December 07, 2019 at 10:00PM by CWC Gut health is all the rage these days, and for good reason: eating foods with good bacterian helps to balance your gut’s microbiome—the digestive tract’s ecosystem comprising of trillions of live bacteria that interact with virtually every cell—boasts benefits that extend well beyond digestion. According to research from the British Medical Journal, diversifying your gut microbiota can play a role in weight management, and help ward off the likes of type 2 diabetes, arthritis, Celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and more. Most recently, three independent studies have even found that certain gut bacteria species may improve the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs. It’s like, what can’t a balanced gut do? Need a refresher on gut health? Watch this: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpAjl3cFn6A] While no single food can alter your gut flora or even eliminate your risk of disease, Dr. Niket Sonpal, M.D., an NYC-based internist and gastroenterologist, stocks his fridge with the following foods to optimize gut and overall health. Foods with good bacteria, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins for gut health 1. Yogurt If you’ve been toying with the idea of embarking on the Activia challenge, let this be your inspo to take the leap. “Live yogurt is an excellent source of so-called friendly bacteria, also known as probiotics,” says Dr. Sonpal. To maximize your yogurt’s health benefits, he recommends adding your own fresh fruit (instead of opting for sugary fruit-on-the-bottom types), as well as avoiding sugar-free or full-fat versions. 2. Miso You don’t need
Day: December 7, 2019
This sheer black lipstick can transform *any* shade into the perfect wintery hue
December 07, 2019 at 09:00PM by CWC I know I promised to tone it down with fancy goth sh–t after I asked for that velvet Victorian mourning hat for Christmas in 2018, that deluxe Cure double record in 2016, and like…17 years’ worth of Nightmare Before Christmas merch before that. But, dear Santa, please believe me when I say that I absolutely need the Lipstick Queen Black Lace Rabbit ($24) lipstick, or I will never be the exquisite midnight princess that I am meant to be. Black Lace Rabbit isn’t just the chicest name for a tube of lipstick ever. It’s a sheer black color with gold—gold!—sparkly flecks in it, which evokes a serious Stevie Nicks aesthetic, first of all. Worn solo, if you dare to be so bold, the hue makes your lips look as though they’re wearing black nylon stockings. Sure, not everyone can be convinced of the idea that a smoky gray-pink pout is chic, but to each their own. But what makes the Black Lace Rabbit shade particularly special is its transformative powers against any lipstick. This shade is actually meant for layering—so, as the temperatures drop and that reddish-coral you got for the summer looks clownish against your winter pallor, a swipe of Black Lace Rabbit morphs it into a deep berry hue that’ll be a big hit at your next holiday party. Santa, you know how very important it is to really Show Up to a holiday party. You want to have options. Really, this multitasking
Sleep experts want you to use a bedtime alarm—here’s why
December 07, 2019 at 08:00PM by CWC Many swear that committing to their healthy and highly personalized morning routine is what sets themselves up for a successful day. Whether that includes a satisfying stretch, a yoga flow, enjoying a hydrating and fiber-rich breakfast, or anything else, ritualizing the way you wake up can bridge the gap between restorative sleep time and productive wake time. And, according to experts, the same concept applies to the inverse situation of preparing the body to go to sleep. The recommended amount of sleep for the average adult is seven to eight hours, yet many of us are not clocking our zzz’s for quite so long. In effect, this can preclude us from reaping restorative benefits of rest for both cognitive and physical function. “When we minimize that restoration process, we’re not going to awaken as refreshed or have processed what we needed to do in sleep that we can’t do when we’re awake,” says Nancy H. Rothstein, the sleep consultant behind The Sleep Ambassador. Her solution? A bedtime alarm. Just as we prepare for our intense workouts by stretching, we need to prepare body and brain for sleep in order to reap the rejuvenating benefits—and, ideally, the routine starts an hour before you plan on going to bed. “We often treat sleep as an on-off switch and try to crash,” says licensed clinical psychologist and sleep expert Shelby Harris, PsyD, author of The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia. “But when we turn off screens
Why food experts are all about eating huge breakfasts and small dinners for better health
