March 06, 2020 at 04:32PM by CWC In the three months since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan, China, the headline-grabbing respiratory illness has circulated the globe with alarming speed. At press time, there have been more than 95,000 confirmed cases and nearly 3,400 deaths across 77 countries, and those numbers are climbing every day. It’s hard not to feel fear in such an uncertain climate, but experts worry that certain coronavirus facts can be hard to separate from fiction, and it’s causing people to worry unnecessarily. Public health officials don’t yet know much about the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, so given its swift proliferation, they’re taking serious steps to protect the public. In the U.S., for example, lawmakers signed an $8.3 billion dollar bill to provide emergency funds for a COVID-19 response, while counties and states are declaring public health emergencies so that they can respond more effectively to the crisis at hand. “There have been lots of rumors, unverified facts, and conspiracy theories that have been spread across the internet,” said Chi-Man (Winnie) Yip, PhD, professor of global health policy and economics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in a recent Harvard forum. Not only is unwarranted fear unhealthy for one’s mental state, but it can also cause people to take actions that cause more harm than good. “Immediately overnight, people buy up all the medicine, all the masks—which are actually not needed—and all the food,” said Dr. Yip. Here, we’ve rounded
Month: March 2020
Could you make it through the hardest workout in America?
March 06, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC The verdict is in: the hardest workout studio in America is (drumroll, please…) New York City’s Tone House. Earlier this week, Classpass released its list of “Hardest Classes in America,” and Tone House beat out 20,000 other studios across the country for the top spot. The self-described “extreme, athletic-based group fitness studio” has earned a reputation as being unbelievably challenging, and according to reviews on the Classpass website it definitely lives up to the hype: “Hardest workout of my life. If you think you’re fit…think again.” “Wow just wow. Brutal but good.” “This workout kicked my ass.” So what is it about Tone House that makes it so dang hard? The workout is utilizes sports conditioning sequences made up of full-body moves—and interspersed with sprints—to get your muscles burning and your heart racing. These sequences change every day to keep your body guessing, but many of the toughest moves are around all the time. Below, Tone House head coach Yusuf Jeffers reveals what they are. 5 moves from the hardest workout in America 1. Gallops: We’ve called Tone House’s Gallops “the hardest workout move you’ve never tried before,” and it’s for good reason. The move is basically running on all fours—the way a cheetah would—and requires you to transfer your weight from your hands to your feet and back again. “Moving on all fours quickly with a decent level of coordination and agility is an unusual challenge for the body that’s unaccustomed to those positions,”
Your guide to 7 different types of vibrators, and how to use each best
March 06, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC There many paths we’re able to take in order to reach the destination of pleasure: To name a few, there’s Clitoral Orgasm Avenue, G-Spot Street, Wake-Up Your Neighbors In The Middle of The Night Lane…you get the idea. The world of pleasure is wide, and—to break away from the geographic navigation comparison—offers many different types of vibrators each of us can try. But while exciting, that reality can make it confusing to navigate. So, with so many types of vibrators available for you to buy, how do you know which direction to take? Don’t worry, we called in some reinforcements to help guide us. Below are seven types of vibrators you’ll find on the market, and expert takes on the specific ways each will transport you to Pleasuretown. 7 different types of vibrators, and how to use each best 1. Clitoral vibrator Shop now: Zumio S, $140 Research shows that during sexual intercourse, most vulva-owners simply can’t climax from penetration alone. The exact figures vary, but one study suggests it’s fewer than a dismal 20 percent. But the flip side to that is that with clitoral stimulation, your ability to come more and faster jumps way higher. “The easiest type of orgasm to reach for a vulva-owner is the external clitoral one,” says developmental psychologist and human sexuality professor Zhana Vrangalova, PhD. “This is because the external clitoris is the part of the body that contains the greatest density of nerve endings that, when stimulated, can
The meal prep plan you need for easy gluten-free dinners all week
