December 13, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC There’s a quote by author Iain Thomas that goes: “And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, ‘This is important! And this is important! And this is important!… And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, ‘No. This is what’s important.’” The “four right exertions”—a 2,600-year-old teaching of the Buddhist canon—offers guidance about how to make a habit of reclaiming what’s important. In her debut book, Tea and Cake with Demons, Adreanna Limbach highlights how modern minds can use the ancient wisdom to channel their energy like the precious resource it is. “I’m a sucker for structure, and the Four Right Exertions is a gorgeous framework for highlighting the amount of choice we actually do have in how we spend our energy, all while taking inventory of what is worth the precious resource of our attention,” says Limbach, a MNDFL meditation teacher. “It has likely survived the test of time for a reason—because it’s legit helpful.” “We live in an attention economy. Money is made by capturing our eyeballs and clicks.” —Adreanna Limbach, author of Tea and Cake with Demons This year seems like a fairly appropriate time to learn how to control our own energy, right? A recent Well+Good sleep survey revealed that, of nearly 1,500 people, 92 percent of respondents feel fatigued more than one day per week. Burnout is rampant. And the average person only
Year: 2019
Tap this back-pocket tip to take the pressure off navigating the holiday food scene
December 13, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC Decked out in your most festive holiday attire, you consider whether to pour yourself a second glass of eggnog. As you poise the pitcher over your cup, you think, Well, I can only get this stuff once a year. In Instagram parlance: It me. Yes, we fully endorse pouring the eggnog (check out these dairy-free recipes). But according to Brigitte Zeitlin, MPH, RD, it’s this this once-a-year-opportunity mindset that trips up a lot of people when it comes to not waking up the morning after every holiday bash feeling totally, well, blah. At our latest Wellness Collective event with Athleta, Zeitlin shared the holiday eating tips that she personally uses to power herself through the season of cookies and eggnog. “The whole point of these events is to connect,” Zeitlin says. “We’re seeing our co-workers outside of the office to know them in a different way. We’re seeing family we only see once a year. These are the conversations and connections you want to focus on, because that’s what this time of year is all about. Keep in mind that the food is the background. It’s not the star of the show.” “Keep in mind that the food is the background. It’s not the star of the show.” By changing your mindset to view this as the season of connecting rather than the season of sugar overload for sugar overload’s sake, it can give “making the most of the holidays” a whole new meaning,
5 expert camping tips every aspirational adventurer should bookmark
December 13, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, a 2012 memoir recounting her solo trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, sparked a movement of female outdoor enthusiasts also taking to the trails. Since then, a profusion of diverse, female outdoor influencers and woman-led outdoor groups have been making al fresco adventures more accessible to even the least adventurous among us—myself included. I recently found myself hiking alongside two of these fearless females—photographers Noel Russell and Meghan Young—while exploring Vermejo Park Ranch in New Mexico. All three of us shared a genuine belief in the healing power of the outdoors, but being around these ladies revealed to me a disconnect between that harbored belief and my own experience with getting outdoors. Or, I should say, lack thereof. With each story they shared, I felt increasingly encouraged to solo camp, climb, and hike. So, in the interest of extending that encouragement with other would-be outdoorswomen, I got back in touch with Russell and Young, along with several other outdoors influencers to gather best practices and camping tips for the novice adventurer. If you’re ready to plan your own boundary-pushing, perspective-shifting, heart-opening wilderness trek, allow the following five insights from pros help you make it a more successful one. Pretty soon, you’ll have your own inspirational story to share. 5 camping tips from pros that every novice should bookmark. 1. Get the right gear Stocking up on gear can feel overwhelming thanks to the long list of items (and associated price
Bring damaged hair back to life overnight with this antioxidant-spiked hair serum
