March 11, 2019 at 11:31AM by CWC When I first overheard my colleagues discussing the benefits of “worm tea,” I nearly gagged. The idea of sipping on a warm cup of slimy invertebrates gave me the creeps, I don’t care how healthy it is. But unlike chamomile or hibiscus varieties (and much to my relief), this tea isn’t for you. It’s for your indoor garden. While the name of the beverage would suggest that you might find full-sized earthworms wiggling about a vat of brown stew, Jim Shaw, founder and owner of Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, explains that the process is a little more complicated. “Worm tea is ultimately the end result of steeping worm castings or vermicompost in water,” Shaw writes on his website. “Worm tea is known mostly for its ability to boost microbiological activity in soil by adding bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and protozoa to the soil.” When I ask him to translate for those of us just developing our green thumbs, he tells me that quite simply that it’s a fertilizer to make you feel like a plant-whisperer. So, if you’re flirting with fiddle leaf figs for the first time, worm tea is the key to vibrant greenery. Once you’ve obtained the worm castings (which, of course, you can purchase on Amazon), it’s easy to DIY your own tea bag. “Take a porous bag—a big burlap bag or a small burlap bag or whatever—and load it with scoops or shovelfuls of the dirt that the worms
Category: 2019 Health
An infrared sauna date is basically the romance edition of Instagram vs. reality
March 11, 2019 at 11:30AM by CWC Infrared saunas offer a whole host of science-backed benefits—like being helpful for lowering blood pressure, helping to alleviate chronic pain, boosting your mood, and improving circulation. And so many people anecdotally swear that time in the hot box clears up their complexions and doubles as a workout (infrared saunas can increase your heart rate). Plus, I’ll be honest, the flattering light in them has opened up a whole new world of selfie opportunities for me. All of this, coupled with the idea that you don’t have to be clothed, led me to think a visit to one may just make for a sexy date-night experience. In the past, I’ve always gotten my infrared on solo, using it as a time to either read, blast rap music, or simply zone out. But there are options for two-seater seshes, and I’ve heard stories of people using infrared saunas for their date nights. Why not give my typical dinner-and-drink nights up for a romantic romp at my local HigherDose? So, I recently asked my boyfriend if he wanted to join me for an infrared sauna session. Without hesitation, he said yes. He had never experienced this kind of sauna before, but said he’s down for whatever we can do together. (What a keeper, right?) When the day came, he texted me a few hours before our sweat sesh: “Will I freak out?” I LOLed before responding “no, it’s just incredibly hot but you feel like a newborn baby afterwards.
An Olympian taught me to ice skate, and holy moly it was a good workout
March 11, 2019 at 11:00AM by CWC If you’ve ever seen a Hallmark Christmas movie set in New York City, you likely know that ice skating in Rockefeller Center is just about one of the most festive things you can do during the winter time. Despite living here for six years of my adult life, though, I’d never actually done it. I talked about it all winter, every winter, to anyone who was willing to listen, but every time it seemed like it was actually going to happen, the massive crowds and freezing temps stopped me in my tracks…and so did the fact that I didn’t know how to ice skate. So when I got an e-mail inviting me to take an early morning skating lesson at the Rink at Rockefeller Center with former Olympic figure skater Jojo Starbuck, I was positively giddy with excitement. I was going to be the next Tara Lipinski (or Jonathan Van Ness), and I couldn’t wait. When I showed up to the semi-private class at quarter of 7 a.m. on a freezing Tuesday morning in the middle of February, I was blown away by the fact that the movie-famous attraction was completely empty. It was totally devoid of the usual tourists that tend to swarm to the area all winter long, and when I laced up my skates and hit the rink (…is that a thing actual skaters say?) I was one of only nine people on the ice, all of whom were there to skate
The transition from winter to spring is a “glitch,” but you can fix it with an Ayurvedic reboot
March 11, 2019 at 10:24AM by CWC Now that we’ve all “leapt forward” in time, having been robbed of a precious hour of sleep (thank you so much, daylight savings time), the pre-spring excitement has commenced. Even though the seasonal switcheroo isn’t quite calendar official, we’re all thinking of the best ways to avoid the colds and outfit confusion during the early days of spring. According to the ancient science of Ayurveda, what happens with the changing seasons is aptly called a “glitch.” You can navigate it seamlessly with a cleanse of easily digested foods amplified by spring-specific vegetables and aromatic spices. (Pssst! If you cringed at the word “cleanse,” fear not. Think of this as more of a reset or a reboot. The dishes you eat during the glitch are more cozy and satisfying than, say, green juice.) “We do these nutritive, light cleanses throughout the year in Ayurveda,” says Laura Coburn, certified Ayurveda yoga specialist and director of serenity at The Inns of Aurora in New York State. “The energy of spring will [soon] be upon us and this is a very verdant time. It’s very rich with moisture and growth, and there’s a heaviness to the air.” Since we’re all part of nature—it’s true!—Ayurveda teaches that we, too, have springtime blooming inside of us. If we take the time to take care of our bodies properly throughout this inner and outer-metamorphosis, Coburn explains that we’re helping the “agni,” or the digestive fire of the bodies burn out what’s left of winter
Dear Dermatologist: I fell asleep in my makeup. Now what should I do?
