Science says sighing is involuntary self care—not your inner angsty teen being rude

June 07, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC I’ve taken to sighing approximately, oh, 22,000 times a morning, and I’m worried that my co-workers thing I’m an uptight, bored, and rude. The meaning of sighing is, after all, murky at best and the connotations of it are mostly negative. Sure, you can sigh of relief when your college friend cancels those after-work dinner plans. Or you can sigh dreamily when you scroll past the most perfect trifecta of Harry Styles, Gucci, and piglets. But mostly sighing conjures that phase of your life when wearing liquid eyeliner was a moody personality trait. And I’m trying to escape my reputation as the token Goth Teenager in every room I inhabit. Is my sighing habit precluding me from such progress? If you have similar anxieties, brace yourself for one of those big relief sighs: Sighing is actually a incredibly benign reflex that we all do pretty much constantly. On average, a person sighs every five minutes, which is about 12 times an hour. And while that may seems excessive, it actually may be a factor that’s keeping us alive. One study from UCLA and Stanford points to how the purpose of sighing is to inflate the alveoli, balloon-like sacs where oxygen enters and carbon dioxide leaves the bloodstream. Sometimes the alveoli collapses, so sighing is engaged to bring in double the oxygen to pop it back up again. Otherwise, your oxygen-to-carbon-dioxide process is compromised, and—not to get catastrophic—your lungs will fail. That biological function aside,

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Science says sighing is involuntary self care—not your inner angsty teen being rude

June 07, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC I’ve taken to sighing approximately, oh, 22,000 times a morning, and I’m worried that my co-workers thing I’m an uptight, bored, and rude. The meaning of sighing is, after all, murky at best and the connotations of it are mostly negative. Sure, you can sigh of relief when your college friend cancels those after-work dinner plans. Or you can sigh dreamily when you scroll past the most perfect trifecta of Harry Styles, Gucci, and piglets. But mostly sighing conjures that phase of your life when wearing liquid eyeliner was a moody personality trait. And I’m trying to escape my reputation as the token Goth Teenager in every room I inhabit. Is my sighing habit precluding me from such progress? If you have similar anxieties, brace yourself for one of those big relief sighs: Sighing is actually a incredibly benign reflex that we all do pretty much constantly. On average, a person sighs every five minutes, which is about 12 times an hour. And while that may seems excessive, it actually may be a factor that’s keeping us alive. One study from UCLA and Stanford points to how the purpose of sighing is to inflate the alveoli, balloon-like sacs where oxygen enters and carbon dioxide leaves the bloodstream. Sometimes the alveoli collapses, so sighing is engaged to bring in double the oxygen to pop it back up again. Otherwise, your oxygen-to-carbon-dioxide process is compromised, and—not to get catastrophic—your lungs will fail. That biological function aside,

Read More

Sick of EVOO? Try these 11 healthy, nutritionist-approved salad dressings instead

June 07, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Summer time is peak salad season—it’s the best way to make the most of all the in-season produce at the farmer’s market without having to turn on the oven. But there’s only one downside: It’s really, really easy to get sick of lemon and EVOO as your go-to healthy salad dressings. And healthy bottled options just don’t exist, right? Wrong. While many are loaded with sodium and sugar, there are still plenty of healthy options if you know what to look for, says Maggie Moon, MS, RD. “Most bottled salad dressings are created for shelf-life, so watch out for preservatives and additives that you would never add at home,” she says. Look for options in the refrigerated section, as they are likely to have fewer or no preservatives, she says. Be sure to read the nutrition facts label and ingredients statement. “Aim to keep sodium below 200 mg per serving, [and it’s] even better if it’s 140 mg per serving,” says Moon. Plus, try to keep added sugars below 5 grams, as well as saturated fat below 1 gram. And a tip? Thick creamy dressings are generally higher in cholesterol-raising saturated fat, so be extra cautious with those. Ready to add some pizazz to your bed of greens? Shop these 11 dietitian-approved healthy salad dressings for fun, flavorful salads and marinades. Photo: Mother Raw Mother Raw Greek Dressing ($8) “I love this dressing because it’s made with extra-virgin olive oil and ingredients that

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Sick of EVOO? Try these 11 healthy, nutritionist-approved salad dressings instead

June 07, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Summer time is peak salad season—it’s the best way to make the most of all the in-season produce at the farmer’s market without having to turn on the oven. But there’s only one downside: It’s really, really easy to get sick of lemon and EVOO as your go-to healthy salad dressings. And healthy bottled options just don’t exist, right? Wrong. While many are loaded with sodium and sugar, there are still plenty of healthy options if you know what to look for, says Maggie Moon, MS, RD. “Most bottled salad dressings are created for shelf-life, so watch out for preservatives and additives that you would never add at home,” she says. Look for options in the refrigerated section, as they are likely to have fewer or no preservatives, she says. Be sure to read the nutrition facts label and ingredients statement. “Aim to keep sodium below 200 mg per serving, [and it’s] even better if it’s 140 mg per serving,” says Moon. Plus, try to keep added sugars below 5 grams, as well as saturated fat below 1 gram. And a tip? Thick creamy dressings are generally higher in cholesterol-raising saturated fat, so be extra cautious with those. Ready to add some pizazz to your bed of greens? Shop these 11 dietitian-approved healthy salad dressings for fun, flavorful salads and marinades. Photo: Mother Raw Mother Raw Greek Dressing ($8) “I love this dressing because it’s made with extra-virgin olive oil and ingredients that

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