March 26, 2019 at 12:11PM by CWC The average person makes about 35,000 decisions each day. (But who’s counting?) Between which leggings to throw on, what to put in your smoothie, which podcast to listen to on your commute, you probably make more than 1,000 choices before you even get to work. Is it any surprise that by the end of the day, figuring out how to make a decision about what to eat for dinner feels impossible? Well, here’s a handy little hack. Behold, the Eisenhower Matrix, or the Urgent-Important Matrix, which helps you prioritize your tasks based upon their, well, urgency and importance. Apparently, this is how Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, used to figure out what to do—and chances are, the decisions he was making are a bit more complicated than most. How to make a decision using the four quadrants to Eisenhower Matrix: Quadrant 1: Urgent and important. If the decision you have to make is urgent and important, this is the one to handle first. All the other decisions you have to make can wait while you act fast and take care of these ASAP. Examples would include helping someone who’s drowning, putting out a small fire, or catching a vase that’s about to fall off the dresser. Action: Do first. Quadrant 2: Not urgent and important. If you’re trying to figure out if you should quit your job, move, or other life-altering decisions that are important but can be
Year: 2019
A major drugstore chain with 9,900 locations embraces CBD
March 26, 2019 at 11:46AM by CWC If this isn’t CBD going mainstream, I don’t know what is. Up until this point, most of the CBD items currently available on the market—whether it’s beauty products or oil for your lattes—are things that are more easily found online. But now you can get your CBD at CVS, one of the largest retail pharmacy chains in the world. According to Bloomberg, CBD-infused products are officially available at CVS stores across the country due to a distribution deal with the marijuana company Curaleaf Holdings Inc. While the products CVS carries won’t have anything in them that actually gets you high, you’ll be able to reap the benefits of THC-free CBD through creams, sprays, and lotions. So far, there’s no plan to offer CBD in supplement or food-form, so those anxiety-relieving oils and gummies you love will have to wait. “We could not be more excited to be partnering with CVS in bringing CBD to their stores and raising awareness around CBD. We applaud CVS for taking one of the first steps at a national retail level and expect this to be a significant catalyst for the CBD industry,” says Jay Hartenbach, CEO of Medterra CBD, one of the brands now on shelves at CVS. “National retailers are now comfortable with carrying CBD products and this will lead to widespread availability across the county.” Right now, CVS’ CBD products are already available in eight states, including California, Illinois, Colorado, and Alabama. The current plan
Check out the best places in the country to learn healthy cooking
March 26, 2019 at 11:07AM by CWC I remember when I first started to learn how to cook, I had little more to guide me than a hand-me-down copy of the cookbook Clueless in the Kitchen, a malfunctioning stovetop, and my talented older brother looking over my shoulder, judging my knife skills. (Not exactly the best learning environment for a gun-shy chef.) I have since overcome these hurtles—and only cut myself once in the process—but there’s still part of me that wishes I had learned how to cook in a calmer environment. Maybe somewhere with actual counter space? Or without cats jumping up on the cutting board? Newbie chefs, you don’t have to have my experience. At Well+Good’s first retreat of the year at the Miraval Austin, a wellness-oriented spa and resort, we’ll teach the fundamentals of mood-boosting cooking at Miraval’s new Life In Balance Culinary Kitchen. All the recipes are straight from The Well+Good Cookbook (which, if you haven’t pre-ordered your copy yet, WYD?), and the classes are led by psychiatrist and farmer Drew Ramsey, MD, as well as other wellness experts, like nutritionist Dana James. (At future retreats, attendees will similarly be learning important healthy cooking skills—although those menus are still being fleshed out.) A taste of what’s on the menu: Creamy Sweet Onion Dip Kale Salad with Chickpea Croutons Creamy Cashew-Black Bean Enchiladas Even if you can’t join us on our retreats, the Miraval kitchens are open to guests at the resort’s Tuscon, Arizona, and Austin, Texas,
For the love of laundry, stop washing your jeans
