July 22, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC With temperatures soaring past 90°F throughout much of the country lately, chances are you’re going into the work week with your sunscreen tube seriously used up and your blow dryer stashed away until fall. And guess what: it’s still freakin’ hot out. Ice cubes have long been a summer heatwave savior, whether they’re used to chill a pitcher of iced tea or pressed right against your sweaty body. But Smitten Kitten blogger Deb Perelman has a next-level way to use a watermelon to beat the heat. Behold, watermelon ice cubes. By cutting the melon into cubes and freezing it, you can throw a few pieces into, say, a watermelon mojito cocktail and still get the satisfaction of biting down on ice cubes (you know you want to) without diluting your drink. And besides, what’s more refreshing—and hydrating—than watermelon? I mean, if summer had a fruity mascot, it would be a watermelon. When the ice cubes are ready, you can either blend ’em up to enjoy slushie-style, or nosh on them as is. ad_intervals[‘409724_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409724_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’);}); } }, 100); View this post on Instagram New: There is no time like a heat wave to find new, amazing things to do with watermelon, in this case, freezing it in cubes and blending it with lime juice, rum, and mint for exactly the only thing worth drinking this triple-digit weekend. (P.S. It’s also extremely delicious without the
Category: 2019 Health
There are 2 types of expectations—here’s how to meet both, no matter your personality type
July 22, 2019 at 07:52AM by CWC According to best-selling author and happiness expert Gretchen Rubin, there are two types of expectations you’ll encounter in life—inner and outer—and how you respond to each can provide insight into yourself and others. In fact, exploring this very concept is the central focus of her book, The Four Tendencies (the Gretchen Rubin four tendencies are personality types or temperaments). While inner expectations are guidelines you place on yourself (like getting to an 8 a.m. workout class), outer expectations are the the variety you assume from others or others assume from you (like helping a friend move or meeting a deadline at work). Taking stock in how you handle and respond to both types of expectations can lead to an improved self-understanding and understanding of others close to you, and also help you mitigate interpersonal conflicts before they arise. (Don’t know your type? Take this quick online quiz.) ad_intervals[‘409341_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409341_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Check out how your personality type affects how you respond to expectations. 1. Upholder Meets inner and outer expectations The pros: An upholder is a naturally goal-oriented, rule-following type. They seem to easily hit all their deadlines, or at least always set reasonable deadlines for themselves. They are highly conscientious, always showing up to events when they say they will. One reason they never break plans is because they thrive on structure in their lives; they make plans in order to keep themselves—and
The cooling yoga poses to take when class gets too. dang. hot.
July 22, 2019 at 06:49AM by CWC We’ve officially reached the point in the summer where it’s gone from “fun in the sun” weather to “too damn hot to be outside.” As I type this, it is 103-degrees in New York City, there is sweat in places I didn’t know it was possible to sweat, and I am legitimately praying to the air conditioning gods to make mine work more efficiently. While you likely have your own tips and tricks for dealing with these rising temps (personally, I’ve been sleeping with a cup of ice next to my bed), there’s a wellness-savvy way to beat the heat that you may not have tried yet: yoga. We tapped Wanderlust Wellest Challenge instructor, Andrew Sealy to tell us how. When it’s hot, a few different things happen to your body—aside from sweat, that is. “When it’s super hot outside blood vessels widen and blood flow increases,” explains Sealy. So where does yoga come in? “Yoga helps your body regulate heat on those super hot days,” he says, adding that the process can also be used as a means of “cooling the body and reducing inclination when the temperature outside becomes overbearing.” Here, he shares three poses that can help with the process. ad_intervals[‘409612_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409612_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); 1. Child’s pose: This is one of the best cooling poses there is—there’s a reason why so many teachers use it as a resting pose after an intense
Sick of being on autopilot? These are the 5 steps to living life to the fullest
