May 15, 2019 at 11:14AM by CWC Every once in a while—including on this very morning—I rub my lips together and discover that teeny, tiny blackheads have popped up around their perimeter. They’re not painful like normal pimples, and honestly you can barely even see them, but it’s more that they’re just kind of… there, begging to be squeezed into oblivion. Thanks to the near militaristic dedication of my skin-care routine, I rarely get blackheads anywhere else on my face, so I can’t help but wonder why these pesky little suckers keep coming back to haunt me. And when I posed the question to my colleagues, I learned that mine aren’t the only set of lips being targeted. So what gives? “Blackheads are blockages within your pores that have a wide opening to the skin, so the trapped oil is easily visible. It is not uncommon to develop blackheads around the mouth, because of the high concentration of oil glands in this area,” says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, noting that these can also pop up on your chin, nose, and forehead. There are a few things that can cause blackheads to emerge around your mouth, the most significant of which actually isn’t your lip products—it’s your hormones. “Sure, certain lip balms, lipsticks toothpastes or things that people use around their mouths can certainly irritate and clog the pores, but it’s usually more than just that. Usually it’s hormonal.” says dermatologist Michele Green, MD, who also lists hair removal methods like waxing
Category: 2019 Health
Girl Scout cookie season is officially yearlong with this healthy recipe for copycat Samoas
May 15, 2019 at 10:39AM by CWC Some people are all about autumn’s stunning foliage. Others love the fresh new blooms of spring. But there’s really no competition. The best season of all is Girl Scout cookie season. Whether your fond memories are of selling cookies yourself to earn that badge or of the box you ordered earlier this year and polished off the day it arrived, we’ve got a recipe that keeps the spirit of the Girl Scout’s close at hand. A copycat version that mimics the original is nothing short of a blessing. And, girl, you’ve been blessed with this Paleo, vegan, and gluten-free Samoas cookie recipe. Chocolate company Eating Evolved‘s Samoas cookie recipe is as close as it gets in taste and texture of the boxed version. It’s crisp, coated in caramel, sprinkled in coconut, and loaded with dark chocolate. But unlike the sugar-laden cookies hawked by the Girl Scouts, this one doesn’t contain palm oil, corn syrup, milk, wheat, or preservatives. Here’s exactly how to make the copycat Samoas cookie recipe for yourself while you wait to indulge in the real thing. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Evolved Chocolate (@eatingevolved) on May 14, 2019 at 2:01pm PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js Copycat Samoas Girl Scout cookie recipe Ingredients Cookie ingredients ¼ cup almond flour 2 Tbsp coconut flour 1 Tbsp arrowroot flour ⅛ tsp baking soda 3 Tbsp non-dairy milk 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted 1 Tbsp maple syrup Caramel topping ingredients 5
What it actually means to “make space” in your body during yoga
May 15, 2019 at 10:34AM by CWC Yoga’s good for you. There’s just no arguing with that. I tried resisting the practice for so long in favor of more high-intensity, sweat-packed workouts, until I was pushed into a class. It only took a couple of downward-facing dogs for me to realize that I was going to get hooked. If you’ve done yoga, I’m sure you feel me when I say that the practice has undeniable mind and body benefits. One of the reasons why I was so hesitant to dive in was that I thought that it wasn’t a good workout. I like to feel beat up and sore after a workout. But the effects of yoga are so much greater—and so much deeper—than merely being a form of exercise. In fact: It can help you change your body at a cellular level to help make more space. Here’s what’s behind that. What is happening on a cellular level Yoga makes your entire body more balanced overall. “From a musculoskeletal perspective, your body is made up of trillions of cells that get organized in a variety of ways, which then become tissues, which then become organized and become organs, which then become systems,” says Lara Heimann, a certified physical therapist and yoga expert. “The bulk of the day does not require a variety of movement, so that inevitably leads to imbalance, meaning that you’ll have some tissues that are shortened or restricted while some are not. And all of your
Anti-abortion legislation is about all of us—here’s how you can fight it
May 15, 2019 at 10:02AM by CWC Less than 24 hours after Alabama lawmakers voted to ban almost all abortions, Planned Parenthood’s Southeast call center is inundated with hundreds of calls from women in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. Each and every one is asking a similar question: If Gov. Kay Ivey signs the bill into law today as her Republican colleagues expect, what does that mean for my reproductive health care? In a press call this morning, Staci Fox, CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates, stressed that abortion is currently still legal in all 50 states. If the Alabama bill is signed into law, it will take six months to go into effect. Similarly, the “fetal heartbeat” bill that the governor of Georgia signed into law earlier this month won’t go into effect until 2020, reports The New York Times. And both are likely to face immediate legal challenges that would temporarily stop them from going into effect. “It’s important that we continue this cadence of reminding patients in states, especially here in Alabama and here in Georgia, that abortion is still safe, and legal, and accessible—and we are fighting every step of the way to make sure that stays true,” says Fox. You can advocate for abortion rights everywhere without leaving your home state. (This Twitter thread provides suggestions based on your geographical location.) Start by circulating a message championing reproductive rights throughout social media, and to any acquaintances, relatives, or friends you may have in Alabama and Georgia.
