March 20, 2019 at 09:07AM by CWC Today, March 20, is the vernal equinox, which signifies a few different things. First, spring has officially sprung. And second, the length of day and night are now equal (so the dark, sad—and SAD–winter days are over). Another reason to celebrate is the (astrological) new year! Aries season begins today, and the sign of the ram is the first in the zodiac cycle. The time to yell out “Happy New Year!” is 5:58 p.m. ET. Don’t worry, the astro-sophisticated people near you will get it (and there are more of them than ever). By the way, there’s a “super worm equinox moon” four hours later. What’s that? Don’t be alarmed by the “worm” thing. It’s just the traditional nickname for March’s full moon, when the ground is warming up and worms are coming back to the surface for spring. The “supermoon” refers to a full moon that is at what is known as its perigee, when it’s closest to earth in its egg-shaped orbit, reports National Geographic. Translation: The sky will be extra-bright tonight. And according to astrologers, your full-moon fever could be extra-intense, too. (Fun science fact: It’s the first supermoon to occur on the vernal equinox in 19 years, according to astronomy website EarthSky—and it won’t happen again until 2030.) This full moon happens in Libra, the sign of justice, and will stay in that zodiac zone until Friday—and in the current alignment, we’ll feel the impact most in our relationships. “Supermoons mean that
Year: 2019
These chocolate avocado bars are the savory-sweet treat you need in your life
March 20, 2019 at 08:41AM by CWC I’m always looking for a new way to get my healthy dessert fix. I’m the girl who buys candy molds off Amazon to make low-sugar versions of my favorite sweets. When I was casually scrolling through my Instagram feed and stumbled across a stack of chocolate bars loaded with a creamy avocado center, it’s safe to say I was close to drooling on my phone. Avocados and chocolate aren’t the most common combination, but leave it to Lauren Kirchmaier, the writer behind Flora & Vino, to find a way to make them taste like they’re soulmates. The 7-ingredient chocolate avocado coconut cream bars are free of gluten, grains, oil, and refined sugar, making them a perfect addition to just about anyone’s healthy treat line-up. Another secret ingredient for the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth goodness: creamed coconut, which is made from dehydrated, fresh coconut meat for an extra-rich texture. While these bars look like they might be complicated to make, they don’t even require baking. “We start with a chocolatey date walnut crust then move to a creamy avocado coconut layer sweetened with pure maple syrup, then top it off with melted chocolate,” Kirchmaier writes. Really, after little more than a quick blend and some freezing, the sweet green delights are ready to eat. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lauren (@flora_and_vino) on Mar 14, 2019 at 6:44am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js Flora & Vino’s chocolate avocado coconut cream bars Ingredients: Base layer: 1 cup dates 1 cup walnuts
Want to wash your hair less? Scalp serums are the hot-ticket item to know now
March 20, 2019 at 07:42AM by CWC 2019 is finally the year that scalps are starting to get the love they deserve. For as long as any of us can remember, “hair care” has centered around actual, well, hair. Lately, however, we’ve learned that good hair starts at the root, and that means taking proper care of your scalp. “Hair care is scalp care, and scalp care is health care. When your scalp is off, your body’s off,” says Paul Labrecque Salon and Spa hairstylist and trichologist Bridgette Hill. “We are now exploring what true hair care really entails. It has very little to do with the fibers of the hair, and for the most part, everything to do with the scalp.” After all, your scalp is actually skin, which means that it needs to be cared for in the same way you’d care for your face and body skin. Meaning: You wash it, scrub it, mask it, and now, slather it in a scalp serum. “Scalp serums promote healthy hair and hair growth,” says hairstylist Kim Navarro of Los Angeles’ 901 Salon. “When hair is washed too frequently, you’re not allowing the natural hair oils to replenish. If you’re on the the other end of the spectrum, not washing often enough and using dry shampoo can lead to dry scalp and flakes.” Just as different skin types require different serums to address their varying needs, the same principle also applies to your scalp. First things first: identify what kind of scalp you’ve got
A doctor explains the constant craving for salty foods
