October 03, 2018 at 03:44AM Listen up, sweat fanatics: I’m about to tell a tale about a very sexy topical topic—skin fungus. Early this summer, a small population of cream-colored splotches cropped on my chest and upper back, slightly paler than the rest of my body. I responded with what was more or less a shrug. Hey! I live in the great concrete jungle of NYC, where the new species I’m exposed to tend to be more of the pizza rat variety. And since my dermis’ new inhabitants didn’t itch or anything, I kinda just figured: “Eh.” Flash forward a few months to when my family and I took a trip to the seaside of Massachusetts where I had the first occasion of the summer season to wear a bathing suit. As I headed to the shore with my younger sister, she took one look at my back and said, “Oh, I’ve seen that before. It’s a fungus.” And that was enough: I promptly got to my dermatologist’s office. There, I learned that, A) my fungus is called “tinea versicolor,” and B) people like me—who spend a good portion of their lives in a sweat-soaked sports bra—are particularly susceptible. (The fungus thrives in damp conditions.) “Oh, I’ve seen that before. It’s a fungus.” Even though my derm prescribed me a special foam cleanser to rid my body of the stuff, I still had a ton of lingering queries about skin fungi. Like, what causes an outbreak? Are there different types besides tinea versicolor? Do
Category: 2019 Health
4 big Orangetheory upgrades that will make your workout even more competitive
October 03, 2018 at 03:28AM With over 1,000 studios (in 17 different countries, no less) and 800,000 members, Orangetheory is one of the fastest-growing boutique fitness franchises in the country. Clearly, they’re doing something right. A big part of that is their science-backed heart rate-driven workout: The key is to get your heart rate past its maximum threshold (an effort of 85 or above on a scale of 1 to 100) for 12 to 20 minutes during the 60-minute class to get a metabolic response, AKA to reap the benefits of an after-burn. Regular OTers know that this is referred to as the orange zone. (Oh and don’t worry, you’re still working out plenty hard the rest of the time, too.) The brand has been busy quietly perfecting a whole slew of new tech features to give the stats even more real-world application. “The idea is to give people more information about how well they’re progressing on their journey, whether it’s for weight loss, strength, endurance, or something else,” Chief Brand Officer Kevin Keith says. “We’re just trying to make it more simple and accessible for people.” There are four big tech upgrades being rolled out in studios everywhere, now through the end of next year. Keep reading for the scoop, straight from the brand’s exclusive, sneak peek event. Photo: Getty Images/Dave Kotinsky 4 big tech upgrades Orangetheory is making right now: 1. All the machines will be outfitted with tablets, tracking your results. You’re used to looking up at the big
Taking my husband’s last name was a wild bureaucratic marathon that I wish I never ran
October 03, 2018 at 03:00AM Let me get this out of the way up front: I adore my husband. We’ve been happily married for two years, and he’s the best thing that ever happened to me. But making his last name legally my own? That’s hands down one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made. When we were dating and even engaged, I thought that sharing the same last name would make me feel like we were more of a family. I thought the outward-facing world would regard us as more of a united front if our house appeared more, well, united. Not in a Game of Thrones House Stark kind of way, but just in the sense that I couldn’t wait to be this man’s family, and I wanted the whole world to know it. The pressure was entirely of my own making—my husband never cared whether I took his name, and he respected my choice to add to my career’s worth of editorial work under my maiden name (I still use my maiden name as a byline). Still, on the day we went to City Hall in New York City to get our marriage license, it took me by surprise when the clerk informed me that if I wanted to eventually take his name, even a year or so down the road, I’d have to decide right then and there, on the spot. I balked at the suggestion. Surely she was wrong. Not everyone who takes a married name has
With billion-dollar evaluations and million-dollar investments, streetwear is the boutique fitness of fashion
