November 19, 2019 at 10:47PM by CWC Every time a fitness enthusiast blinks, a new recovery tool enters the market. Or at least that’s the way it seems. Form muscle-stimulating instruments to percussive therapy devices and beyond, the trend just won’t quit. Now, it’s easier than ever to take your recovery routine on the road with Mobot: a water bottle-foam roller hybrid. The Mobot water bottle comes in three sizes: 18 ounces ($40), 27 ounces ($50), and 40 ounces ($60)—and several times as many colors. The bottle solves the problem of having to transport both a water and a trigger point foam roller so you never, ever have to ignore your aching muscles. And perhaps more importantly, having it in your vicinity reminds you to take a stretch break every once and a while. View this post on Instagram Interrupting your scroll to remind you to slow down, breathe, hydrate, and roll today. #rollmodel @dejariley showing us how it’s done. A post shared by MOBOT NATION (@mobotnation) on Jun 25, 2019 at 9:39am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js The Amazon reviews of the hydration-slash-recovery tool tell the story of endorphin-happy customers. “Does exactly what it’s supposed to. Kept my recovery drink cool and my muscles loose,” writes one purchaser. “I ordered this as a birthday gift for my sister, who is heavy into CrossFit. She LOVES it and gets compliments from other gym-goers all the time. If you’re worried that 40oz is too big, it’s definitely not,” says another. Your workout
Month: November 2019
How to give your plant-based Thanksgiving the one thing it’s been missing
November 19, 2019 at 09:29PM by CWC For some of us, a plant-based Thanksgiving is always better than a traditional Thanksgiving. If you ask me, turkey is highly overrated. When you take it out of the equation, there’s so much more room on your plate for all the side dishes smothered in brown gravy. To complete your plant-based holiday meal, you need the one thing your table has been missing: a bowl full of vegan mushroom gravy. One bite of mushroom gravy and you’ll be hooked. Instead of drippings from the turkey, earthy mushrooms provide the base for a gravy that’s both healthy and super satisfying. It’s also incredibly easy to make. Julie West, the food blogger behind The Simple Veganista, created a rich and creamy vegan mushroom gravy that only requires five ingredients. After cooking the mushrooms in olive oil, you simply add flour, vegetable broth, and some simple seasonings and let it simmer until it thickens. Trying to simplify your holiday menu? You can buy a store-bought version and save yourself the trouble. Imagine’s Vegan Wild Mushroom Gravy is found in most health stores, and it contains 10 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 170 mg of sodium per serving. Whether homemade or store-bought, until you add mushroom gravy to your plate, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. Adding a little color to your plate? Parsley is more than just a garnish: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnu3SWMzh5U] If your family is confused about your eating plan, here’s how to deal
I’m a dermatologist, and this is the most misdiagnosed skin condition I see
November 19, 2019 at 09:22PM by CWC Getting acne from rosacea is extremely confusing, because treating it like the former if you have the latter is not a good skin-care equation. It’s just like trying to exfoliate away a blackhead or pop a pimple—plain and simple, it’s not the right thing to do. (Trust.) Knowing your unique skin condition/skin type/skin tendencies, though, is the root of most skin confusion. Misdiagnose your skin, and it can create a slew of skin woes—especially with rosacea, since those who suffer from it have very reactive, irritable skin. According to top dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, rosacea just so happens to be the skin misdiagnosis that he sees all of the time. Why is it so hard to pinpoint? Well, it’s a really sneaky skin condition that shows up in other ways (like in the form of acne, as mentioned before). “Rosacea is a common skin condition that’s characterized by redness, bumps, and pus pimples in the central face,” says Dr. Zeichner, noting that people with the condition tend to experience flushing, burning, and sensitivity of the skin. “Because many people have pus pimples, it’s commonly confused with acne.” BTW: Here’s what to know about adult acne: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd7wXj6q3L4?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] It’s hard not to want to quash your breakouts with the typical acne-fighting ingredients you know and love. But, in rosacea’s case, these ingredients will make your skin even more inflamed and irritated. “I have had countless numbers of patients come into the office to treat acne
Hand-release push-ups mean you’ll never be able to cheat your workout again
