January 15, 2020 at 11:46PM by CWC In a new ranking of the world’s best countries, the United States isn’t first—it’s seventh. And among the best counties for women, it doesn’t even make the top 10 of 80 nations considered—it’s fifteenth, according to U.S. News and World Report. (At least it’s still first when it comes to “power”?) To determine the best countries for women, U.S. News considered each nation’s stance on human rights, gender equality, income equality, progressivism, and safety. These five attributes carried equal weight. American citizens enjoy plenty of privileges others around the world do not. But as the world’s most powerful country, we can do better. The survey used to score and rank countries was developed by BAV Group and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in consultation with U.S. News and World Report. Over 20,000 people from across the globe were presented with 65 country attributes and asked how closely they associated an attribute with a particular nation. The attributes were grouped into nine subrankings, including citizenship (which considered human rights, gender equality, and progressivism) and quality of life (which looked at income equality and safety, among others). Women’s reproductive rights are human rights. And the onslaught of proposed, passed, and blocked anti-abortion legislation in 2019 wasn’t overlooked by the rankings. “This is a deliberate attempt to bring a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade and to end the right to access safe, legal abortions in this country,” said Leana Wen, MD, the
Day: January 15, 2020
Williamsburg is basically ‘Wellnessburg,’ and we have the healthy travel guide to prove it
January 15, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyrxwk3JFsI] Ready to plan your wellness-rich Williamsburg itinerary? Watch the video for inspo. There isn’t much Well+Good video producer and host Ella Dove hasn’t tried in the name of wellness (horseback yoga, anyone?) So naturally, we tend to trust her opinions on what’s worth trying and what’s plain weird—no matter where we are or what we’re considering giving a shot. That’s precisely why we’re taking you on a new adventure: What the Wellness: Travel Guides, where Dove visits her go-to wellness destinations in her favorite cities and neighborhoods across the country, highlighting her favorite healthy locales. In this inaugural edition, we’re touring four places in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which may as well be called “Wellnessburg.” One stop along the way? East River Pilates. Even if you’ve never been to Williamsburg, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of East River Pilates founder Kimmy Kellum and strengthened and toned your body thanks to her tough Trainer of the Month Club sets. If possible, though, swinging by the IRL outpost of East River Pilates for a class is worth your time. And not just because it offers a variety of options for its reformer classes (like springboard classes and privates sessions), but because, as Dove points out, it fosters such an inclusive and uplifting community. “Every time I walk in here, I just feel, like, a rush of good energy,” Dove says. “I just think it’s a really fun place to…torture myself in a Pilates class.”
This is the age with the least happiness in life—here’s why a psychologist says it’s actually a magic year
January 15, 2020 at 08:00PM by CWC Happiness in life isn’t a constant state of being. It’s completely normal for it to rise and fall as time goes by. The year you fall in love might represent the peak of happiness; the year you lose a loved one is likely a low point. We joke that the years before the reality of work and bills are the height of happiness. Remember when getting mail was fun and not a reminder to pay your Internet bill? And having a job sounded glamorous and didn’t involve long hours at the office? According to a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, it might carry some weight. Researchers reviewed data from 132 countries and found a happiness curve. Happiness falls after the age of 18, reaching its lowest point in the late 40s. The data shows that for most people the year when they feel unhappiest is 47. Many reported feeling anxious, depressed, lonely, lacking self-confidence, and feeling under strain during this time of life—a recipe for the classic “midlife crisis” stereotype. There are very real reasons some feel this way: some are under financial stress or perhaps aren’t where they thought they would be at this stage of their lives. But 47 is actually a magic year, one that should be celebrated, according to author of The Sunny Side Up, Lauren Cook, MMFT. Just a few reasons to find happiness in life during your late 40s, according to a marriage
7 delicious, creative ways to eat hummus when you’re tired of carrot and celery sticks