March 11, 2019 at 09:56AM by CWC This weekend, I broke the cardinal rule of beauty. I fell asleep in my makeup. After a Saturday night out with girlfriends, I zonked out on the couch with a full face of foundation, eyeshadow, and mascara—the works. When I woke up the next morning, my eyes were not only glued shut, but my face felt greasy, gross, and dirty AF. As someone who spends upwards of 30 minutes a day taking care of her skin, this was more than enough to make me cringe. I immediately launched into panic mode, knowing that there was only a matter of time before a massive breakout showed up all over my face. Was there anything I could do, I wondered, to prevent the (seemingly inevitable) fallout? “The best initial step after waking up is to remove the makeup with micellar water, and then gently exfoliate,” says Dr. Ted Lain, a dermatologist based in Austin, Texas. “Do not scrub your face vigorously; this will over-exfoliate and worsen any underlying inflammation, as well as increase the risk for acne.” Dr. Jennifer David of Schweiger Dermatology Group in Northfield, New Jersey, confirms this method of triage, noting that micellar water will act as a mild surfactant to get rid of excess dirt and oil. She also recommends following up with a second gentle cleansing step before exfoliating. Basically, micellar water, gentle cleanser, and light exfoliation = good; hardcore scrubbing = bad. Since this seems like a fairly quick
We found the best way to fire up your lower body during a push-up
March 11, 2019 at 08:49AM by CWC You do push-ups primarily to increase arm strength and tone those triceps. When you want to train the rest of your body, you whip out the squats, planks, and burpees. But there’s a way to work your upper and lower body with TRX push-ups. You just need the right equipment. When it comes to push-ups, evidently the most popular and well-known version (on the floor) isn’t the best you can be doing. In an older study, published in the Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, researchers compared push-ups done on the floor to those utilizing wobble boards, stability disks, fitness domes, and TRX suspension trainers. It was no competition. GQ reports that while the other instability devices did help the exercise hit more muscle groups, performing a push-up while suspended in the air was by-far the best way to fire up the lower body. Now, finding a TRX suspension trainer isn’t nearly as easy as grabbing an exercise ball at the gym. But if you do have access, you’ll feel the lower-body effects immediately. In the video below, Nike trainer and certified TRX instructor Joselynne Boschen explains exactly how to perform the exercise. Start by standing with your knuckles in line with your shoulders and slowly bend your arms into a push-up position, then straighten them to bring yourself back up. Once you want to add more difficulty, step back a couple feet and perform the push-ups at more of an angle. Instead of just your arms aching after you’re finished, you’ll be
The first thing you should check in your hotel room to know it’s clean
March 11, 2019 at 07:52AM by CWC Even the fanciest hotel rooms aren’t always as clean as you’d expect. I was forever scarred by an episode of Inside Edition that exposed how bad it can get. (In on instance, hotel staff didn’t even change the bedsheets between guests!) Whenever I check into my room, I immediately scan the bed for any sign of another person’s presence before settling in for the night, but I’ve been overlooking a certain area when it comes to hotel room cleanliness. Harrison Jacobs, Business Insider‘s international correspondent, spent 300 nights hotels and Airbnbs throughout the past year. In his opinion, checking the electric kettle or coffeemaker is a great way to tell if your room has been well maintained, since moisture is ever-present in both devices. “I’ve found that consistently the best barometer of cleanliness is the coffeemaker or electric kettle. Almost every hotel room has one and it can tell you a lot about how detail-oriented the housekeeping is,” he writes. “If they aren’t cleaned regularly—and I mean with vinegar, not rinsed with hot water—they quickly become gross. As such a small item and a tedious one to clean, I’ve found that coffeemakers and electric kettles are frequently overlooked by less diligent hotels.” While the coffeemaker and electric kettle can give you an idea as to whether the hotel prioritizes sanitation, Jason “The Germ Guy” Tetro, host of the Super Awesome Science Show and author of The Germ Code, says the sniff test is another great indicator of hotel room cleanliness.