March 06, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Meal prepping is the not-so-secret hack for making eating healthy during busy weekdays a cinch, but it’s a lot easier said than done—even with the best intentions and a Pinterest board full of ideas. Enter Prep School, Well+Good’s new series that makes meal prep simple. Each month, we’ll focus on a different eating style, with four weeks of different delicious plans to try at home. We’re kicking it off with a whole month dedicated to easy, gluten-free meal prep. Lindsay Cotter is a gluten-free cooking pro. A nutrition expert and the creative force behind Cotter Crunch, she tests and tries new recipes on the reg, sharing only the best on her site and in her cookbook, Nourishing Superfood Bowls. She’s also a major meal prepper, regularly helping gluten-free eaters craft meal plans that will make their life easier throughout busy weeks—without sacrificing on taste. “There are two easy meals I recommend making on Sunday that can then be incorporated into different meals throughout the week,” Cotter says. “Stuffed bell pepper bowls and Mongolian beef and broccoli rice bowls. Make these two dishes on Sunday and you’ll have ingredients prepped to use in whole new ways throughout the week.” Here, she shares the ingredients list that has everything you need to meal prep a week’s worth of easy, gluten-free dinners for one person, including recipes for her two “core meals” and how to use those leftovers Monday through Friday (without getting totally sick of
Elizabeth Warren won’t be our next president, but we still desperately need a woman in office
March 06, 2020 at 01:10PM by CWC On Wednesday, March 4, a day before Elizabeth Warren announced that she was stepping out of the presidential race and a day after her Super Tuesday performance made it a foregone conclusion that she’d have to, I posted the following meme on my Instagram Stories: A progressive male friend I’ll call Jack saw it and messaged me to say, “Warren lost her home state and lost other states behind Bloomberg. We kinda need you to wake up.” His insinuation—that my unwavering support of Warren was not only stupid but also detrimental to the Democratic cause we share—infuriated me in so many simultaneous ways that I had trouble expressing them elegantly. I asked him not to “we” me. I ordered him to lose his pompous tone. I implored him to look at the hashtag I’d included—#gobluenomatterwho—which, to my mind, explained that I was already awake, and merely paying homage to a woman I thought deserved it. He sent a long reply, explaining his understandable fear about another Donald Trump win and included this sentence: “Sorry if I don’t think it’s time to post ‘yas, queen’ memes about someone who is in fourth place.” “Seething” is the closest I can get to articulating my immediate reaction, but it still falls short. Jack’s flip response smacked of so much casual sexism, but given my past experiences in disputes with other men that were similar in spirit, I had a feeling any protestation I made would be
5 common mistakes that are ruining your treadmill workout, according to a run coach
March 06, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6I24WgiiPw] Running is the most natural form of movement there is. Humans have been doing it since the dawn of time, and our bodies are well trained to perform these movements. Running on the treadmill, though, is a totally different story. Our bodies aren’t as equipped to stride on a machine as they are to do it outside, though, which can create some major problems as far as form is concerned. According to Nike Run Coach Jes Woods, there are lots of common mistakes that many of us are making when we hop on the tread. To get the most out of your workout, it’s important to know how to run on the treadmill the right way. But in order to do that, you’ve gotta be aware of what you might be doing wrong. Some of the biggest errors Woods sees people making on the machine? Keep scrolling to find out. 5 common mistakes that happen on the treadmill 1. Running too close to the console: “You might be afraid of falling off the tread, so that’s why you’re running super close to the console,” says Woods. This, she explains, prevents you from opening up your stride to your natural running gait, so your steps may feel tighter and less comfortable than they would if you were running on the road. 2. Carrying your arms: When you’re running too close to the console—or if your body starts to fatigue —you’re more likely to hold your
3 ways to healthify your favorite game day foods, according to a registered dietitian
March 06, 2020 at 10:30AM by CWC Game day watch parties often consist of very passionate sports fans, a few people who are just there for the snacks (let’s be honest), lots of cheering, and plenty of buffalo chicken dip. One thing not commonly found at the party? Healthy food. “Most concession stands, tailgates, and viewing parties are guilty of offering high-calorie foods,” says Ashley Martinez, MFN, RDN, LD, culinary dietitian at Kroger Health. “Being surrounded by all of this can make it difficult to stick to healthy habits, but it’s all about changing the way we think about food.” The last thing you want to do is waste time stressing about the health factor of the spread in front of you when instead you should be rooting for your favorite team. Enjoying a portion of that buffalo chicken dip is not a bad thing—we promise—but by adding a few healthy game day snacks to the table, you’ll be able to focus more on who’s winning and less on what you’re eating. To make sure you’re watch party-ready, we asked Martinez to share some suggestions for healthy ingredient swaps to transform your favorite party foods into healthy game day snacks with no extra effort. Bonus: You can find all her suggestions at Kroger, and by downloading the OptUP app, you can view additional ingredient swaps that are personalized to you the next time you head to the store. Keep scrolling for 3 healthy game day snacks that everyone at the
