascendant,” Farber says. “Like all ‘double’ Rising Signs he will be a case of ‘what you see is what you get.’” Zerner adds that he will
The plank-happy, full-body workout that fires up every muscle in 12 minutes flat
May 06, 2019 at 07:14AM by CWC There are a lot of things you can do in 12 minutes: Microwave a well-done sweet potato, watch one half of an episode of Friends, or fire up every single muscle in your body by way of this routine from Master SoulCycle Instructor and EmBody creator Emily Turner’s latest workout. In honor of May’s Trainer of the Month Club, Turner has shared four weeks worth of full-body workouts, the first of which you can get done in no time. With a series of every iteration of planks you could possibly imagine, these moves will leave every fiber from your shoulders to your abs on fire. And the best part? You can do the full set of exercises right from the comfort of your own home with nothing more than your own body and yoga mat’s worth of open space. (Technically, that means you can actually watch that half episode of Friends and simultaneously cook a sweet potato while you workout, should you so choose.) Three birds, one stone? Now that’s our kind of workout. Try this week one’s workout, below, and check back every Monday for the rest of the month for an entirely new living room-friendly series of moves. View this post on Instagram MAY TRAINER OF THE MONTH CLUB IS HERE! 🎉💪💦 Our new trainer this month is @emilyhopeturner, Master Instructor at SoulCycle and the creator of EmBody in NYC! To kick things off, Week 1 is all about body weight strengthening. ⠀ ⠀ Ready
4 Simple Breathing Practices To Relieve Stress & Tension
May 06, 2019 at 05:41AM It’s time to unwind and de-stress. Continue Reading… Author Florence Parot | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
This Innovation Aims To Stop Food Waste (And Save Some Avocados In The Process)
May 06, 2019 at 02:15AM Guac (and planet) lovers, listen up. Continue Reading… Author Emma Mildon | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
On a scale of 1 to “get a hazmat suit,” how gross is it to share sex toys with multiple partners?
May 06, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC If you looked under my bed, you wouldn’t find monsters and boogeymen. Rather, you’d find multiple bins (yes, bins) of sex toys. Of the hundred or so vibrators taking up my sacred storage space, I’ve got a few faves: a purple glass dildo and a silicone banana-shaped vibe. And while I’m being honest, I’ll admit: I’ve used both of these with most of my partners—i.e., a number greater than one person. Of course, I wash the toys before and after each use. But, is that enough? Is using the same sex toy with multiple partners was bad etiquette…or even, like, bad karma? Well, according to my stable of sexperts, etiquette and karma are probably the least of my concerns—apparently in this case, sharing not only isn’t caring but can also be downright unsanitary—even if you clean the toy between uses with multiple partners. “Different partners need different sex toys,” says sexologist Jill McDevitt, PhD, citing possible health risks as the main reason why. “Technically the risks of cross-infection is relatively low. But if there are any risks, is it worth it?” —Stuart Nugent, of luxury sex-toy company LELO One small 2014 study, published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases, examined whether or not human papillomavirus (HPV) can live on vaginally inserted sex toys. To test whether cleaning sex toys is actually effective for ridding them of bacteria and viruses, researchers asked women with HPV to insert the toy vaginally. They then compared results
Real Talk: How Important Is Meal Timing Post-Workout?
May 06, 2019 at 01:23AM The lowdown on this hot (and very debated) topic. Continue Reading… Author Heather Marr | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
8 Wellness-y DIYs That’ll Freshen Up Your Home & Take Zero Skill
May 06, 2019 at 01:07AM Hanging colander planter, anyone? Continue Reading… Author Emma Loewe | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
The Truth About Sensitive vs. Sensitized Skin + What To Do About It
May 06, 2019 at 01:02AM Many people claim to have sensitive skin; here, we explain what it is and what to do about it. Continue Reading… Author Alexandra Engler | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC