April 14, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC If you got a jolt of energy during last week’s particularly fertile moment for making new things happen, consider this week the sequel—on steroids. Astrologer Jennifer Racioppi explains why Mercury’s movement into Aries is one of the biggest energy shifts of the entire year. Plus: what to expect from the “pink” full moon this week. The upcoming watershed week brings a full moon in Libra (the second full moon in Libra in a row), Mercury finally exiting Pisces (Mercury traveled in Pisces for an extended period due to his retrograde cycle), and the sun’s entrance into fixed earth, Taurus. Yes! In addition to all of this, too, the week begins on Monday with Venus, the planet of love and beauty (which, like Mercury, is also preparing to exit Pisces and enter into Aries on Saturday, April 20) making a harsh angle to Jupiter, known as a square. With Venus squaring Jupiter on Monday, ask yourself this: Is your desire for growth in harmony with the values that guide your life? Jupiter just went retrograde last week, and his apparent backward spin asks you to consider if you want that thing you are working so hard to acquire. Venus’ brush up with Jupiter underscores this even more. Add to the equation that week begins with a waxing Virgo moon (Virgo is the sign of the editor) and clearly, the cosmos are asking you to edit where you are allocating your life force energy. There’s
Category: 2019 Health
4 benefits of prunes that prove they’re not just for grandparents
April 14, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC Prunes have such a bad rap that, in 2000, plum growers got permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market their fruit “dried plums” instead of “prunes.” It makes sense: How appetizing can a fruit be when it conjures images of wrinkled fingers after a too-long, too-hot bath or a grandparent padding to the bathroom? But the sweet, chewy, wrinkly truth is that prunes—or dried plums, if you want—are little nutrient and fiber bombs. A serving size of five prunes clocks in at under 100 calories, can help quell appetite, and packs a punch of healthful components. “When eaten frequently, prunes contribute to the overall intake of dietary fiber and many important vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds, which function as antioxidants,” Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, says. Need more reasons to get prunes into your grocery cart? What are the health benefits of prunes? 1. Prunes help you maintain healthy digestion. Yep, we’re confirming the old wives’ tale that prunes can help get things moving. The fruit contains two things that help you go number two: fiber and sorbitol. Per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), prunes contain 3 grams of fiber. That’s almost 10 percent of the daily recommended value, 25 to 30 grams of fiber. Half of that is insoluble fiber, Bannan says, and it helps food move through the digestive tract faster to improve regularity. Let’s talk sorbitol, a sugar-based alcohol. You might recognize it as a sugar
The French-girl cleanser that Sophie Turner swears by for healthy skin
April 14, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC Whenever I’m watching my favorite character on Game of Thrones, Sansa Stark (well, okay, second after Tyrion Lannister), I wonder two things. One: How does she manage to keep her hair such a stunning shade of red? Two: How does she get that immaculate glow? (Especially while living in Winterfell!!) Luckily for me, I got to meet Stark IRL—AKA the lovely Sophie Turner—to find out just what the Lady of Winterfell’s beauty secrets are. First of all, know that the actress was rocking a very icy blonde shade of hair rather than her character’s deep red, which was much more Daenerys Targaryen than Stark. “How on earth do you keep your hair healthy when it’s always changing colors?” was the first question that came out of my mouth. “I let it air dry then put on this Wella Invigo Brilliance Spray ($17),” she tells me. “You just spray it on and it leaves your hair really shiny and it looks like it’s just been done. I also use the Wella Reflections Hair Oil ($40) and it just makes it really silky and smooth.” (Turner admits she’s not very good at styling her own hair, which is something I relate to her on.) As for her healthy complexion? “Honestly, eating healthy is the main thing,” she says of how she keeps her skin happy despite lots of travel (and, you know, stress from wielding power over her icy kingdom). “And moisturizing every day and cleansing your
Protect yourself before you wreck yourself with healing crystals that promote inner strength
