January 17, 2019 at 12:15PM by CWC When it comes to saving the planet, carrying around a metal straw in your pocket isn’t going to cut it. Don’t get me wrong, keep drinking from reusable water bottles and bringing your own tote bags to the grocery store—cumulatively, small efforts can often have a big impact. But if Earth is to remain habitable, we need a global commitment to far-reaching change. In a new report published by The Lancet, an international group of 37 scientists from 16 different countries has revealed the “planetary health diet,” a brand new eating plan three years in the making that boasts substantial evidence to prove its potential effectiveness. In short, they’re describing it as a way to save Earth before it’s too late. A team of experts in human health, political sciences, agriculture, environmental sustainability warns that humans, in particular, need to change the way they eat in dramatic form. With the global population predicted to reach 10 billion by 2050—3 billion of whom are already malnourished—those changes need to be made now if we’re to prevent food production from “overstepping environmental targets, driving climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution,” reports CNN. By reinventing the way we produce and consume food, society as a whole can begin to cut down on destruction it does to the environment. Food systems are the “main user of fresh water, a leading driver of biodiversity loss, land-use change and cause eutrophication or dead zones in lakes and coastal areas,” explains the EAT-Lancet Commission.
Category: 2019 Health
Can micellar water replace your facial cleanser? A derm reveals the truth
January 17, 2019 at 10:43AM by CWC Whenever I come home late from a (quite rare) night on the town, I always stick with a tipsy-and-tired-friendly pre-bed beauty regimen: Swipe on the micellar water, and then hit up my silk pillowcase. It’s so good and easy that—despite being a firm believer in double cleansing—I’m sometimes tempted to use the micellar water on, well, regular nights, too. The magical, makeup-removing water has so many perks: Time saving! Gentle! Gets rid of all makeup! So it’s enticing to incorporate on the reg and leave the rest of your cleansers to gather dust on your beauty shelf. But it begs the question: Can micellar water really replace your cleanser? To perhaps change everyone’s lives, I sought out a derm for advice. “Micellar water is a super gentle method of cleansing skin. It gets its name because it contains micelles which are oil-in-water suspensions that attract dirt, bacteria, and makeup, but gently—without stripping moisturize from your skin,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, a board-certified dermatologist with New York’s Schweiger Dermatology. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t wear makeup or isn’t applying more skin-care products after cleansing, then you’re good. “In this scenario, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using only micellar water as your cleanser,” she says. The thing with micellar water is that it can kind of stay on your skin after you use it. “I find that the residual micelles block other products from absorbing into the skin effectively, so I usually
The beginner’s guide to lifting weights at the gym
January 17, 2019 at 10:37AM by CWC If your weight-lifting experience is primarily limited to a 5-minute stint at the end of spin class, picking up a set of ’em at the gym can be intimidating and scary, to say the least. But you’ll want to face those fears and do it anyway, since lifting more than 10-pound dumbbells (for most women) builds metabolism-revving muscle, strong bones, and a toned body. If you’re wondering how to start weight training on your own but don’t happen to have a personal trainer to show you around the weight room (though, for what it’s worth, that’s not a bad idea), we’ve got you covered. “It’s tempting to blow through a huge number reps,” says Rob Sulaver, owner of Bandana Training in New York City, “but grabbing something heavy and doing fewer reps, so the last two are super challenging, can really up your game. If you want to look your best, heavier resistance training is simply more effective.” The first order of business? Choosing the right weights. When assessing the rack, there are 2 things you’ll want to consider: How many reps you’re able to do, and how fast you’re able to get those reps done. Choose a starting set that feels right for you, and if you can get up to 10 to 15 reps fairly quickly, grab something heavier for round 2. Next comes motivation. “My favorite way to motivate myself is by setting goals to test my limits. Being the strongest, baddest,
The Instagram feed that serves up killer workouts you’ll actually want to do
