April 22, 2019 at 11:13AM by CWC What do you get when you combine K-beauty’s buzziest brand with one of the most antioxidant-packed ingredients on the market? A skin-care product that sells a bottle faster than you can say “10-step skin-care routine.” The Innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum With Green Tea Seed ($27) sells 11 bottles a minute around the world, and for good reason. The recently reformulated product pairs Jeju green tea extract with green tea seed oil to balance and moisturize skin at the same time. Green tea is chock full of a potent antioxidant called ECGC, which is known for its powers in helping to reactivate dying skin cells to keep skin looking young, healthy, and supple. Plus, green tea is known to help reduce inflammation, and can protect skin from UV radiation from the inside out. With all of that in mind, it’s no wonder that a serum that combines two different types of the stuff would be so wildly popular. It’s made with a special sort of green tea from South Korea’s Jeju Island, which is rich in 16 hydrating amino acids to give your skin an extra boost. People truly can’t get enough of it. “I absolutely love this serum… it’s so gentle on my skin and the scent is great without being overwhelming. I definitely recommend it,” writes one user on the brand’s website. “My skin feels so refreshed and smooth after using! I love it!!!” gushes another. Having tried the serum for myself, I
Category: 2019 Health
We’ve ironed out the confusion with 53 cryptic laundry symbols
April 22, 2019 at 10:50AM by CWC Let’s be honest: The symbols on the tags of T-shirts, skirts, dresses, and leggings might as well be ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Please @ me if you’ve uncovered a cypher that unlocks the secrets of the rinse and repeat cycle. Until that day, I’ve consulted experts (and Google) to break down 53 of the most confusing squiggles you’ll find on care tags—from cryptic triangles to opaque ironing icons. “The symbols on care tags are designed to be a universally handy shortcut, but we find that many people gloss them over and look for the text instructions on the care label instead,” says Hannah Yokoji, brand manager at The Laundress. “The instructions found on care tags are not necessarily the best way to clean and care for an item, but are instead a way for manufacturers to avoid getting blamed for irreparable damage when instructions aren’t followed.” It can’t hurt to know what kind of cleaning your most-treasured garment requires. That way, you’ll be aware of the risks involved when you (dare to) throw your silk pillow case in with the hot water load. “Understanding the laundry language is helpful for properly washing and caring for your items, otherwise you may find yourself irreparably damaging your clothing,” Yokoji explains. Ready to own laundry day? Here’s the secret meaning behind 53 garment tag symbols. All Graphics: Well+Good Creative Washing As we dive into the the basics of washing, I would like to congratulate you on simply
You only have to make this easy Mediterranean breakfast once to enjoy it all week
April 22, 2019 at 10:25AM by CWC It doesn’t matter whether you’re a morning person or a hit-snooze-10-times person, there just never seems to be enough time in the to accomplish what you want to get done before your time is no longer yours. (That goes double if you have kids.) Having the time to power up the stove, crack some eggs, and whip up a nourishing meal? Forget it. Which is exactly why when you come across a healthy breakfast recipe that you only have to make once but will feed you for days, it’s worth bookmarking. Which is where this Spanish tortilla recipe from The Mediterranean Dish comes in. Not only will it feed you all week, but it has the perfect balance of veggies, protein, carbs, and healthy fats. Every single ingredient in this recipe is bursting with health benefits; there isn’t any part of it that isn’t benefitting the body in some way. A rundown: eggs, salt, paprika, oregano, extra virgin olive oil, russet potatoes, yellow onion, and scallions. (Pro tip: be generous with the paprika and oregano to really turn up the flavor.) For added fiber, recipe developer Suzy Karadsheh enjoys a Spanish tortilla with a side of spinach arugula salad (which takes just three minutes to make). A focus on vegetables is a major component of the Mediterranean diet, so if you have other vegetables in your crisper about to go bad, work them into this recipe. Almost everything pairs well with eggs, so
Why holidays (and even our freaking birthdays) get less exciting as we age
April 22, 2019 at 10:12AM by CWC Call it a lack of holiday spirit, but I was simply not feeling Easter this year. Some of you are eye-rolling because it’s Easter, AKA decidedly not one of the top annual causes for special festivities. But whatever, pastels and Jelly Belly jelly beans always used to make me feel hyped. Yet this year, even while on a veritable vacation, I felt…nothing. Furthermore, I’m days away from my 28th birthday, for which I will do nothing, because it’s two years shy of my next real milestone year, and it falls on a weekday, and ugh, really, what’s even the point? Surely I’m not alone in my low-vibe funk, right? Because I get the sense that as people age, the experience of celebratory occasions feeling more stressful than special is nearly universal. Holidays become routine rituals meant to please other people. And birthdays? I mean, everyone has one—so, really, what makes them worth extra attention and effort? I can barely muster the energy to send a “Happy Birthday!” text to my closest friends, so I can only imagine how they feel about celebrating the fact that I, too, have cheated death for another successive year. Snooze. But according to one pro, what this special-occasion fatigue might actually be is thinly veiled special-occasion anxiety. “Sometimes birthdays and holidays are hard for adults because of what they make them mean,” says psychologist Paulette Sherman, PsyD. “These events can be used as ‘markers’ of success or perceived
