April 24, 2019 at 09:14AM by CWC Ah, roommates. Find one you love and it’s like a non-stop sleepover (complete with face masks and the occasional cathartic cry). When the pendulum swings the other way, however, you might end up living with someone who’s more Nick Miller than Phoebe Buffay. The uphill battle that constitutes finding a good housemate recently hit an all-time high—as in, as high as the constellations—when someone on a roommate search unequivocally rejected a Capricorn, the eighth sign of the Zodiac. The legality of vetoing someone based on their birthday is now being hotly debated, reports The Guardian. But the larger moral question of using astrology as a compatibility tool definitely isn’t happening in a vacuum. Astrology is a Thing right now, and some ardently cling to their birth right constellations to make interpersonal decisions like who they’ll date. (It’s an actual feature on Bumble!) To gain some clarity surrounding the cosmological legitimacy of the matter, I spoke with Amy Zerner and Monte Farber, authors of Astrology for Wellness, about the best approach to a roommate search. “We believe that the purpose of learning astrology is to improve your intuition. As a good astrologer, you shouldn’t solely use [your sign] to make decisions, it should just be one part of their decision-making mix,” says Farber. It’s kind of fun to shoot the sh*t with your friends about how your boss is difficult “because they’re a Scorpio,” but you shouldn’t write off people completely because they were born
Category: 2019 Health
The kang squat is probably why people started saying #SoreForDays
April 24, 2019 at 08:49AM by CWC Squats are the solid foundation of any fitness routine. With proper form, it doesn’t take long to feel the burn and see results. Standard squat variations—like sumo and single-leg—target your glutes and your quads, but kang squats are a posterior chain exercise, which means you’ll feel the burn everywhere. No, seriously. #SoreForDays was made for this move. “A kang squat is a combination of a good morning and a back squat. It combines a hip dominant and knee dominant move all in one, making it much more challenging than a solo or good morning squat,” says Emily Samuel, a trainer at New York City’s Dogpound. “It’s more of an assistance exercise, meaning it will optimize your performance for other exercises.” The kang squat might not be as commonly known as other varieties, but it’s one you’ll want to learn how to do. The movement is often used as part of CrossFit WODs. “You’ll work essentially all the major muscle groups on your backside, including your hamstrings, glutes, back, and spinal erectors, as well as your rectus abdominis (what you think of when you think abs), your obliques (the muscles on the sides of your stomach), and your quads,” says Samuel. How to perform kang squats 1. Get into position by racking the bar on your upper back. Squeeze your upper traps and shoulder blades together like you would for a back squat so it creates a muscular “shelf” for the bar to rest on.
Ever find yourself in tears during a workout? Here’s why it’s very common
April 24, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC Have you ever worked so hard while working out that you burst into tears? Yeah, same. In my life, it’s not just one isolated event, either. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve cried in a SoulCycle class, well, I’d be able to afford to take a whole lot more SoulCycle classes; but, I’ve also found myself weeping in hot yoga, Pilates, dance cardio, and one particularly intense run down the West Side Highway in New York City. Though I’ve always felt a little over the top when it’s happened to me in the past, it’s actually an incredibly common occurrence that has everything to do with the mind-body connection. “As breathing, living, emotional beings we’re all susceptible to holding in feelings. These built-up emotions cause tension in our bodies that can be hard to release,” says Amanda Jenny, a trainer at SLT, (which in case you’re counting is another class that has brought me to tears). “It’s not uncommon for a high intensity workout, where your body and mind are brought to exhaustion, to open the flood gates. It’s often the perfect storm: you’re in class, the energy is palpable, the song that’s blasting triggers something emotional, and your body feels like it’s got no juice left in it, and that’s when the tears start flowing.” According to Janine Delaney, PhD, a psychologist and fitness expert, your brain and body are essentially feeding off of each other when any sort
This paint company will pay you $10,000 to travel the country as a “color explorer”