January 17, 2019 at 10:29AM by CWC If you ever feel a tad overwhelmed by sheer number of Instagram fitness accounts, let us help you out. We’ve found the most uniquely curated corner of the workout universe—where fitspo meets fun. Charlee Atkins, New York City-based founder of Le Sweat, consistently produces exercise videos with captions that read more like concise, personalized training plans. Recognizing that in fitness consistency is key, Atkins uploads a new video daily, explaining her passion for each circuit while ensuring viewers understand how to complete each move safely. They’re short, they’re sweet, and—yes—they hit every single muscle group in modalities like TABATA, HIIT, and aerobics, among others. “My rotation is usually upper-body, core focus early in the week, followed by Le Stretch in the middle—mobility—and then full body and legs towards the end of the week and through the weekend,” she says. That’s a complete program right in the palm of your hands, folks. If you’re thinking you don’t have time to hit all those muscle groups in a week, think again. Each of Atkins’ sweat sessions is designed to be completed in 15 minutes or less. Gym? Living room? Park? You choose the venue. “The best part is you can do all of these exercises at the gym or in your home,” Atkins says. To find a workout that works with your schedule, divvy up your muscle groups. (Pick two! For example, arms and abs.) Then, stack two to three posts together that target each group. Be mindful of
The one red flag to look for when getting back with your ex
January 17, 2019 at 09:30AM by CWC Some couples make up and break up like nobody’s business. No matter how often they say “we’re not going to get into an on-again, off-again situation,” it happens…repeatedly. If you have a friend who’s giving things another go with an ex, you may have tried to remind them of the ex’s faults, which led to the breakup in the first place. And if you’ve opened up your personal ex files for a second viewing, maybe you haven’t even clued in your besties for fear of not loving their reaction. Well, according to experts, not every situation of rekindling lost love is doomed—after all, Carrie and Big did end up together after all those failed attempts. “Many couples get back together after a breakup,” says relationship expert Rachel Sussman, LCSW. “That’s totally normal. It’s not a good or a bad idea to get back with an ex.” That said, there is one red flag to look for when you want to try again with someone familiar—and it’s not necessarily how much the two of you fight. “Partners bicker, and that’s not a bad thing,” says relationship expert Logan Levkoff, PhD. The real issue is the kinds of fights you’re weathering. “If the conflicts you’re having are the same ones you had before you broke up, that that’s probably not great,” she says. Sussman echoes that unresolved baggage is the top culprit she sees for relationship retries failing. “The real reason the couple broke up
This 2-step trick will make cooking with ginger so much easier
January 17, 2019 at 09:25AM by CWC Whether I’m looking to spice up my sushi dinner or whip up an anti-inflammatory peach smoothie, chances are you’ll find me reaching for the ginger. The versatile spice works well with basically any kind of food, from spicy, savory Indian cuisine to drinks and desserts with a subtle bite (hello, gingerbread). Of course, ginger also has a long list of health benefits, too. It promotes overall health and vitality when used regularly, says Rachel Gargiulo, a certified nutrition consultant. “Besides the obvious perks of relieving nausea and digestive upset, ginger also has a plethora of medicinal properties, such as fighting the flu and the common cold, combatting pain, and lowering blood sugar levels,” she says. The big downside of ginger: It’s such a pain to use on the reg. Fresh ginger tastes incredible, but when was the last time you peeled one? It’s a huge time suck. And since most recipes don’t call for more than a few tablespoons at a time (far less than what’s in a typical root), it’s really easy to waste. Lucky for you, there is a culinary trick—that is, blending up a batch of ginger paste—that makes cooking with ginger super simple. Why you should make and store your own ginger paste Ginger paste sounds fancy, but it’s just fresh ginger root that’s been ground up and mixed with oil to form a paste. It only takes a few minutes to mix up a fresh batch at home (more
I finally found a dry-brushing alternative that doesn’t feel like torture
January 17, 2019 at 07:50AM by CWC As a wellness journalist, I often hear experts talk about the importance of regularly stimulating the lymphatic system—the network of lymph nodes, fluid, and vessels that play a crucial role in our immunity and our body’s detox processes. And as much as I want to attend to my lymphatic health, the truth is that most at-home treatments that address it are straight-up unpleasant. Take dry-brushing, for example. The Cleveland Clinic hails it for promoting lymph flow and drainage, but it huuuurts. Or maybe that’s just my non-existent pain tolerance talking. Alternating between hot and cold water in the shower (AKA “contrast showering“) is another anecdotal technique for keeping your lymph moving, and yet this, too, feels rather torturous. Oh, and I got really excited when a fitness expert told me that rebounding on a trampoline is great for your lymphatic health, so I ran out and bought a mini-tramp. Sadly, I found out that I get motion sickness after only a few minutes of bouncing—and there’s not a ton of evidence to show it does anything for your lymphatic health anyway. So when I received an email about Olio Maestro ($249)—a new body-care line that’s said to give your lymphatic system a workout while reducing cellulite—I was instantly intrigued. I didn’t care so much about the second part, since I am very much on board with the cellulite acceptance movement, but a painless alternative to dry-brushing that supposedly takes no more effort than slathering