December 07, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC “Eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a pauper at dinner.” The royal refrain has long been preached by healthy eating experts as one of the best ways to eat for maintaining a healthy metabolism, digestion, and overall health. The advice came up yet again in a recent Ask Me Anything in Well+Good’s Cook With Us Facebook group with Food: What The Heck Should I Cook? author Mark Hyman, MD. The resounding message: big breakfast, good. Big dinner, not so good. Normally I’m all about taking healthy eating advice from experts—but I have to admit, this didn’t seem like the most realistic thing to me. Our culture is not structured to accommodate this kind of eating schedule. Mornings are rushed—many people don’t even eat breakfast at all—and dinner is about socializing just as much as it is about eating. Even if it is more nutritious, it doesn’t seem very doable. But for the sake of better health, I decided to try reversing my meal sizes for a week and see what it was like. Why healthy eating experts want Americans to reverse their meal sizes Before getting started, I reached out to Dr. Hyman as well as registered dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick, RDN for more intel on the merits of eating your largest meal at the beginning of the day (and your smallest meal at the end of the day). “The more in alignment we eat with our circadian rhythms,
A physical therapist explains 2 easy ways to fix ‘pelvic tilt’
December 07, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC “Neutralize your pelvis” is a common refrain among yoga instructors in poses like chair, Warrior II, and bridge. Over time, both posterior (forward) and anterior (backward) pelvic tilt can cause pain from your spine to your ankles. So we asked Lara Heimann, a physical therapist and founder of LYT yoga, to explain how to use your pelvis to protect your vinyasa-loving body. Your pelvis sits between your abdomen and your thighs and acts as a container for the intestines, bladder, and internal sex organs. “It’s a ball that’s sitting on a triangle,” explains Heimann. As we move throughout our days, the pelvis will naturally tilt in one direction or the other—even when we’re in yoga class. “If yoga teachers don’t queue the person in any degree, then they would have a misshape in all the different poses. In every pose that person will have some degree of tilt,” she explains. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to check in on your pelvis during your daily movement patterns (and on your mat, of course). “For one, if you’re coming into practice with that tilt, you’re going to have to bend your knees quite dramatically,” says the physical therapist. This will help you resist the urge to pull your pelvis forward in downward dog, forward folds, and more. “The second is using your hands,” adds Heimann. “Putting your hands on the front of your body and pulling up like you’re zipping up a zipper,
I’m a dermatologist and this is the one ingredient everyone should use when they turn 30
December 07, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTohjJPsHSY?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] There are a lot of things I know I’m supposed to do before I hit 30. Invest in a 401K, find a bra that fits, get off of my parents’ phone plan, and the list goes on. One more thing to add to the list, according to board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD? Add a hyaluronic acid serum to my skin-care routine. “Hyaluronic acid is a hydrator,” she says in a recent episode of Dear Derm. “The ingredient is naturally occurring in our skin, but when you hit about 30, you start to lose hyaluronic acid, so replacing it is a big priority for me.” Hyaluronic acid is also great for layering, because it helps your other serums penetrate more deeply into your skin, so much so that Dr. Gohara suggests putting it on before your morning antioxidant serum, like vitamin C, which is like a one-two punch of skin hydrating and brightening goodness. Adding this extra step to your skin-care regimen doesn’t have to cost major money, either.L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum ($22) is made with short and long chain hyaluronic acid, which means the ingredient is able to hydrate the topmost layers of skin while also sinking deeper within skin to help plump it (bonus points for being available at the drugstore!). Dr. Gohara isn’t the only one who is totally in love with the stuff: This particular serum is so popular that a bottle of
6 vegan charcuterie boards sure to impress at your next party
December 07, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC If you head to the snack table the second you get to a party, you’re not alone. I mean, who doesn’t prefer a plateful of food over awkward convos? While bowls of tortilla chips are great, you know you’ve hit the jackpot when you spot a charcuterie board. And spoiler alert: The vegan versions are just as great as the originals. Unlike a crudités platter, which is primarily raw veggies and dip, a charcuterie board is a collection of prepared meats and fancy cheeses. (Not the most vegan-friendly appetizer in the world.) But by swapping in some tasty plant-based meats and dairy-free cheeses, then rounding everything out with an assortment of veggies, fruit, crackers, and delicious dips, you’ll have a combo that will be a hit at any party. Let these vegan charcuterie boards inspire you to create your own. These bloggers have the prettiest vegan charcuterie boards around Photo: Emilie Eats 1. Emilie Eats There’s no real meat needed when you have thinly-sliced vegan ham and veggie sausages. Photo: Fit Living Eats 2. Fit Living Eats The nutrient-rich crackers on this board are made from nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Photo: Well Vegan 3. Well Vegan Instead of making meat the center of this board, it’s all about the vegan smoked paprika basil goat cheese. Photo: Make Mary 4. Make Mary The secret to making an Insta-worthy board? Super-colorful veggies. Photo: Jillian Harris 5. Jillian Harris Alongside olives, nuts, and a pretty