January 15, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC We called chickpeas as one of the biggest food and health trends of 2020. The humble legume, once relegated to a cold add-on at salad bars, is now the star ingredient in a wide array of delicious plant-based eats, including chips, pastas, and of course everyone’s favorite healthy dip: hummus. However, as delicious as hummus is, there are only so many carrot sticks and pita chips you can possibly dip into it before getting bored. While the creamy chickpea spread has certainly landed itself on top of the snack popularity list, its pairing options aren’t exactly plentiful…or at least that’s how it seems. Turns out, there’s actually a lot more you can do with hummus besides using it as a dip. Given the snack’s health benefits, it might make you want to rethink treating hummus as just a side dish. Lisa Richards, CNC, a nutritionist and author of The Candida Diet, says hummus is a heavyweight in the healthy food arena. “It’s a nutrient-dense snack that provides a significant amount of other nutrients, specifically minerals that are often missing from even a healthy diet,” she says. “For example, one serving of hummus provides almost half the manganese recommended dietary intake (RDI) at 39 percent. Manganese acts as an antioxidant the body protecting us from oxidative stress, but is also vital to bone health and brain function. A serving also contains nearly 15 percent of the RDI for iron.” In this case, the recommended
This interactive graphic shows how music makes you feel 13 distinct emotions
January 15, 2020 at 05:59PM by CWC When I’m feeling angry and need something to match my energy, I turn to Rico Nasty’s special brand of punk rap. When I’m ready to calm down, I’ll switch to a more soothing artist, like Nao or Alina Baraz. I know I’m not alone in this—whether you’re having a party or just want to zen out, you pick a playlist to fit the vibe. The impact of music on emotions isn’t a new field of study, but researchers at University of California, Berkeley, have taken it a step further by mapping how music evokes a range of emotional responses. Led by post-doctoral researcher Alan Cowen, PhD, a researcher at Berkeley Social Interaction Laboratory, the team of scientists asked nearly 3,000 people from the U.S. and China to record the feelings they associated with different songs, examining the responses to see how consistent the emotional associations were across cultures. “We arrived at the findings that at least 13 different emotions were reliably conveyed by the music—more than people have thought,” says Dr. Cowen. The identifiabel emotions include: amusing, annoying, anxious/tense, beautiful, calm/relaxing/serene, dreamy, energizing, erotic/desirous, indignant/defiant, joyful/cheerful, sad/depressing, scary/fearful, and triumphant/heroic. Take for example an instrumental sample of “The Morning” by The Weeknd. Thirty-seven percent of the listeners found it “dreamy,” 33 percent found it “romantic and loving,” 30 percent found it “erotic and desirous,” and 27 percent found it “calm, relaxing and serene.” On the other end of the spectrum, fully 80 percent of
How I navigate New Year’s resolution season as an eating disorder survivor
January 15, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC Editor’s note: This piece might be triggering for people with a history of disordered eating. I was 10 years old when I made myself throw up for the first time. I have grappled with disordered eating for as long as I can remember. I was bulimic through my parents’ divorce when I was a kid, numbing my confusing feelings by binging and then guiltily making myself get sick. I starved myself through my first real breakup when I was 16 so I would have something to focus on other than the heartbreak. I then became addicted to exercise after I graduated college and tried to pursue a career in dance. Even when I was in the first stage of my eating disorder recovery at age 25, I became fixated on “clean eating,” assuming that if only I ate healthy, “virtuous” superfoods, then all my issues with eating would automatically be fixed. (They weren’t.) I have spent most of my adult life healing my relationship with my body. Many things have contributed to my recovery—namely cognitive behavioral therapy and somatic experiencing (a specific type of therapy designed for trauma recovery), intuitive eating (a mindful way of eating with an anti-diet focus), coupled with holistic bodywork like acupuncture, reiki, breathwork, massage, and meditation. But despite all the progress I have made in my recovery, I still brace myself when the calendar flips to January 1, and the entire world becomes fixated on making New Year’s
I’m a dermatologist, and these are the mistakes I see people make when treating eczema
January 15, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC Having dehydrated skin is one thing, but dealing with eczema takes dry skin woes to another level. Since we’re smack in the middle of winter, a lot of people are experiencing eczema flareups, and there are a few key things to keep in mind when combatting this type of irritation that go above and beyond your usual dry skin treatments. As in: You’re going to need more than your trusty hyaluronic acid serum. “Eczema is a skin disease that’s characterized by dry skin that becomes inflamed,” says Loretta Ciraldo, MD, a Miami-based dermatologist and founder of Dr. Loretta skin care. You’ll typically see the skin condition, also known as atopic dermatitis, show up as extra-dry patches of inflammation, which she says tend to be really itchy. “Drier, colder weather can worsen it, as can using certain skin-care ingredients like alcohol and coloring,” says Dr. Ciraldo. While there are definitely things you can do to dry skin that also help with eczema, eczema is more about giving extra attention to your skin’s barrier. “People with eczema have skin that doesn’t function well as a barrier,” says Shirley Chi, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Los Angeles. So it takes an extra level of TLC, and that includes avoiding certain lifestyle habits (one, for example, happens in the shower). Keep scrolling for the most common mistakes that dermatologists see people make when treating eczema. 1. Using heat Basking in hot water in your shower can feel good, but