December 13, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC My hair has always been pretty long. It wavers between long-as-hell and it’s-short-to-me-but-still-actually-very-long in length, which means that “chopping it” is actually just getting a trim. (Long-haired peeps, you know what I mean.) Right now, my hair is one of the longest lengths it’s ever been, and I’ve found that my low-maintenance routine of shampoo and conditioner and maybe a deep-conditioning treatment now and then hasn’t been working that great. Whether you blame it on my scalp’s oil production or the dry-air season that we’re in, the fact is that I need a product that will help get my hair out of a serious rut—a redo of my ‘do, if you will. Enter: the Kerastase Nutritive 8-Hour Magic Serum ($55). Putting “magic” on a bottle is a bold claim, but they’re not wrong. The second I tried this sleeping serum, which is meant to penetrate your strands as you snooze, I could already tell I was in love. The scent itself does it for me, which is an enticing blend of floral notes. But then I pumped some product into my hand, put it on my dry, unwashed hair, focusing on the ends, and tossed it all into a silk scrunchie bun before I went to bed. The next morning, I let my hair loose to find that I had silky, super-shiny hair that looked like it just had a professional blowout. The serum, a first of its kind, works on each strand with
7 healthy eating experts reveal the foodie gifts they really want for the holidays
December 13, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC On the surface, buying a holiday present for someone who loves to cook may sound like an easy feat. But when you really start to think about it, shopping gets tricky. It’s easy to walk through Williams-Sonoma or the cooking aisles at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and debate whether they already own a crêpe maker or a set of festive cookie cutters. After all, they’re already in the kitchen a lot. For inspiration, I decided to go straight to healthy food experts to find out what’s *really* on their holiday wish lists. The picks here are items they’re coveting, secretly (well, now not-so secretly) hoping someone will gift them this year. And if none of them appeal to you, hey, there’s always a bottle of wine. (Or one of the trendy non-alcoholic spirit alternatives.) Keep reading to see the food gift ideas nutrition pros have on their holiday wish lists. Photo: Wusthof 1. Wusthof chef’s knife, $146 “Every home cook, no matter your experience or comfort level in the kitchen, will benefit from having an incredible chef’s knife,” says Nutrition Stripped founder, Well+Good Wellness Council member, and registered dietitian McKel Kooienga, RDN. Kooienga spends a lot of time in the kitchen, so this year she’s coveting a new chef’s knife that will make will make cooking both easier and safer. (She has her eye on one from German knife brand Wusthof.) Photo: OXO 2. OXO Good Grips hand-held mandoline slicer, $15 As a
The most popular mascara in the U.S. sells a tube every 3 seconds, and only costs $5
December 13, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC There are certain beauty products that stand the test of time. In my case, the same Clinique moisturizer I used to steal from my mom is now sitting on my vanity, alongside the MAC Ruby Woo lipstick that I’ve been wearing since the early 2000s. And as far as mascara is concerned, there’s one product that has reigned supreme since it was introduced way back in 1971: Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara ($5). The drugstore product has held the title of America’s favorite mascara for years, and 2019 has been no exception. A tube of the iconic lash lacquer sells every three seconds in the U.S., according to the brand, beating both other drugstore options and prestige ones… and it’s all for good reason. The mascara adds both length and volume to make lashes look doubly as long, thick, and luxurious, and gives them a subtle lift without the added step of an eyelash curler. The formula is buildable, so one coat will give your lashes a little oomph, but adding a second and third will amp things up even higher; plus it conditions on top of that. It’s also intensely waterproof, so much so that one of the main complaints that users have with it is that it’s too hard to take off (though, pro tip, this four-ingredient homemade makeup remover should get the job done for you). If you’re looking for something that looks natural, never clumpy or spike-y, and
If you’ve heard of goat yoga, it’s time to level up and try horseback yoga
December 12, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N8ZhwDdFZ8] Yoga’s cool and all, but imagine doing it on top of a horse. If you’re thinking, ‘Huh?’ rest assured that horseback yoga is indeed a thing (as it goat yoga and puppy yoga, ICYMI). Think of it as a mix between the two wellness modalities of yoga and equine therapy (aka hanging with horses), joined together to create a truly otherworldly mind-body experience. And Ella Dove, our director of creative development, is trying it out in Well+Good’s latest episode of What the Wellness, a series in which we investigate all of the most out-there wellness treatments. During a visit with Shakti Ranch in Malibu, California, Dove gets bendy right on top of Sophie, a (very cute) horse. “Horses have this really beautiful way of energetically showing the inner psyche of someone,” says Natalie Riggs, equine therapist at the ranch. So, sure—horses are grounding creatures, but Dove has to actually practice yoga on the horse’s back… which requires a lot of balance (ahem: this one goes out to anyone who’s ever toppled in tree pose). That means that Dove has to use every single muscle in her body to help gain balance so that she doesn’t go ker-plunk on the ground mid-yoga pose. Once Dove moves through some simple breathing exercises and spinal twists, she gets into some impressive downward dogs and camel poses, all with Sophie as her dutiful #yogabuddy. Just how does she fare out with the hour-long practice? Is
