May 17, 2019 at 03:03AM by CWC I made the cute mistake of leaving water in my desk water bottle—my beloved water bottle which is infused with shungite crystals—for a couple of days, and then realized I had unknowingly harvested mold in it. Whoops. Growing mold in your water bottle is a way too easy of a thing to do. This is something I’ve realized over the years of owning dozens of reusable bottles—you might say I’m not as diligent as I should be about properly cleaning them. But if you do as I do and simply neglect your precious vessel—just how do you deal? “It doesn’t matter if it’s a bacterium or fungus—it just needs three things [in order to grow]”, says Jason Tetro, microbiologist and author of The Germ Files. “One is a nice, warm environment to grow, which is over 60 degrees Fahrenheit. And the warmer it gets, the more likely you’ll have growth. Two is water. And three is where it gets a little gross—sugar and salt are good. But other types of organic matter, such as the backwash from your cheeks and from your sinus cavities, will provide an ample amount of food for bacteria and fungi to grow. And so all three of those things are going to be in a water bottle.” Cool. “[Some] types of organic matter, such as the backwash from your cheeks and from your sinus cavities, will provide an ample amount of food for bacteria and fungi to grow.” —Jason
Category: 2019 Health
Here’s how to tell if you’re eating the best eggs possible, according to an egg farmer
May 16, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC So you finally decoded the (many) labels you can find on an egg carton—no, natural doesn’t always mean better, and opting for brown eggs won’t score you the same benefits as choosing brown rice over white—and landed on organic equals healthy. Seems reasonable, right? Well, spoiler alert: The “organic” label doesn’t automatically mean you’re getting the best eggs money can buy (cue shocked gasps). According to Jesse Laflamme, owner and chief executive farmer at Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs®, judging the quality of an egg is a little more nuanced than looking at one label. “Believe it or not, a factory farm housing millions of hens can still bear the USDA Organic seal.” “It all boils down to the farm,” Laflamme explains. “Believe it or not, a factory farm housing millions of hens can still bear the USDA Organic seal. At Pete and Gerry’s, we take pride in the quality of our organic, free-range eggs from our small family farms. Our company is committed to small-scale farming because we are dedicated to the humane treatment of animals, sustainability, and the restoration of the small family farm to the American landscape.” So how exactly does that translate to the egg you’re adding to the top of your avo toast? We put together this handy chart to help you in your search for the best organic eggs possible. Scroll down for all the deets on how to find the best organic eggs, with intel straight from
This 4-ingredient avocado scrub will brighten skin in 1 minute flat
May 16, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfFOy9_NNwo] It’s not exactly a secret that we at Well+Good love avocados: On our toast, in our smoothies, and now, thanks to Nana Agyemang, slathered all over our faces. In the latest episode of “The Avocado Show,” Agyemang, founder and CEO of EveryStylishGirl, shares the recipe for the avocado scrub she swears by. And all it takes are four easy ingredients that you already have sitting around at home: an avocado, some brown sugar, olive oil, and tea tree oil. This quadruple-combo is a skin win for a whole lot of different reasons. First off, avocado is just as good for the outside of your body as it is for the inside. The fatty green fruit is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, and will leave skin brighter while also helping to strengthen its lipidic layer, which gets damaged throughout the day. The brown sugar will slough off dead skin, while tea tree oil will target any sort of breakouts or blemishes you’ve got going on. And finally, olive oil will help hydrate (especially you’ve got dry skin), and the end result will leave you like a bright, dewy complected goddess. Agyemang’s unbeatable beauty tips aren’t the only reasons why we’re taken with the self-described girl boss. She founded her media company, EveryStylishGirl, as a means of combatting the lack of diversity she saw in the fashion industry. The brand’s blog and Instagram helps to encourage women of color to embrace their passions
A dream expert analyzes 9 common (too common, even) dreams people have about their exes
May 16, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC I remember many of my dreams, and boy are they weird. Certain themes and locations recur in my nighttime adventures (I dream about being trapped in a mall, being on airplane that’s on the highway, and about going to Disney World all the time), but one of the most common and emotionally confusing situations is when I dream about certain people from my past. So I went straight to a dream expert to answer the all too common question: Why do I keep dreaming about my ex? First things first: I’m definitely not alone in this slumber-induced phenomenon. “Dreaming about your ex is super common,” says Lauri Loewenberg, author and certified dream analyst. It can happen whether you’re currently in a happy relationship (as I am) or not. But the meaning to be teased out from them likely doesn’t have much to do with your ex specifically. “The context of the dream makes a big difference in what it means,” she says. A big misconception is that dreaming about your ex signifies you want that person back in your life; after all, why else would your subconscious keep visualizing them. But Loewenberg suggests to think less literally: “Usually [the dream] is not so much about your ex, but about what they represent.” Of course, this representation can be a whole plethora of things, so working to analyze each dream, which Loewenberg calls our “second brain” may be trying to tell you is key.