March 20, 2019 at 07:35AM by CWC Even if your kitchen is full of healthy snacks, sometimes there’s no denying the desire for a handful of potato chips. Or popcorn. Or French fries from your favorite fast-food place. Whatever it is, it better be salty. Salt isn’t “bad” per se, says integrative medicine physician Pooja Amy Shah, MD. “It’s one of the most important components in our bodies,” she says. Sodium, the primary component of salt, helps maintain healthy fluid levels in your body, ensures proper muscle function, and transmit nerve impulses throughout the body. There’s even a theory that we’re hard-wired to like salty foods because they often contain important minerals for growth and development. The problem, Dr. Shah says, is that most people already get too much salt (more than the recommended 2,300 milligrams per day) because many foods in the American diet are loaded with it. Many of those foods don’t necessarily taste salty because of the other ingredients used, she says—leading people to seek out even more salt to satisfy the cravings that come up. Salt in excess, of course, can lead to bloating, dehydration, and in some people, increased blood pressure. Plus, Dr. Shah adds that when you’re craving salt, it’s often your body telling you something else that may have nothing to do with food. This matters because once you understand what’s behind that seemingly-urgent need, Dr. Shah says you can be a bit more intentional about choosing whether or not to indulge. Here are some of the
Kale just joined the “Dirty Dozen” pesticide list for the first time in a decade
March 20, 2019 at 07:21AM by CWC I’ve never had to worry too much about kale. Unlike strawberries and spinach, which often contain the most pesticide residue, it’s never done me dirty, allowing me to make my green smoothies in peace. But the news I read this morning almost made me spit it out. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just released its rankings for the 2019 Dirty Dozen, a guide to pesticides and produce. Kale finds itself on the list for the first time since 2009, ranking third, right behind strawberries and spinach. Every year, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tests 47 popular fruits and veggies, mimicking how a typical person might prepare produce at home. After reviewing 40,900 produce samples, the list is born. For kale, more than 92 percent of samples were found to contain at least two or more residues. Some of the samples collected contained residue from up to 18 different pesticides. “We were surprised kale had so many pesticides on it, but the test results were unequivocal,” Alexis Temkin, PhD, toxicologist for EWG, said in a press release. “Fruits and vegetables are an important part of everyone’s diet, and when it comes to some conventionally grown produce items, such as kale, choosing organic may be a better option.” Rounding out the Dirty Dozen are nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, and potatoes. Kale bumped sweet bell peppers off the list as the only change from last year. Before you strike kale from your diet,
Alpha + beta = love? Relationship experts break down the personality-type misconceptions
March 20, 2019 at 06:43AM by CWC “We were both too alpha for this to ever really work, anyway,” my ex tells me mid-breakup. Given that our relationship was fraught with roughly, oh, 12,800 issues, my first reaction to this alpha/beta pain point was of the ??? variety. But after we parted ways, I wondered whether there was any truth to the notion that two alphas are too many, and a healthy relationship requires the oppositional pull of both an alpha and a beta. As a reminder, alphas are basically the leaders of the pack—the Oprahs, AOCs, and Emily Gilmores of the world, if you will. “They’re competitive, outgoing, aggressive, and domineering,” says psychotherapist Aimee Barr, LCSW. Betas, then, are more of a laid-back support system. “They’re relationship-focused, play a supporting role, make good friends, are nurturing, and are usually more insecure and nervous-minded than alphas.” At its most simplified, the alpha-beta dynamic is when one person calls the shots while the other follows along and submits. While this describes a complementary relationships of sorts (à la opposites attract), experts say it can create the exact opposite of a healthy partnership. “These personality types exist on a continuum. They’re not stagnant. We might exhibit more beta characteristics in X area and more alpha characteristics in Y area.” —therapist, Kathryn Smerling, PhD According to the pros, a relationship doesn’t require one alpha and one beta, but rather healthy communication and mutual respect. “The most important elements in a relationship are how you treat
Here’s How To Create An At-Home Gym In Your Studio Apartment
March 20, 2019 at 06:31AM Skipping the gym has never felt so good. Continue Reading… Author Ray Bass | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
