July 26, 2019 at 12:50PM by CWC I have a friend who eats lemon slices whole—as in, rind and all. I tease her relentlessly for it, but she might actually get the last laugh when it comes to whole-fruit consumption. According to a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, the amount of beneficial bacteria you ingest when deciding how to eat an apple increases significantly when you don’t stop short of the core and seeds. Researchers at the Graz University of Technology in Austria analyzed the bacteria content in both organic and store-bought apples and came back with some unexpected (at least, to me?) findings. For starters, both types of apples contained approximately the same amount of bacteria content; however, organic apples had more diverse and more beneficial microbes as compared to store-bought varieties. Perhaps more intriguing is the team’s finding that in both apple types, the bulk of the good bacteria were found in an apple’s seeds. This means that if you skip them, you miss out on some major digestive help. In fact, researchers concluded that tossing an apple core reduces the amount of microbes consumed from more than 100 million to a measly 10 million. ad_intervals[‘411184_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘411184_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’);}); } }, 100); And while most modern-day humans can benefit from a little bacteria boost, there are certain signs that you in particular want to emulate Johnny Appleseed. Microbiome health affects everything from immunity to weight to depression (and
Day: July 26, 2019
Super Healthy 10-Minute Meals You Can Make From A Well-Stocked Freezer
July 26, 2019 at 11:00AM Plus, exactly how to stock your freezer. Continue Reading… Author Stephanie Eckelkamp | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
The 6 most creative core and butt moves you don’t know about yet (but should)
July 26, 2019 at 09:50AM by CWC Doing the same workout moves over and over (and over and over again) is like eating the same sad desk salad every day for lunch or wearing the exact same white t-shirt everywhere you go: Eventually, it’s going to get boring. Like, really boring. In fact, I am a firm believer that there is a finite number of regular ol’ crunches a human can do before they max out and never want to exercise again. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that’s there’s an entire industry built on the concept of mixing up your moves (hello, boutique fitness!) and giving people a variety of ways to get their workouts in. But now, thanks to the rise of digital fitness, you can get an entire buffet of moves brought to you in your living room. Technology like Obé and The Mirror give people the opportunity to stream a seemingly endless number of different workouts, without having to go anywhere for the sake of trying something new. “All of our trainers bring something different to the table. We have nine different class types, and that’s very purposeful because variety is important to mix it up and also keep your mind engaged,” Obé co-founder Ashley Mills said on Wednesday night during the most recent Well+Good TALK in New York City held at Made by We. “I think if you’re doing the same thing over and over again, you get bored of it, so by offering
The 1 obstacle between me and body-acceptance is my friends’ negative self-talk
July 26, 2019 at 09:28AM by CWC I have a positive relationship with my body, but cultivating it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Sure, I have my days of feeling less than stellar, like when I catch a not-cute glimpse of myself in the background of someone’s Instagram story at the gym and am like, is that what I REALLY look like? When this happens, I’ll text a friend and ask if I looked bad, because I need reassurance after accidentally subscribing to this social comparison of bodies. But generally speaking, I’m good with myself. Lately though, my self-conscious moments of weakness regarding negative self-talk about my body are more often triggered by friends than things like surprise gym footage. A few of my friends have taken to comparing their bodies to those of “skinny,” “sculpted,” “toned” celebrities and influencers, wondering how they can get a similar physique. But since social comparison of my body to others’ has never served me, I’ve removed these words and phrases from my vocabulary. Instead, I focus on how I feel in my skin. It works for me…until my friends come into the picture with their own insecurities to air. ad_intervals[‘391158_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘391158_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Social comparison can make us all feel like the Plastics in Mean Girls, cutting ourselves down in front of a mirror in Regina George’s bedroom. When this happens in my life, I feel as though I’m Cady
An arm implant could be the next generation of HIV prevention, researchers say
July 26, 2019 at 08:32AM by CWC Considering that nearly 40 million people around the world are living with HIV, combatting the virus continues to be a global health priority. Even President Trump announced in his 2019 State of the Union address that his administration was committed to “defeating” HIV and AIDS in the United States by 2030. Yet despite all the research and lofty policy goals, the fact remains that only 62 percent of people with HIV are getting treatment, and new transmissions of the virus in the United States are on the rise in certain groups. That’s why the news that an arm implant could potentially prevent new HIV infections for up to a year is making even skeptical experts excited. On Tuesday, at the 10th annual International Aids Society (IAS) conference in Mexico City, researchers from the drug company Merck presented the results of a recent clinical trial, which found that an arm implant effectively delivered an anti-HIV drug for 12 weeks—with potential to deliver enough of the drug for up to a year. (The research has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.) ad_intervals[‘411111_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘411111_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); The implant uses islatravir, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor that prevents the HIV virus from replicating in the body by blocking an enzyme that clones HIV’s DNA. Roy D. Baynes, MD, Merck’s chief medical officer, told The New York Times that islatravir is 10 times as powerful as previous HIV
Science backs up what introverts have known since the beginning of time: public speaking is terrifying
July 26, 2019 at 07:56AM by CWC One of my school’s many forms of torture was making a course on public speaking mandatory. I’ve always been introverted with a very fun kind of social anxiety, so this was a horrifying. And not just because I can only communicate eloquently with a keyboard; introverts are biologically more prone to a fear of public speaking and all the vocal jitters that come with it. No, really! According to new research published in Brain Imaging and Behavior, stress directly impacts our ability to talk coherently during public speaking. It mostly has to do with how the brain interacts with our laryngeal muscles, the muscles that help produce complex sounds. The brain tries to coordinate with those muscles to make what you and I know as “speech.” One area responsible for that coordination is the laryngeal motor cortex, but other secondary brain areas (the anterior cingulate cortex, for example) contribute to speech as well. ad_intervals[‘411104_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘411104_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Why is that important? Well, let me paint a picture of my worst nightmare. In the small study, 13 women were told they had to deliver an impromptu five-minute speech arguing who would be the best candidate for a law firm, and that—no pressure—it could start at any minute. As the women prepared for the speech, researchers investigated their saliva and hormone levels. When cortisol levels spiked, it shut down certain areas of the cortex that influences
Is the beauty industry really as diverse as it should be? Let’s check in.