This zesty Japanese seasoning punches up the flavor of almost anything
December 12, 2019 at 10:30PM by CWC Have you ever taken a bite of something and thought: “Now that’s a well-seasoned dish!” You certainly have, and as someone who knows a thing or two about flavor, Well+Good’s senior food editor Jessie Van Amburg recently got her first taste of a Japanese seasoning known as sansho powder. Sansho powder is a close relative of Sichuan peppercorn. It comes from the green seedpods that grow on the Japanese prickly ash. The spice sparks a fiery numbness on the tongue, and its flavor is at once surprising and satisfying. “I first tried sansho powder on a video shoot, and immediately fell in love with its taste,” says Van Amburg. “It starts off with a subtle citrusy flavor, but leaves behind a nice heat on the tongue that temporarily numbs your tongue—in a good way! Sansho powder is traditionally used in Japanese cuisine in sushi and noodle dishes, but I could see this also being a great way to spice up roasted vegetables or even to add some heat to scrambled eggs or omelettes.” After researching some other ways to use the seedpod spice, I stumbled upon a vinaigrette that works like magic with grilled vegetables, a hot toddy recipe that looks about as cozy as a weighted blanket, and countless others. So grab some sansho powder (for $5 on Amazon) and start experimenting. The difference between matcha and green tea: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADUuZrFQX7M] This spice mimics the flavor of red meat, and these spices
A derm reveals the most common mistakes in your routine that could be making your skin dry
December 12, 2019 at 10:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTuLmx0JslY] Dry skin and cold weather are like two peas in one very uncomfortable pod. When temperatures dip below 40 (and the heat cranks up to full blast) it’s only a matter of time before that chapped, itchy flakiness sets in. But while an icy environment is certainly one reason why your skin is feeling parched, it tends to get far too much of the blame. Instead of cursing the weather for the less-than-radiant complexion you’re currently dealing with, it may be worth taking a peek inside your skin-care cabinet. In the latest episode of Dear Derm, board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, deep dives on all things dry skin related—from why it happens in the first place to how to treat it once it sets in. But first things first, it’s important to understand what, exactly, “dry skin” is, because there’s a surprising amount of confusion around the term. “When you have dry skin it means there’s not enough water, period,” says Dr. Gohara. “It could mean that there’s not enough water being trapped in, or that there’s too much water leaving the skin.” There are a few different reasons why this happens, but the biggest culprit, no matter what the temperature is outside, is your skin-care routine. According to Dr. Gohara, your dry skin could be setting in thanks to certain ingredients, like retinol, or methodologies, like over-exfoliating. In fact, she says there are five ultra-common mistakes she sees people making in
Narcissistic personality traits diminish as you age, so snaps for growing up
December 12, 2019 at 09:00PM by CWC Can a narcissist change their behavior? Indeed narcissism evolves over time, and it looks relatively similar in baby boomers, Generation Xers, and millennials, according to a study from Michigan State University, published in Psychology and Aging. The study followed 750 people to see how narcissism changes from age 13 to 70, and it’s really a shifting of qualities. There are many different types of narcissists, and maladaptive narcissism has different traits that are categorized as like, really, really bad. People exhibit these traits—being full of oneself, hypersensitive to criticism, and imposing one’s opinions on others—more often when we’re younger. These traits generally decrease with age as narcissists realize that the universe doesn’t owe then anything just because they’re adorable. Why? Typically narcissistic personality traits tend to decline in the throws of negative firsts. In fact, the study showed that maladaptive narcissistic traits tend to decline when someone gets their first job. “One thing about narcissists is that they’re not open to criticism,” says lead author and associate professor of psychology at MSU William Chopik. “When life happens and you’re forced to accept feedback, break up with someone or have tragedy strike, you might need to adjust to understanding that you’re not as awesome as you once thought.” That checks out. When reality pushes you off your pedestal, the mature thing to do is to reevaluate your good qualities—and to think about how to sharpen the bad ones. Likewise getting older means reconsidering that the