November 19, 2019 at 08:00PM by CWC Hand-release push-ups are part of the Army Combat Fitness Test for a reason—they’re hard. The move is just one of the ways the military tests mobility and endurance, and they do so by seeing how many hand-release push-ups can be done in a two-minute time frame. Hand-release push-ups don’t let you cheat your way through the move. You forced to complete the full movement with proper form. (If you find it too challenging, you can always drop your knees to the ground.) Every muscle in your upper body is engaged in order to lift you back up each time. If you want to see if you can do the army-approved push-up, here’s how to perform it properly. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX7339XfbSM] How to do hand-release push-ups properly Get into your starting position with your hands flat on the floor directly beneath your shoulders and your feet together. Push-up, straightening your arms as you raise your upper and lower body at the same time. Your body should stay in a straight line the entire time. Once both elbows are fully extended, return to the starting position with your hands flat on the floor beneath your shoulders. Without moving your head, body, or legs, lift your hands about an inch off the floor for the “hand release” portion of the push-up. Return your hands to the starting position to complete the push-up. The top of the push-up is a plank. Here’s how to do it correctly: [youtube
I tried the customizable Pluto Pillow and can now finally sleep through the night
November 19, 2019 at 07:22PM by CWC Earlier this year, while overcome by a fit of rage, I threw out four of my pillows. It’s an embarrassing confession given how unsustainable the act was and how…unstable it paints me to be, but I was feeling claustrophobic and uncomfortable and just done. Specifically, I was done tossing and turning in the middle of the night thanks to the floppy, rectangular obstacles and rock-hard, just-for-decoration puffs in my way. After months spent on a decidedly minimalist mattress setup, though, I was ready to open my heart and bedtime routine to another cushion, and I when I came across the Pluto Pillow, the personalized head-cushioning companion, I was sure I had found The One. Pluto Pillow launched in 2018, and when I personally learned about it in 2019, after my pillow purge, was excited, to say the least. Unlike many personalized pillows on the market that lean on tracking data and optimization technology, the $85 Pluto Pillow simply conforms the the uniqueness of you without a goal or an agenda beyond snagging you some zzz’s. “The only innovative pillows I found online were ‘smart’ pillows or ‘adjustable’ pillows—I just wanted a simple, high quality pillow at a fair price,” founder Susana Saeliu writes in a product release. Rather than a “smart pillow,” think of Pluto as the world’s first “thoughtful pillow,” because it does seem to really listen to your wants and desires. So, rather than a “smart pillow,” think of Pluto as
6 healthy foods Italian centenarians eat each day for longevity
November 19, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC Italy is known for ultra-fresh ingredients that dance across your tastebuds. The folks in Sardinia, a picturesque island in the Mediterranean Sea, have a particular knack for living well into old age—and a diet consisting of healthy Italian foods contributes greatly to their longevity. In a recent edition of the Blue Zones newsletter (which covers the lifestyle habits of healthy people across the world), an infographic named the top eight foods Sardinia’s residents love to add to their plates. Of course, every ingredient has a place in the Mediterranean diet. The healthy Italian foods centenarians reach for to satisfy their bodies and palates include everything from olives to red wine. 6 healthy Italian foods that Sardinian centenarians eat daily 1. barley “Barley is soaring with molybdenum, manganese, selenium, fiber, and copper,” says Amie Valpone, HHC, AADP, a nutrition ambassador at Lycored. “It’s a great option for adding robust flavor to soups and stews and can certainly boost your intestinal health because its dietary fiber provides food for the beneficial bacteria in the large intestine.” You can also use the grain as a base for colorful grain bowls, or eat it as an oatmeal substitute at breakfast time. 2. Fava beans Each breed of bean comes with its own unique nutritional profile, and fava beans are no exception. “Fava beans, or broad beans, are packed with vitamins and minerals as well as plant-based protein and fiber,” says Malina Malkani, RDN, a dietitian with the
I’m a trainer and this is how to hold the longest plank of your life
November 19, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC Point blank: There’s a reason why planks make an appearance in everything from boxing warmups to megaformer sequences. “From sculpting to improving your posture, the plank is widely considered one of the best core exercises,” says certified trainer and MINDBODY wellness specialist Kate Ligler. She continues, noting that the plank builds isometric strength from front to back across your core. So if you’re wondering how to hold a plank for longer, we don’t blame ya. Planks also strengthen engagement in your upper back, glutes, shoulders, arms, and hamstring, making them “a game-changer for those building functional strength.” So obviously, if you’re looking to get stronger in your plank position so that you’re able to hold it for longer, ahead Ligler and other well-respected trainers share their top tips. But before we get to that, here’s the right way to do a plank once and for all: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6ZelKyUM6g?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] 1. Go long According to Ligler, the traditional plank—with arms fully extended with bodyweight propped up on hands and toes—is the best version of the plank if you are looking to build time, as dropping down to your elbows is far more challenging on your core due to the angle of your bodyweight (um hi, who would’ve thought?). To hold your plank for as long as possible, Ligler says to “engage the quads and glutes, rotate those elbow creases forward to strengthen your posture, and finally find a rhythm to your breathing.” 2. Perfect your