The one thing you aren’t thinking about when shopping for skin care will save you big $$$
May 16, 2019 at 12:42PM by CWC There are a lot of factors that go into the skin-care product selection process. First and foremost and by far the most important: the ingredients. Then, maybe, the brand, the price, and the packaging. But one thing you’re probably not thinking about when you’re perusing the shelves for the latest addition to your regimen (at least I know I wasn’t)? The cost per ounce, AKA how much bang you’re actually getting for your buck. We had a collective “Aha!” moment in the Well+Good offices this week when Glossier announced that they would be re-launching their Super Serums in new sizes—up to 30 ml from the original 15 ml—without changing the price. So while consumers will still be spending $28 on the product, that $28 will go much farther than it did before because you’ll be able to get more use out of it, and ultimately, replace it less often. This got us thinking about which products on the market are offering up the best value for your beauty bucks: As in, are all of those $150 serums actually secret steals because of how much you’ll end up getting out of them? To figure it out, start out by dividing the total cost of the product by the number of ounces in the bottle, then take into consideration how much of the product you need to use (peep our guide to that here) and how often you’ll use it (i.e. only in the morning
How my abortion helped me create a new life for myself
May 16, 2019 at 12:30PM by CWC I decided to have an abortion when I was 16 years old. I remember the night that I got pregnant. It was after homecoming. I had recently switched birth control, and the condom my boyfriend and I were using broke. We stopped after that, but it was too late. I was two weeks late for my period when my grandmother (who I was living with) told me that I needed to take a pregnancy test. It was positive. Everyone in my family said I should have an abortion. No one wanted me to have a baby. I was 16, my boyfriend and I had a toxic relationship, and we really had no way to properly support a child. I didn’t want to go that route at first. I thought I could raise it myself, or at the very least go the adoption route. But once I started looking into my options, I realized that adoption is way more complicated than how it looks on TV. I knew that I wasn’t truly capable of bringing human life into this world and taking care of it the way it should be. And I knew that even if I did have a child, all the people who would have judged me for an abortion would have judged me for going to the welfare office or leaving the child with my parents. It’s a double-edged sword. I’m from a small town in Georgia, where there’s no Planned
A psychologist’s take on why many of us would rather walk than small talk in an Uber
May 16, 2019 at 12:12PM by CWC Uber is trying to make small talk in your ride a thing of the past, and honestly, praise be. The feature—called Uber Quiet Mode, currently only available for high-rolling Uber Black and Uber Black SUV users—lets your driver know that you’re not trying to engage in conversation. And, really, when you’re hopping into a car at 3 a.m. to catch an early-morning flight to Florida, can you think of anything you’d want to do less than engage in low-stakes pleasantries? Thing is, some people—the ones for whom we invent such mute-button-esque functions in the first place—certainly can. Why do some people lean hard on, dare I say even enjoy, small talk while others like me would rather walk all the way to Universal Studios than be asked about what I do for a living? You know, besides the whole, “we’re all shy, social introverts now” thing. Several reasons, it turns out—with the first being simple personal taste. “Similar to the preference of chocolate versus vanilla, many people strongly feel one way or the other about small talk, whether in an Uber or at a work meeting,” says psychotherapist Jennifer Silvershein, LCSW. “While some individuals feel that small talk allows us to get comfortable and potentially ‘warm up’ for more intensive or important conversations, others may find it absolutely distracting and a waste of time.” “Similar to the preference of chocolate versus vanilla, many people strongly feel one way or the other about small talk,
When your IT band is tight (spoiler alert: it is!) here’s what to do
