July 16, 2019 at 07:17AM by CWC This morning, I slept through my workout. My alarm went off, I pressed snooze, and then fell back asleep, assuming that it would, as per usual, re-awaken me from my slumber in exactly eight minutes so that I could head to my morning class. But nope! Forty-five minutes later, I jolted awake to realize that I had completely missed it. So in order to get my workout in before I went to work, I had to get creative. Enter Instagram—an unexpected destination for some of the best abs workouts on the internet. Not only are the videos completely free, but you can string a few of them together to create a full-blown, equipment-less workout that you can do on your bedroom floor. Let me tell you, it was awesome. A few tips for using the ‘gram as your very own at-home personal trainer, care of our resident Insta-fitness guru Kells McPhillips: Follow trainers who you love who regularly post full workouts (a few of her favorites are Meg Takacs, Amanda Bisk, Maillard Howell, Charlee Atkins, and Natacha Oceane), and save photos in different folders depending on what you want to work out—like “arms,” “abs,” “lower body.” ad_intervals[‘401794_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘401794_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); To make things even easier for you (and to help keep your thumbs from getting sore from scrolling before you begin), we rounded up seven of the best core workouts on Instagram —which might just
Category: 2019 Health
4 signs you need a haircut that *aren’t* split ends, according to a stylist
July 16, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC It’s one of the most basic beauty rules around: If you’ve got split ends, you go and get a haircut. Even if you’re trying to grow your strands to Rapunzel lengths, once that telltale sign of dead-ness kicks in, it’s time for a trim. But as I recently learned at the hands of famed stylist Jon Reyman, owner of Spoke & Weal Salon, split ends actually aren’t the only sign that you should be hitting up your hairstylist. When you think about your hair, there are three things to consider: length, which is (obviously) how long your hair is; density, which is the amount of hair that you have and its weight; and texture, which is your hair pattern and how it moves. “So when somebody gets their hair cut because their ends are are damaged, they’re really just trying to cut length,” explains Reyman, adding that you should be taking the other factors into consideration come cut time, too. ad_intervals[‘403978_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘403978_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to how often you should get your haircut. Ahead, here are four signs you may want to call the salon and book an appointment. 1. Your hair is too thick “A lot of people confuse density with length, but it’s not that your hair is too long, it’s that it’s too thick or too dense,” explains Reyman. This could be because it wasn’t
How crying cathartic tears of joy in an Australian koala sanctuary set me free
July 16, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC I spent my first public crying session surrounded by strangers in Australia—but also by adorable marsupials in at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Last year, I went through a bad breakup, followed by a friends-with-benefits situation that got emotionally out of hand for me, followed by a string of bad dates and disappointments. (Lots of disappointments.) Needless to say, my romantic life was kind of a dumpster fire, which, coupled with my all-time-high anxiety levels, led me to make some bad decisions. Though I managed to outwardly appear “with it,” on the inside? Not so much. So when I had the opportunity to escape the country and go down under to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, I could not have met the situation with a more enthusiastic yes. I needed a break. My most enduring goal for the trip was to see a koala bear, and I was in luck: 12 kilometers from Brisbane is a place called the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It was founded in 1927 to help injured, sick, and orphaned koalas and is now is home to about 130 of these cute marsupials, plus other native Australian animals, like kangaroos. The spot is accredited by Eco Tourism Australia and the Zoo Aquarium Association, which basically means it’s independently audited to ensure the welfare of the animals and ecologically sustainable practices. There’s also a science and research facility on the property that assists with conservation efforts. ad_intervals[‘407317_div-gpt-ad-6934292-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready)
Taking fish oil? Here’s how to make it more effective (and less burp-inducing)
