Month: June 2019

June 03, 2019 at 07:44AM by CWC One of my (many) weaknesses is fresh-out-of-the-oven brownies. My best friend loves to tell the story of the time I ate one too many of those warm and cozy goodies and fell asleep in the middle of the living room floor. While my love of brownies is still strong as ever, the way I make them has greatly improved. And if you love eating brownie batter right off the spoon, have I got the recipe for you. Jacki Bolig, the certified health coach behind Figgin Delicious, recently shared her brownie batter bites recipe, and it only takes one taste to become totally hooked. This mix only uses five simple ingredients: sunflower seed butter, cacao powder, maple syrup, coconut flour, and mini chocolate chips. After mixing everything together, just pop the batter in the refrigerator for a bit. Ready to roll? Brownie batter bites Ingredients 3/4 cup organic SunButter 3 Tbsp cacao powder 3 to 4 Tbsp maple syrup (depending on sweetness preference) 1 Tbsp coconut flour 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips Instructions Mix together SunButter and maple syrup until smooth. Add in cacao powder and coconut flour, mix until dough-like. Mix in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, so the batter becomes easier to make into balls Roll into 16 to 18 balls and enjoy. Or, if preferred, place back into the refrigerator for 1+ hours for more solidified texture. If you like brownies with a side of health benefits, this magnesium brownie

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June 03, 2019 at 07:44AM by CWC One of my (many) weaknesses is fresh-out-of-the-oven brownies. My best friend loves to tell the story of the time I ate one too many of those warm and cozy goodies and fell asleep in the middle of the living room floor. While my love of brownies is still strong as ever, the way I make them has greatly improved. And if you love eating brownie batter right off the spoon, have I got the recipe for you. Jacki Bolig, the certified health coach behind Figgin Delicious, recently shared her brownie batter bites recipe, and it only takes one taste to become totally hooked. This mix only uses five simple ingredients: sunflower seed butter, cacao powder, maple syrup, coconut flour, and mini chocolate chips. After mixing everything together, just pop the batter in the refrigerator for a bit. Ready to roll? Brownie batter bites Ingredients 3/4 cup organic SunButter 3 Tbsp cacao powder 3 to 4 Tbsp maple syrup (depending on sweetness preference) 1 Tbsp coconut flour 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips Instructions Mix together SunButter and maple syrup until smooth. Add in cacao powder and coconut flour, mix until dough-like. Mix in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, so the batter becomes easier to make into balls Roll into 16 to 18 balls and enjoy. Or, if preferred, place back into the refrigerator for 1+ hours for more solidified texture. If you like brownies with a side of health benefits, this magnesium brownie

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June 03, 2019 at 07:42AM by CWC I am firmly team Sleep in the Nude. Like, I straight up don’t get people who sleep with their clothes on. Part of this is comfort (what’s cozier than no clothes at all? Nothing!), and in part because I’ve always thought that you had to remove your underwear at night to let your vagina “breathe”—and I’ve never questioned it until my editor asked me to investigate this topic. You know, for science. Here’s what I learned: It can be beneficial to sleep without underwear on, but it has less to do with your vagina and more to do with the health of your outer parts. Basically, everyone with a vagina experiences vaginal discharge, says Shweta Pai, OB/GYN and member of the Love Wellness medical advisory board. “Some women may have more physiologic discharge than others, thus creating a moist environment within their underwear,” she says. “Excess moisture can lead to bacterial overgrowth, which can lead to a vaginal infection,” she says. By sleeping in the buff at night (or wearing cotton-only underwear), Dr. Pai says that you can ward off future vaginal infections by decreasing the amount of moisture that surrounds your vagina or vulva. (Hence the whole “letting your vagina breathe” thing.) However, Dr. Pai says if you’re prone to recurring infections ~down there~, you should talk to your doctor; there might be something bigger going on than just your choice of underwear at night. There’s also another reason why Dr. Pai

