March 22, 2019 at 09:48AM by CWC Everyone needs a hobby. For me, it’s doing my best to be a good #plantmom. And for Jennifer Garner, according to a recent Instagram post, it’s drying herbs to use in everyday recipes and home decor. As the host of #PretendCookingShow, it’s only natural that Garner dries her own herbs, however “late to the party” she may be. The herbs come from Garner’s own garden, which makes her feel like Caroline “Ma” Ingalls. (That’s Laura Ingalls Wilder’s mother, for anyone who didn’t read or watch Little House on the Prairie, in which case: What are you waiting for?) “Drying herbs is so easy and so great,” Garner writes. “I must urge you to plant extra, because once you start, you’ll only wish for more. Your pizza crackers will thank you.” Garner has three favorites: rosemary, thyme, and oregano. Her method of preparing them is simple, too. After cutting some bunches of the fresh sprigs, she wraps the end of each with twine and hangs them up on a hook in her home to dry. Two weeks later the rosemary and thyme will be ready for use. Oregano, on the other hand, can take four to six weeks to completely dry out. Rosemary is a prime inflammation-fighter and can help improve brain health and combat bacterial infections; oregano (particularly in oil-form) has antioxidants and antimicrobial properties that support your immune system; and thyme can help with everything from gas and indigestion to sore throats.
Category: 2019 Health
Here’s how to test your longevity in less than a minute
March 22, 2019 at 09:17AM by CWC Remember recess in preschool? When you could plop down on the wood chips of the playground and spring back up with agility and grace? These days, restricted by skinny jeans and age, the transition isn’t quite so sprightly. Yet, according to The Washington Post, challenging yourself to the sitting-rising test (SRT) is an effective longevity calculator. Brazilian physician Claudio Gil Araújo, MD, conceived of the SRT to provide a tentative forecast for the mortality of middle-aged and older individuals. In practice, it looks a lot like an adult version of Simon Says. (Which I know because the entire Well+Good editorial team couldn’t help but try it for themselves. LOLs ensued.) How to use the sitting-rising test (SRT) as a longevity calculator: 1. Start standing up, cross your ankles, and sit down on the floor while attempting not to use your hands for an assist. 2. Stand back up. Again, attempt to avoid touching anything for balance. 3. Now to calculate your results! If you don’t need any help from your upper extremities then, congratulations, you scored a perfect 10. If you gave yourself a hand, subtract one point for every instance you used your hands to help you stand up. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCQ2WA2T2oA] In a study of 2,002 adults between the ages of 51 and 80 years old published in The European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, researchers scored everyone according to the SRT. They the proceeded to follow them in their day-to-day lives until a
Start every day the right way with the best morning routine for your Myers-Briggs personality type
March 22, 2019 at 08:54AM by CWC If you’ve ever shared a bathroom with siblings or had roommates, you’re probably well aware that anyone’s unique personality can factor into your routine and wake-up styles. Some people are up early, making themselves an egg-white omelette and cherishing a few minutes for themselves before embarking on the day; others are late risers who prefer to browse their feeds before truly turning on their minds for work. How do you start your day? And more importantly, what’s the best morning routine for you? Your Myers-Briggs personality type can shed light on how you wake up best, and why that’s your “thing.” (Don’t know what your MBTI is? Read this first!) Below, get some insight into what might stoke your creativity, according to you personality type. Start every day right with the best morning routine for you, according to your Myers-Briggs personality type W+G Creative ISFJ You love to start the day with a time for reflection. Meditation or prayer can feel very centering before you tackle your to-do list—just a pause to feel thankful and reflect on what matters the most to you is a great place to start. Apps like Headspace and Simple Habit are right up your alley. ESFJ ESFJs often wake up with boundless energy, and about six or seven people to contact immediately—after checking in with social feeds, of course. You prefer to get plans into motion as soon as you rise, whether it’s checking in with a colleague
