February 24, 2020 at 11:30PM by CWC In its earliest iteration, foundation was known as “grease paint.” It was made from literal grease mixed with mineral pigments, and as you might imagine, it wasn’t exactly what anyone would call “skin friendly.” Thankfully, the cosmetics world has come a long way since the 1800s, but our associations between foundation and skin health have remained largely unchanged. However, 200 years after foundation’s advent, it’s time to flip the switch on the theory that it’s bad for your complexion. Sure, there are some products that won’t work for certain skin types, and none of them are exactly great to leave on while you’re sleeping, but new formulas tap many of the same ingredients found in skin care these days, making them great options for those who previously felt like they couldn’t wear foundation. Here’s what you need to know about the formulas that will keep your skin happy. The difference between water-based and oil-based foundation There are two main types of foundation out there—water- and oil-based—each of which do slightly different things when you apply them to your skin. In general, “when you put foundation on, it has the ability to blur skin due to spherical powders, and has high coverage power due to pigments,” says cosmetic chemist Ginger King. This comes by way of either silicones, pigments, or film formers, which do different things to skin depending on the basis of the formula. Let’s start with water-based foundations. Frequently found in both
Day: February 24, 2020
‘Lastics stretching’ teaches you how to get limber like a human rubber band
February 24, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC The recovery revolution is well underway, and there are about a million (and one) ways to stretch. That’s why ballet dancer Donna Flagg, an instructor at New York’s Broadway Dance Center, sought to create lastics stretching, a method based on “micro-movements” that takes you back to the basics of getting into your body’s tightest nooks and crannies. “Picture holding a rubber band while it’s slackened between your thumb and index fingers of each hand. This is how your body responds to a stretch—unless you do something else! That’s where micro moves come in,” says Flagg. “Micro moves are small, tiny moves you can make to take the ‘slack’ out of your muscles so you are sure to get the fullest, deepest stretch possible.” Rather than just throwing your body into a stretch—which, let’s face it, many of us are guilty of doing—Flagg’s technique asks you to really think about the mechanics of the move you’re doing. If you’re doing a forward fold, for example, what makes the stretch happen? “It’s all a matter of learning how to articulate your body in a way that can take a muscle—like the rubber band—and pull one end away from the other. It makes a huge difference in how your body responds to being stretched,” she says. To be honest, this method is one you really have to feel to believe. So, below, Flagg offers up three ways to start using the lastics stretching technique. 3 lastics stretching
This buzzy skin ingredient is like a brightening, discoloration-fighting laser in a bottle
February 24, 2020 at 09:01PM by CWC Vitamin C has long been the brightening king of the beauty aisle. Celebrated for its ability to treat dark spots and discoloration, it has earned itself a rightful place in nearly everyone’s morning skin routine. But when it comes to treating more serious skin-tone issues, there’s another ingredient that might just push vitamin C off of its hyperpigmentation-fighting throne. Tranexamic acid has recently become increasingly common in skin-care products thanks to its science-backed benefits. Its most significant claim to fame? It can treat all kinds of hyperpigmentation, including acne scarring, photo-aging, and the notoriously-difficult-to-deal-with melasma. According to research, topically-applied tranexamic acid works by inhibiting a pigment-producing enzyme in your skin called tyrosinanse. This interaction keeps melanocytes, or the cells that form melanin, in your skin from becoming overstimulated—which is what causes dark spots in the first place. In addition to controlling the uneven production of melanin, the acid will “help calm the skin, reduce inflammation, and help promote the health of the skin’s natural barrier,” says Colorado-based board-certified plastic surgeon Manish Shah, MD. While tranexamic acid has proven to be effective on its own, board-certified dermatologist Nava Greenfield, MD notes that it can be mixed with other brightening agents like kojic acid, ferulic acid, or vitamins C and E. Since acids can generally be drying, be sure to ease into introducing tranexamic acid into your routine, and be wary of mixing it with other intense actives like glycolic or retinol. Ready to add tranexamic
How does kinesiology tape work? Physical therapists explain why it’s an athlete favorite