April 14, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC The world can feel pretty scary sometimes. Between toxic relationships in your life, work problems you’re forced to navigate, and tornadoes of hate brewing on the internet (and, let’s be real, in the real world, too), it’s easy to want to hide behind an invisible wall and close yourself off in the name of self-preservation. But that may be the case simply because you’re not yet aware of another strategy available to you…one that can protect you from bad vibes and help you harness positive energy. Yep, I’m talking about crystals—specifically varieties that offer protective healing properties. But first, let’s get on the same page about what “protection” means in our lives. According to Sadie Kadlec, crystal expert and intuitive healer at Maha Rose Center for Healing, the notion of protection being a barrier to keep external forces (like other people or just bad energy) from entering our sphere is severely flawed. “The true idea of protection is about finding strength, stability and support within yourself in order to be vulnerable, and trusting of the world around you so there isn’t a need to have that shield,” she says. So basically, don’t expect to use crystals as a literal protective armor that’ll keep all of life’s woes from potentially harming you. “The true idea of protection is about finding strength, stability and support within yourself in order to be vulnerable, and trusting of the world around you so there isn’t a need to
Slather on these all-natural DIY face masks to amp up your springtime skin
April 14, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC If you’ve ever considered Marie Kondo-ing your mask collection, but have been worried about getting rid of something you might need some time in the distant future, you’re in luck: You can get many of the same skin-boosting benefits from the products in your pantry as the one’s you’ve been keeping under your sink for the last five years. DIY moisturizing masks are the best way to give your skin some extra all-natural hydration without having to hoard 200 sheet masks in the bathroom cabinet, mostly because they all utilize things that any wellness-savy person likely already has on hand. And while there are undoubtedly plenty of designer moisturizing masks worth adding to your cart on the interwebs (and then keeping in your beauty cabinet “until you need them”), there’s something to be said about making one of your own. “You know exactly what’s in the product and at what proportion when you make it yourself,” says Dermatologist Adarsh Vijay Mudgil, MD, medical director of Mudgil Dermatology. “DIY products also generally have fewer ingredients than pre-made ones, which decreases the chances of irritation or allergy.” Plus, they tend to cost approximately a tenth of the price of the stuff you’d find on the shelves. Read on for some of our favorite DIY moisturizing face masks, because who needs a stocked skin-care collection when you’ve already got a stocked refrigerator? And, if you’re feeling inspired, you can donate all of your unused, unwanted masks
5 ways to find the tarot card that best represents you, according to an energy healer
April 13, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC When I was growing up, I was all about card games. I’d force my family to play Uno and Blackjack, War, or deal out a hand of Solitaire if I was alone. As a bona fide adult, I’m more interested in playing “What tarot card am I?” as I flip through the deck for spiritual guidance. The earliest tarot cards date to the early 15th century, Alexis Alvarez, an intuitive energy worker and spiritual advisor, tells me, and the earliest decks were right up my alley: They were used to play games, not seek knowledge. “It wasn’t until the 17th century that we began to see occult symbolism and magical meanings being attributed to the cards,” Alvarez says. “Nowadays, most people use the tarot deck as a divination tool,” the expert continues. “Divination literally means communing with the divine, or your higher self. Professional intuitive readers, energy healers, and coaches like myself use tarot cards…to get answers and higher guidance from source energy.” That’s not to say you have to be an intuitive in order to use a tarot card deck. “I believe anyone can use tarot cards as a tool for personal guidance and development, for divining the future, to obtain universal wisdom, for spiritual growth, and meditative contemplation,” Alvarez says. “I actually encourage everyone to get a deck, because it helps us get outside our heads and initiates us to follow our intuition.” So, how do I use them and what tarot
Grab a chair: This seated yoga sequence is no joke
April 13, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC Yoga can be quite a workout, especially when you go one-by-one through sweaty vinyasa after sweaty vinyasa. But just because you’re not standing up doesn’t mean you’re not doing your brain and body good. “Seated poses make it easier to get the great benefits of yoga at any point in your day,” says Jessica Matthews, PhD, assistant professor of integrative wellness at Point Loma Nazarene University and the author of Stretching to Stay Young. And it can be especially nice if you work a desk job where you spend the majority of your day hunched over typing (or, ahem, texting or Tweeting). Taking a couple-minute break for seated yoga works flexibility (which so many of us are lacking) and improves posture, says Matthews. What’s more, seated poses “are ideal for practicing in the middle of the day when you’re short on energy or focus. Some poses are mentally re-energizing,” she says. Think of them like a coffee break—minus the caffeine jitters. On the other hand, certain seated yoga poses can be quieting for the mind, says Jessica Bellofatto, director of JB Yoga, a holistic lifestyle and retreat company. “More often than not, what people need is the more meditative aspects of yoga. Seated and supine poses lower your center of gravity to help ground you,” she says. These can be done anytime, but may help relax you at night and keep your brain from spinning for better sleep ahead. Now that you’re ready