March 26, 2019 at 10:37AM by CWC I can remember the very first pair of jeans I ever picked out for myself. They were J.Crew, boot cut, and I needed (needed!) them because Hannah Montana had worn a similar pair under a pink, sparkly dress on Disney Channel the week before. As I slid them across the checkout counter with uncontrollable glee, my mother leaned down to look me in the eyes and said, “Now, remember, good jeans never go in the laundry.” Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh happens to agree with my mom; denim doesn’t appreciate the washer-dryer cycle. Berg told CNN viewers last week that he still hasn’t washed a pair of jeans he’s owned for 10 years (and he considers the freezer trick an old wives’ tale). Abstaining from washing your pants shaves off days and days of laundry-time, but there’s still the ick factor, right? Not exactly, according to Jason Tetro, a microbiologist and author of The Germ Files. Referencing a study conducted by the University of Alberta, the germ expert explains that the majority of bacteria found on denim come straight from your own skin. “Nothing more. No pathogens. Nothing that’s really going to cause a problem,” he tells me. Kelly Love, founder and CEO of Branch Basics (a brand that makes non-toxic cleaning products), agrees with Tetro. “Of course it depends on where you’re wearing your jeans and what’s getting on them, but normal wear is not going to pose a health threat and doesn’t warrant fear of grossness.
Here’s *exactly* what retinol product you need, based on your skin goals
March 26, 2019 at 10:30AM by CWC Retinol is the universal go-to for fountain of youth vibes on your face, but finding the right formula to suit your skin isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. The wrinkle-fighting ingredient can also help combat redness, fight breakouts, brighten, and a whole host of other complexion-boosting benefits. Nope, totally not a one-trick pony. To help you find the perfect match for your skin, we teamed up with Sephora to create this handy (and legit informative) quiz. And because everyone wants to know how a product actually works IRL before trying it for yourself, we got seven of our editors to try seven different retinols and share their thoughts. Scroll down to take our retinol quiz, and click the hotspots to read what our editors thought of each formula. @import url(“http://wellandgood.com/wp-content/plugins/imagelinks/lib/imagelinks.theme.default.css?ver=imagelinks”); Best for redness “I have dry skin, so anytime I wear a retinol, I have to couple it with a heavy-duty moisturizer to help my skin handle it; however, when I started using Green Releaf Cream I was able to cut two steps down to one. The cocktail of cannabis sativa seed oil with two percent retinol allows me to slather it on and then hit the sack with an extra minute or two back in my evening.” — Ali Finney, Beauty + Fitness Director Buy Now Peter Thomas Roth Green Releaf Therapeutic Sleep Cream $65 Best for dark spots “I was thrilled to have found a plant-based alternative to retinol, by way of bakuchiol, that gives my skin
Is Your Multivitamin Fermented? Here’s Why That Actually Matters
March 26, 2019 The Unexpected Thing That Makes Supplements So Much More Effective Continue Reading… Author | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
Texas bluebonnets are the super bloom of the South—and we have the pics to prove it
March 26, 2019 at 09:52AM by CWC I’ve lived in New York City for a long time now, and I love it, but every spring, without fail, I miss my home state of Texas with surprising intensity. And so, I turn the dial to Outlaw Country crooners like Willie Nelson, Robert Earl Keen, and the Texas Tornados, where it stays, as I dream about fields of blue. Yes, the super bloom of wildflowers in California is too pretty for words—as are the swarms of butterflies they’ve attracted this year. But Californians (and New Yorkers, and everyone else), hear me out: The reason to visit Texas is not Austin. It’s not SXSW. It’s not even Marfa, with its fake Prada store and its art colony-on-the-moon vibe. It’s the bluebonnets, which, like clockwork each March, blanket the Texas roadsides from Big Bend over to Brownsville all the way to Beaumont. This year, thanks to higher-than-average rainfall this past autumn and some well-timed winter showers, the Lone Star State is having a “bumper crop” of bluebonnets, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. In fact, it’s the best since 2010, which was called a “once in a lifetime” season at the time, according to Austin’s KVUE. So, here’s your twice-in-a-lifetime chance. Think of it like forest bathing, but with the cool-toned calm that the Texas state flower brings. You’ll get all the health-boosting, cortisol-lowering benefits of being in nature, with breakfast tacos awaiting you each morning. If I’ve convinced you—great. Book that ticket. If trekking down