May 16, 2019 at 11:26AM by CWC The very first time I got professionally stretched, my stretch expert was working on my legs when she pointed out that my IT bands were incredibly tight. “What types of workouts do you do?” she asked me, to which I responded that I’m an avid runner, who’s always had an affinity for intense boot camps. It’s basically a recipe for tight quads, hammies, and yep, IT bands. “The IT band is a tendinous band that begins laterally above the hip and inserts below the knee,” says Sarah James, a certified Pilates pro and founder of Pilates by Sarah James. “It supports extension of the hip and laterally stabilizes the patellofemoral joint of the knee. People are using it all the time.” Kara Levine, director of Pilates at New York’s Flex Studios, adds that it runs down the outside of the thigh to the tibia (AKA your shin bone). Even if you’re not thudding on the cement in an outdoor jaunt, you’re using your IT band simply while standing still. “When standing still, the IT band maintains knee and hip extension,” says James. “When walking or running the IT band helps maintain flexion of the hip and is a major supporter of the knee—up to about 30 degrees of knee flexion.” So yeah, it’s pretty much always being utilized in some way or another if you’re upright. Even if you’re not thudding on the cement in an outdoor jaunt, you’re using your IT band while
This is *exactly* how much foundation to apply for an airbrushed finish
May 16, 2019 at 11:20AM by CWC I’m going to be very honest with you: I think about doing my makeup the exact same way I think about doing my taxes. That is, I’m really just fumbling around in the dark until someone illuminates the beauty secrets of the universe. For one: How to apply foundation and how much (a dime, a dollop, a handful?) I really need to use each day.Celebrity makeup artist Molly R. Stern says I’ve really been overthinking the entire process. Squeezing the “perfect amount” of concealer follows the golden rule of makeup: Less is always more. “I am a big fan of only using foundation where you need it. Start with less. It’s always easier to add than to take away,” says Stern. There’s no single currency-sized blob that’s appropriate, so just start with a teeny-tiny amount and blend more as needed. “It’s always easier to add than to take away.” To make sure your face is primed and prepped to take on the skin smoothing layer, apply a moisturizer, toner, and primer to get your complexion in the mood for long-lasting makeup. Then, using a makeup brush and/or a beauty blender, begin layering your foundation on bit by bit. “I always apply a light layer of foundation with a foundation brush, like the Sigma Foundation Brush F-60, and then I actually pad it in with the concealer blending brush Kabuki F-70,” celebrity makeup artist Diana Oh previously told Well+Good. “So I apply a light layer and really
Master this move to fire up your entire body in a matter of minutes
May 16, 2019 at 10:55AM by CWC This week, a bear crawl was part of my workout plan for the first time. I wasn’t scared. With such a cutesy name, how tough could they be? I made the first set look like child’s play. But I’d soon come to find out this exercise wasn’t messing around. It’s safe to say this bear is no teddy. The bear crawl looks pretty harmless at first, but watch out for its bite. “The bear crawl engages almost every muscle in your body and specifically focuses on your quads, legs, chest, shoulders, and core,” says Reid Eichelberger, head trainer at EverybodyFights in Philadelphia. “It can help improve your stability, mobility, overall strength, and endurance.” Bear crawls are also a great move to do as a warm-up to strength training sessions, according to Nike master trainer Betina Gozo. “They activate your core and nervous system, plus they’ll get your heart rate up, increasing your body temperature so you’re primed and ready for your workout,” she says. To make sure you’re performing bear crawls correctly, follow Gozo’s instructions: How to perform a proper bear crawl 1. Starting with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips, press through your hands and hover your knees off the ground at a 90-degree angle. Make sure you’re keeping your hips level and core engaged the whole time. 2. Maintaining a flat back and keeping your arms straight, pick your right hand up as you move your left foot