March 07, 2019 at 07:19AM by CWC Hold up, is that sunshine? Yes, spring is just around the corner (the groundhog said so) and the time to rethink your beauty routine for the warmer weather is now. Replace those muted tones of autumn and winter with something bright and cheery because if there’s one takeaway from Paris Fashion Week, it’s that pastel makeup looks are fully on trend in 2019. While the fantastical color combinations featured on the models walking the catwalk might be a little much for the sidewalk, a toned down pastel palette is effortlessly fresh. Pastel makeup dominates on the runway, but here’s how to wear it yourself. 9 pastel makeup looks for spring View this post on Instagram A post shared by Celia Burton (@celiaburtonmakeup) on Jan 30, 2019 at 3:19am PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js 1. Touch of purple Sometimes all you need is an eye-catching purple shadow to make a big difference in your look. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rachel Rebibo (@rachelrebibo) on Mar 5, 2019 at 10:13am PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js 2. Unicorn vibes This look perfectly mixes pinks and blues for daytime glamour. View this post on Instagram A post shared by davidkoppelaar (@davidkoppelaar) on Feb 20, 2019 at 12:06am PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js 3. Under-eye pop A quick way to master the pastel trend is adding a swipe of color to your lower lash line. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taryn Rae-Lee (@tarynraeleephotography) on Mar 6, 2019
Category: 2019 Health
Work an office job? Memorize these yoga poses to balance yourself out
March 07, 2019 at 07:02AM by CWC Here’s a scary truth: Whether hunched over a laptop, trying to achieve inbox zero or double-tapping your Instagram feed at lightning speed, the average American adult spends *11 hours a day* staring at some sort of a screen. That’s almost double the amount of time they spend sleeping, and far, far more than on any other single activity in a given day. In addition to messing with our mental health, bedtime routines, and even our vision, all of those screen-front hours can have some seriously detrimental effects on our bodies. “When we spend a long time on the phone or computer, we tend to drop our neck, hunch our shoulders forward, and sink into our lower spine. Maintaining these bad postural habits throughout the day can cause prolonged neck pain, lower back pain, tight hips, shoulder pain and more,” says yoga instructor Claire Grieve. “Using technology constantly can also wreak havoc on our breathing patterns and mood, so it’s important to take breaks throughout the day to counterbalance all of this.” If you’ve been walking around for the better part of the past two years with some sort of crick in your shoulders or tweak in your lower back, your tech habits may be to blame. And while cute phrases like “text neck” have become part of the vernacular as a way to describe this phenomenon, there’s really nothing cute about it—especially if you, like me, are currently spending hundreds of dollars a month on
Bethany C. Meyers’ take on power dynamics for sex is the most empowering thing you’ll read all day
March 07, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC “I want to be on top!” Whether or not you’ve uttered that string of words about your career or in the bedroom with your S.O., you know that a lot (and I mean a whole history’s worth) of gendered baggage comes along with them. Sexy times are a-changing though. Now that research is recognizing the widening gap between sex and gender and people are waking up to pleasure quality (rather than things like duration or quantity) being the gold standard for all sexual activities, the question of which partner holds the power during hot-and-heavy time is becoming a bigger part of the dialogue—and not a gendered given. And Bethany C. Meyers, LGBTQ+ activist and founder of the be.come project, shared their thoughts about it at the February Well+Good TALKS in New York City, which focused on sex. “I personally think that power dynamics are not necessarily specific to whether you’re male, female, or nonbinary,” Meyers, a panelist, said when an audience member, who identifies as nonbinary, asked how to handle shifting power dynamics in sex as a nonbinary person. Meyers elaborated that, in their opinion, the dynamic has way more to do with each individual’s personality. “I’m really more of a dominant in my life in general, so when I’m with someone new in the bedroom that really comes through. I feel like that’s my personality, and how I appear really doesn’t play into it as much.” Tyomi Morgan, a sexpert with The National Coalition of Sexual Health
Let’s settle once and for all whether kale or spinach is better for your bod