A new $2 household cleaner is the plastic-free product of our eco dreams
April 22, 2019 at 08:57AM by CWC After learning that far, far more of the plastic we buy ends up in landfills, the ocean, and the air we breathe than we like to believe, I did the seemingly impossible and detoxed my home from plastic. In the process, I realized that plastic packaging is absolutely everywhere—in my medicine cabinet, vanity, cupboard, refrigerator, etc., etc., etc. And as difficult as that first purge was, but it’s been even more challenging to sustain abstinence given that just about everything I “need” is sold in the ubiquitous material. A new company called Blueland, however, hopes to ease this burden by reimagining common household products sans their single-use plastic packaging. For founder Sarah Paiji, this mission is personal. “I was horrified when I learned that the water I was using to make baby formula contained hundreds of pieces of microplastics,” she tells me. “It turns out, all this plastic we are discarding is ending up in our waterways and oceans, and now showing back up in our drinking water and food.” (She’s right—a 2017 study found that 83 percent of tap water samples studied were contaminated with plastic. The results for bottled water are even more alarming—each liter of H20 averages 325 plastic particles.) “All this plastic we are discarding is ending up in our waterways and oceans, and now showing back up in our drinking water and food.” —Sarah Paiji, Blueland founder Ever the innovator, Paiji wondered—just as I did some years later—if
Why what you say about others can make or break your reputation
April 22, 2019 at 08:52AM by CWC Making a good first impression are kind of like making a baking a cake. Careful measurement of all the ingredients leads to a flawless confection. Not enough baking powder, however, and the whole thing collapses. The same goes for saying hello to someone for the first time. Psychology says that the type and amount of flattery peppered into an initial conversation with a stranger can make (or break) a relationship. According to a phenomena known as spontaneous trait transference (STT), the way we characterize others will often be turned back on us, reports Psychology Today. If you’re making small talk with someone new and compliment a mutual friend’s sense of humor, for example, they’re more likely to consider you a regular Ellen Degeneres. To boot, later research also found that we come to associate that attribute with a more general conclusion about someone. You’re obviously witty and smart because you make jokes like Ellen Degeneres. “Whatever you say about other people influences how people see you.” STT is a double-edged sword though. While you can expertly use it to your advantage to convince people that you’re kind, reliable, and patient (because, duh, you are all those things), you can accidentally transfer bad traits onto yourself as well. Trash talk someone for their social-climbing tendencies, overuse of eyeliner, and general hypocrisy, and you might end up being seen as the Jenny Humphrey of the group. “[W]hatever you say about other people influences how people
This is the tightest muscle in your body—and here’s exactly how to stretch it out
April 22, 2019 at 07:59AM by CWC Every time an instructor says to sit in sukhasana during meditation, I can’t help but groan. For someone with unrelenting hip flexor tightness, the so-called “easy pose” is really hard. As everyone around me is settling into the seated position, I’m often trying to ease discomfort with yoga blocks. The hip flexors aren’t always the tightest muscle for everyone, according to Jeff Brannigan, program director at New York City’s Stretch’d, but it’s one of the most common areas for tightness and discomfort. “Not only are the hip flexors used in almost every type of physical activity, but they’re also under tremendous stress when we sit at our desks for hours on end,” he says. “During long hours of inactivity, these muscles are tightening up which, over time, will end up compromising the blood flow to the area and exacerbate the problem.” The hip flexors are used for any movement “in which the leg is elevated forward in front of the body, like kicking,” Brannigan says. Consistent hip flexor tightness can lead to a long list of problems. You could experience misaligned a pelvis, compromised movement when exercising (which could lead to injury), and pain in your hips, low back, and knees. “In order to properly deal with tight hip flexors, we need to not only lengthen the area, but also pump blood into the muscle so inflammation can be reduced. The best way to do this is through an active stretch,” Brannigan explains.
