November 30, 2018 at 07:02AM When you’re a cute little grandma sitting on your porch someday—obviously still rocking high-waisted leggings with a matcha latte in hand—which parts of your long and awesome life do you think will have made you feel the happiest and most fulfilled? Probably not hitting a certain number of Insta followers or all those times you ditched friends to put in extra-long hours at work, right? The truth is, the single biggest contributor to well-being has been identified, and it’s much simpler. For a study of 75 years out of Harvard, researchers collected data on the well-being of two groups: 268 Harvard graduates from the classes of 1939 to 1944, and 456 men from inner-city neighborhoods in Boston. Over the years, researchers analyzed which aspects of the participants’ early lives best predicted being healthy and fulfilled down the line (using methods like brain scans and self-reported surveys). The main result? Making time for the important people in their lives is beneficial. “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” says Robert Waldinger, MD, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. The study shows having love in your life—whether that’s with a significant other or great friends—makes you healthier both physically and mentally. It also provides you with trust and openness because you know someone always has your back, and you can feel comfortable and relaxed when you’re around them. In comparison, lonelier participants who didn’t have
Category: 2019 Health
An exhaustive list everything I’ve said (and done) to leave a bad date early
November 30, 2018 at 05:30AM If you believe Sex and the City at face value, you probably think New York City is the greatest place ever to date. After all, options are endless, with the vast majority of people being both eligible and desirable. And all you have to do to take advantage is just walk out onto the street and bump into ’em for a good, ole meet-cute. LOL. As someone who has spent nearly the majority of her dating years in this human-dense town, let me tell you: The situation is less so Carrie and Big (or Aidan or Berger or Alexander Petrovsky) than it is a horrific iteration of Jumanji. After being burnt enough times via bad dates that weren’t just boring but also drained me of my precious time, finances, and joy, I decided to never go into one of these situations exposed, schedually speaking, ever again. I refused to spend even one more minute anxiously clock-watching through gritted teeth as my companion waxed poetic about ventriloquism—seriously. Enter: My trusty arsenal of exit strategies. After being burnt enough times via bad dates that weren’t just boring but also drained me of my precious time, finances, and joy, I decided to never go into one exposed, schedually speaking, ever again. Enter: My trusty arsenal of exit strategies. The best exit strategies are the ones initiated before the date even starts. For example, while making plans, I’ll usually plant a vague, noncommittal seed like, “Yeah that should work, though I may
The only pairs of cozy socks you’ll need this winter
November 30, 2018 at 04:54AM At the moment, my sock drawer is a mess, probably due in part to the bomb-cyclone blizzard and all of the other frigid days I had to get through last winter. This year is going to be different, though. I’m going to stock up on the warmest cozy socks I can find. And they’re going to be cute. Boring, itchy wool socks need not apply. Sure, it might sound silly, but I truly believe that my life will be better if I can sort out my socks. It’s a feeling I’m only more certain of after speaking to Randy Goldberg, co-founder of the socially responsible sock company Bombas. “A good pair of socks is the bedrock of hygge season,” he tells me. “The foundation. Where it all starts.” It’s hard to argue with this logic if you’ve ever had cold, wet feet. Thankfully, a lot of brands have really stepped up their sock game this season. L.L. Bean, a mainstay in many sock drawers, has partnered with Darn Tough to design an exclusive sock (produced proudly in New England) packed with all the natural benefits of merino wool. Bombas is also big on using the fiber for its socks because “merino is a natural moisture-wicking fabric ensuring your feet stay dry all day,” Goldberg explains. Aside from material upgrades, simple changes such as adding cushion and comfort, without bulk, and removing the seaming across the toes are capable of making socks even cozier. Before they
This is the most important relationship you’re probably not thinking about
November 30, 2018 at 03:30AM Everyone has relationships, from romantic pairings to workplace friends. But there’s one that deserves more attention, says Well+Good Council member Kelsey Patel. Here, the reiki master and wellness coach explores the important relationship that doesn’t get the attention it should. While this may not be the sexiest, most exciting, or most satisfying relationship in your life, I would say it is actually the most important and the most reciprocal one. It’s the relationship that most people, including myself, want to believe they’re really concerned about—but in actuality, they also ignore the problems and hope that some passionate, smart, and innovative people are taking care of those issues. The relationship I’m talking about is our earth—and the energy and action we put out that it naturally returns to us. I know that reading about this relationship can seem boring or, conversely, scary and anxiety-ridden. But before you click away, just stay for a few sentences. I decided to write about this topic because I’m not an expert. But I’ve heard many experts talk about the environment, and even after hearing some very dire statistics, I still found myself back in line at Starbucks or the grocery store with single-use plastic. I’d notice how lazy I was about recycling and how incredibly wasteful I was by getting rid of clothes after a few uses. (Did you know that producing one cotton T-shirt takes around 715 gallons of water? That is almost three years’ worth of drinking water!) Photo:
Cardio weightlifting can save you *major* time in the gym—and who doesn’t want that?