Your 8-step guide to having a healthy threesome, from couples who swear by it
November 19, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC “It’s made us better communicators, lovers, and partners,” Liz* tells me. She’s not referencing a choice to try couples’ counseling or get a puppy together or another typical, mainstream marker of relationship-building and -boosting strategies. Rather, she’s talking about bringing a third person into bed. While she’s always been interested in threesomes, Liz, a 24-year-old bisexual, cisgender woman, says she never knew how to broach the subject with past partners, so she would go about it in a joking way. But when she joked about it with her current partner, Tucker, a 32-year-old cisgender, heterosexual man, he didn’t laugh it off. Instead he asked if that’s something she’d be interested in exploring together. She said yes, and now they’ve been having regular threesomes for almost as long as the two years they’ve been together. Liz and Tucker are part of a growing number of couples who are expanding beyond traditional monogamy to create a relationship structure that works best for them. “A lot of couples, including those who identify as monogamous, are interested in exploring threesomes,” says pleasure-based sex educator and sex-positivity advocate Lateef Taylor. “A lot of couples, including those who identify as monogamous, are interested in exploring threesomes.” —sex educator Lateef Taylor One survey of more than 4,000 Americans, analyzed in Tell Me What You Want by sex educator Justin Lehmiller, PhD, nods to that fact. In his research, Dr. Lehmiller found group sex and threesomes to be the most common sexual
We asked OB/GYNs to answer the top 5 questions Well+Good readers have about female fertility
November 19, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC If I had to come up with a list of some of the most confusing health topics, fertility would be right up there at the top. It’s a huge part of the health of any person with a uterus, regardless of whether or not they intend to have kids. But before a person actively starts trying to get pregnant, most people’s understanding of female fertility comes from sub-par high school health classes and one’s annual checkup with their OB/GYN—leaving a lot of room for questions. To that end, we polled Well+Good’s Instagram audience earlier this month to ask them what they found the most confusing about fertility. And while readers got many of the basic facts right—like how fertility in women typically declines after age 35, and that our hormone levels fluctuate throughout the month—people asked a lot of the same (or similar) questions. There were so many common themes, in fact, that we decided we had to take these pressing Q’s to top gynecologists to get some much-needed A’s. Consider this your 200-level course on female fertility. 1. What can cause infertility? The “foundation” of successful fertility, says Stephanie McClellan, MD, chief medical officer at Tia, is for an egg to be fertilized by a sperm. “To accomplish that, number one, a [person] has to ovulate—meaning that with some regularity, they produce in their ovaries an egg—in a supportive hormone environment that allows for fertilization and implantation of the fertilized egg in
These strips told me my skin type in 3 seconds and I’m shook
November 19, 2019 at 12:11PM by CWC Plenty of people think that their skin is “sensitive” (self included, TBH). Trying to categorize your complexion isn’t the easiest thing to do, but there are ways to help you figure it out. Namely: with a skin type test. When I tried the Monat Skin Routine Tester strips ($7) on my face, I was shocked to learn that, rather than my skin being dry (as I’d believed for-e-ver), I actually had more of a combination situation on my hands. Don. don. donnnn. The strips work by detecting how much oil or sebum you have on your bare face. You hold one of these little strips of paper against your forehead, and the other against your cheek. Roughly five seconds later, you’ll been matched with your skin type depending on what the sebum pattern looks like on the strip (aka: how much is there). “The different skin types are categorized by oiliness or dryness levels in the skin,” says Marlene Garcia, licensed medical esthetician and Monat skin care product educator, explaining that you can be oily, normal, dry, or combination. “More and more people are categorizing their skin as sensitive, though, which is actually a compromised barrier function that’s highly reactive and responsive.” But typically sensitive skin, which reacts wildly to almost everything, is very different than sensitized skin, which can result from overuse of harsh ingredients (or even gentle ones that you’re allergic to). For now, the test can’t tell you if you’re sensitive,