July 22, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC Having a routine can be comforting, but sometimes, it can feel like you’re living the same day over and over. Get up. Make coffee. Go to work. Hit the gym. Fulfill all the family obligations thrown your way. Figure out what to get on the table for dinner. Scroll Instagram for a while. Go to bed. The mundanity of it all can make you wonder, is this it? The phrase “live life to the fullest” is thrown around a lot, but when it comes to what that actually looks like, many are left scratching their heads. When I called up life coach and What If It Does Work Out? author Susie Moore asking what exactly this oft-used expression meant, she explained it to me this way: “It means simply: Conducting your life and taking charge of it in a way that means you won’t have any regrets.” Moore tells me that so much of life is repetition and routine. “Typically, we don’t like change or uncertainty,” she says. “We like our comfort zones because they make us feel safe. Although there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s not necessarily a very full, rich life.” ad_intervals[‘409019_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409019_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); If I had to think of one person committed to living her life in this way—the routine-busting, full-life way—it would be Moore. She’s always trying something new, whether it’s rock climbing or simply having dinner with someone
How the beauty industry is confronting its relationship with waste
July 22, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC As a beauty editor, I’m sent probably around 10 skin-care and makeup products a day, and opening them up never fails to remind me of playing with nesting dolls. Each product comes in a jar or bottle or tub, which is typically in some sort of product box, which is then nestled inside of a larger box that may or may not be packed with Styrofoam fillers, scrunched-up cardboard pieces, or tissue paper. Which all goes to say that, for the sake of safely transporting one relatively small beauty product, a lot of waste is produced. That’s just the beginning of it, though. Beauty products themselves often need to be packaged within containers that are made up of a number of different materials, including plastic, glass, recycled plastic, and aluminum. The use of mixed materials for a single item makes recycling complicated, and despite our best efforts to recycle them, many of those materials can wind up in landfills. ad_intervals[‘383028_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘383028_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); In terms of being a source of waste in the world, beauty products are not the biggest culprit: bottled and packaged beverages and food are, according to Shane Wolf, founder of sustainable beauty brand Seed Phytonutrients; however, they still pose a significant—and unique—problem. “Beauty products create less waste in volume [than the food and beverage industry], but our plastics challenge is more complex because we tend to use mixed material and
The secret to controlling your emotions has nothing to do with ignoring them
July 22, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC Starbucks, the G Train, the L Train, the E train, Penn Station, diners, public parks—those are just a slim few of the many places I’ve cried this year alone, largely because I have no idea how to control my emotions. I’m in therapy, and consider myself a constant work in progress, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and I would love to learn how to have better emotional control. Wouldn’t we all? Though being able to express your feelings is a divine and important life skill, sometimes there’s a time and a place. For example, only a couple of the places on my cry list are actually appropriate (or, rather, not totally inappropriate) venues for outbursts. Generally speaking, when you’re in a public setting, like work or a party, it might be wise to dial down your extreme negative feelings to, like,…a 7. Because I’m clearly no expert in the art of learning how to control your emotions, I sought advice from someone who is. Carla Marie Manly, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who tackles the very subject of emotional regulation in her book, Joy From Fear, and to me she revealed a fascinating truth that I contend could quell even the most chronic cryer: most humans suppress and express feelings in extremes. ad_intervals[‘406831_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘406831_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); “Most of us are never taught how to understand and manage our emotions, so we often
Stressed AF? Maybe lay off the HIIT for a day or two
July 22, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC “I’m hitting the treadmill so hard tonight.” That’s what I always say to myself whenever I’ve reached the top of a stressful day. And even if it’s not a treadmill, I always make sure to hit up the most intense fitness class I can find in order to burn through the stress. That’s what so many people do—we think that the ultimate way to release some stress is to take things up a notch with our workout… because all that sweat and movement feels like such a cathartic release. Amirite? Then it hit me: Working out is a stressor. “It’s good to understand that movement is in itself another stressor,” says Emily Schromm, fitness expert who’s co-leading the upcoming Wanderlust Wellest Challenge. “It sounds like stress relief in your head, but if you want your body to change and get stronger, you have to break down muscle so that it can build back up—so it stresses the body to adapt.” ad_intervals[‘409322_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409322_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); I mean, it’s true that working out doesn’t exactly relax your body—biologically, it does the complete opposite. But it’s the endorphins and sense of accomplishment that make you feel so great afterwards—not what you did to your muscles. Cortisol—AKA the stress hormone—obviously spikes when you’re experiencing lifestyle stressors… but it’s circulating throughout the body during an intense workout, too. “If a person’s going to work out intensely all the time to release
