May 13, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC Everyone I know who’s happily coupled up seems to say the same thing: When you meet the right person, it’s effortless. You can debate the finer points of cauliflower vs. regular pizza crust without arguing, you have the same taste in terrible reality TV, and there’s never any Are they going to text me back? B.S. with which to contend. But what about the opposite of that situation—a dating scenario that often feels like you’re pushing a 50-pound medicine ball uphill? In spiritual terms, this difficult love connection is called a karmic relationship. If medicine-ball scenario sounds familiar, don’t freak out: Your S.O. isn’t a frustrating person because of bad karma related to that time you didn’t wipe down your bike after spin class. Instead, says women’s empowerment coach and astrologer Natalia Benson, the person came into your life because they have a “soul agreement” to help you grow. (A soul agreement, in mystical speak, is a contract you made with each other in the spirit realm, before incarnating on Earth.) “A karmic relationship is typically one that really challenges us, but it’s an opportunity to step into the most powerful version of ourselves,” she says. “The purpose is to learn from the dynamic.” In fact, it’s the painful parts of a karmic relationship that allow for deep transformation. “In a really roundabout way, you realize that this person is a teacher who is helping you step into who you’re really here to
Category: 2019 Health
There’s a full moon in Scorpio coming—so get ready for your libido to go crazy
May 12, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC Mark your calendars for May 18, when a lunar rendezvous in Scorpio (aka the sexiest sign in the zodiac) will be taking those lusty springtime feelings up several notches. But that’s not all that’s happening this week—and astrologer Jennifer Racioppi is here to break down what will be an action-packed week, in and out of the bedroom. The week ahead screams sex. On Monday, the sun in sensual Taurus makes a trine to Pluto, exacerbating feelings of spring fever, asking you to connect to your “want power.” Want power, different than willpower, is the ability to connect so deeply with your drive, that you are willing to do whatever it takes to align your life with your intended outcome. Your dissatisfaction and irrational needs can support you to conjure the energy required to make the changes you most want—so this isn’t about repressing your longings, but rather (as this week’s transits will ask of you) leaning into them with unbridled passion to explore them fully. With the moon waxing full, the vibes of the week are sultry and command the acknowledgment of your most infectious longings—this very well could express itself with distinct sexual needs, too. The full moon, which happens at 5:11 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, May 18, is in Scorpio, after all. If you feel your libido increase, allow yourself to embrace your inner erotic being. Even in you don’t have a partner, you can self-pleasure, move your body sensually, or
Why borage oil’s benefits may not be worth the hype
May 12, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC There are some herbs and botanicals that come backed with lots of research, like turmeric and ashwagandha. But there are other natural ingredients that have a bit less street cred, like borage oil. The supplement and skin-care ingredient is being tapped to treat a variety of problems, from hormonal (ugh, PMS) to topical (oh hey, eczema) to targeting specific chronic inflammatory conditions. But…how legit are these claims? Borage oil is derived from the seeds of the borage plant. The herb is called the starflower or, if you’re getting all technical and want to impress your friends: Borago officinalis. It’s famous for being rich in gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid. “GLA is thought to be associated with aging. As we get older and we have inflammation, we may become GLA-deficient,” says Amy Shah, MD, a double board certified physician and wellness expert in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Because about one-third of borage oil is made up of these GLAs, “borage oil is believed to have medicinal properties,” she says. Evening primrose oil is also used in similar ways, although borage oil contains even more GLAs. Here’s the thing: There’s not a huge body of research backing it all up. “There’s certainly an image of take such-and-such and you’ll be all better. The real truth is that 90 percent will come from diet and lifestyle, and [things like taking these supplements] may only improve your health by a small amount,” says Dr. Shah.