Apparently you can wear retinol during the day—but there are rules, people
March 11, 2019 at 07:00AM by CWC As a retinol devotee, I’ve learned a few key things about the all-star acne-fighting, glow-inducing skin-care ingredient: The most important of which is that vitamin A derivatives should go on once the sun goes down. That’s why I was surprised and intrigued that some new retinols instruct users to slather them on in the a.m. and p.m. Gasp! Wondering what to make of the rule-bending intel, I consulted dermatologists and skin-care gurus alike. “Retinol traditionally has been used in the evening because the molecule is highly unstable in the presence of UV light,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. This is because retinoids are a derivative of vitamin A, which doesn’t really hold up with the sun. “Retinoids are naturally photo-unstable, meaning they break down in sunlight, making them less effective,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, a dermatologist with New York’s Schweiger Dermatology Group. “Retinoids are naturally photo-unstable, meaning they break down in sunlight, making them less effective. —Rachel Nazarian, MD Besides the UV stability dilemma, retinoids also change your skin in a way that makes it more prone to sun damage. “All retinoids cause a slight thinning of the outermost layer of dead skin cells, and therefore makes it slightly easier to burn in sunlight,” says Dr. Nazarian. Hence the true need to wear sunscreen at all times (but TBH, you should be doing that anyways). “Regardless of whether you apply your retinoid in the morning or at night, you
We asked 6 women to share their thoughts about body positivity. They didn’t hold back.
March 11, 2019 at 06:52AM by CWC If you ever want to witness the phenomenon of gassing up—where friends boost each others’ confidence with effusive praise and appreciation—just gather together a bunch of smart, funny, interesting women who have never met each other before. That’s just what happened when Well+Good invited six New York women to join us for a photo shoot celebrating bodies, confidence, and self-love. These women—April, Jessica, Aurea, Helen, Kiara, and Yesenia—were all perfect strangers at the beginning of the day. But over the course of a few hours together, they were sharing meaningful stories about their lives, gushing over each others’ go-to confidence outfits (which we asked them to wear to the shoot), and laughing together like old friends. At the end of the day, they all exchanged contact info in order to stay in touch long after the camera flashes subsided. In a world that has never felt so divided, so fraught with tensions and complications, there is nothing more powerful than seeing six completely different women with different life experiences come together with so much love and compassion—for each other, and also for themselves. —Jessie Van Amburg, senior editor April Christina, 33, endometriosis advocate and beauty blogger Photo: Tim Gibson W+G: When you hear the words “body positivity,” how does it make you feel? AC: I think I like [the words] “body positivity,” but I like “self-love” more. Because when I think of body positivity, self-love is the first thing that comes to my mind—especially
Let down your hair with trendiest long hairstyles of the moment
March 11, 2019 at 06:01AM by CWC Growing your hair out is like a second job. Once it gets past your shoulders, keeping it vibrant and healthy requires so much more work. And if it seems like your hair has suddenly hit a plateau as you strive to find the perfect long hairstyles, you might be making a common mistake. It sounds counterintuitive, but regular trims are essential when you’re growing out your hair. According to celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend, who regularly works with Dakota Johnson and the Olsen twins, it’s the only way you’re going to achieve the length you want. “As long as you do get those regular trims, your hair will grow. When you don’t, your hair splits. It starts at the very bottom and starts working up the hair shaft, splitting all the way up,” Townsend explains. “That’s where all your frizz comes from: the cuticle can never ever lay down. And because it’s split, it’s half the size it used to be, making it so much weaker and causing it to snap and break.” If your hair is constantly getting split ends, there’s no way you’re ever going to get those long hairstyles you’ve been dreaming of. Your strands will just keep breaking off. “A perfect example is Mary-Kate [Olsen]. She wanted long hair no matter what and got extensions that ruined her hair. But she kept growing it,” he explains. “Neither Ashley nor Mary-Kate likes getting their hair cut, so I just keep my scissors in my