April 24, 2019 at 07:51AM by CWC If scrolling through Instagram photos of Coachella, the poppy fields in California, or the French Quarter in New Orleans gives you the itch to travel, you’re probably in need of a road trip. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone would just pay you to travel throughout the country, your biggest worries only where to get your coffee in the morning and what to see next? The perfect travel jobs are often elusive dreams, but sometimes dreams come true. Paint company Behr is looking to hire a “color explorer” to travel across the United States and Canada, brainstorming new paint colors based on what they see. It could be a burnt orange lifted straight from sights of the Grand Canyon, a gray-blue inspired by an Oregon waterfall, or a light pink from an old mansion in Savannah. This color explorer will get paid $10,000, with all travel expenses covered. In addition to scouting colors, the color explorer will keep a blog about their trip for the company’s website. Because the color explorer will be sharing their experience with the public, Behr is looking for someone with a sense of adventure, someone who is really looking to soak up local experiences. You know when you were a kid and thought the greatest job of all time was naming nail colors? This is like that, only you get to travel. Color me impressed. If this sounds like your dream job, head to Behr’s website to apply
Healthy battle: Cottage cheese goes up against Greek yogurt
April 24, 2019 at 07:37AM by CWC When it comes to popularity in the dairy department, Greek yogurt typically comes out on top. Smooth with Mediterranean flair, it’s grabbed by the armful to be used in smoothies, dips, or on its own topped with fruit and granola. Its lumpier cousin, cottage cheese, often goes overlooked. Are you unknowingly sleeping on a nutritional powerhouse? Or is there a reason why Greek yogurt is the go-to? “Both choices can be a healthy addition to your diet,” says registered dietitian Jessica Bouchard, RD. But which one is healthier? Bouchard breaks it down, comparing and contrasting the nutritional profiles of each, while offering tips for integrating cottage cheese and Greek yogurt into your diet. Greek yogurt vs. cottage cheese: Here’s what a registered dietitian thinks The nutritional breakdown According to Bouchard, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are both pretty similar nutritionally, but there are some differences. Cottage cheese is slightly higher in protein, with 23 grams per serving versus Greek yogurt’s 20 grams. “This isn’t a huge difference, so for most people it isn’t going to make or break a choice, but if you are someone who struggles to get enough protein, then cottage cheese might be the better choice for you because it has those extra grams,” she says. While cottage cheese has more protein, Bouchard says Greek yogurt is higher in calcium—another nutrient many turn to dairy to get. Cottage cheese also usually doesn’t have the same probiotic profile that Greek yogurt
Brandless drops $8 eye gel that will send eye bags packing
April 24, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC Google “eye gels” right this minute and you’ll get 490 million search results. An array of products to swipe under your lashes will set you back anywhere from a few dollars to no-way-in-hell-am-I-paying-that-much. But bargain brand Brandless—known for its inexpensive food and beauty items—just released $8 eye gel to rival similar products at every price point. While the company has dabbled in paycheck-friendly skin care since 2017, today’s the day the company extends its beauty line into the realm of vegan makeup brushes, facial wipes, rose water facial toner spray, and eye gel. The Brandless eye gel formula consists of a super-blend of green tea, pomegranate, and caffeine to give you that bright-eyed and bushy-tailed lewk. Every last product in the line is cruelty-free (not tested on Peter Cottontail) and without 400 harmful ingredients like sulfates, parabens, phthalates, polypropylene, and synthetic fragrances. Kind of makes you want to click “add to cart” to the whole line of new products, right? You might as well; it’ll only set you back $33. While you’re shopping, you might as well scope out the site’s other under-the-radar steals, er, “deals.” Cheers to skin care that costs less than a sandwich. While we’re on the topic of bargain beauty, you have to check out Costco and Walmart. Continue Reading… Author Kells McPhillips | Well and Good Selected by iversue
Mixing AHA and BHA exfoliators is the quickest way to reset your complexion
April 24, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC There are so many different exfoliating acids out there that I often feel like a witch mixing a special potion whenever I’m deciding which one to swipe on my face. You’ve got your AHA fruit acids, like glycolic and lactic, which slough dead skin cells and stimulate collagen production, and then you’ve got your BHAs, like the acne-fighting salicylic that you’re likely to find in all of your favorite spot treatments. These powerhouse ingredients are so effective at doing their thing, it can often be hard to choose between them. But the good news, according to the pros? You don’t actually have to pick just one, because they’re better when they’re together. “All exfoliating acids are good, but I like to mix alpha and beta hydroxy acids because they all do something a little different,” says Dennis Gross, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare. “I’m a firm believer in getting multiple acids that combine to a high concentration rather than just using one single acid at a high concentration because of how your skin receptors work.” The receptors of your skin cells can only take so much of one ingredient, so you’re better off treating your skin to a double dose of acids to avoid giving them too much of a single good thing. “You want to tantalize receptors—you want to use multiple gateways to get to skin as opposed to overloading one,” says Dr. Gross. “There’s a thing called