October 03, 2018 at 02:57AM Athleisure might have started out as a trend, but it’s now the fastest-growing category in fashion. And its staying power is trickling down to another style of casual dressing: streetwear. At this point, the two words are basically synonyms to most people, because we use them interchangeably to describe a more everyday form of fashion than what you’d find on the runways. One that’s tinged with athletic undertone or overtones, if you will. Streetwear is as much a community, however, as it is a style category. In a lot of ways, it feels like the boutique fitness of fashion. Not only have brands such as Supreme, Kith, and Off-White amassed cult followings and gained reputations for successfully disrupting the traditional fashion model. They’ve also attracted the attention of major investors. Supreme received a $1 billion valuation last fall, making it the Peloton of streetwear startups. The estimate seems to answer the question: Are streetwear brands worth it? In a word: yes. In fact, investors have seeded about $180 million to streetwear startups in the last few years, according to Fashionista. And just like the boutique fitness industry, which expanding at an exponential rate, this influx of interest and capital has some already wondering if it’s creating a bubble around streetwear brands. And if so, will it burst? The resale market for coveted items like Off-White sneakers can see them going for double (often more) of the suggested market value at online consignment. Fashionista notes that sites focused on women’s
The big questions to ask yourself at 25, 30, 35, and 40
October 03, 2018 at 02:30AM Every so often, says Well+Good Council member Kelsey Patel, it’s time to slow down and ask yourself a few important questions—about work, love, career, and everything else that adds up to your big, beautiful life. Here, the spiritual empowerment coach shares some of the questions to ask at four milestone ages: 25, 30, 35, and 40. Each of us has a past that includes choices, places, people, pain, joy, and many other things between. Now that I’m 37, I’ve been thinking about my own past and the choices I’ve made—how everything leads to the next place and the next moment. No matter how big or small a decision seems to be, our life is one long thread of these connected choices. In reflecting on my past, I started to realize how beautiful it can be to look at your life at any age and start asking some deeper questions about where you are now, where you want to go, and what actually matters most to you at these different stages of life. Reflecting on these has helped me grow, and I’m sharing them in hopes that they’ll do the same for you. Here are the big, important questions to ask yourself at 25, 30, 35, and 40. Photo: Lucas Ottone/Stocksy Age 25 At 25, so many new things and realizations start to come forward. You’re likely living on your own, getting by with a tight budget, splitting the bill down to the exact dollar, possibly hating
A water sommelier (yep, it’s a thing) shares her insider hydration knowledge
October 02, 2018 at 01:17PM Jess Altieri picks up the glass to the right of her plate and gives it a swirl, holding the base as to not change the temperature of the liquid she’s about to sip. After tilting it back and giving it a whiff, she takes her first taste, making sure it hits all the flavor points on her tongue before finally swallowing. Then, she sets her water back down. As one of two water sommeliers in the country, Altieri is attuned to the minute taste differences that would be indistinguishable to the untrained tongue. She can taste if a water is high in minerals, like calcium (which is milky and smooth, though too much calcium makes it taste chalky), or electrolytes (slightly salty). She knows if what she’s drinking is Vichy or Smartwater without catching a glimpse of the bottle. And she knows what foods pair best with each brand. But before she was swirling water in her glass, Altieri focused on wine. She was—and still is—a certified wine sommelier and California wine appellation specialist. “As a wine somm, I would travel the world, going to Italy, Austria, France, New Zealand, and Hong Kong,” she says. “I realized that at 90 percent of the dinners and wine tastings I attended, water was offered and served before the wine and dinner, yet the serving staff knew very little about the water or how it was paired with the meal being served.” She started doing a little digging
Trader Joe’s on-the-cob microwave popcorn tries and fails to fix a problem that doesn’t exist
October 02, 2018 at 01:12PM First things first, I’m a popcorn fiend. It’s a learned trait for which my fiancé and many, many hours spent binge-watching The Office are responsible. So not only do I know my way around a kernal, but I also have the art of popping the perfect bowl of fluffy white goodness down. And after making a batch using Trader Joe’s new Corn on the Cob Popping Corn—because yes, that’s a thing—I totally understand why it’s causing the internet to go into debate mode. Sure, the snack is, ummm, fun—but it’s certainly not the most effective way to get your popcorn fix. Okay, I’ll say it: It’s straight-up dumb. As one of the latest additions to the healthy grocer’s always-impressive snack lineup, the product is essentially a corncob of dried-out kernels wrapped in a paper label that you can stick in your microwave. After 90 seconds, you’ll wind up with popcorn—but certainly not a heaping bowl of it. Now, nutrition-wise, this $2 product is pretty solid without any weird added ingredients. And per 2.5 cup serving (and you’re supposed to wind up with two per cob…but we’ll get to that), you get 27 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein. Air-popped corn kernels, on the other hand, come in at 16 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein for the same amount. The uptick in fiber and protein piquing my interest, I decided to give these cobs a pop. But, in order