February 24, 2020 at 08:18PM by CWC While training for the New York City marathon last year, I spent miles and miles silently praying to the recovery gods: Please, oh please, bless me with a Band-Aid capable of patching up the aches and pains in my body! Alas, I now know that no such bandage exists, but there is kinesiology tape (“KT tape” for short). According to Cameron Yuen, DPT, a doctor of physical therapy at Bespoke Treatments in New York City, the stuff can keep you moving through the achiest seasons of your chosen sport, but just how does kinesiology tape work? “Kinesiology tape is a type of elastic tape that is applied to an area of musculoskeletal dysfunction,” says Dr. Yuen. “Think strains, sprains, or swollen joints. This tape encourages movement and awareness, as opposed to athletic tape, which is used to brace and prevent movement.” Essentially, it puts a check on your form so that you can keep moving the way that you love to—running, dancing, skiing, whatever—within patterns that are sustainable for your body. With time, that means you’ll be able to take off the tape to find that your body has created better postures. “The most current research suggests that it is most important as a sensory feedback tool,” says Dr. Yuen. “The tape helps gate some of the pain you are experiencing by providing a different sensory input.” You apply the tape tautly when your muscles aren’t fully extended so that when you straighten
The soothing yoga pose variations that provide a stretch where you need it most
February 24, 2020 at 08:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtTbsrp55Ns] Yoga itself is incredibly soothing. A simple flow will have you rolling up your mat feeling more limber and energized than you did before. And the best part about the practice is there are so many yoga pose variations you can do to engage more full-body benefits—especially in those tight and often overlooked areas that need your attention the most. According to New York City yoga instructor Beth Cooke, some simple tips and tricks could turn you into your own masseuse. “It’s a really cheap way of self-soothing the body,” she says. “You don’t have to spend millions of dollars at the spa. You can do it right here on your own.” Start by focusing on three unexpected areas that will make you feel like a million bucks all throughout your body: your abdominal muscles, armpits, and calves. The next time you’re looking for relief, use these easy-to-follow yoga pose variations. Once you go through this flow once, you’ll want to do it every day. The most soothing yoga pose variations for full-body relief Photo: Elena Mudd 1. Tabletop with calf massage variation Start in a tabletop position. Take your right shin and place it on top of your left calf. Roll your shin down your calf so you’re rolling through the calf muscle. Keeping your shin in place, move into a child’s pose, pressing your left hip slightly more to the left. Complete 5 inhales and exhales. Repeat on the
A gastroenterologist’s top 5 ways to stop nervous poops—because if anything’s going to make you *more* nervous, it’s that
February 24, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC Nervous poops are a real thing. Sure, it may not part of polite dinner conversation, but your mental health and digestion are more connected than you may think—and that can certainly cause some issues in the bathroom. But if anyone knows how to stop nervous poops before they start, it’s a gastroenterologist. Dealing with anxiety is already hard. Your nerves can cause you to have physical reactions like nervous poops. “The gut’s nervous system—also known as the enteric nervous system—relies on neuropeptides and neurotransmitters like serotonin to regulate both intestinal motility and secretion,” says Andrea Culliford, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist with the Medical Offices of Manhattan. “Nervousness or anxiety can cause one to feel the need to go to the bathroom frequently in anxious situations and is related to the brain and gut’s nervous systems sending each other messages in times of stress or anxiety.” Luckily, there are some expert-backed ways to stop your nerves from taking control of your bathroom schedule. If you’ve ever experienced nervous poops (even Olympian Adam Rippon has struggled!), start utilizing these tactics as soon as possible. A gastroenterologist’s top 5 tips on how to stop nervous poops 1. Decrease caffeine intake Your morning coffee is what kickstarts your day, but you might want to take a break from it if you’re experiencing nervous poops. According to Dr. Culliford, it’s crucial to decrease caffeine intake as it “may exacerbate the need to go to the bathroom.” 2. Be
7 reasons your therapist might break up with you—and what to do next
February 24, 2020 at 06:09PM by CWC In a perfect world, your experience with going to therapy would be 100 percent on your own terms. You’d schedule sessions for times that fit in perfectly with your calendar and lifestyle, and, at some point, perhaps you’d move on from therapy—but only when you decide the time is right. Unfortunately, that’s not always the way it goes, and you might find yourself saying “my therapist terminated me, and I don’t know why.” When therapists are the ones who decide it’s time to end a relationship with a patient, it can be a jarring experience. In this case, your therapist should first take the time to explain why they’re cutting ties with you, says Lily Brown, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. However, that’s not how script always goes. So below, your therapist may sever professional ties with you, and the best next steps to take if that does happen. 7 reasons your therapist might break up you To be clear, therapists say it’s not very common for a counselor to be the one who terminates the relationship with a client, so there’s no need to live in fear that your therapist is going to ditch you. Every case and every patient is different, but there do tend to be common behaviors and issues that may lead a therapist to catalyze a breakup. 1. You don’t really buy into the idea of therapy Psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb, author of Maybe
