Certain spirit animals are showing up a lot right now—here’s what they mean

April 18, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC I’m about as woo-woo-friendly as an evidence-based person can be (crystals and reiki and lunar cycles, oh my!), but I never really understood the whole “spirit animal” thing. I havn’t had dreams where, say, a bear was trying to tell me something. And the eye of the tiger is something I really only feel during karaoke, to be honest. But when I moved out to the country—about two hours north of New York City, in the Catskills—I did start to get the feeling that (bear with me here) the animals were trying to connect with me. And more than anything, it scared the hell out of me. First came the turkeys. One day last fall, I walked out of my house to find six turkeys hanging out around my car, and as I tried to shoo them away, they just looked at me like a bunch of surly teenagers and refused to budge for several minutes. Then later in the day, miles and miles away, two other turkeys crossed my path on a winding country road. An hour later, I saw another one in a yard on a residential street. Even though they were (kind of scary) material-world beings, not the spirit-world variety, the turkeys (and the deer, and the bunnies, and the hawks that came later) were definitely showing up with messages attuned to what was going on in my life, says spiritual medium Erika Gabriel. “I think what’s happening is you’re

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7 high-fiber foods you should add to your shopping list, stat

April 18, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC If you had to give an award to “World’s Sexiest Nutrient,” I’m not sure what would win, but it probably wouldn’t be fiber. Especially soluble fiber. But TBH that’s pretty unfair of us. Fiber offers your body a ton of health benefits (reduced risk of chronic disease, boosted metabolism, reduced inflammation, and better heart and gut health), and unlike protein, you’re probably not eating enough of it. There are two types of fiber: insoluble and soluble. Insoluble is pretty much the roughage from fruits and veggies that sweeps out your insides and bulks up your stools for regular BMs. On the other hand, “soluble fiber gets its name because it is soluble in water,” says Marjorie Nolan Cohn, RDN, founder and owner of MNC Nutrition, LLC in Philadelphia and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Basically, soluble fiber absorbs water, swells, and creates a gel-like substance during digestion, Nolan Cohn says. That keeps BMs moving, but it also has another power: to keep your heart healthy. “Along with water, the gel-like structure can also absorb fatty acids, so it has an added benefit of reducing cholesterol,” she says. Soluble fiber is also useful in slowing digestion, something that helps regulate blood sugar levels, says Nolan Cohn. A stable release of glucose into your blood helps prevent blood sugar dips and spikes that trigger hunger and mess with the hormones that play a role in appetite control. Finally, like all fiber, soluble

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This body language clue is a dead giveaway that someone’s stressed

April 18, 2019 at 11:30AM by CWC Whenever I see someone with impeccable posture, it always catches me off guard. In this slumpy world of desk jobs, binge-watching Netflix, and scrolling through social media for hours on end, finding yourself in an upright position—shoulders back and head high!—is increasingly rare. You might be familiar with some of the most noticeable effects of poor posture (like back pain and headaches), but one you probably haven’t thought about is how it changes your breathing. The next time you’re slouched over, take a deep breath. It’s kind of hard, isn’t it? “Whether we’re exercising or working at the computer, how we hold our bodies can have a strong effect on our capacity to breathe well,” says Stacy Dockins, author of Embodied Posture. “A slumped—or forward rounded posture—diminishes the space in which breath happens by decreasing the chest wall diameter, keeping the lungs from full inflation and free movement. Not only do the lungs have decreased capacity, the functionality of the diaphragm—the main muscle of respiration—is also diminished. With good posture, the natural, neutral shape of the spine and ribs return, freeing up the respiration space, while encouraging full function of the diaphragm and corresponding muscles of respiration.” Poor posture limits the diaphragm’s ability to do its job, which could be one of the prime reasons you aren’t feeling as good as you could be every day. Something as simple as not breathing your fullest breaths could lead to a ripple effect of issues

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The pore-shrinking intel one Redditor distilled from 70 studies on skin