I literally showered myself in CBD, and let me tell you, it was luxurious
March 22, 2019 at 07:00AM by CWC By now, there’s so much buzzing about CBD that it’s practically been incorporated in some manner of fashion into most parts of my life. It’s a steady part of my beauty routine (for both my skin and hair), my supplement regimen, my workout recovery, and it’s even in my, uh, bedroom (ICYDK: CBD lube is a thing). But it’s not like I’m showering in the stuff. Just kidding. As of this week, I have been. The wellness ingredient known for its stress-reducing and anti-inflammatory benefits is now sitting alongside surfactants in bar soap, so that I can take my skin-cleaning to new heights with extra bubbly benefits. Leef Organics’ Nooks + Crannies bar soap ($22), has 20 milligrams of CBD in it that are meant soothe inflammation and work as a nourishing antioxidant. “This small bar of soap yields mighty results with topical skin irritations,” says Emily Heitman, CMO and COO of brand Leef Organics. “It contains a carefully curated ingredient deck that feeds the skin thoughtfully and calms irritations to reduce long-term discomfort.” Since my skin’s just battled the dry air of the winter, it’s definitely thirsty for some soothing hydration both in and out of the shower (namely: my flaky elbows and shedding legs). When I get the bar all sudsed up in the shower, it provides a nice lather that feels moisturizing at the same time. There’s none of that unhealthy stripping action going on, which is thanks to the other ingredients like coconut milk and
Meet the Okinawa diet, Japan’s answer to the Mediterranean diet
March 22, 2019 at 06:43AM by CWC The Mediterranean diet garnered heaps of praise in 2019, thanks to its recent recognition as the healthiest eating plan in the world. The fact that it promotes longevity is backed by plenty of studies and it’s a relatively easy diet to follow. But a lesser-known eating plan may be coming for the Med diet’s crown. Meet the Okinawa diet. The Mediterranean diet, of course, emphasizes healthy fats like omega-3s, protein from primarily seafood and plant sources, and lots of fruits and vegetables. The Okinawa diet, on the other hand, is plant-driven, with most nutrients (including carbs) coming from vegetables and legumes locally available on the island. Okinawa is a Japanese island (and is the nation’s southernmost prefecture). The island is one of the original “Blue Zones,” or areas with populations known for their longevity. “The Okinawa diet gets a lot of attention because the people who live on the island have a higher than average life expectancy at 100 years old, compared to the US at 78.8 years and the rest of Japan at 84 years old,” says Nora Minno, RD. (Sounds an awful lot like the other aforementioned eating plan that might help you live longer.) Which begs the question: How do the Okinawa and Mediterranean diets, both inspired by Blue Zones populations, compare? The short version: John Day, MD, a cardiologist and co-author of the book The Longevity Plan, says both eating plans can be good for longterm health. “You really can’t
Use the “pasta method” to ensure perfectly cooked quinoa every single time
March 22, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC Even for those with the best intentions, a bowl filled with beautiful, fluffy quinoa isn’t always the outcome. For anyone yet to master the art of cooking the healthy ancient grain, it’s not uncommon for the end result to be totally soggy and throughly unappetizing. An easy method changes all that, though, and you’ll wish you had known about years ago. A thread on Reddit laments having tried every technique—cooking it covered, uncovered, different water ratios, you name it—before putting out a request for help. An angel of a Redditor chimed in with a tip that’s worthy of all the upvotes. The “pasta method” gets the job done correctly every time. So, how do you cook quinoa? According to Blue Apron, just cook quinoa as you would any pasta. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add in a few pinches of salt, and the grains. Boil the quinoa for the amount of time recommended according to the package instructions, checking it a few minutes before it should be done. If you’re happy with the texture, drain the quinoa using a very fine metal mesh strainer. By ditching the long list of quinoa cooking tips and instead using this simple, mindless method, you’re all but guaranteed fluffy quinoa every single time. If you’re looking for more cooking tips to make your life easier, you should also know the two-step trick that makes using ginger so much easier and the easy way to make roasted veggies without any oil.