Why having a dog is definitely good for your health
April 22, 2019 at 07:25AM by CWC Is there any greater feeling than walking through the door after a tough day and being greeted with a giant smile and a million passionate kisses—from your tail-wagging, always-happy-to-see-you pup? At times, having a dog is all fun and games. Other times, it’s up to your fiercely loyal pooch to remind you to live in the moment, to find joy in every day (or morsel of food), and to resist the urge to hold a grudge. So yeah, it’s safe to say life with a furry companion is pretty good (minus the potty-training period). And now, new research offers up further evidence that sharing your space with with a nose-boppable “good boy” is also really good for you. It’s long been known that having a pet can lead to lower stress levels and lower blood pressure, and that dog owners are more active than their non-dog-loving counterparts. (A study last month showed that older dog owners take nearly 3,000 more steps per day than non-dog owners—accounting for an additional 23 minutes of movement per day.) And a new study conducted by the University of Liverpool found that dog owners were estimated to be four times as healthy as non-dog owners—that’s pretty major! The reason is because having one forces you to get out of the house and walk it. “Dog owners walk more frequently and for longer periods than non-dog owners,” the study points out. However, it notes that dog walking is best as a supplement to regular exercise,
This 7-minute, core-strengthening workout tops boring old crunches any day
April 22, 2019 at 07:16AM by CWC Ab exercises are like friendships: Quality is a whole lot more important than quantity. Which means that even if you only have seven minutes to spare in the midst of a jam-packed day, you can get an effective workout. That is, as long as you’re doing the right moves. Thankfully for us and our core muscles, Charlee Atkins has us covered. All month long, she’s been sharing a series of core-quaking, at-home ab workouts in honor of our inaugural month of Trainer of the Month Club. Even though the moves this week require nothing more than your own bodyweight and a towel—which doubles as a piece of equipment and something you can use to help mop your sweat—the final installment might just be the most challenging one yet. Read on for Atkins’ fourth and final core series, and check back in May for the start of a new regimen with a totally new trainer. View this post on Instagram TRAINER OF THE MONTH CLUB Week 4 is here! 💥👏⠀ ⠀ For the final week of our April workout challenge, @charleeatkins is introducing us to more bodyweight ab exercises. Complete each move for 30 seconds, 2x through. Want more explanation on the moves? Head to the link in our bio for a full breakdown on each exercise. ⠀ ⠀ MOVE 1: Reverse Curl⠀ MOVE 2: Penguin Crunch⠀ MOVE 3: Corkscrew Crunch⠀ MOVE 4: Side Plank Hip Dips⠀ MOVE 5: 1/2 Kneeling Tower Chop (Right
How to find the perfect pair of leggings? Borrow the blue jeans trick
April 22, 2019 at 07:06AM by CWC I’m crap at trivia. Seriously, never ask me to join your team. Most of the stats and random facts I know come from banter-packed opening segments of Live! with Regis and Kelly from the summers of 2006 to 2010. In one such episode, Kelly dropped a bit of knowledge about denim. Aside from little black dresses and strappy footwear, the most coveted item is a pair of really, really good-fitting jeans. Fast forward a decade or so, and my guess is that nowadays the perfect leggings would give denim a run for its money in a similar survey. No, really. Data from the United States Census Bureau from 2017 indicated that imports of leggings outpaced imports of jeans. As it happens, the trick to finding a very good pair of spandex isn’t all that different from finding a pair of raw-edge denim (which in case you haven’t heard, you shouldn’t be tossing into the wash). According to Girlfriend Collective co-founder Quang Dinh, whose background is in the denim industry, you want your leggings to initially be a bit snug, so that you can live in them and they can adjust to your body. “Our compressive leggings have the highest compression possible, so they’re designed to fit like a great pair of jeans that feel tight at first, then mold to your body as you wear them,” he says. “We recommend choosing a size that feels a little extra snug so your leggings will