November 30, 2018 at 03:00AM Pretty much all my life, my workouts have stayed relatively the same: run for about three miles, then throw in some impromptu strength training at the end. Of course, I’ve been to countless boutique fitness classes over the years (from cycling to HIIT to Pilates to yoga), but the real meat and potatoes of my personal fitness regimen has been all about logging time and miles on the treadmill, day in and day out. So, my mind was blown when celebrity trainer Ngo Okafor put everything I knew about cardio to the test. Upon entering his Iconoclast Fitness studio in New York’s Flatiron neighborhood, I was ready to be thrown into the lion’s den, so to speak. I got right down to business with 20 goblet squats using a kettlebell—not starting on a cardio machine like I’m so used to doing. More weights were lifted, some intense ab work was done, and then came the cardio round. Okafor’s weapon of choice for me? The bike. It was only three minutes long, and consisted of one minute of speed (over 100 RPMs), one minute of high resistance while standing up, and then another of speed. That’s it. Sure, it was still really challenging and I was totally out of breath, to be fair—but only for three minutes. “While used in conjunction with lifting weights, a three-minute cardio burst is the ideal length of time to a spike in the client’s heart rate without completely exhausting them.” —Ngo Okafor
Patagonia is donating its $10 million tax cut to help save the planet
November 29, 2018 at 12:56PM Since its founding, Patagonia (which is a certified B Corp) has strived to be as environmentally and socially responsible as possible: investing in other organizations that are equally committed to the cause; using sustainable, recycled, and organically-grown materials; and taking a strong political stance on issues they feel are core to their values (even if it might not be popular to do so). Heck, they even tell consumers not to buy their products unless they actually need them in order to reduce their carbon, waste, and water footprint. And now the company is donating the $10 million it saved in recent tax cuts to grassroots environmental organizations. Last December, President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Bill, which lowered corporate tax rates. In a blog post, Rose Marcario, CEO of Patagonia, explains why it’s the company’s stance that these cuts were “irresponsible”: “Being a responsible company means paying your taxes in proportion to your success and supporting your state and federal governments, which in turn contribute to the health and well-being of civil society,” she writes. “Taxes fund our important public services, our first responders and our democratic institutions. Taxes protect the most vulnerable in our society, our public lands, and other life-giving resources.” Marcario’s post poses the question: If the government is putting less funds toward services that protect the land, how will it ever stay protected? “Our home planet is facing its greatest crisis because of human-caused climate disruption. All the extra heat we’ve
Chapped lips have met their match with this $8 Amazon buy
November 29, 2018 at 12:30PM I’ve got a bone to pick with whoever decided that the winter holidays should double as “make-out season.” As if there wasn’t enough stress associated with combatting dry, cracked lips this time of year, we’ve now also gotta worry about the pressure associated with mistletoe, New Years Eve, and Valentine’s Day?! Sheesh. My lips hurt just thinking about it. But whether you’ve got kisses in the pipeline or not, winter lips are a major pain deal with, and can be exacerbated by the struggle to find something that actually works. If the bottom of your purse has recently become a graveyard for half-used lip balms that have failed to live up to their promise of getting rid of chapped lips, fear not: I’ve found the simple solution that turns a raggedy, flaky pout into something smoother, shall we say. Enter almond oil, the all-natural solution that will help keep your lips hydrated all winter long. “Almond oil has been traditionally used in many ways on the skin because of its anti-inflammatory, immunity-boosting, emollient, and sclerosant properties,” says Nava Greenfield, MD at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City, noting that it has also been anecdotally used to treat eczema and psoriasis. “It is a great, safe product to use on the lips if they are dry and cracked,” she says…as long as you don’t have any allergies to almonds. In addition to moisturizing your lips, it can also be used on the rest of your face to “improve complexion and skin tone.” If you want