April 18, 2019 at 11:24AM by CWC Remember the episode of Sex and the City in which the women reveal their Secret Single Behavior? Personally, I’m more of a Charlotte, in this sense—at night, I like to study my pores up close and personal in a magnifying mirror. It’s kind of brutal, I’ll admit—but as a skin-care devotee, I can’t help myself. One thing that I can’t help but wonder (sorry) is why some pores appear larger while others are barely visible. A quick Google of pores will pull up millions of queries about just why they’re so big and remedies to help remedy the situation. Of course, dermatologists have been studying pores for decades, so there are tons of studies on the stuff. And I just so happened to stumble upon the motherload: a summary of over 70 pore studies from the blog, Science Becomes Her, that look at how to reduce pore size. Even better, one Redditor summed up that summary, which resulted in a very condensed, easy-to-understand dissertation on dealing with your pores. The major takeaway? Your sebum is a major culprit in bigger-than-usual pores. “There are a number of causes of large pores, but the main causes appear to be increased sebum production and reduced skin elasticity,” the Redditor writes. This is a factor of your genetics. “I find the biggest reason for [larger pores] is simple heredity,” explains Loretta Ciraldo, MD, FAAD, a Miami-based dermatologist. “Most patients with big pores seem to have it in their family.

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These graphic T-shirts subvert gender roles in the best way

April 18, 2019 at 11:22AM by CWC Wearing a graphic T-shirt is one way to make your outfit scream your personality. Sport a shirt featuring, say, an avocado practicing yoga, and I immediately know we’re going be best friends. Cheeky illustrations aside, though, how we choose to clothe ourselves can also make a statement. Twitter account @manwhohasitall believes reversed gender roles are a message worth stamping on your chest—and frankly, I’ve never had such a strong urge to add a shirt to my collection. The series of garments twists classic gender roles into pithy text that’s at once clever and thought-provoking. There’s oh-so-many T-shirts to choose from, but notable standouts include ones that read: “Crazy Cat Gentleman” or “Boys Will Be Boys: Kind Caring Thoughtful,” and (my personal favorite) “No.” Many of them also take phrases you might normally roll your eyes at, like, “Female Engineer,” and subvert it by making the women’s shirt read, “Author,” and the men’s read, “Man Author.” The editorial choices behind these phrases are a matter of a few letters, but wow, do they make a difference. The male engineer T-shirt is actually selling fast! Who knew there were so many men engineers? You go boys! https://t.co/XVZH8qVnGq pic.twitter.com/Pxv43rRB6w — manwhohasitall (@manwhohasitall) April 15, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Taken at face value, the manwhohasitall’s project might be interpreted as a simple play on words. To that, I say, “No!” Each shirt is a reminder that the words we use (and don’t use) when we talk about people’s hobbies,

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The busy-as-hell couple that schedules sex together, stays together, says one pro

April 18, 2019 at 11:08AM by CWC Scheduling sex is some truly divisive territory. At best, it reads as a power move for folks who identify as Mirandas. At worst, is sounds like some horrifying Type A behavior that signals a lack of luster in your relationship. But if we’re getting real for a second, what it may just be is a saving grace for the couple who keeps falling asleep after a never-ending work day. Now, have I ever scheduled sex personally? Weeeeell, my partner reads everything I write, as do my ever-so-supportive my parent. So I’ll just say no. But I’ve started pitching weekend getaways because our Google Cal is getting crowded with baby showers, weddings, and a platter of un-sexy family obligations. When errands and work and real life in general start to usurp so much time and energy that the minuscule amount remaining is only enough to lift the remote and flip on Queer Eye, it’s legitimately tough to remember to prioritize intimacy with your loved one. But does this personal status put me and my relationship on the fast track to the most monotonous reality ever? Apparently not, says one pro. Phew. “Scheduling sex is a way to show yourself and your partner that your sex life is valuable to you, and that you’re willing to make an active effort to create the time and space for intimacy.” —Vanessa Marin, sex therapist “I’m a huge fan of scheduled sex,” says Vanessa Marin, sex therapist and

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