May 01, 2019 at 12:05AM A little peace at last. Continue Reading… Author The AstroTwins | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
Year: 2019
3 women share their hair loss stories—and the surprisingly different reasons they faced thinning hair
April 30, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC We all know hair-washing day is the day we schedule our entire social calendar and workout schedule around—but it also often means discovering what seems like hundreds of loose strands all over your hands and in the drain once you’re done. It’s usually nothing to stress over (we all shed), but sometimes excess hair shedding can be a symptom of something more. In a recent survey of 2,600 of our readers, we learned that 40 percent of you face thinning-hair issues that go beyond the slapping-strands-on-the-shower-wall situation. “There are a number of natural and external factors that can cause thinning hair and it varies from person to person what exactly is the root cause of their specific problems,” says David Adams, consultant trichologist at Thicker Fuller Hair. “Natural causes include genetics, hormones, and general physical health, and external causes include side effects of medications, over-styling, stress, and poor nutrition.” The takeaway from our survey? You’re definitely not the only one experiencing it—but one thing’s for certain: You can totally do something about it. Thicker Fuller Hair is a hair-care regimen created by an Ayurvedic chemist to deliver nourishment from scalp to your ends, so it helps your strands return to their former glory days with plant-based ingredients like vegan keratin, quinoa, and more. On our mission to gain more insight into the thinning-hair phenomenon—and spread more awareness that there are formulas out there that can help—we asked three Well+Good staffers to share their
Lily Kunin’s step-by-step guide to making the supercharged matcha of your dreams
April 30, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC If you could grant yourself a wellness superpower, picking only the perfectly ripe avocados out of a stack and whipping up extraordinary matcha lattes at home would make your top five. (Same!) Well, good news and bad news: While you’re stuck with the luck of the draw in the avocado department, you’re golden on the matcha-latte front—because we’ve got the step-by-step, beginner’s guide to becoming a matcha whisperer, straight from wellness luminary Lily Kunin. As a Well+Good Council member and founder of Clean Market, a serene wellness haven for New Yorkers, Kunin slings tonics and specialized self-care services (IV drips, infrared saunas, and cryotherapy) to the masses. And a supercharged matcha is just the thing she needs to start her busy day. “My go-to matcha has matcha, collagen, coconut butter, Brain Octane, and cinnamon,” Kunin says (FYI, Brain Octane is basically fancy MCT oil, the beloved keto ingredient buzzed about for its energizing properties). “Besides being delicious, it’s a great way to fuel my morning (has over 10 grams of protein) and turn my brain back on.” To help you start an invigorating morning matcha routine, we teamed up with Reebok UNLOCKED (the wellness rewards program that hooks you up with exclusive Reebok offers plus beauty, food, and fitness bonuses curated by yours truly) to score Kunin’s personal recipe for mind-body domination. Scroll down for Lily Kunin’s handy GIF instructions to whip up the perfect cup of dairy-free matcha. https://content.jwplatform.com/players/n2JLV7Pz-dUl83MEz.js 1. Gather all the
Magnesium—the MVP of the periodic table you probably aren’t getting enough of
April 30, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC Since that month in chemistry class devoted to memorizing the entire periodic table, you probably haven’t revisited what the elements—specifically magnesium—can do for your health, right? Don’t worry, there won’t be a pop quiz at the end of this article, but we did tap Amy Shapiro, RD and founder of Real Nutrition, to give us a quick lesson on the benefits of magnesium and how it can be a real wellness game-changer. “I find through my research that if we eat a balanced diet full of foods that provide great sources of magnesium, we should feel quite balanced, and many of our daily ailments will be alleviated,” she says. Most Americans are deficient in magnesium, which is why getting enough of it makes a noticeable impact on how you feel. (So yes, this is one case where eating your problems away is totally a thing.) “If we eat a balanced diet full of foods that provide great sources of magnesium…many of our daily ailments will be alleviated.” This OG element is found in chocolate (yas), fish, almonds, avocados (double yas), green leafy veggies, and pumpkin seeds—which are having a moment in the superfood space right now. With more brands tapping into the magic of magnesium via pumpkin seeds, Health Warrior Superfoods is leading the charge with its Organic Pumpkin Seed Protein Bars that deliver 35 percent of your daily recommended value of magnesium, plus eight grams of plant-based protein and major flavor (oh