Why you shouldn’t hold a stretch for longer than 3 seconds
March 22, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC There’s a reason why everyone from Simone Biles to your local spin instructor swears by stretching as an important part of any fitness routine: Not only does it help soothe sore muscles, but it also helps get them prepped and ready to function in fighting force during your next workout. Chances are, you’re familiar with the usual roster of moves that seem to appear at the beginning and end of every workout class. But Well+Good recently did a deep dive into the world of stretching, and discovered a principle of flexibility worth putting on our radars. For a new episode of What the Wellness, our brave video producer Ella Dove got professionally stretched (yup—that’s a thing) at NYC’s Stretch*d studio. In the video, she described the experience as “the best thing of her life” and like a “stretchy roller coaster”—both of which sound a-m-a-z-i-n-g if you ask me. But during her time at Stretch*d, she also learned an important lesson that the rest of us can steal as a part of our own stretching routines. You see, Stretch*d sessions are based on the principles of “active flexibility,” which means that you’re moving in and out of stretches so that you’re never in any particular position for longer than three seconds. This, apparently, helps you avoid over-stretching, so you’re less apt to pull anything or hurt yourself. “The whole idea behind the is that it’s movement-based, so it’s never pushing past of flexibility,” explains Vanessa Chu,
A snooze habit may not be the healthiest, but it’s one we should be be allowed make
March 22, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC Bad news, sleep deviants: There’s a chance the snooze button might be snoozed…permanently. Sleep-wellness company Eve Sleep is lobbying for Apple to remove the “five more minutes!” function from its next software update, with experts citing it as a health hazard. And like a dad’s ringtone blaring the opening chords of “Bad to the Bone,” I hear the message loud and clear. I get it, snooze = no good, but just like my reaction to a dad’s ringtone blaring the opening chords of “Bad to the Bone,” I have to say, plz stop. I know snooze isn’t my healthiest habit, but ugh is my love for it ever so real. In case you’re not up to snuff, one of the many crimes of snooze is that it causes prolonged sleep inertia, AKA that drowsy-grumpy feeling you get sometimes upon first waking up. “The snooze button is on my list of ‘sleep killers’ because continual snoozing usually leaves people feeling less well-rested than they would be if they got up when the alarm went off in the first place,” says Janet K. Kennedy, PhD, licensed psychologist and founder of NYC Sleep Doctor. “The sleep we get between snoozes is not restorative, quality sleep, and too much of it can leave us feeling very groggy and even disoriented when we finally do get up.” The thing is, sleep inertia is really only supposed to last 15 to 30 minutes after waking up. However, one study showed that sleep inertia
Yes, You Should Be Spring Cleaning Your Freezer, Too—Here’s How to Do it Like a Dietitian
March 21, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC Spring is here, and that means it’s time to break out the rubber gloves and scrub every inch of your home until it sparkles and wafts of fresh-cut grass and bird songs come floating in your open windows. Okay so maybe that’s just how spring cleaning goes in your dreams, but if you want to get that same new season, new me feeling without going full Cinderella on your place, we suggest tackling this oft-forgotten spot: your freezer. Yes, your freezer requires some TLC at least once a year, and if Marie Kondo taught us anything, it’s that your kitchen (freezer included) should be filled with all the joy-sparking foods you love—not shunned as the hideout for frozen pizzas and freezer-burned leftovers. “Don’t be afraid of frozen foods. They’re one important weapon in your healthy eating arsenal to keep you from resorting to takeout.” ICYMI: Your freezer can actually be home to a ton of good-for-you foods that come in clutch when you’re in a pinch, and the prime example is Grainful® Frozen Meals. These upgraded takes on your favorite homemade grain bowls are frozen for mindful mid-week munching sans meal prep, and come in a variety of food-truck-inspired flavor profiles—hello, Wednesday night Thai Curry. Plus, the clean ingredients cater to whatever eating style you follow, from gluten-free to vegan, and more. To make room for the food you actually want to eat—instead of moving around the stuff just sitting in your freezer collecting
Send slathering to the curb: “Piano fingers” are the best way to apply skin care
March 21, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC When I met with facialist Georgia Louise last night at an event—AKA the esthetician who adds a glow to the faces of Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, and plenty others—I had to pick her brain about all things skin. So I started with the most important question: What’s the one thing everyone should be doing to their complexion every single day? Louise, who’s a La Mer Global Skincare Advisor, replied with two words: piano fingers. She then showed me what that meant by proceeding to tap each finger quickly across her face, from the chin to her forehead (as if she were playing her skin like a piano). “It’s an important massage technique and one that I really adore,” she tells me as she continues performing what looks like a Beethoven interlude on her face. I’m intrigued—especially because most of the facial massage methods I’ve seen are higher in intensity. The secret’s actually in the soft touch. “The piano fingers motion really activates the microcirculation and really energizes the muscles,” says Louise. “Your microcirculation system is very superficial, so it doesn’t require a lot to activate it. Some people think you have to pull and tug your skin to get results, but actually the lightest touch is sometimes the strongest.” “Actually the lightest touch is sometimes the strongest.” —Georgia Louise Facial massage in general is a useful practice not only for stimulating circulation and collagen, and to lift and tone, but it’s also key for lymphatic