March 07, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC When it comes to the part of the produce section that’s full of all that luscious green roughage, healthy eaters have very strong opinions. Some are Team Kale all the way (remember that kale shortage?), saying it’s better for you. Others take after Popeye and go for spinach, saying that it’s just as healthy as kale without the bitter aftertaste. (Sorry, collard greens fans, but no one cares what you think.) But should we actually be pitting these leafy greens against each other, or are they just two sides of the same nutritional coin? I enlisted the help of registered dietitian Lindsey Joe, RD for a little compare and contrasting. Let’s get right down to the great kale vs spinach showdown. Curious about green juice, too? Here’s what an RD has to say about the trendy drink: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8csZ9D1IKn0] 1. They’re both healthy—although spinach has more vitamins and minerals overall When it comes to health benefits, comparing kale and spinach has a Venn diagram-like effect: each green has its own unique health traits, but they also have overlapping ones. Here’s what they have in common: Both greens are anti-inflammatory, linked to helping protect against heart disease and cancer. Both kale and spinach also have about the same about of fiber per serving (one gram per cup, uncooked). Fiber of course is linked to a whole host of benefits, including better digestion and healthy weight management. They both have the same amount of protein as well. However, there are
How to deal with ambiguous loss—the grief you feel when closure isn’t an option
March 07, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC The death of a loved one is never easy to process, and the grieving process is different for everyone—but what if you’re left to grieve someone who is very much still alive, or gone but not indefinitely? While there’s a name for it, there’s unfortunately no resolution. Ambiguous loss remains unclear, says psychologist Pauline Boss, PhD, who coined the term. While studying families of pilots missing in action during Vietnam in the 1970s, Dr. Boss named ambiguous grief to describe a physical absence with a psychological presence, such as with missing persons (like the military example above), divorce, miscarriage, and desertion. The term also describes psychological absence with physical presence, as with cases of dementia, traumatic brain injury, chronic mental illness, or addiction. And when you’re tasked with handling ambiguous loss, the feelings that arise are often complicated because there’s no real recovery. “Ambiguous loss can freeze the grief process.” says Dr. Boss, “People can’t get over it, they can’t move forward, they’re frozen in place.” Unlike with death, there is no proof that allows for any sort of conclusion. There’s no funeral and there’s no script, so to speak, to follow. “Ambiguous loss can freeze the grief process. People can’t get over it, they can’t move forward, they’re frozen in place.” —psychologist Pauline Boss, PhD With death, eventually you reorganize family roles, and somebody takes over what the lost person used to do, says Dr. Boss. “But when somebody is just missing, oftentimes
What to do when working out isn’t an option, according to the pros
March 07, 2019 at 03:17AM by CWC The first thing I do every single morning, seven days a week, is lace up my sneakers and head to my workout. I need to start my day with some sweat for the sake of my mental health, productivity, and general well-being. Even if I don’t have time to do a full hour on the spin bike or at the barre, I’ll take myself for a 10-minute run around the block to get my heart rate going and clear my head. But when a recent medical scare laid me out for a full week—which may not sound like much, but to me, it was an eternity—I was lost. Without my usual movement, I couldn’t figure out how to find my center, and quite simply, I just didn’t feel like myself. I know I’m not alone. A colleague who was also recently sidelined with an injury commiserated, and countless Instagram followers told me they could seriously feel my pain. Seeking sweat-fueled sanity, I decided to consult the experts to see if there was anything I could do to keep body and mind happy during this time. “It’s an individualized question of what makes you feel relaxed or what makes you feel calm,” says Hillary Cauthen, PsyD, CMPC, an Association for Applied Sport Psychology representative told me when I begged for her advice. “For some people, that might be doing moderate exercise like yoga or stretching, even if they’re not able to do full physical exercise.” For
Are these 5 questionable ingredients lurking in your breakfast food?