How to use your foam roller for lymphatic drainage (because it works for that too)
January 15, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC Foam rolling is one of the most dependable ways to relieve muscle soreness, get myofascial release, and help with flexibility. Another benefit for your body? Foam rolling helps with lymphatic drainage, too, which means that fluid buildup around your fascia gets broken up, allowing you to move better. “The network of lymph is directly connected to the fascia, which sits right underneath the skin,” says Esther Gauthier, founder of Aqua Studio in New York, where you can now find foam-rolling classes on the studio’s menu of offerings. “This vast network of connective tissue surrounds and stabilizes all muscles, organs, joints, and bones, and plays an important part in the internal health of our bodies.” With everyday stressors, however, she points out that your body can experience a stagnation of the lymphatic fluid along with inflammation in the body, which is where foam rolling comes in. “Foam rolling oxygenates the blood, which will hydrate the fascia, activate your lymphatic system, and help to create movement and flush the buildup.” The good news is that you don’t have to really change much up in terms of your foam rolling technique in order to reap the benefits of lymphatic drainage, because it happens naturally with the pressure you’re applying. “When you foam roll, you relax muscle tension, you activate your lymphatic system, you reduce pain and soreness—it all goes hand in hand,” says Gauthier. That said, there are certain factors that’ll up the lymphatic drainage benefits
When you buy a super-expensive beauty product, this is what you’re paying for
January 15, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Call me a beauty snob (or just very gullible), but I’ve always assumed that luxury skin-care products are superior to their budget friendly counterparts—the higher price point must mean they’re more effective and less likely to trigger my highly sensitive skin, right? But the more I witness the Well+Good beauty team raving over their favorite drugstore finds, the more I’ve started to question that logic. According to my extremely discerning colleagues, it’s totally possible to find hard-working serums, moisturizers, and sunscreen for less than $20, and the quality of mass-market beauty products just keeps getting better. So what’s really the difference between, say, a $30 retinol cream and a boutique version that costs $100? According to cosmetic formulator Stephen Alain Ko, ingredients all play a role in the cost of a beauty product—things like sourcing, purity, and the difficulty of manufacturing a given add-in. Take green tea extract, for example. “Green tea extract is a relatively common ingredient, but the purity of the ingredient can change the cost of the raw material by many magnitudes,” he says. This could be one reason why a 2010 investigation found that making a $320 jar of Crème de la Mer with standard ingredients would only cost around $20—the brand responded by saying that the sea kelp it uses is rare and sustainably sourced, rather than the more commonplace sea kelp found in lower-priced products. (Of course, in this extreme case, branding probably also has something to
‘Melting’ cleansers completely erase makeup so you can kiss the double cleanse buh-bye
January 15, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC When it comes to the first (and most basic) step in your skin-care routine—cleansing—there are somehow a lot of things to think about. Dermatologists and facialists suggest optimizing your cleanse by using warm (but not too hot) water, choosing a face wash that rids your pores of gunk without stripping your skin, and being sure to double cleanse so that every bit of debris is washed away. To make things easier, “melting” cleansers are a new trend on the shelves, meant to deliver a double cleanse in a single tube (which they do by changing textures—think: oil to cream, balm to mask). Superstar facialist Renee Rouleau has noticed the rise of these double-duty cleansers, which she writes on her blog are meant to cut your cleansing routine in half. “The goal of a melting cleanser is to remove makeup,” says Rouleau. “It’s not a gel and it’s not a lotion, but a hybrid of the two.” Typically, the product will start off as a gel or a cream, and then as you massage it into skin, it will change textures (usually becoming a foam or a milky emulsion). Sure it’s a cool party trick, but what do these melting or bi-phase cleansers actually do for your skin? They function as both steps of the double cleanse, removing makeup with their oil base and then whisking it away with a frothy lather. That means that you’re getting the benefits of two types of cleanses with only