How to celebrate Mother’s Day when you’ve lost your mom
May 12, 2019 at 06:15AM by CWC When I was 28 years old, my mom died. After the first few months of grieving, when I started to feel like things were getting back to normal, whatever that was, I started having crippling back spasms out of nowhere—the kind where I’d have to lie very still, on my stomach, head turned to the side (preferably on the floor). Until they eased up, I’d have to stay that way, sometimes for hours. After several months of trying to figure this out with doctors (they prescribed muscle relaxants, which wasn’t exactly the right answer if my goal was to be able to get in a car, go to work, and live my life!), I looked for answers on my own. Eventually I found some things that made a big difference: Certain foods made my mood better, intense workouts were more helpful than therapy IMO, I made sure I got enough sleep (that’s a huge one), and I let myself cry when I felt like it, even when it was inconvenient. (Moving to New York City helped with that one—you can sob on the subway and no one will give you a second look. The greatest city on earth!) Eventually I found that intense workout sessions, getting enough sleep, and letting myself cry helped. The only problem? There’s one day of the year that none of this works: Mother’s Day. Plus, I found that meditation profoundly changed my relationship with my grief—which, to my utter shock, I began to be able to “see” as
Amanda Kloots’ pre-baby moves will help expectant moms get ready for motherhood
May 12, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC With her at-home pregnancy workout, trainer Amanda Kloots wants expectant mothers to think about their pregnancy workouts the same way they’d train for a marathon. Only at this finish line, instead of getting a medal and a foil blanket, you get a baby. “I look at prenatal fitness as a nine-month program to prepare your body for the biggest physical event that it will ever go through,” Kloots, who is expecting her first child next month, tells me. “You’ve signed up for a marathon, and everyday before that race day you need to train for it.” She explains that she likes to think about getting ready for the big event—which is, you know, child delivery—in three parts. First comes cardio to help build your endurance and stamina, because “you don’t know if your labor will be 8 hours or 28 hours, so you need to prepare your body go the distance,” says Kloots. Second comes upper body work to help you maintain posture during pregnancy and beyond because, according to Kloots, “strong upper bodies and backs to support growing belly is very important but even more important is how you most likely will be holding your baby for more hours than you’ve ever held anything before.” And third comes your lower body, which includes your pelvic floor, glutes, and legs. “Pushing your baby out during labor really uses every muscle in your body, but especially your legs! A strong pelvic floor will only
Whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, here’s what your bedtime says about you
May 12, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Have you ever been awake, late at night (or even into the wee morning hours), hopelessly wondering, “What time should I go to bed?” Probably, since sleep and feeling sleepy is a pretty constant topic of conversation, and (spoiler alert!) most of us aren’t getting enough. In fact, a survey of nearly 1,500 Well+Good readers revealed that people spend an average of six sleepless hours in bed a week, and 92 percent report feeling fatigued more than once a week, which is, you know, not ideal. So is your bedtime part of the problem, or is it just a matter of preference? According to one pro, there’s no right bedtime. “Honestly, I don’t really ever prescribe an ideal bedtime because there’s natural variations from one person to another,” says licensed psychologist and sleep-health expert Shelby Harris, PsyD. “Some people are early birds, myself included—I’d LOVE to be asleep by 9:30 p.m. every night. And others are night owls—my husband, for instance, likes to stay up until 1 a.m. sometimes.” Rather, the main issue at play here is making sure you get the right quality of sleep, and that your sleep duration makes sense with your bedtime of choice. But if you’re still curious about what your bedtime might actually signify about you and your sleeping habits, scroll down for Dr. Mary Grace’s* expert observations. Hour by hour, here’s what your bedtime says about you. 8 p.m.: You are either a farmer or a journalist
The 6 biggest skin-care mistakes that dermatologists see on the reg
May 11, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC We’d be lying if we claimed that we followed our dermatologists’ instructions to a T. We’ll pick up the wrong product and have a reaction. We’ll look in the magnifying mirror as breakouts take shape. Life happens, and occasionally, so does falling asleep with a full-face of makeup. Though we try to repent for our skin sins and fix the damage where we can, when the going is especially tough, the tough put aside their pride and go to the dermatologist or esthetician for a solution. It’s easy to take solace in the fact that your skin issue has likely been seen before—dermatologists, after all, are total superheroes. Still, as we flip through decades-old Highlights: For Kids awaiting our turn with the doc, we tend to wonder just how common our complexion mistake happens to be, which is why we inquired about it. Here, some of the most common mistakes dermatologists (and an esthetician!) have to fix in their offices, and how to prevent them from happening in the first place. 1. Not investing in the right products Sure, beauty hauls are all good—we embark on our own often enough—but when your skin throwing a very particular kind of tantrum, it’s a better idea to hit up your dermatologist to get a medical-grade plan in place rather than taking wild guesses at the new arrivals gondola. “I think one mistake that people make is that they’ll go to a store and spend so