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June 03, 2019 at 07:42AM by CWC I am firmly team Sleep in the Nude. Like, I straight up don’t get people who sleep with their clothes on. Part of this is comfort (what’s cozier than no clothes at all? Nothing!), and in part because I’ve always thought that you had to remove your underwear at night to let your vagina “breathe”—and I’ve never questioned it until my editor asked me to investigate this topic. You know, for science. Here’s what I learned: It can be beneficial to sleep without underwear on, but it has less to do with your vagina and more to do with the health of your outer parts. Basically, everyone with a vagina experiences vaginal discharge, says Shweta Pai, OB/GYN and member of the Love Wellness medical advisory board. “Some women may have more physiologic discharge than others, thus creating a moist environment within their underwear,” she says. “Excess moisture can lead to bacterial overgrowth, which can lead to a vaginal infection,” she says. By sleeping in the buff at night (or wearing cotton-only underwear), Dr. Pai says that you can ward off future vaginal infections by decreasing the amount of moisture that surrounds your vagina or vulva. (Hence the whole “letting your vagina breathe” thing.) However, Dr. Pai says if you’re prone to recurring infections ~down there~, you should talk to your doctor; there might be something bigger going on than just your choice of underwear at night. There’s also another reason why Dr. Pai

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June 03, 2019 at 07:33AM by CWC I like to track my workouts by how many songs it takes to finish them. A three-mile run suddenly seems a lot more manageable when I realize it will only take me six or seven Justin Bieber tracks to get through it, and 45 minutes on a spin bike is basically just nine Ariana Grande jams before I’m outta there and onto brunch. So when I found out that this week’s Trainer of the Month abs series would only take six minutes—AKA less than two songs—I was pumped. “That’s nothing!” I thought to myself. Boy, was I wrong. Trainer Meg Takacs‘ latest core workout may be quick, but man-oh-man is it intense. It focuses on every part of your core, from your midsection through to your inner and outer obliques, leaving no muscle un-worked. Thankfully, she shares some modifications to help get you through it, and even those will leave your burning. Pop on your favorite playlist and follow along with Takacs to burn out those abs, and don’t forget to check back next week for an entirely new workout. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsSBamlIhSc?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] Do each movement for 30 seconds, and cycle through the series twice. 1. Hollow rocks: Balancing on your glutes, straighten your arms and legs to create a hollow “V” shape in your body. Roll back through your spine, keeping your legs straight. Think about crunching your belly button into your spine, keeping the tension in the core. Let the momentum of your

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June 03, 2019 at 07:33AM by CWC I like to track my workouts by how many songs it takes to finish them. A three-mile run suddenly seems a lot more manageable when I realize it will only take me six or seven Justin Bieber tracks to get through it, and 45 minutes on a spin bike is basically just nine Ariana Grande jams before I’m outta there and onto brunch. So when I found out that this week’s Trainer of the Month abs series would only take six minutes—AKA less than two songs—I was pumped. “That’s nothing!” I thought to myself. Boy, was I wrong. Trainer Meg Takacs‘ latest core workout may be quick, but man-oh-man is it intense. It focuses on every part of your core, from your midsection through to your inner and outer obliques, leaving no muscle un-worked. Thankfully, she shares some modifications to help get you through it, and even those will leave your burning. Pop on your favorite playlist and follow along with Takacs to burn out those abs, and don’t forget to check back next week for an entirely new workout. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsSBamlIhSc?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] Do each movement for 30 seconds, and cycle through the series twice. 1. Hollow rocks: Balancing on your glutes, straighten your arms and legs to create a hollow “V” shape in your body. Roll back through your spine, keeping your legs straight. Think about crunching your belly button into your spine, keeping the tension in the core. Let the momentum of your

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June 03, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC If you’re like me, you’ve grown pretty accustomed to breaking out in the exact same spot time-and-time again. And, I’m sorry, but what gives? I cleanse, tone, moisturize, and treat my face (and body) with top-quality skin-care products, so I’d really appreciate if that silly zit could just quit it. Sound familiar? I can’t say I’m surprised. After all, it’s pretty standard, albeit unfortunate, to experience recurring breakouts. While it’s great to know that we’re not alone in this pus-filled world, it’s much more helpful (for our skin at least) to understand what’s causing the frequent pimples in the first place. “Zits that return in the same spot are usually cysts, or inflamed pimples deep in the skin,” says New York City-based dermatologist Arielle Kauvar, MD. “Our pores are the surface of channels (or tubes) which start in the oil glands and interconnect with one main channel in a hair follicle. When the channels become blocked, excessive oil and bacteria cause inflammation and expansion of the channel into a balloon-like sac that we can feel as a bump under the skin.” When these blockages occur deep within the channel, cysts form. Over time, those channels can become narrower, and even scarred, which predisposes the corresponding pores to become clogged and infected over-and-over again. What may seem like recurring zits could actually be the same pimple taking its sweet time to fully go away. “There is redness and inflammation that needs to get cleared

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