It’s finally strawberry season, so here are 6 healthy reasons why you should stock up while they’re ripe
April 24, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC As a kid growing up in the South, field trips to the local strawberry fields were a yearly tradition. My classmates and I would run through the fields with our plastic buckets, trying to fill them up with as many ripe berries as we could. (Although admittedly, more made it into our mouths than our buckets, because who could resist a fresh strawberry?) Then I grew up and kind of forgot about strawberries. Other fruits like papaya and kiwi seemed like more exciting choices. And the fact that they were always on the Dirty Dozen list freaked me out too. But right now it’s peak strawberry season and they keep calling my name at every farmer’s market…making me want to reconsider my relationship with the fruit. According to registered dietitian Mascha Davis, RD, not eating strawberries would mean missing out on a whole lot of nutritional benefits. “They’re loaded with great benefits like vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber,” she says. And if you buy organic, you significantly lower your risk of pesticide exposure. Win-win. Here are all the reasons why you should def be making the most of strawberry season. Strawberry shortcake, anyone? 6 strawberry benefits that make them worth adding to your cart 1. They’re good for your immune system. As Davis points out, strawberries are high in vitamin C (just a half cup of the fruit gets you to half your recommended daily intake!) which is always good news for your
I switched to a sunrise alarm clock, and I’m no longer dreading early wake-up calls
April 24, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC I don’t care how much of a morning person you are: getting jolted out of a deep sleep by a blaring alarm clock never feels like good times. (Especially when it interrupts a really good dream, like the one I recently had involving a figure-skating session with JVN. Now I’ll never know if I landed my double axel…) Perhaps that’s why sunrise alarm clocks are having such a moment right now. Devices like Philips’ Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock ($43) and Casper’s Glow Light ($99) gradually illuminate your room in a way that mimics morning light, softly waking you from slumber without any obnoxious beeping, chiming, or buzzing noises. The idea is to feel as if you’re waking up naturally—despite the fact that you’re doing it on demand, at a specific time of your choosing. And according to Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, sunrise alarm clocks can actually be effective because they tap into the body’s innate biorhythms. “There is some evidence that natural morning light can actually help prepare the body to wake up,” he says. “This make sense, as our circadian system is closely tuned to natural as well as artificial light. Light-based alarm clocks can provide a gentle wake signal, to prepare the body for wakefulness.” Here’s how it works, according to the National Sleep Foundation: When we’re exposed to light in the morning, our brain prompts our body temperature to rise and our cortisol
Why you need oil- and water-based products in your skin-care routine
April 23, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC When it comes to my diet, I try to squeeze in the whole comprehensive smattering of vitamins that experts recommend on the reg so that my body can function at an (at least somewhat) efficient level. I think I apply the same philosophy for my skin, but there’s a lot more to skin nutrition than just slathering on vitamins A, B3 (niacinamide), and C. “All skin thrives off of the same nutrients,” says April Gargiulo, founder of skin-care brand Vintner’s Daughter. “That’s why so many skin issues come from the same source, so it’s very important to be feeding your skin proper nutrition, which is what can alleviate inflammation and imbalance.” But while it’s important to get the right vitamins and nutrients on skin (and quick!), you also have to think about solubility of them and how they impact the skin’s barrier. “Vitamins are classified as either water soluble or fat soluble,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, a board-certified dermatologist with Schweiger Dermatology. “Those that are water soluble are not stored in the body and need to be replenished often, versus fat soluble vitamins, which can be stored.” Then there’s the matter of absorption, which Dr. Nazarian says is more complex than just solubility. “The skin barrier is partially fatty and partially water-based, but the solubility matters as much as the size of the molecule, the thickness of your skin, and the number of hair follicles and glands that are in the area,” she explains.