Meet kama muta, the global, cross-cultural mood of being joyfully emotional
April 13, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC Have you ever been in a scenario where no word in the English language or any other (as far as you’re aware) effectively communicates how you’re feeling? For instance, I recently struggled to find a word to describe the emotionally charged heartwarming sense I felt when while my friend belted Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People” at a bar and my boyfriend came up behind me with a surprise chicken nugget. “Heartwarming” didn’t feel strong enough to encapsulate the big mood in which I was gloriously basking. So when I recently happened upon the sanskrit phrase kama muta, which essentially refers to being moved by love, I felt seen. And what’s especially sweet is that this term and what it represents, found nowhere in English, is something that connects people on a global level. One massive study of 3,542 participants from more than 19 countries who spoke 15 languages worked to identify and define what kama muta means cross-culturally, across the world. The results showed that it reflects a positive vibe evoked from watching or experiencing sudden and communal intense social interactions that might, say, move you to tears. This could be with anyone or anything—a parent, a partner, a YouTube video of a recently widowed grandpa getting a puppy, the puppy itself, a breaded nug of chicken, you get the idea. The emphasis is that you’re sharing an experience to joyful, and soul-stirring effects. If you’re still not sure if what you’re feeling
How to protect your joints during an intense workout, according to HIIT trainers
April 13, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Anyone who wants to get in the best possible workout in the shortest period of time is probably a fan of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). In 30 minutes or less, you can bang out a full-body workout that leaves you completely breathless, leaving plenty of time to make it to work on time or simply enjoy the rest of your day. There’s just one thing to remember: If you’re not careful during the high-energy sweat sessions, you could seriously hurt yourself. While HIIT is by far one of the best ways to reach your fitness goals, it can do harm if your body isn’t ready for those high-intensity movements. If you start whipping out exercises like burpees and jump squats with minimal rest without the basic strength required to do them correctly, the end result isn’t going to be pretty. “Many people get injured during HIIT exercises because they lack the adequate strength, mobility, or stability in their muscles and joints,” says Emily Samuel, a trainer at New York City’s Dogpound. “Taking someone very deconditioned and immobile and having them do dynamic or high-intense exercises is a recipe for disaster. Many people that sign up for HIIT classes and want to get a great sweat in don’t realize that they need a baseline strength before preforming the dynamic and intense moves properly and safely.” And even if you’re already in pretty good shape, you’re still not totally safe from injury. Because of the fast
Why long-term success on keto can be challenging for women, according to hormonal experts
April 12, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Hormonal naturopathic doctor and The Hormone Boost author Natasha Turner, ND, listened intensely as a female patient sat across from her, lamenting on her struggles with maintaining a healthy weight. “I’ve been doing keto for months and at first, the weight was falling off me so easily. But now I’m gaining it back. I have no idea what happened!” Dr. Turner recalls the woman saying. Dr. Turner wasn’t surprised. Ever since the ketogenic diet exploded in popularity, she’s been fielding complaints like this on a regular basis, primarily from her female patients. “I’m seeing a consistent trend of women adopting the ketogenic diet and the majority of them do not lose weight,” she says. She says she’s seen lots of patients who end up gaining unwanted weight, losing muscle, and developing signs of adrenal fatigue while on the buzzy eating plan. This isn’t just something “keto haters” are warning about. A study published last year in the journal Diabetes (and recently presented at a conference) points to this potential downside, too. When researchers looked at how the ketogenic diet affected male and female mice, they found that while the male mice in the study lost weight, female mice ended up gaining weight. They also developed impaired glucose intolerance, a sign of prediabetes. Of course, mice are very different from humans—so these findings don’t automatically mean that the ketogenic diet will mess with all women’s blood sugar levels and weight. But hormonal experts like