How to trust your gut when you struggle with anxiety, according to mental health experts

May 20, 2019 at 10:13AM by CWC As a society, we place quite a bit of importance on trusting our gut. Struggling with a big decision? Tune in to your gut. Not sure if the person you’re dating is “the one?” No worries, your gut will lead the way. While there are proven benefits of trusting gut feelings, in my experience as a person with anxiety, it’s hard to whether your intuition is doing the talking…or your anxiety. (Anyone else ever spent hours Googling symptoms, convincing yourself that you have a terminal disease, only to have the doctor break the news that it’s just a yeast infection? Or…just me?) Alison Stone, LCSW, a holistic psychotherapist based in New York, says that while anxiety can indeed throw our instincts for a loop, we shouldn’t ignore it entirely. “Remember that anxiety is our brain’s way of scanning for possible threats or danger,” she says. “Anxiety often comes up when we consciously or unconsciously are searching for meaning in a certain event.” Does that mean we should assume our brain’s anxious assessment is accurate? No way. “I like to think of anxiety as a reaction, not reality,” Stone says. “We are constantly reacting internally to what is being presented to us in the world, and anxiety is a common response to the stressors we encounter.” In other words, your anxiety is probably a reaction to something—but it doesn’t necessarily have much to do with the situation you’re feeling anxious about. And that disconnect

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The drugstore serums prove you don’t need to drop over $25 to see big-time results

May 20, 2019 at 09:47AM by CWC Whenever people used to ask me the one skin-care product worth splurging on, I would immediately tell them, “serum.” I’d always been down with $8 cleansers and toners and moisturizers, but was a big (and misinformed) believer that “effective” and “expensive” were two adjectives that went hand-in-hand when it came to a serum. Well, I was wrong, and would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to any of my friends who I led astray into dropping major dollars on serums (my bad, guys!). Because as the drugstore aisle’s skin-care offerings become better in general, so too has their selection of serums. While serums as a category tend to be pricier than the other elements in your regimen because they’re made with more highly concentrated ingredients, you no longer need to break out the Benjamins in order to find one that truly works. On Monday, a new line of under-$20 products called VERSED joined the clean beauty ranks at Target. As of today, you’ll find its brightening, clarifying, and firming serums among other skin-care superheroes from new brands like Sweet Chef (the affordable off-shoot of K-Beauty favorite Glow Recipe) and ApotheCARE Essentials, and ones we’ve loved forever like L’Oreal and Neutrogena. The key to shopping for serums—drugstore or otherwise—is to have a keen eye for both buzzwords and ingredients. So if something is bragging about being “brightening,” be sure to check for vitamin C; if it’s meant to be hydrating, look out

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*This* is the perfect balance of squats and lunges to work your lower half

May 20, 2019 at 08:35AM by CWC You know that scene in Clueless where Tai laments that even after hours of workout tapes, her buns “don’t feel nothin’ like steel”? Well, that is the exact opposite of how you will feel when you take this at-home lower body workout for a test drive. In this week’s edition of the Well+Good Trainer of the Month Club, Master SoulCycle Instructor and EmBody creator Emily Turner has put together a weighted lower body workout that will actually have you excited for leg (and butt) day. Think: Squats, lunges, and leg lifts, which will be a nice respite from the planks we’ve been powering through over the past few weeks. Grab a set of weights and give it a try, but be prepared for at least a day or two of butt-and-leg soreness induced waddling. View this post on Instagram TRAINER OF THE MONTH CLUB Week 3 is here! 🎉💪⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ This week, trainer @emilyhopeturner is teaching us 6 moves focused on the lower body. Swipe through for a breakdown of each exercise, then head to the link in our bio for a full breakdown of each move!⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ WEEK 3⠀⠀ Move 1: Weighted lunge with bicep & hammer curls (R)⠀⠀ Move 2: Weighted single leg lift (R)⠀⠀ Move 3: Wide second with weighted upper back & shoulder presses ⠀⠀ Move 4: Weighted lunge with bicep & hammer curls (L)⠀⠀ Move 5: Weighted single leg lift (L)⠀⠀ Move 6: small V with bicep curls#iamwellandgood #trainerofthemonthclub A

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Fast walkers live longer—so step aside, text-walkers!