Everything you need to know about facial meridians—and why they’re important
July 21, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC While we all know the damaging effects of skipping sunscreen and not moisturizing regularly, have you ever taken the time to think beyond what meets the eye? What’s going on inside your body can actually play a pretty big role on the surface of your skin. That’s the concept behind facial meridians. “According to traditional Chinese medicine [TCM], there are 12 major pathways of energy in the body called meridians, which reflect the twelve organ systems,” says Lily Talakoub, MD, a dermatologist in McLean, Virginia. It’s through these meridians that qi (aka life energy) flows. As a result, if something is amiss below the surface, those who study TCM believe that there’s a good chance it will show up on your face. The 12 major meridians are lung, large intestine, stomach, spleen/pancreas, heart, small intestine, bladder, kidney, heart governor, triple heater (AKA hormones), gallbladder, and liver. “These meridians are running up and down throughout the whole body, including the face,” says Calabasas, CA-based board-certified dermatologist Anna Guanche, MD. “That is why an interrupted flow of energy in a certain meridian can consequently cause a slowing down or malfunction of a certain organ, which frequently shows on the part of the face corresponding to that particular meridian.” Depending on who you ask, the facial meridians can change a bit in terms of what they correspond with. However, most commonly, the areas of your face connect with the below organs. Forehead: bladder and intestines Temples
Where to practice Bikram yoga in the San Francisco Bay Area
July 21, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC Bay Area Bikram yoga is hot—literally. But you want to know where to go get that Bikram glow, right? For the uninitiated, let’s talk about what it is. Bikram yoga is a series of 26 postures (asanas) and two breathing exercises (pranayama), done in a room heated to 105°F with about 40 percent humidity. Bikram is traditionally 90 minutes, but you can find some classes that are crunched into a 60-minute time slot. We scoured the City and its surroundings for the best Bikram yoga classes in the San Francisco Bay Area. Oh, and don’t forget to bring a towel. Bikram Yoga Nob Hill This studio has been around for two decades. (Locals will know it by its former name, Funky Door Yoga.) Instructors don’t care what level you’re at or how “good” you are—they just want to see your smiling face in class. Also, its central Nob Hill location means you can hit up happy hour or pick up a smoothie from the nearby Whole Foods Market. 1336 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jaimie Morgan (@yoginidesign) on Sep 29, 2018 at 10:38pm PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js Bikram Yoga North Beach The studio says it’s the first Bikram studio in the U.S., so it’s a must-visit for Bikram aficionados. This studio encourages drop-ins and classes are held in predictable time slots (9, 4:30, 6:30 Monday through Thursday, for instance), so you can go
Yes, Mercury retrograde can make you feel all the feels—and right now that’s a good thing
July 21, 2019 at 09:00AM by CWC To some people, “Mercury retrograde” is an all-purpose villain that’s out to get you stuck in traffic, make your phone go dead during a conference call, or generally disrupt your everyday routines. But that’s not *really* what it’s all about, astrologer Jennifer Racioppi explains. Here’s how to reap the (deeply emotional) benefits of this much-maligned alignment. On Sunday, July 21, retrograde Mercury aligns at the same degree of the sun, marking one of the more intense moments of the retrograde journey: the inferior conjunction. While, yes, the classic technological and communication snafus that Mercury retrograde is known for are likely in play, this alignment is a good moment to ponder what Mercury retrograde is teaching you on an emotional level. Remember, a Mercury-in-retrograde period asks you to review, revise, rethink, and reconsider issues. What are you learning about your values? What’s becoming more apparent to you as it relates to making your dreams a reality? Are there issues from your past that you are gaining a new perspective on? Remember, a Mercury-in-retrograde period asks you to review, revise, rethink, and reconsider issues. Often Mercury in retrograde will even bring back people from our past, to reflect on those relationships. ad_intervals[‘409592_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409592_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); So consider this: What are you learning now and how does it apply to where you want to go next? How can you use this information to advance your growth? How