9 ultra-clean laundry detergents for people with sensitive skin
April 30, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC It’s kind of ironic that cleaning products are typically some of the least “clean” items in our homes. Laundry detergents in particular are heinous offenders, according to experts. They’re often filled with chemicals that aren’t great for humans or the environment. So what, exactly, constitutes better-for-you laundry detergents? Here’s the thing: When it comes to cleaning products, finding the safest option isn’t always as simple as just reading labels. As Well+Good Council member and non-toxic living expert Sophia Gushée points out, brands aren’t required to list all of their ingredients, so it’s hard to know for sure what’s really inside the bottle. In general, many laundry detergents contain certain types of stabilizers, colors, preservatives, surfactants, solvents, and brightening agents linked to negative health effects. (Think respiratory issues, hormone disruption, skin allergies, and even cancer.) Other common laundry detergent ingredients, like phosphates, can create harmful algal blooms that disrupt the ocean ecosystem. If there’s one thing Gushée always avoids, it’s “fragrance”—a vague, unregulated term that can actually hide many different chemicals—aromatic and not—under its umbrella. “Fragrance can contain an unknown number of potentially threatening ingredients, some of which could contribute to cancer, reproductive and developmental toxicity, allergies, and skin irritation,” says Gushée, author of A to Z of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Our Toxic Exposures. If this freaks you out, there are plenty of brands now making fragrance-free suds—or choosing to disclose exactly what’s in their fragrances—which makes that part of the equation,
How to keep chewing, snoring, and breathing from ruining your love life if you suffer from misophonia
April 30, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Growing up, when my family went on trips, I’d often sleep on the bathroom floor of our hotel room to get as far away as possible from my dad’s freight-train-esque snoring. When we were all in the car together, I’d go berserk if my mom was chewing, nay smacking, gum. And don’t even get me started on how often I was nearly brought to tears as a result of simply hearing my parents chomp on their food. My name’s Rachel and I have misophonia. For the uninitiated, misophonia describes a severe sensitivity to specific trigger sounds. And though there’s not yet enough research on the term (which has only been formally recognized for a few years) to classify how common it is, one small 2017 study did point out that sufferers displayed negative physical and emotional responses when triggered. That’s likely because for them (and me), being subjected to the sounds—which can include smacking on food, slurping, heavy breathing, and beyond—leads to a fight-or-flight, anxiety-filled reaction in the person who just can’t deal. “Misophonia is similar to anxiety in that they both tap into the same neurophysiological systems, causing one to experience stress,” says Novena Riojas, LCSW, licensed psychotherapist. “There aren’t a lot of treatments available; however, I believe there are ways a person can cope.” Well, I’m all ears (unless you’re chewing, snoring, or breathing), because for me, misophonia is especially severe when the culprit is someone especially close to me. The
This month’s spirit animal is the skunk—and yep, it’s as potent as you think
April 30, 2019 at 02:41PM by CWC Skunk medicine is on its way for May—and it’s all about self-confidence (not smelliness, phew). With this spirit animal (the ultimate IDGAF icon), radiating swagger will be easier than ever, says “RockStar Shaman” Alyson Charles. Here’s her full slate of predictions for the month—plus advice on making skunk energy work for you. Last month started to take us on a new ride, exposing ways and opportunities for us to lift up and truly live into our new. And the beautiful thing is, that was just the beginning! As we enter into May, we can expect our soul to communicate and unite with us even more. With an energetic activation happening on a cellular level, those of you who are energy-sensitive will most likely begin to feel in a much more heightened way what is “off,” what is a “yes”—as well as when a practice you are doing is really integrating within you, and when a connection with a person is really deep and ancient. In a nutshell, we are becoming much more highly attuned to what is a match and what is a mismatch and we will feel it within our beings in newer, stronger, clearer, more profound ways. These activations began for me about a month ago, and I can tell you they are so incredibly communicative and spot-on! It is truly something to invite in and embrace. On a more earthly tip, one of the messages that channeled in was for you
