February 11, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC “It’s what could happen—it’s completely possible. We don’t know how bad things can get.” That’s the message functional medicine practitioner Will Cole, DC, wants to spread about the 2008 Pixar film WALL-E being a prophetic, cautionary vision regarding the future if we don’t take steps now to fix burnout. Though he admits we’re still functional humans—unlike the physically atrophied ones in the film who don’t move, are permanently affixed in front of a screen, and rely on computers to take care of them as a result of longstanding unsustainable environmental and lifestyle practices—he calls burnout the elephant in the room we can’t afford to ignore. The state of being burnt out, Dr. Cole says, facilitates the fatigue, exhaustion, and depletion contributing to inflammation, stress, chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases, which are on the rise and now affect an estimated 50 million Americans. To be fair, society isn’t ignoring burnout conceptually. In fact,Well+Good noted in July 2019 that the year had become largely defined by burnout: Last January kicked off with Mary Helen Petersen’s article in Buzzfeed outlining how millennials became the burnout generation and Boston-based health-care organizations naming physician burnout “a public health crisis” in a published research paper. A few months later, the World Health Organization knighted occupational burnout with a diagnostic code in the International Classification of Diseases. Given all of this, it’s an unequivocal truth that burnout is on our minds, affecting our bodies, and, as Dr. Cole cautions, compromising
Month: February 2020
This sex toy looks like an electric toothbrush and will make your head spin with pleasure
February 11, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC When I unwrapped my brand new Zumio sex toy ($140) in plain sight on a couch at work, all I could think of was Beanie Feldstein. Deep purple with a slim, rotating tip, I had never seen a sex toy like this before…one that more closely resembled an electric toothbrush than a vibrator. Cue: Feldstein’s line from Booksmart: “I once tried to masturbate with an electric toothbrush, but I got a horrible UTI.” Well, no need to be concerned about UTIs when using the Zumio. It may aesthetically resemble a dental tool, but its rotationally powered tip works in place of a different kind of oral care. There are many things to love about the innovative Zumio sex toy, but a good place to start is that it’s not a traditional vibrator. Its rotating tip provides an entirely different, swirly approach to stimulation, which feels simultaneously familiar and completely new territory in comparison to what other buzzy feel-good gadgets supply. “Its circular movement, adjustable speeds, and pressure sensitivity allows Zumio to deliver an extremely unique sensation, exactly where you want it.” —Joan Highet, Zumio’s chief retail officer The rotation was originally developed to mimic the natural motion of a finger, yet the design offers much, much more. “The combination of the precision SpiroTip, its circular movement, adjustable speeds, and pressure sensitivity allows Zumio to deliver an extremely unique sensation, exactly where you want it,” says Joan Highet, Zumio’s chief retail officer. “The lack of
Why sea moss is the latest hot add-in to healthy smoothies
February 11, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Sometimes it seems like we’ve seen anything that could possibly trend in the wellness world have a moment. Jade eggs? Check. Eating all fat? Check. CBD everything? Check. But just when you thought you’ve seen it all…enter the rise of sea moss. No, it’s not your imagination—sea moss is having a moment. The slimy seaweed has sparked a torrent of colorful #seamosssmoothies and other recipes splashed across our Instagram feeds. According to Pinterest’s 2020 Trends Report, search volume for “sea moss benefits” increased 380% from 2018 to 2019. Even Kim Kardashian-West recently tweeted to her fans in a Q&A that she enjoys the occasional sea moss smoothie. It appears the algae has really grown on the wellness world (pun very intended). But, uh, what exactly is it? And is it worth the hype? Sea moss—aka Irish moss—is a species of red algae found on the Atlantic shorelines of North America, Europe and the Caribbean Islands. Historically, the seaweed has been harvested and dried to create carrageenan, a common thickening ingredient akin to a vegan gelatin. Carrageenan has actually been the center of wellness controversy for years due to its potential links to inflammation and other illnesses (although research on the subject is mixed). Now the seaweed itself—not its extract—is making a splash. “This algae has been used for many years as an alternative medicine in Jamaican and Irish cultures, but is becoming quite popular in the health and wellness industry,” says Lisa Richards,
‘Friend-mirroring’ is the confidence-boosting reason to send selfies to your pals