6 push-up tweaks to target different muscle groups (abs included, ofc)
November 29, 2018 at 11:01AM Chances are you’ve battled it out with more than one iteration of the push-up. There are chaturangas (in yoga), “dead-stop push-ups” (which you may heave through in HIIT class), and, of course, there’s version 1.0 of the move (from those scarring high school gym days). If you’re still confounded by how all these variations translate to toning various muscle groups though, the answer comes down to three factors: the angle of your body, how much space is between your hands, and where your hands are relative to your shoulders. According to Brock Armstrong, coach and host of the podcast Get-Fit Guy, tweaking your form in one or more of these three ways allows you to optimize the move for your muscle group of choice, reports Quick and Dirty Tips. Meaning, you get to decide if you want to burn out your core, chest, biceps, triceps, or all of the above. Learn how to do so below. Photo: Aleksander Novoselski/Stocksy Try these pushup variations Work those angles Variation 1: Put your feet on a bench so that they’re slightly above the plane of your head, and you’re working your chest muscles. Variation 2: Place your hands on the bench, and you’re working your chest and abs simultaneously. Move your hands closer or further apart Variation 1: A closer grip pushup with your hands almost touching will target the muscles near the middle of the chest and the triceps. Variation 2: A wide grip will work the outer chest muscles and the biceps. Place
Miley Cyrus’ new Converse collection is banking on star power
November 29, 2018 at 10:59AM This week, singer, actress, and lover of both Liam Hemsworth and super slick ponytails Miley Cyrus dropped her holiday capsule collection for Converse. The editorial shots are a lot of Cyrus (red lip on point) just being Miley—staring down the camera, looking out the window of the vintage convertible she’s pretending to drive whilst wearing platform Chuck Taylors, and sitting on a folding chair in the middle of a busy intersection. Super casual stuff, you know? In other words, Cyrus’ megawatt power is in full effect, but the real bright spot of this streetwear collab are the clothes themselves, which are all adorned with Converse’s signature, five-point star motif. The heavenly beings cover a graphic black-and-white velour matching set. They dot the label ribbons running down the arms and legs of velvet tracksuits, envelop a pair of black and blue bodysuits, and sit right at the heart chakra of a boxy, cropped sweatshirt. You’ll also find them on the soles of the aforementioned platform checks, plus those of classic low– and high-top kicks, too. As the collection’s homepage says, “Fitting in is overrated,” which is why Cyrus’s clothing is all about individuality and charting your own path—perhaps one written in the stars. Even if it’s only the ones on your sneakers. Here’s the workout Cyrus would rather do than go to an awards show. And this is the $1 tool her manicurist swears by. Continue Reading… Author Jordan Galloway | Well and Good Selected by
The surprising impact snoring can have on your heart health
November 29, 2018 at 10:38AM Aside from being a little annoying, snoring doesn’t seem like it would cause any major problems. Heck—sometimes it’s even a little cute. Unfortunately, it’s not all fun and games: According to new research, it could seriously affect your health, putting you at an increased risk of heart problems down the line—much more so than the male snorers in your life. In a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), researchers looked at data from 4,877 UK Biobank participants—all of whom had cardiac MRIs—and put them into three groups based on their OSA status: those who knowingly have the disorder, those who snore, and those who have neither issue. What they found was the women with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)—or those who had it but were undiagnosed—could experience impaired function of the heart earlier. That’s because the sleep disorder increases the risk of left or right ventricular dysfunction, both of which can result in heart failure. “We found that the cardiac parameters in women appear to be more easily affected by the disease and that women who snore or have OSA might be at greater risk for cardiac involvement,” said lead study author Adrian Curta, MD, in a press release. “We also found that the prevalence of diagnosed OSA in the study group was extremely low. Together with the alterations in cardiac function in the snoring group, it leads us to believe that OSA may be grossly under-diagnosed.” Because undiagnosed OSA