A gynecologist says to stop wearing thongs, STAT, for the sake of your vagina’s health
April 30, 2019 at 01:16PM by CWC I’m gonna be real with you: I don’t pay one ounce of attention to the underwear that I’m wearing. When I’m shuffling to get dressed in the morning, I grab whatever raggedy-ass (… literally) pair I have in my drawer. Which means the only qualification I have for my undies is that they’re clean (and that if they are ripped, hole-y, period-stained, or a thong, it doesn’t matter). Well, according to gynecologists, there are certain underwear breeds that are best suited for the health of your vagina (and the hole-y type isn’t exactly one of them). Thongs are out: “Thongs may look and feel sexier compared to everyday underwear, but their anatomically unfriendly design makes it easier for harmful bacteria of the colon to find their way into the vagina and bladder, increasing the risk of infection,” says Sherry A. Ross, MD, an OB/GYN, women’s health expert, and author of She-ology. Materials like nylon, polyester, and spandex also aren’t so ideal, unless the crotch area has a cotton lining “which is more vagina-friendly,” she says. Those are fine for workouts though: “They’re comfortable, non-absorbent, and flexible,” says Dr. Ross. (Just remember to change out of them the second you’re done sweating it out.) The most vagina-safe underwear of all, though? Cotton (yes, your mom was right). “Underwear for everyday use should fit the vagina comfortably and ideally be made of cotton,” she says. And you want it to cover your entire nether-region. “Comfortably
Power-training should be a staple in your workout just like strength and cardio
April 30, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC I judge whether or not I’m getting a good workout by a number of things: how much I’m sweating, how out of breath I am, or how sore I am the next day. During the sweat sesh, I’m also measuring how much weight I’m able to lift, and, if I’m running, how many miles I can log. But I’ve never ever thought about how much power I’m exerting—which is apparently an important factor to consider. Power, as I’m learning, is essentially a way-underrated measurement when it comes to exercise. “Power is the ability to do the same operation explosively, which means rapidly,” says Vince Sant, lead trainer and co-founder of V Shred. “It’s best visualized by how much energy you can compress into a minuscule amount of time while performing a fitness move.” In other words, power is “the ability to exert maximum force in the shortest amount of time,” explains Gerren Liles, a fitness trainer and instructor with Mirror. How (and why, exactly) should you be incorporating and measuring power in your own fitness regimen? I asked pros for the juice. The importance of power Power sounds like it’s the same thing as strength, but Sant points out that the two are different things in fitness. “Power is often confused with strength,” he says. “Strength is the capacity your muscles have to lift, pull, or push a certain amount of weight.” The power factor comes in handy IRL, though, in a slightly
The easiest way to get that new-shoe feeling (without spending $$$) is to snazz up the laces
April 30, 2019 at 12:38PM by CWC Now that sneakers are part of the dress code for pretty much every occasion—first dates included—I rarely wear anything without a cushy rubber sole anymore. The only downside to this, IMO, is that when I’m alternating between the same Nike Air Force Ones and Huaraches on repeat, I get bored with my footwear options a lot faster. Thankfully, just as I was about to drop a paycheck to freshen up my collection, one of my co-workers suggested a brilliant (and cheap!) hack for beating sneaker ennui: Invest in some new laces. “Laces are a fun and easy way to customize your own kicks,” confirms Kirta Carroll, vice president of marketing at women’s activewear retailer Six:02. “They’re a quick way to add some color or embellishment to an everyday pair.” Lucky for us, it’s a good time to veer away from basic black or white laces: Colored, patterned, and textured styles are pretty much everywhere right now, so you’ve got no shortage of options. (Etsy is a particularly rich gold mine for sneaker shoelaces, FYI.) For less than $10, in most cases, you can completely change up the look of your kicks—and it’s a no-risk makeover, because you can just swap the laces back if you don’t like the end result. “There are no rules for picking laces—just pick the ones you feel like best express your style,” says Carroll. “If you’re willing to change them out often, grab a few. But if the