May 20, 2019 at 07:51AM by CWC When a study of nearly half a million people concludes that walking at breakneck speed might increase life expectancy, you lace your sneakers and get moving. Last week, experts in England linked a spring in your step to the number of years between birth and death. Researchers combed through data from the UK Biobank to discover that fast walkers who were underweight, obese, and every “weight status” in between all ended up cheating death longer than slow walkers (saunterers, strollers, dawdlers, and meanderers, etc.). Of all the groups surveyed, underweight, leisurely walkers lived the fewest years on average (64.8 years for men, 72.4 years for women), according to the National Institute for Health Research. This study marks the first piece of research linking fast walking to longevity regardless of weight, and researchers believe they’re closer than ever to understanding physical indicators of life expectancy beyond BMI. “Our findings could help clarify the relative importance of physical fitness compared to body weight on life expectancy of individuals,” Tom Yates, PhD, professor of physical activity and sedentary behavior and health at the University of Leicester, told The Mayo Clinic. “In other words, the findings suggest that perhaps physical fitness is a better indicator of life expectancy than body mass index (BMI), and that encouraging the population to engage in brisk walking may add years to their lives.” “Our findings could help clarify the relative importance of physical fitness compared to body weight on life expectancy of

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8 signs you’re free-falling out of love—and whether or not you should catch yourself

May 20, 2019 at 07:24AM by CWC One takeaway from pretty much every vampire-themed teen soap opera is that love is eternal. But IRL, it seems falling out of love can happen faster than you can say, “Edward Cullen.” What’s the deal with that? It’s one thing to shift from the honeymoon phase of a new, hot fling to a more realistic and stable time when your partner’s annoying idiosyncrasies start to manifest and bug you. It’s another when you’re actively dodging the calls of the person you once thought to be your soul mate. To help clear up what the heck is going on, relationship therapist and author Jane Greer, PhD, points out a few signs you can look for to know if you’re actually falling out of love (and not just going through a season-three rut). Find 8 expert-sanctioned signs below that you’re falling out of love with your partner. 1. Little things that were once a turn-on no longer are Maybe when you first met them, you thought that the way they incorrectly pronounced “library” or their perpetually untied sneakers were super-cute. Now? Not so much. The triggering things can be such mannerisms, personal-style hallmarks, or something else entirely, says Dr. Greer. 2. You find them boring You now have a hard time listening to them when they speak—and this isn’t just a case of misophonia. You simply get aggravated by the sound of them, well, existing. “They get on your nerves, and you can’t stand the

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The drugstore baby aisle is secretly the best spot for clean, affordable skin care

May 20, 2019 at 07:00AM by CWC Throughout my college years, I carried around a 27.1 ounce bottle of Johnson & Johnson’s baby lotion in my backpack 24/7. (Hey! You never know when dry skin may strike.) I made so many friends by offering up a pump of the stuff when someone complained that their hands felt like crocodile skin. Roll your eyes if you will, but I’m here to tell you that baby skin care products work wonders for grown-ups, too. Walk right on past the “of age” beauty aisle and what you’ll find is a treasure trove of pastel-colored squeeze bottles. There’s baby powder, of course, which moonlights as dry shampoo; soft as silk wipes to smooth all over your body (not just your bum); and baby oil to grant your complexion a head-to-toe dewy glow. Really, if you aren’t already adding all these products to your cart, taking them home, and slipping into your crib—I mean, bed—for an evening of self-care, I strongly encourage you to do so. You’ll be gaga for these six products. 6 of the best baby skin care products for adults Shop the Drugstore Baby Aisle Buy Now Johnson’s Baby Oil Original Mineral $4 Buy Now Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Nighttime Balm with Natural Oatmeal -11oz $18 Buy Now Baby Dove Sensitive Moisture Wipes $4 Buy Now Johnson’s Bedtime Bath $8 Buy Now Johnson’s Moisturizing Pink Baby Lotion with Coconut Oil $6 Buy Now Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder $1 While you’re at

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