Why some experts think lab-grown, ‘cultured’ meat is the sustainable future of protein
February 24, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Even though vegan meat tastes more like “the real thing” than ever before, there’s still a great divide between meat eaters and non-meat eaters, and if we’re being realistic, there will likely always be one. The truth is, a lot of Americans really love meat. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meat-eating reached a record high in 2018 (the latest year stats are available): Americans had access to an estimated 222.4 pounds of meat and poultry per capita. Whether you eat meat or not, virtually everyone can agree that factory farmed meat is the least sustainable route to go; the environmental impact has been calculated to be particularly high. Many believe the solution lies in eating less meat, whether consuming one of the many plant-based substitutes or blended meat options. But others say that it’s unrealistic to expect everyone to give up meat forever, especially when meat offers up benefits like protein, iron, and B vitamins. This tension is giving rise to another possible solution: cultured meat, also often referred to as cultivated meat or lab-grown meat. Never heard of it? Cultured meat is made from the stem cells of animals, which are collected and then taken to a lab where they are fed nutrients in order to grow into living tissues. The end result, in theory, is ready-to-eat meat, without having to grow, feed, and kill an entire animal. It’s a “best of both worlds” type solution, and one
6 relationship traits that show it’s possible and even worthwhile to move past infidelity
February 24, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC When you find out your partner cheated on you, it puts a blurring filter over the entire relationship, muddying up a formerly crisp picture and making everything look worse. You might feel blinded by rage, consumed with sorrow, and left questioning the whole entire relationship. You wonder if your partnership is even worth saving, and even if you do have the strength to move forward someday, should you? Should you forgive a cheater and task yourself with the time-consuming, trust-building, and quite frankly painful process doing so likely requires of you? How do you know if the bond you have—or, rather, the bond you had—is truly worth fighting for? If you’re reflecting and trying to pick between two options of should you forgive a cheater or should you just cut your losses, there’s intel you can use to help: Below, relationship pros share six key traits of partnerships that signify there’s likely good stuff worth fighting for, even after someone cheated. Should you forgive a cheater? Pros say when relationships include the following 6 traits, you might want to consider it. 1. You’ve always been honest with each other “Always” may feel like a stretch right now, particularly if you’ve been blindsided by the news of your partner stepping out of the confines of your relationship agreement. Trust will need to need to be rebuilt—there’s no doubt about that. But if this event really feels uncharacteristic given your shared history, keep that in
Fatigue your entire upper body in just 6-minutes with this Pilates arm workout
February 24, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReP0UzlrkAo] There are a slew of different ways you can work your arms. You can turn to traditional strength training a la push-ups, hop onto a machine like an elliptical, try a boxing workout… or you can take a shortcut and try this Pilates arm workout that uses weights and slow movements for a killer burn. Triana Brown, our Trainer of the Month and Solidcore instructor, is taking us through an arm-quaking, Pilates-inspired upper body workout that will fatigue your muscles to failure (which is a good thing) in under 10 minutes. Though going slow might sound simple, as opposed to whizzing through bicep curls, it’ll make you feel every ounce of your upper body as it gets activated and stronger. It might feel challenging to work through, but you’ve got this. All you’ll need? A pair of light weights. Brown goes with five pound dumbbells, but grab whatever works for you… and get ready to feel the burn. Try this 5-move Pilates arm workout with weights 1. Dual-tricep kickback: Grab your weights and stand hip-width distance apart. Stagger your stance, puff up your chest, and brace your abs. Lift your elbows so that they’re nice and close to your ribs. Squeeze your triceps to extend at the elbow, and then slowly come back to bring your hands in line with your elbow. From there, extend back out nice and slow. Don’t arch your low back, and squeeze your abs throughout the