July 26, 2019 at 07:55AM by CWC As part of our 2019 Well+Good Trends, we wrote about the positive shift Fenty had on the fashion industry, and ultimately how it would impact how brands speak to diverse consumers. As we march toward the halfway mark of 2019, however, we have to ask ourselves two questions: How far have we really come? What areas could use a bit more improvement? Let’s start with the wins. We’ve seen the launch of Oribe Highly Textured Collection, gender-neutral makeup from Fluide, a major push from Dr. Barbara Sturm to address the unique needs of darker skin tones in prestige department stores, and more-and-more lines founded by entrepreneurs of color, such as The Lip Bar and Briogeo. However, despite the W’s, issues like natural hair discrimination in the workplace still feel commonplace (though both California and New York recently passed laws against this), and brands continue to come under fire. On the fashion front, Kim Kardashian West feigned naiveté upon the backlash for her culturally insensitive named “Kimono” shape-wear line (P.S. Japan had a message for her), while Canadian-based beauty brand NiteCapCo claimed the team “invented” the bonnet, a long-standing staple within communities of color. ad_intervals[‘409795_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409795_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); It’s an odd juxtaposition and enough to make one wonder if change truly happening. To dive deeper, I spoke to industry insiders to see how far they feel this progress has brought us in the skin-care, hair-care, and
*Exactly* how an astronaut prepping her body to get ready for space
July 26, 2019 at 07:43AM by CWC When team Well+Good found out that I was going to be interviewing aspiring astronaut Abigail Harrison—otherwise known as “Astronaut Abby”—they had a lot of questions, ranging from “what does an astronaut’s workout routine look like?” to, I kid you not, “Are aliens real?!” While we’ll likely have to wait until the Area 51 raid (did you get your ticket yet?) to find out about that last one, Harrison did take the time to break down exactly what it takes for astronauts to get their bodies ready for space. The 22-year-old founder of The Mars Generation recently graduated from Wellesley College, and is on a journey to become one of the first humans on Mars. But that journey—particularly from a physical standpoint—won’t be easy. Going into outer space, it turns out, isn’t exactly great for your body, which means there’s a whole lot of physical prep and planning required for becoming an astronaut. “Not only do astronauts have to be the top of the line when it comes to their experience, research, and academics, but they also have to be really physically fit and capable,” says Harrison. “It’s a very highly-demanding physical job—both the job itself and training for it is physically demanding, but also, space exploration places a large wear and tear on the body.” She explains that the longer you’re in space, the more compounded the effects on your person—which include muscle and bone density loss, cardiac changes, and fluid shifts that can effect
These under-$10 drugstore sunscreens are low-key the best that you can buy
July 26, 2019 at 06:55AM by CWC Perusing the drugstore aisles for beauty products is one of my favorite activities. There is a seemingly endless number of things to oggle at, from this $7 toner to this $10 blush that looks identical to my personal iconic fave. But there’s one section in particular that—even as a beauty editor—always overwhelms me: the sunscreen aisle. While I know for sure which SPF product I should be slathering on my face every day (… dozens of dermatologists have recommended Elta MD UV Clear ($32) to me over the years, so that’s the one I tend to stick with), deciding what to protect my body with is a whole other story. From sprays to creams to foams, there are so many different options—and it usually takes me at least 15 minutes to decide which to buy and toss into my beach bag. To make the choice slightly easier, I consulted Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, of Hudson Dermatology and Laser to see which SPF product he reaches for during a drugstore visit. “If you are active, breaking a sweat, et cetera, I really like the Neutrogena Hydroboost Gel SPF Lotion ($10). It’s light and absorbs pretty quick so you don’t have that sticky feeling,” he says, adding that since compliance is such a major factor when it comes to putting on sunscreen, he tends to recommend things that patients actually like applying, and this Neutrogena product fits the bill. Plus, he says, “it does really well—even
It’s a sneaker world, we’re all just living in it
July 26, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC When Serena Williams stepped onto the red carpet at the 2019 Met Gala, it wasn’t her tennis-ball yellow Atelier Versace gown that got people talking. Rather, the most buzz-worthy part of her outfit was the pair of matching Off-White x Nike sneakers peeping out from her dress’ cascading train. In this iconic moment, the message was clear: Sneakers are now officially part of the dress code at every occasion imaginable, including those sanctioned by Anna Wintour. Of course, this is a movement that’s been building since the term “fitness fashion” was coined in the mid-2010s. But since the beginning of this year, anytime-anywhere sneakers seem to have hit a tipping point—a year ago, they may have been considered a trend, whereas now they’re a legitimate wardrobe staple. Walk down any city street in the world right now, and you’ll likely see tons of women wearing sneakers with dresses and midi skirts. (Not just for casual Sunday brunches, but for weddings, work, and first dates, too.) The same will surely be true this fall, if the sneaker-filled autumn/winter 2019 runways are any indication. Expect to see lots of hiking-inspired styles hit when the weather turns cool—we called the rise of “gorpcore” sneakers as part of our 2019 Wellness Trends preview last December, and the global fashion weeks in February proved the prescience of that prediction. ad_intervals[‘410840_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410840_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); “Cute factor plus comfort factor equals