July 16, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE-pPrlowHE] Want to learn why fish oil is a swimming addition to your diet? Watch the video. Taking a daily fish oil supplement is a lot like ordering a salad topped with raw onion and garlic: you (and anyone within spitting/kissing/talking distance to you) has to live with with smelly consequences of your choices for the rest of the day. If you’re physically burping the exhaust of the healthy fat-loaded supplement all day, every day, however, Tracy Lockwood-Beckerman, RD, host of Well+Good’s You Versus Food series, has some sage advice for keeping your friends around and making the most of your omega-3s. “Take the fish oil with a meal that has fats, like nuts, seeds, or avocado—my fave!—to help increase and promote better absorption,” the dietitian says in the most recent episode of the show. (Research published in the Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found as much back in 2006.) When you wash the pill down with other things, your body better soaks up the benefits of the omega-3s, as well as DHA and EPA—the combination of fats that makes up the remaining 60 percent of the pill. If the fish-flavored belching persists despite your efforts, Beckerman says to stop fishing for success with your current brand of supplement and try another instead. Before you get hooked on fish oil supplements, it’s important to note that they should be an addition—not a replacement—to all the healthy fats in your life. “It’s
What the (ominous-sounding) half blood thunder moon eclipse means for your sign
July 15, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC The half blood thunder moon is not, as I initially thought, the title of a YA novel. Rather, it’s the name of the full moon taking place on July 16—and, astrologically, a lot is going on during it. In addition to this full moon, also sometimes referred to as the full buck moon (because it falls during the time when bucks begin to grow their horns), there’s also an eclipse happening. Oh, and Mercury’s in retrograde. So what does this mean for you? As a reminder, a full moons occurs when the moon opposes the sun. “The moon in astrology symbolizes our emotional selves, the innermost part of ourselves. It’s our creative impulses,” says Rachel Lang, intuitive astrologer and healer. “The sun symbolizes the way we express that creative impulse. It’s our life force energy and how we see ourselves in the world.” So during full-moon phases, “hidden aspects” of ourselves bubble up—this includes memories, emotions, and dreams. “It’s a time for awareness and to realize things about yourself that come to light in new ways,” she says. ad_intervals[‘407570_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘407570_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); For this particular half blood thunder moon, the sun is in Cancer—the sign of deep emotional connections, family, and home—and the moon is in Capricorn—the sign of ambition, reputation, and our public lives. This means you’re likely to feel some tension between these two areas, specifically, how you manage time and attention
When it comes to alt-sweeteners, monk fruit is officially the new stevia
July 15, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Here’s a healthy eating pop quiz: What’s 150 to 200 times sweeter than sugar, hails from a Southeast Asian fruit, and is in what seems like every single healthy food product launching this year? If you guessed monk fruit, you get an A. No, it’s not exactly new: Jessica Cording, R.D., says that she first saw monk fruit extract three to four years ago, around the time when the Paleo diet became popular. (We’ve been talking about it at Well+Good since 2016.) Ever since, the sweetener has billed itself as a natural sugar alternative rivaling other popular choices like Splenda and stevia. And it has a lot going for it: It’s a plant-based option, isn’t associated with side effects, and some research has shown that it has antioxidant properties. And of course, it isn’t sugar. However, as interest in low-carb eating plans like keto has surged and the world is getting more and more mindful to the ill-effects of excessive sugar consumption, monk fruit seems to have beaten erythritol, stevia, and Splenda to be the alt sweetener du jour. It’s popping up as a selling point on healthy products, was a major buzzword at ExpoWest 2019, and is fueling some interesting innovation in the food space. But how did the ingredient come out on top in the midst of a very crowded field? ad_intervals[‘408229_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘408229_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’);}); } }, 100); One huge reason: taste. Some alternative sweeteners offer
I want a sex drive like Samantha Jones when I’m older—but is that even possible IRL?