February 11, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC I’m single and I live in New York City, which is something I admit with the same enthusiasm I’d dedicate to “I have to get a colonoscopy.” What I mean by that is my relationship status isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it is certainly a pain in my rear. I personally prefer to be partnered, and making that happen in a city full of small-talk-minimizing headphone-wearers makes achieving that uniquely difficult. I’m doing my best to get out there by resisting the seductive lure of staying in to watch Netflix, instead resolving to RSVP “yes” to everything. But if I ever need an extra self-esteem boost to get out the door—even after I doll myself up in any number of flattering LBDs—I send a picture of myself to a friend, or practice “friend-mirroring.” It’s not a compliment-fishing exercise, but rather the elicitation of an assist to help me evade any potential spiral of negativity. Because showing up somewhere alone can make anyone feel vulnerable, and doing it while wearing the wrong dress or over-application of blush can feel extra-awful when you don’t have a baseline level of self-confidence at a given point, like when you’re, say, fresh off a breakup. If I ever need a self-esteem boost to get out the door—even after I doll myself up in any number of flattering LBDs—I send a picture of myself to a friend, or practice “friend-mirroring.” That’s why I started practicing friend-mirroring
I’m not a runner, but in the spirit of marathon season I tried CBD-fueled runs—here’s what happened
February 11, 2020 at 10:30AM by CWC I won’t lie to you, I’m that person who peeks out from under my blankets to look out the window at passing runners, wondering why on earth they chose to leave their warm homes to go for a run outside. It’s not that I don’t enjoy exercising. I’ve played soccer my whole life, and I take part in group workout classes regularly. But setting out on the open pavement just to run? Doesn’t exactly strike my fancy. But, after spending a recent afternoon getting lost in an internet wormhole of inspirational running stories related to the upcoming Los Angeles Marathon, I somehow found myself lacing up my sneakers and jogging down to the path near my apartment. (If you’re ever lacking in workout motivation, I highly recommend this tactic, because clearly it worked on me.) One unpleasant element of running I was quickly reminded of by my sore calves and tight hamstrings? The importance of recovery. Determined not to let soreness get in the way of my new workout of choice (the inspo was real, y’all), I decided to dabble in a new trend I’d been hearing about: Topical CBD for running. I’m no stranger to CBD skin care, but for more intel on its connection to workout recovery, I asked Kerrigan Behrens—co-founder and co-CEO at Sagely Naturals—for her take on how to use CBD to keep my muscles happy after pounding the pavement for several miles. “Recovery is imperative for runners, regardless of
Never heard of circadian entrainment? Here’s how the method can boost your wellness routine (plus how to do it)
February 11, 2020 at 10:00AM by CWC If you’ve ever struggled to break out of your foggy morning haze or felt ravenous for sugar-filled snacks after a night of just okay sleep, it’s not your lazy-Sunday mentality taking over—it might be that your circadian rhythm (you know, your internal clock that tells you when to feel sleepy) is out of sync. There’s no need for panic, though, because you can do something about it—it’s called circadian entrainment. Sounds intimidating, but it’s really just exposing yourself to the right kind of light at the correct time of day, so that your body can produce its natural responses (re: getting sleepy once it’s dark out and feeling alert when it’s sunny). “Our bodies function and respond in synchrony to the natural patterns of the planet: The sun rises and sets each day, seasons come and go, and temperatures, humidity, [etc] are all perceived through our senses to determine our physiological responses,” says Dr. Doug Steel, transitional scientist with NerouSense. But, modern life and tech have sent nearly everyone indoors (ugh, jobs), which means we now control how we reproduce these previously natural responses, Dr. Steel says. “We work indoors during the day with moderate intensity light exposure, which is about 100 to1,000 times dimmer than sunlight,” he says. Basically, the way we interact with light as modern humans goes against everything our bodies are naturally programmed to do. Once we’re in wind-down mode at home, we’re still exposing ourselves to light that’s
Here’s how *not* going to the gym can help you find a groove with your fitness routine
February 11, 2020 at 10:00AM by CWC In the age of “if you didn’t Instagram your workout, did it really count?” fitness can feel like an all-or-nothing proposition—but it shouldn’t. Together with Michelob ULTRA—the next-level light beer that wants to take the stress out of staying fit—we’re exploring ways to be active that you’ll actually enjoy. Because being healthy doesn’t require fitness to be your whole life, just one (fun) part of it. Sometimes the fitness scene can be a little, well, intense. From the month-long challenges at boutique studios to the #NoDaysOff hashtags on fitfluencers’ Instagram posts, the incessant push toward improvement is enough to make you feel like rest days are out of the question. Well, if you’re under the impression that getting fit means you have to work out every single day, we’re happy to announce (drumroll please): it abso-freaking-loutely does not. To show you why, we teamed up with Michelob ULTRA—which is all about finding the healthy balance between fitness and life, AKA making time for both the gym and happy hour—and are putting a big ‘ole red flag on the idea that if you want to see results in the gym, you need to be there seven days a week. In fact, if you’re struggling to settle into a fitness routine, it actually might be a sign that you’re doing too much (anyone else dread the gym more when you’re super sore?). So let’s drop the glorification of overtraining and start celebrating the benefits of taking