Amazon’s new skin-care line is chock-full of the buzziest ingredients around
March 20, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC Whether you’re looking for a $7 facial toner or the best damn vitamin C serum money can buy, Amazon has got you covered. From luxury skin care to budget beauty buys, there is very little that you can’t find on the site. Except, that is, for a line of ingredient-forward, affordable beauty products created by Amazon itself. Well, that’s about to change, because as of today Amazon is launching its very own line of clean skin-care products. Called Belei, the 12-SKU line is free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and fragrance, and none of the products are tested on animals. In addition to being void of all the stuff you don’t want in your skin-care products, Belei is formulated with the buzzy ingredients that dominate most of our beauty cabinets, like retinol, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C. Featuring everything from a Charcoal Balancing Mask ($18) to a Tri-peptide Eye Cream ($22), the brand has pretty much everything you’d need to revamp your entire routine. Photo: Amazon “Our goal is to help customers spend less time and money searching for the right skin-care solutions,” Kara Trousdale, Head of Beauty for Private Brands on Amazon.com. “We took a simple, no-nonsense approach when creating Belei, developing products with ingredients that are both proven to deliver results and also offer customers great value for the quality.” Belei’s products target acne, dark spots, fine lines, and dehydration—AKA all of the things I curse my face for on a daily basis. The full line goes
There’s a blue-fire volcano in Indonesia—and we have the photos to prove it
March 20, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC When you think of an ordinary volcano, you probably picture fiery red lava spewing from a collapsed mountaintop or perhaps oozing down the slope with a dull glow. Far from ordinary is Indonesia’s Kawah Ijen volcano, which awes with a stunningly blue illumination. Kawah Ijen displays one of the world’s most mesmerizing natural wonders, but you need to hike the crater before dawn to see it. “The blue glow is due to sulfur burning, a common volcanic product that makes a blue flame. If you had a piece of sulfur sitting on your desk and you touched a match to it, it would turn blue,” says James E. Quick, PhD, a volcanologist who spent 25 years with the United States Geological Survey (USGS). “When magma is approaching the surface, it contains gases, the most common being CO2, H2O, and sulfur. As the magma comes to the surface, it starts to boil off these gases. When the sulfur is released from the magma, if it encounters a lot of water beneath the surface, it will be absorbed by the water and won’t escape. But if it has a dry pathway to the surface, it will come to the surface and be released.” In the rare case of Kawah Ijen, the deposits of sulfur are “produced by releases of sulfur that are quite hot, and they’re hot enough that when they come to the surface, they ignite,” says Dr. Quick. “In some cases, the sulfur is flowing down
Menopause is health tech’s last frontier, but this startup is looking to change that
March 20, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC At this point, there seems to be a health-care startup to meet almost every basic women’s health need. We can consult apps like Maven Clinic for a UTI prescription or a lactation consultant session, get a read on fertility with services like Kindbody, and score birth control pills, emergency contraception, and HIV prevention drugs from Nurx. But there’s still one subset of women who haven’t been directly targeted by the fem-tech revolution: those seeking menopause treatment. This is absurd, considering that the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) says an estimated 6,000 US women reach menopause, or the permanent end of their menstrual cycles, every day. And that’s not even counting the tens of millions who are experiencing symptoms of perimenopause—the transitional phase in which a woman’s ovarian function starts to decline and periods become irregular during her late 30s and early 40s. “When we started speaking to women who were experiencing the symptoms of menopause, what we heard over and over was I feel alone, I didn’t feel prepared for this, I don’t feel educated about what’s happening to my body.” —Rachel Blank, co-founder of Rory Not only is there a huge market for menopause support, there’s also a huge need for it. Starting during the perimenopause phase, which lasts an average of four years, it’s not uncommon to notice a tanking libido, mood swings, weight gain, hair loss, insomnia, vaginal dryness, and hot flashes—serious symptoms that can dramatically affect a woman’s quality of