4 ways the change of seasons messes with your health—and how to fix it
October 02, 2018 at 11:54AM Your closet isn’t the only thing that undergoes a transition from summer to fall—so does your body. And we’re not talking about the effects of all those pumpkin spice lattes you’ve been pounding back. (That’s another article.) Indeed, there’s a whole host of scientific research that shows how our physical and mental health is affected by the decreasing temps and increasing time spent indoors. Knowing exactly what to expect and how to prepare will help keep your body in tip-top shape for the fall—and far beyond. 1. Your vitamin D levels plummet It’s not called the sunshine vitamin for nothing. During the summer, most people get their daily recommended dose of vitamin D from sun exposure (about 10-15 minutes a day). But with the sun out for fewer hours and with fewer reasons to venture out (bye-bye, beach days!), it becomes increasingly difficult to get your fill of D. (Er, that came out wrong…) Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to everything from increased colon cancer risk to anxiety, so boning up is important—and there are a few ways you can go about it. “I think it’s always best to try to get nutrients from food, but it’s not easy to get adequate vitamin D from food alone, especially for certain populations such as pregnant women or vegans,” says registered dietitian LeeAnn Weintraub. In that case, you may want to consider a supplement (Weintraub says that while the daily recommendation is 400-800 IU,
3 scientific reasons a lifelong partner-in-crime helps you survive and thrive longer
October 02, 2018 at 11:46AM There are plenty of perks to having a lifelong partner-in-crime. They’re your go-to cuddle buddy for Netflix binge-watching, are always up for spontaneous trips, and are your biggest cheerleader, supporting you in everything that you do. And it turns out always having them by your side is pretty great for your health, too. Researchers found those in happy relationships were 20 percent less likely to die early than those in unhappy relationships. In a new study published in the journal Health Psychology that looked at 19,000 married couples up to 90 years old, researchers found that those in happy relationships were 20 percent less likely to die early than those in unhappy relationships. That’s because there are a few different (very key) reasons why having a ride-or-die can help you survive and thrive longer, and both your physical and mental wellbeing play an important role. Here are 3 science-backed health perks to having a lifelong partner. 1. You encourage each other to be healthier If your partner is hitting the gym, eating a nutritious diet, and making regular appointments with their doctor for check-ups, you undoubtedly will too. Study co-author Mark Whisman told Time that spouses help each other adopt healthy habits that will keep them happy and feeling great for years to come. 2. You keep each other’s mental health in check Physical health is important to living a long life, but so is your mental health. And according to Whisman, having a strong relationship will make
Retire your cold spoons, the Clarisonic can now banish under-eye puffiness
October 02, 2018 at 11:33AM When I wake up, you could easily mistake my eye area as your purse. In other words: My a.m. eye puffiness-slash-bag situation is real. And I know I’m not alone, considering that all of my friends are always discussing their respective methods for getting rid of the situation, combined with the fact that during my morning commute I feel like I’m joined with an army of tired compatriots also donning under-eye bags. So when I heard that Clarisonic, the OG facial cleansing device, just launched a head for the handheld tool meant specifically for combatting eye puffiness, my beauty-obsessed ears perked up. Dubbed the Sonic Awakening Eye Massager (which retails for $59), the product—which looks like a purple disc with two silver balls on it—emits vibrations through the metal tips. You’re meant to massage it around the eye area, and it claims it’ll cool your skin by up to six degrees F, and I do notice that it cools the area. It’s also supposed to, besides squelching the puffiness, firm the skin and reduce fine lines. The next morning, I gaze into the mirror at my bloated eyes, armed with the Clarisonic. As I start massaging it onto my face, it does feel like it’s reducing my skin’s temperature—it’s really cold, like as if you kept spoons in the refrigerator. The vibrating is subtle, but feels really soothing around my eyes. The sensation reminds me of a jade roller, but with the added bonus of massage and