Cold compression is the next wave of recovery tech you’ll see everywhere
February 11, 2020 at 03:00AM by CWC Recovery is top of mind these days, and as a result, technology that was once reserved for top athletes is now becoming widely accessible to all. For example, gym-goers everywhere can easily reach for percussive therapy devices (like the Theragun or Hypervolt) or infrared wraps to soothe muscle soreness. And, the same is about to be true for cold compression, thanks to a new device called the Squid Go. Both cold therapy and compression therapy have been tapped for decades to help soothe sore muscles. Science has shown that low temperatures can help relieve post-workout aches, while compression therapy can help stimulate blood flow to the area to speed up recovery. The Squid Go combines the two for a single 15-minute sesh that’s like cryotherapy meets NormaTec. Developed by a Harvard-MIT trained bioengineer, the Squid Go compression tool is meant to bring users targeted, quick relief for muscles soreness. There are different “systems” depending on which body part you’re targeting that are fit for that anatomy. The one-two punch of cold compression purportedly promotes “circulatory changes that direct fluid from swelling away from the area, and nutrient-rich, fresh blood back into the treatment area,” says co-creator Shai Schubert, PhD, a bioengineer. The inflammation and swelling that happens after working out is your body’s response to help itself heal. According to Dr. Schubert, everything in your body is “hot” after activity, which is why using cold tech can help. “Reducing the temperature of the
Why winter is the time to deal with all the troubles summer created for skin
February 11, 2020 at 02:00AM by CWC During the winter months, dry skin tends to get all of the attention. You swap foaming cleansers for nourishing milky ones, you double down on hydrating ingredients, and you slather on extra coats of moisturizer all day long. But there’s something else that’s also worth considering: Winter is the time to treat summer skin damage. Because if you’ve ever wondered how to get rid of texture on your face, the answer is not to deal with it in the sunny months. No matter how diligent you are with your SPF, sun exposure is higher between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and any tan that appears (I repeat, any tan!) is creating damage within your complexion. “There are treatments for sun damage, but we’re worried about people getting sun exposure after them, so we encourage patients to do these treatments in the winter,” says New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Anne Chapas, MD. There are two main issues that occur as a result of sun damage: textural inconsistency and discoloration. We ask pros how to treat both, so keep scrolling for their top tips—and your winter gameplan. For treating skin texture As your mom and your dermatologist have likely told you thousands of times over the course of your life, spending time in the sun inevitably leads to fine lines and wrinkles. Enter resurfacing lasers, which Dr. Chapas says “create new texture and remove sun damage.” There are two different types of resurfacing lasers that can
These nutty homemade granola bars will make you wonder why you even bother with the store-bought kind
February 11, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC Granola bars seem like the MVP of snacks. Not only are they downright delicious, but most importantly, you can toss one in your bag to have on hand when you’re out and about. But don’t be fooled by the marketing and packaging into thinking that all granola bars are inherently healthy. Many store-bought options include some questionable ingredients as well as tons of added sugar. As Sarah Adler, a nutrition coach, healthy lifestyle expert, cookbook author, and founder of Simply Real Health points out, a poorly-chosen granola bar can end up making you feel hungrier rather than providing you with fuel to get you to your next meal. Not cool. The alternative: homemade granola bars. They’re easier to make than you’d think, and going the DIY route comes with a few perks that you don’t get with the store-bought kind. For one, you know what ingredients are in your granola bars, and thus can tailor them to your tastes and needs (and skip the boat-loads of sugar.) Plus, you can meal prep them over the weekend, wrap them up in parchment paper and tie a piece of ribbon around your bars if you want to make them Pinterest-worthy, and then pop them in the freezer, making your snack of choice easy to grab when you’re running out the door. These reasons are what inspired Adler to create an upgraded version of a homemade granola bar. Her version stars nuts and apricots, both of