My sisterhood of traveling therapy-goers strengthens my mental health—not unlike therapy itself
May 15, 2019 at 09:55AM by CWC On an uncharacteristically sunshine-y Tuesday around 12:30 p.m., I ran into a friend from Brooklyn during my lunch break and gave her the skinny on my week. I can’t remember which news bite I delivered with more zeal: how much I loved my new (and first!) therapist, or how much I loved seeing Cher in concert. But, I do remember feeling a distinct sense of community and support upon learning my friend and I go to therapy in the same building. My very first session happened the day before, probably 2 to…24 years later than ideal (but who’s counting?). My mental health reached its low point this past winter, and though I wanted to seek therapy sooner, the idea making that first appointment made me feel overwhelmed, stressed, and very small. Furthermore, being able to foot the bill felt impossible. The one thing I have never felt regarding therapy, though, was shamed—and that’s all thanks to my friends, all of whom offer me mental health support that’s proved to be its own therapy of sorts. From a societal frame, it makes sense. After all, I’m a member of the Therapy Generation (and also Generation Anxiety), and many of my cohorts also gloriously feel little stigma about seeking therapy for mental health support. That mood is different among many of my baby-boomer mom’s friends, who regard therapy as a hush-hush, narcissistic means of fixing something broken. And, TBH, that makes sense, too: Even 20
Do you know what’s in your supplements? “Tested to Be Trusted” at CVS makes sure you do
May 15, 2019 at 08:26AM by CWC There’s no question that drug stores profit handsomely from the sale of supplements. It’s a $101 billion industry, in fact. But since the Food and Drug Administration’s oversight is limited, the content of each capsule is less certain. On Wednesday, CVS Pharmacy announced the “Tested to be Trusted” program that requires third-party testing of all vitamins and supplements sold at its 9,900 locations and online. The new program aims to confirm the accuracy of ingredients while ensuring products are free of specific harmful contaminants. In a press release, CVS says 1,400 vitamins and supplements from 152 brands underwent testing, and 7 percent failed, prompting the company to pull products from store shelves if manufacturers didn’t make changes to the label. “You have standards. So do we, reads the company’s website. The supplements industry has always been the wild west of wellness. The FDA “regulates dietary supplements under a different set of regulations than those covering ‘conventional’ foods and drug products.” The FDA cracks down misbranding, but it doesn’t actively test for label accuracy or quality control. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found nearly 800 supplement products containing active ingredients not listed on the label. While the new program at CVS is encouraging, there has always been a “buyer’s beware” caveat with supplements, leaving it to the consumer to do the research on a company’s testing for product safety and effectiveness. Below, a registered dietitian reveals the
Sunscreen *does* expire—here’s what a derm wants you to know
May 15, 2019 at 07:07AM by CWC By now, the skin-care commandment that says you should be wearing sunscreen every single day is so ingrained in my brain that I practically apply it every morning with my eyes closed. I don’t even think twice about it—I simply grab whatever SPF is nearest to me and swipe it all over my face. But, as I grabbed whatever was leftover from summer 2018, something I forget to pay attention to is the fact that sunscreen can expire. Oops. “Sunscreens are classified as an ‘over-the-counter drug’ (OTC), and because of this, the FDA requires that they have an expiration date,” says Loretta Ciraldo, MD, FAAD, dermatologist and founder of Dr. Loretta Skincare. And that expiration date depends on a couple of factors including the formula and the product packaging, according to Sofia Gracia, director of product development at Supergoop! “[An SPF’s shelf life is dictated by] the formula itself, or how well a product is formulated, stabilized, and how effective its preservative system is; the packaging, including how compatible the materials are with the formula and how well they protect it from the environment during storage and use; and the raw materials—for instance, natural ingredients like oils, butters, and extracts have a shorter shelf life and are also much more sensitive to light and air exposure,” says Gracia. “Sunscreens are classified as an ‘over-the-counter drug’ (OTC), and because of this, the FDA requires that they have an expiration date.” —Dr. Loretta Ciraldo Whichever