‘Communal grandparents’ is the next life-improving Scandinavian concept Americans should copy
December 07, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC We love borrowing things from Scandinavian countries. Hygge, the Danish art of cozy-cuddliness. Sisu, the Finnish concept of perseverance beyond your threshold. Niksen, the Dutch act of doing nothing. And now we’ve got kylämummi, the Scandinavian grandma for hire. In Finland, there are approximately 830 communal grandparents—elders who volunteer their time with children in public arenas such as libraries, nurseries and schools. This adorable practice is meant to serve two purposes. It helps soothe the loneliness epidemic so common among seniors, and it helps children who live far from their grandparents (or don’t have any at all) form meaningful multigenerational ties with aging adults. Making bonds outside of your peer group is psychologically healthy for everyone. In casual observation, it seems that the bonds children make the most these days is with their iPad and Peppa Pig, in that order. Having an older mentor comfort and counsel someone younger provides a unique resource and perspective. Bringing this concept stateside could so thoroughly help those who are in deep doldrums post retirement. Over 40 percent of seniors experience loneliness, which correlates with increased mortality and the rise of clinical dementia. To bolster both points, finding or keeping purpose at any age and maintaining healthy relationships is what aids in longevity. Also, young people could teach older people how to do radical things like watch a YouTube video and send an email attachment. Again, research shows the the benefits go back and forth. I loved my grandparents
Meet hypno-reiki, an all-in-one energy-healing therapy
December 07, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC I’ve been familiar with the practices of both hypnotherapy and reiki for quite some time. Both are spiritual healing practices, led by specialized practitioners, meant to facilitate a greater sense of mindfulness. What I hadn’t heard of, though, is hypno-reiki. So, a few months ago, when I was invited to an introductory group session at the Magnolia Wellness center in Costa Mesa, California, I was intrigued. The hypno-reiki session was for a small group of women, and led by hypnotherapist Andrea Fagenholz and reiki master Jessica Stone. As we were guided into a visualization meditation, we simultaneously received reiki, from practitioners Andrea Fagenholz and Jessica Stone. My experience was so surreal, I booked a private session so I could dive deeper into this form of mental, physical, and spiritual healing. Below, learn what happened when I tried a private hypo-reiki healing session. (Plus, get a quick refresher on the backstory of both hypnotherapy and reiki.) What is hypnotherapy? Hypnosis is a mindfulness practice that differs from other types of meditation mostly due to a difference in goal. “Meditation clears the mind to encourage the stillness,” says Fagenholz. “Hypnosis is intention-based; we want the mind to play and communicate back with us via images, colors, symbols, feelings, and so much more.” While in a state of hypnosis, you’re more open to suggestions, which can make striking real progress and change more conceivable. “You have more direct access to your subconscious mind, which is otherwise
Aloe vera is so good for hair that it has 75 actives ready to shine up your strands
December 07, 2019 at 12:08AM by CWC For a long time, aloe vera was mainly associated with sunburns—in my house, at least, aloe gel was one of those products that collected dust for all but a few summer days each year. Now, however, aloe is finally getting props for its many benefits beyond skin healing. Nutritionists are hailing it as a digestive aid, couples are bringing it into the bedroom, and beauty brands are beginning to recognize the many benefits of aloe vera for hair. On the hair-care tip, aloe’s popping up on ingredient lists at all ends of the market, from the drugstore to the salon. Herbal Essences is launching an 11-product Potent Aloe line in January 2020, with collections specifically designed for curly hair, frizz control, strength and shine, and scalp care. Garnier, Jäson, and Tresemmé all have shampoos and conditioners featuring the star succulent, and boutique brands including Christophe Robin and Verb also include the plant in their formulas. But despite all the current hype around aloe, it’s by no means a brand-new innovation in the beauty game. “Aloe has been used in beauty treatments for centuries,” says True Botanicals founder Hillary Peterson, who incorporated the ingredient into the brand’s Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner ($34, each). “Its rich nutrient makeup makes it incredibly beneficial for both skin and hair. For that reason, it’s ideal in shampoo and conditioner.” From a scalp-health perspective, aloe is rich in antioxidants—including vitamins A, C, and E—and it contains salicylic acid, a natural exfoliant.