This mattress promised the best sleep ever, so of course, I had to try it
January 17, 2019 at 07:50AM by CWC Fun fact: I can fall asleep anywhere—on a plane, on a train, on a stack of (kid-sized) flour bags. I credit this particular gift to my growing up with parents who were franchisees of a popular coffee-and-doughnut chain—I spent a lot of time hanging, err, napping, in the back of stores. A couple of decades later, I’m still able to doze off without delay. That’s why I never gave my sleep pad, an ultra-soft and growingly lumpy Euro-top mattress nicknamed The Cloud Bed, much thought. For nearly five years, The Cloud Bed has provided me and my boo an idyllic dough-like surface for reading, watching horror movies, and snoozing in heavy doses. But when news reached my inbox that home-goods darling Parachute had plans to launch a top-of-the-line mattress (I’m talking $1,299–$2,199) after receiving thousands of customer requests for mattress recommendations, I knew I had to try it. That’s how I ended up swapping my trusty sack for an eco-friendly mattress, made to order in the U.S.—without adhesives or chemicals—to match my oft-washed linen sheets. As the just-delivered mattress unfurled on my bed frame, the first thing I noticed was the wool pom-poms garnishing the creamy, 100-percent cotton upholstery—a sign of a hand-tufted bed, according to Google. FYI: Tufts are the fabric threads skillfully inserted by hand into the foam-free mattress to hold its inner layers in place, helping maintain its uniform shape over many years of sleep. My first few nights of slumber
The baking soda hack that’ll save your sneakers if you wear them without socks
January 17, 2019 at 06:59AM by CWC There are two types of people reading this article right now: those who clicked because they go sock-less in sneakers and are genuinely curious in the information I’m about to present, and those who are horrified at the notion of sticking their bare feet into sneakers and are checking to see if this is actually a “thing people do.” I assure you, the latter group, that it is a thing. I’ll admit that I’ve even engaged in this practice on occasion. My APLs seemed breathable enough, and I’m always losing my socks (someone please explain where they go), so why “waste” a pair? The smell is one answer, but we’ll get there. An informal poll of my friends found that many of them, too, have foregone socks when wearing sneakers. Foot docs super do not recommend this, however. “[Wearing socks] can help decrease perspiration as well as prevent foot odor and blister—and the right socks make sneakers feel more comfortable,” says podiatrist Suzanne Fuchs, DPM. “Wearing sneakers without socks make them smell bad because of increased perspiration.” On top of that, she says that sweating in your sneakers can make your feet smell bad because the increased moisture creates a “breeding ground” for odor-inducing bacteria. Should none of this deter you from living a sock-less lifestyle, there are some things you can do to keep your feet healthy and slow down your sneaker turnover. Dr. Fuchs recommends cleaning your kicks daily—yes, daily!—if you wear
8 yoga mats that are practically works of art
January 17, 2019 at 06:09AM by CWC I hate to admit it, but I spend approximately 70 percent of my yoga practice staring at my feet, wondering why there are so many random hairs on them and whether or not I’ll ever be responsible enough to remember to get regular pedicures. And frankly, I find the non-stop stream of foot-related thoughts to be incredibly distracting—because how am I supposed to find my zen in a full forward-fold when all I can think about is how weird my toes look? Upon a very unscientific poll (I asked three of my coworkers, one of whom copped to staring at other people’s feet during class in addition to her own), I found that I’m not the only one who spends time on the mat contemplating the meaning of toe hair when she should be focusing on her ujjayi breath. And my theory on the best way to fix it? Invest in a museum-worthy mat to stare at instead. These days, yoga mats have hit their peak. Not only can you get ultra high-tech options that are made out of cork or roll up on their own (yes—those are as amazing as they sound), but the market has also gotten a whole lot more aesthetically pleasing. While popping into down dog on a tasteful yoga mat probably won’t make your practice any better or bendier, it will give you something pretty to look at while you’re staring at the ground—and what’s not to love about that? A few