Not even dating is safe from burnout—and work apps are fueling the fire
March 26, 2019 at 07:34AM by CWC Ping! Buzz! Pinnng! A slew of new-message notifications lights up your phone. With a sigh, you sit down and log in, scrolling through your inbox to answer the most pressing inquiries first. For several minutes—or several hours, even—you methodically craft pitch-perfect responses and thoughtful follow-ups. You schedule meetings, as necessary. Finally, exhausted, you take a break, pouring yourself a glass of wine and turning on Grey’s Anatomy. Because this isn’t even work; this is your dating life. To be fair, dating has always carried the whiff of a part-time job. Really, what more is a first date, than a glorified job interview? You put on a nice outfit and talk yourself up for an hour or two, all in the hopes that it will eventually lead to something full-time, er, long-term. But the introduction and proliferation of dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, OKCupid, and even TwinDog (yes, it’s a thing!) over the years has continued to blur the line between what we do at the office and what we do after-hours. And according to Robby Slaughter, a workflow and productivity expert and principal at AccelaWork, that’s partially by design. “The messaging apps and social media apps you use in the workplace are designed for the same purpose as the dating apps, which is to keep people engaged—to keep you coming back and using it,” he says. The need for workplace apps to be sticky (read: addictive) has led designers and programmers to bling
Why you should be using dry shampoo before your workout—not after
March 26, 2019 at 07:18AM by CWC A typical pre-workout routine involves eating a healthy snack or drinking an energizing shake. But if you’re trying to limit the number of times you wash your hair each week, you might want to spritz on some dry shampoo before you sweat it out. Sweating is an unavoidable part of working out. If you’re hitting the gym regularly, you’re probably shampooing too frequently, stripping your hair of its natural oils. While there’s only so much dry shampoo can do after your hair is already soaked with sweat, it’s a pre-workout hero. “Prepping with dry shampoo is one of my favorite tricks,” says celebrity hairstylist Kristen Shaw. “Think of it as your tool to balance out your sweat. When you prep with it, then sweat, it basically acts like a barrier for your hair. Plus, you tend to get some great texture when the two elements combine.” “Prepping with dry shampoo is one of my favorite tricks. When you prep with it, then sweat, it basically acts like a barrier for your hair.” —Kristen Shaw, celebrity hairstylist As opposed to trying to get rid of a sweaty mess, spritzing on some dry shampoo before hitting the gym makes getting ready afterward a cinch. Who has time to wash, dry, and style every day? Not me, that’s for sure. “Spritz the dry shampoo on your roots all over, then use your fingers to emulsify and activate,” she says. “Throw your hair in a high bun
How to communicate with your spirit guides, according to a medium
March 26, 2019 at 07:11AM by CWC I was in the middle of a phone conversation with spiritual medium Erika Gabriel, talking about how to communicate with spirits, when she suddenly told me she was getting a message from my grandmother (who had passed away a couple of years ago). “Your grandmother wants to say something to you,” she says, as I’m taken off guard. “She’s telling me to ask you why you aren’t married yet—she really wants to see you married and settled down with a family.” Let me tell you—I was shook. I’m not alone, as we lose loved ones, some of us are interested in communicating with others in the spirit world, and Gabriel’s job is to act as a guide. She’s well-versed in communicating with those who have moved on, which is what I came to her for. To begin with, though, it’s important to fully know what spirits are in the first place—and what they are not. Now, it’s important to note that not everyone believes this world exists, but for those who do, there are certainly things to get straight. Here are the most important details to note, according to Gabriel. First things first: What are spirits? “There are such things as ghosts,” says Gabriel. “I’m going to start there. Ghosts or those types of spirits are usually the first things that people bump into because they’re stuck here on the Earth plane.” She explains that the “bumping into” feeling is essentially that energy