Honeymoons have evolved drastically over the centuries—but so have relationships, and it’s all good news
May 15, 2019 at 07:00AM by CWC At a post-wedding brunch I recently attended, reception talk quickly turned to honeymoon talk. The bride and groom weren’t going on theirs right away, and the other couples at my table were trading stories of what they did for their honeymoons—the good, the bad, the stress-inducing. That left me, only a plus-one, half-listening when my boyfriend asked, “Would you want that? Get married and then jump on a plane the next day?” I stopped chewing my bagel and thought, eventually saying, “no,” definitively. I’m always the date, never the bride or even the bridesmaid, so I know very little about honeymoons on a personal level. I’m familiar with a few buzzwords: the minimoon, the buddymoon, and most recently, the solomoon, The New York Times’ attempt to put on its most fetch Gretchen Wieners hat and will a non-thing to be a thing. Beyond that, I’m aware that honeymoons are often luxe, expensive, and, by extension, Instagramable. (WeddingWire’s 2019 Newlywed Report of 18,000 couples estimates the average honeymoon costs $4,500.) And, per rom-coms and sitcoms, I know you’re supposed to return home from one looking sun-kissed and acting smarmy after having spent two weeks boning tropically offscreen. But, really, that’s all I know. So I went way back to the beginning to educate myself. Contrary to popular belief, the term “honeymoon” doesn’t reference the honey mead allegedly gifted to medieval-era brides and grooms—a custom that historian and author of Marriage, a History Stephanie Coontz
32 life lessons from chef and wellness expert Candice Kumai
May 15, 2019 at 03:30AM by CWC After a visit to her ancestral homeland, chef and wellness expert Candice Kumai returned a changed woman. Now, to celebrate her birthday, the Well+Good Council member shares some of the life lessons that have helped her most. Returning from Japan, as the wheels of the plane touched down in my home state of California, things felt different. Life felt different. I felt better. My friends said I sounded different and looked better than ever. I had spent more than a month in Japan to write, develop, fund, shoot, and host an on-camera documentary for a Japanese network. It was a heavy responsibility and a tall, labor-filled order. With my small crew, I stayed in the mountains with monks, meditated in the temples, chased my grandfather’s art with Mom in Kyushu. I wrote among the new cherry blossoms, indulged on ramen, studied matcha with the masters in Uji, went crazy on Japanese beauty in Tokyo and, finally, conducted interviews with six atomic bomb survivors in Nagasaki. Each one was 80-something years young. Talk about perspective. Being vulnerable with the people we respect most is hard. Needless to say, it was impossible to have dry eyes on this trip. I cried with each survivor in Nagasaki. I felt more present in letting go. I’m still reflecting and processing upon what I found… and how it’s made me look at life through a completely different lens. I would not say I live an ordinary life. (Neither
5 essential stretches to take your squats even deeper
May 15, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC Finding perfect squat form should be the goal of every amateur athlete. After all, squats are a foundational movement of almost every workout routine with a wide variety of modifications for every skill level. Before you step up to a series of #sorefordays variations, a few squat stretches can help you to get comfortable with the original movement. Amanda Bisk, exercise psychologist and yoga teacher, recommends different stretches that make it easier to master your preferred technique. “Squats are one of the most common exercises we do, but often the one we can’t get quite right,” she writes on Instagram. “Whether you feel like you’re falling backward as you sit down, you can’t quite get your glutes to activate, or you suffer from knee pain, these stretches will help improve essential mobility in your ankles and hips.” To better your squat form, start incorporating these simple stretches into your routine. As your mobility improves, so will your ability to get the ultimate booty burn. The best stretches for better squats, according to Amanda Bisk View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amanda Bisk (@amandabisk) on May 14, 2019 at 6:20am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js 1. Plantar fascia stretch Not all stretches for squats are created equal. This one targets the arches of your feet since tightness in the area causes loss of mobility in the ankle and discomfort in the calf muscles. Ankle mobility is essential for getting deeper in your