7 Whole30-approved meals you can make in your Instant Pot right now
May 11, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC The payoffs for the Whole30 may be great—better digestion! knowing exactly what your body can and can’t tolerate!—but man it comes at a price. Cutting out refined sugar, processed foods, grains, legumes, and dairy is tough. Even though there’s still plenty left to eat (primarily vegetables and fruits, and organic meat, eggs, fish, and nuts), if you aren’t used to the eating plan, it’s easy to fall into the trap of rotating through the same two or three meals. (Egg burnout, anyone?) What if someone gifted you a list of recipe ideas you hadn’t thought of, and they were all meals you could make in your Instant Pot? Consider this a gift from the healthy food gods. Rounded up here are seven meals—all Whole30-approved—that will hit the spot every time. Keep reading for the best Whole30 Instant Pot recipes that will massively free up your weeknights. Photo: I Heart Umami 1. Butter chicken Sticking to the Whole30 food list absolutely does not mean giving up meals full of flavor. This recipe calls for turmeric, coriander, smoked paprika, and masala powder. The ghee-ed up chicken will soak up the spices in the Instant Pot, ensuring every bite is delicious. Photo: 40 Aprons 2. Chicken tortilla-less soup Another way to upgrade your chicken using your Instant Pot is with a Mexican-inspired soup. (This recipe has a couple versions for other eating plans, so just be sure to nix the coconut cream to stay compliant.) Like
5 tips for quieting your mind when your thoughts won’t shut the heck up
May 11, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC With everything you have going on, it’s understandable that you have a busy mind. After all, you’re regularly juggling work issues, family schedules, and general life. And mentally shutting off all that can be hard, even if it’s all you really want to do. Still, having a constantly buzzing busy mind can lead to what’s known as “anticipatory anxiety,” which means having anxious feelings about things that can happen in the future, says psychologist Erika Martinez, PsyD. “Quieting the mind can help reduce that anticipatory anxiety that can wreak havoc on your emotional and physical health,” she says. Furthermore, a busy mind that never quits can also stress you out—and stress can take a serious toll on your body, says psychologist Alisa Ruby Bash, PsyD, “Quieting your mind is so important because all of your health—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—needs a relaxed, calm starting place to function optimally,” she says. “Quieting the mind can help reduce that anticipatory anxiety that can wreak havoc on your emotional and physical health.” —psychologist Erika Martinez, PsyD That’s why mental-health experts often recommend practicing mindfulness, a form of meditation that focuses on shutting out white noise of life, bringing your attention to the present, and quieting your mind. “Our brains are thought-producing machines,” says psychologist Stephen Graef, PhD. “To slow that down, you have to create an experience where you give yourself the opportunity—and mindfulness meditation offers that.” Of course, it’s one thing to say you want
I survived the near-impossible “Spiderman Pushup.” Here’s how to try it for yourself
May 11, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC My boxing class was just starting to begin. It was a Sunday morning and I had been out late the night before, so I expected it to be rough—but I had no idea what I was in for. First up: The instructor, Edward Rush, co-founder of Superior Fitness Lab, told half of the class to knock out 50 air squats, while the other half had to crawl across the floor (three times!) doing what he called Spiderman push-ups. When I saw Rush demonstrate this breed of push-up, I shook my head in disbelief, thinking, “Yea right… fat chance.” I opted to start with the squats, where I got a nice view of the rest of the group gliding across the room doing the most insane-looking push-up/crawl hybrid I’ve ever seen. To describe the move for you, it requires starting in the push-up position, and bending one knee in towards its corresponding elbow as you push down into the push-up. In this case, you had to do it while moving forward, which added a whole other level of complication to the move. They made it look easy. But once it was my turn, I got down onto the floor and immediately began to suffer. The Spiderman push-up is no joke. Here’s the deal, though: “Spiderman push-ups require the person performing the exercise to engage the muscles of the core to a greater degree than a regular push-up, because one foot is off the ground while