March 06, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC Your morning is a win if you manage to blow dry your hair or squeeze in a five-minute meditation before getting out the door. But despite the a.m. hustle, your breakfast is something you can always rely on to treat you right… right? Actually, it depends what you’re putting in your bowl (or grabbing as you run out the door). To find out what’s really in your breakfast food—and what to avoid—we asked Stuart McMillan, farm manager for Legend Organic Farms, for the real deal. And Legend Organic Farms is a smart barometer, because it exclusively grows ingredients for Nature’s Path Foods, an OG of organic cereal, granola, and snacks that’s making a name in radical transparency. On its site, the brand publicly answers all of your questions when it comes to organic foods (just ask and you shall receive). For more real-talk, find out what could be in your bowl right now below. Keep reading for 5 controversial food additives in popular breakfast foods. Photo: Nature’s Path Foods 1. Pesticide residues One place you might not have considered pesticide residue? Your breakfast cereal. According to a recent report published by the Environmental Working Group, your morning bowl of oatmeal, oat-based cereal, or granola isn’t exactly safe from chemical weed killers, which can seep in through direct application on crops (like the oats in your ’meal) or spraying of the land itself. “While the levels are generally low, there remain questions about cumulative effects at
Your guide to finding a social anxiety support group in NYC
March 05, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Raise your hand if this sounds familiar: For as long as you can remember, you’ve totally freaked the eff out when standing in front of a room of people at work, heading out to happy hour, or going out on that Hinge date. And it’s not just run-of-the-mill nerves—it’s the kind where it feels like your heart is going to beat out of your chest and you’ve got full body sweats, shaky hands, and intense nausea. All from the intense worry about how you’ll be perceived or judged. This isn’t just a “you” thing—it’s likely social anxiety disorder, which goes way beyond typical shyness, says the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). The extreme anxiety that accompanies being in social situations (whether with friends or at work) is incredibly real, and not something you can just brush off or “get over.” In fact, 15 million American adults have social anxiety, says the ADAA, and it can impact people’s social lives, prevent them from taking jobs, and majorly interfere with day-to-day life if unaddressed. If you’ve been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, treatment often includes therapy and medication if needed Another thing that experts say can help: finding a social anxiety support group. “Being around other people with similar struggles helps people feel a sense of community [because they know] they’re not alone,” says Sanam Hafeez, PsyD, a New York City neuropsychologist and member of the teaching faculty at Columbia University. When you’re
Here’s why some eco-conscious Christians are giving up plastic for lent
March 06, 2019 at 12:15PM by CWC Today is the very first day of lent 2019. And if you’re a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, you might be cutting out plastic for the next 40 days instead of giving up baked goods, swearing, or television. The Washington Post reports that a group of churches throughout the United States have asked those in the pews to bid adieu to single-use plastic cups, bags, and straws. In case you’re not up on your scripture, lent is the period between Ash Wednesday (March 6) and Easter (April 21) when certain sects of Christianity pay homage to the time Jesus spent in the desert praying to be resurrected. For thousands of years, lenten practices have been about abstaining from one vice or another, but this year the Evangelical Lutheran branch leaders are calling for a eco-conscious approach to the age-old practice. “Landfills are overflowing with plastic—people think they are throwing it away but there is no ‘away’,” says Marianne Novy of the diocesan social justice and outreach committee in an interview with Well+Good. Participating churches throughout the country are meeting the challenge in various ways. St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in the Washington, D.C., area will be offering five workshops that cover topics including solar energy and green homes; St. John Neumann in Reston, Virginia, will be serving up meatless soup on Fridays (in reusable bowls, of course). Church leaders say that the switch-up also takes the focus on the individual and places it instead on the
These healthy chunky monkey banana bread brownies aren’t messing around
March 06, 2019 at 11:58AM by CWC Yes, you can eat pizza for breakfast and healthy pancakes every day of the week. But you won’t believe that dreams really do come true until you take a bite of these nutritious chunky monkey brownies. They’re so rich and delicious that you might not believe they’re actually good for you. Jordan Younger‘s chunky monkey banana bread brownie creation is completely vegan and sos-free (no salt, oil, or sugar). “I honestly dreamt it up during my fast, and the moment I got in my parent’s kitchen today, I brought it to life,” writes the plant-based recipe blogger behind The Balanced Blonde. “The verdict? Damn good.” And how can they not be? They’re a merge of some of the best comfort foods, after all. The next time you’re craving something sweet, try them out for yourself. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jordan Younger (@thebalancedblonde) on Mar 2, 2019 at 4:36pm PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js Chunky Monkey Banana Bread Brownies Ingredients: 3 overripe spotty bananas 2 cups buckwheat flour (or gluten-free flour of choice) 1/2 cup almond milk 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flax mixed with 6 tsp water) 1 cup pitted medjool dates (soaked is better) 1 banana to top, sliced in half lengthwise (optional) 2 Tbsp cacao powder 1/2 cup sugar-free dark chocolate chips 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar Preparation: 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.