4 freezer staples that make plant-based cooking so much easier
March 06, 2020 at 03:00AM by CWC It’s a common misconception that in order to eat a primarily plant-based diet, everything has to be fresh. While a crisper bursting with colorful produce is certainly welcome, it’s not the only way to make plants the primary part of your meals. A majorly helpful hack in making plant-based eating easy—especially when there’s no time to go to the store is keeping your freezer stocked with some versatile go-tos. “I think of the freezer as the new modern pantry,” says clinical nutritionist Sharon Brown, CN. “Frozen is the new pantry for modern cooks.” Brown says that she aims to make 90 percent of her diet plant-based and the other 10 percent from humanely raised proteins. Healthy plant-based frozen foods that make cooking easier 1. frozen fruit “I always have frozen fruit on hand to add to smoothies, grain-free hot cereals, grain-free pancakes and quick desserts,” Brown says. The cool (no pun intended) thing about frozen fruit—and veggies for that matter—is that they are flash frozen at peak ripeness, so you are still getting all the amazing nutritional benefits that you would from buying your fruit fresh from the fresh produce section of the grocery store. 2. frozen vegetables Brown says one of her easy, go-to dinners is bone broth with veggies. “Frozen vegetables are a must when you’re in a pinch,” she says. “Simply sautee them with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and the bone broth, which adds collagen to the meal.” 3.
How to triple your push-up count in a single strength-training session
March 06, 2020 at 02:00AM by CWC Whether you can do two of them in a row or 200, learning how to do more push-ups seems to be an item on everyone’s fitness to-do lists. Obviously, as you get stronger you’ll be able to up your count over time, but if you’re feeling impatient on the matter, we found a hack that will let you triple the number of up-downs you’re able to do in a single strength training session. The secret? It’s all about where you place your hands. Moving your hands—and by default, your arms—into different positions relative to your body tweaks the type of push-up that you’re doing, which switches up the muscles that you’re working. “Though all push-ups work your chest, different types require more effort from different parts of your muscles,” says Julia Stern, a trainer with Rumble. When your hands are close together and your arms are parallel to your body, your triceps get the brunt of the work. As you move them farther apart into a regular push-up and then into a wide-grip push-up, the work moves increasingly into your pectorals. So if you max out on the number of reps you do in one type of push-up, pausing and moving your hands will allow you to reset so that you can start from zero on the next variation, since those muscles haven’t yet been burned out. In doing this, you’ll be able to up your count and work every inch of your
Your guide to buying and drinking truly sustainable wine
March 06, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC Thanks to climate change, people are more willing than ever to go “green” with their eating habits, from going plant-based (at least some of the time) to cutting back on their food waste. So it should be no surprise that many people are interested in making their beverages more eco-friendly, too—right down to buying and drinking sustainable wine. However, when it comes to choosing eco-conscious vino, things can get a little murky. There are a variety of sustainable certifications for wine, says Diego Meraviglia, president and director of education at the North American Sommelier Association. “There’s a lot of confusion about what sustainable, organic, and biodynamic wines mean,” says Meraviglia. “They often get mixed up and are used interchangeably, but they actually mean very different things.” Much like the way supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA, there isn’t a body of government that oversees sustainable practices in winemaking. Not to mention, there are many labels on wine that sound eco-friendly but don’t necessarily mean green. So how do you make sure that your reds and rosés are sustainable, too? Here’s what to know. So what is sustainable wine, exactly? Sustainable wine refers to the farming and winemaking practices that winegrowers follow, Meraviglia says. To be certified sustainable, wineries and vineyards must have an independent third party evaluate their farming practices and see if they meet certain eco-friendly standards. These standards run the gamut of composting waste to make fertilizer, conserving water, and reducing