July 15, 2019 at 01:36PM by CWC Bummer alert: A recent study published in the journal Menopause, which dug deep into libido loss in 4,500 postmenopausal women, found that an underwhelming 3 percent—3 percent!—of participants reported any positive sexual experiences. The thought that I may at some point stop enjoying sex has me deep in my feelings (of fear around aging). But is such a shift away from sexuality really so inevitable? It’s fairly well established, say the study’s authors, that menopause-related hormonal changes can make sex uncomfortable or even painful. While there are effective treatments for resultant symptoms (such as vaginal dryness), sex therapist Claudia Six, PhD, tells me they don’t solve the problem entirely. This is partly because no matter one’s sexual orientation, the physical urge to have sex typically decreases significantly once a person has left their prime reproductive years, she says. In other words, when arousal ceases to be, you may not even get to the point with a partner at which moisture matters. ad_intervals[‘407294_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘407294_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); “One of the best kept secrets of aging is that it correlates with self acceptance.” —Claudia Six, PhD Physical changes can lead to psychological shifts that are deadly for libido, says Dr. Six. “A lot of women kind of figure, ‘Well, that part of my life is over,’” she says. This conclusion is short-sighted and results from a misunderstanding around desire. “People assume that desire is that horny feeling,
Brow pros tell us the most common mistakes they have to fix on the reg
July 15, 2019 at 01:02PM by CWC I take the “never trust someone with bad eyebrows” meme (you know the one) very personally, because for the first 25 years of my life I had absolutely freaking terrible eyebrows. When they weren’t completely overgrown into an Oscar the Grouch-style unibrow, they were plucked into these pencil thin straight lines with a creepy cowlick on their inner corner. As many, many mean girls in middle school made me very aware of, it was not a good look. And so, I will be the first to admit that navigating the world of “doing your eyebrows” can be a complicated undertaking—especially now, when there is an endless buffet things you can actually do to your brows, from tweezing to waxing to threading… the list goes on and on. But whether you’re your own at-home brow guru or leaving the work to the pros (which, at 25-years-old, I realized was my personal #keytosuccess), there are a few common mistakes that experts see all the time—and would never, ever do to their own brows… or to their clients. Scroll through for what they had to say so that you, too, can remain a trustworthy person with good eyebrows. It’s fun! ad_intervals[‘408111_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘408111_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); Shaving your brows: While eyebrow razors can be great for trimming or dealing with those pesky little unibrow hairs that seem to grow in overnight (just me?), they should never, ever be used for
A nutritionist’s best snacking tips for an adult woman who still ‘spoils’ her dinner
July 15, 2019 at 12:35PM by CWC “You’re going to spoil your dinner!” is the childhood chide I still can’t get out of my head. I no longer live with my parents, and I (me, myself, and I!) get to decide if I eat ice cream before—or better yet, for—dinner. Even when I’m trying to be “responsible,” cooking up my dietitian-approved, 50 percent veggie meal, I still find myself snacking on everything but the kitchen sink while I simmer garlic and ready my air fryer for whatever’s on the menu. With the siren song of snacks, my ongoing question is: how can I make sure I’m actually hungry when I serve up dinner tonight? Gobbling up everything in my refrigerator the moment I get home is likely the result of not eating the right kind and/or amount of nutrients throughout the day, says Rebekah Blakely, RDN, registered nutritionist for The Vitamin Shoppe. “Some people try to save calories for a big dinner, but usually that just leads to you being starving by the time dinner comes around,” she says. Rather than falling prey to the need-it-now desires of an empty stomach, it’s best to space out your body’s needs strategically so that you’re never ravenous—or full—by the time dinner rolls around. ad_intervals[‘408221_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘408221_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’);}); } }, 100); Whether it’s a pint of Halo Top or a one-pot pasta dish that’s for dinner tonight, here are Blakely’s hot tips for enjoying every last bite
The ballet dancer’s workout you can do while you brush your teeth
July 15, 2019 at 11:15AM by CWC I’m a big fan of multitasking. I’ve always got upward of 20 tabs open in my browser, I listen to podcasts or watch my favorite TV shows while working out, and many of my meals are eaten with one hand on the keyboard and the other holding a fork. (I’m not proud of that last one.) So of course when I found out there’s a simple way you can build up your calf muscles while getting ready in the morning, I was all in. Back in my ballet days, relevé—rising onto my tiptoes—was an essential part of footwork at the barre. It also happens to be a killer strengthening exercise for your ankles and calves. But you don’t need a studio to get it done. Misty Copeland does 20 relevés on each foot each morning, and you can steal every ballerina’s secret to toned legs by doing a similar routine yourself as you stand at your bathroom sink. Every morning, make it your mission to hold a relevé for as long as it takes you to brush your teeth, resting a hand on the edge of the sink for balance. The American Dental Association recommends brushing for two minutes, twice a day, which is more than enough time to squeeze in a ballet dancer’s miniature workout. It might not seem like enough time to have an impact, but never underestimate the power of ballet. After just 30 seconds of relevé, you’ll start to