October 01, 2018 at 10:39AM At around this time each year, the days start getting shorter and shorter until, *sigh*, you find yourself logging your morning miles in the pitch dark. The truth is: No matter how many endorphins are pumping through your veins post-sweat sesh, the lack of daylight could still saddle you with a bad case of the winter blues. If it does though, the solve might be as simple as switching up the lighting in your space. According to Science Direct, using a decor method known as “daylighting”—which involves designing your home to incorporate as much natural light as possible—has been linked to better health, productivity, and even economic benefits. But since not everyone (read: those who dwell in itty-bitty NYC apartments) has access to unlimited reserves of sunshine, Arch Daily reports that designers are turning to LED lights to mimic the mood-boosting effects using high-tech LED lights. The most impressive of which actually acts as a stand-in skylight. The smart tech comes in various models that run the gamut in pricing and features. This $250 one, for instance, displays a single image of a blue sky, and allows you to alter the intensity of the LED based on your needs, and the natural light cycles of the day. So if, say, you were working from home, you could dial up the brightness for maximum productivity. Then later on, you could dim the device a warmer, less intense light temperature in time for dinner. “Warmer light and lower light levels have been shown to slow
Category: 2019 Health
Wait, are acai bowls *really* healthy?
October 01, 2018 at 09:33AM Acai bowls have long been a fixture on our Insta feeds, and for good reason. The amethyst purple and coconut-flake-topped treat is total eye candy, and you can now get one in nearly every neighborhood in LA and NYC. (And at Costco everywhere else.) But good looks and popularity aside, a wellness-crazed babe has to wonder: How do these almond-butter-drizzled, deep-hued wonders actually stack up nutritionally? The short answer is it’s complicated.“There is no one standard way to make an acai bowl, so they vary considerably,” says sports dietitian Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, CSSD. The one thing many of them do have in common is the acai itself, a fruit sourced from South American rainforests that, in and of itself, is quite healthy. It’s packed with inflammation-fighting antioxidants and is super low in sugar when compared to other fruits, clocking in at just 2 to 3 grams of sugar per serving. But since plain acai tastes bitter, that’s not usually all you’re getting. “It’s not uncommon for bowls made with the whole fruit to be sweetened with artificial sugar and syrups, drizzled with honey on top, or blended with sweetened almond or soy milk,” says Sass. “And in addition to acai, most bowls contain other fruits, like banana and berries, and often nuts or nut butter, shredded coconut, or even chocolate.” The other scenario is that many chains and local juice bars use “pomegranate powder” or “acai berry powder” instead of the whole fruit, both of which are pre-packed with
This time-saving full-body move will let you slip in a quick workout in minutes
October 01, 2018 at 08:58AM Some days it’s nearly impossible to find the time to make your way down a long list of exercises that add up to a proper full-body workout. Who says you need an entire handful, though? One celebrity trainer knows the struggle, and that’s exactly why she has a go-to move she can always count on to get the job done. Kira Stokes—the fitness guru who works with the likes of Shay Mitchell and Candace Cameron Bure—recently shared an exercise on Instagram that will have you feeling sore from your head to your toes, and it all starts with the panther plank. Basically, the move is a higher-intensity and sweat-inducing variation of the standard plank. “It’s definitely more challenging than it looks—your shoulders will feel ‘the good stuff’ pretty quickly,” she writes. After just a couple of some reps and some add-ons of other moves you love, you’ll have a workout that’ll leave you feeling accomplished. And, bonus: you don’t need any fancy equipment—or any equipment period, for that matter—and you won’t even have to leave your mat. Ready to get started? Try Kira Stokes’ time-saving, full-body panther planks. View this post on Instagram #smotd – Bodyweight upper body/core combo to leave you feeling #fullystoked def more challenging than it looks – your shoulders will feel “the good stuff” pretty quickly during both panther plank up/downs (or commandos) and extended leg plank up/downs, avoid excessive rocking of your hips modify the triceps push-up by dropping to your knees
Not to be outdone by the vagina, there’s now a sheet mask for your butt
October 01, 2018 at 08:27AM In my skin-care game, I try to not let any important square inch of my body go unkempt. I’m diligent with my multi-step beauty regimen for my face, of course, but then there’s my décolletage, which I moisturize on the reg as if I were a French woman. Then there’s my body, which I oil up until I’m glistening like a dolphin at sea. Even my belly button gets some TLC now that my colleague brought up that they can smell bad if left untouched. And last week when the Internet went crazy for V-masks, I was all about it. But there’s a (rather large) part of my body that I happened to have forgotten: my behind. I run and do squats and leg raises to keep my glutes strong and healthy, so why do I neglect the skin on that area that gets so much devotion in the gym? Not only that, but I sit on my rumpus for hours upon hours at a time at my desk job, depriving it of the level of self-care that I devote to the rest of my body. “Buttock skin is no different than skin on other parts of the body, but it is put under stresses not experienced elsewhere. The skin in this area is continually exposed to sweat, creating an environment that allows for overgrowth of bacteria and fungi,” explains Joshua Zeichner, MD a New York City dermatologist. “Plus chaffing is common on buttock skin
A giant survey found we’re lonelier than ever—and social media might be to blame
October 01, 2018 at 07:35AM In today’s world, it seems like being lonely shouldn’t even be a thing. When you’re not meeting up with your girls at Pilates or Face-Timing with your college BFF, you’re probably catching up on your friends’ latest endeavors on Instagram. But it turns out that even with so many different ways to connect, people are still feeling lonelier than ever. In The Loneliness Experiment from BBC Radio 4 and Wellcome Collection, 55,000 participants ages 16 and up completed 40-minute-long online surveys that included questions about everything from friendships and relationships to technology, and their answers revealed some surprising results. While older individuals are always thought to be the loneliest of the bunch, that’s a far cry from the truth: 40 percent of those ages 16 to 24 said they feel lonely often or very often, making them the loneliest age group. In comparison, 29 percent of those ages 65 to 74 and 27 percent of those 75 and up felt the same way. While older individuals are always thought to be the loneliest of the bunch, that’s a far cry from the truth: 40 percent of those ages 16 to 24 said they feel lonely often or very often, making them the loneliest age group. Those numbers are pretty shocking, especially with all the tools younger individuals have to bond and form relationships with each other. The interesting thing, though, is the people who felt the loneliest said social media—you know, a prime way people connect with each other—was
Rachel Brathen answers every vegan’s least-favorite question: “How do you get enough protein?”
October 01, 2018 at 07:21AM Anyone who’s ever taken a vegan diet for a test drive knows there’s no shortage of invasive speculation that comes with the all-veg lifestyle. But one FAQ tends to get tossed out way more than salad during dinner conversation: How do you get enough protein from vegan sources? When I ask Rachel Brathen, the herbivorous yogi known as Yoga Girl, about her experience with what I feel to be the seriously overplayed query, she immediately backs me up: It is a thing. “I think it’s so funny. It’s like the number-one question that I’m asked by non-vegans and non-vegetarians, but I think it’s a little bit outdated,” she says with a laugh. “You don’t need to eat beef, eggs, and all these other animal products to get your protein.” “I get most of my protein from what you would assume are the basic non-animal forces, so we eat a lot of tofu, beans, and lentils, and quinoa, things like that. And of course a lot of nuts.” —Rachel Brathen, Yoga Girl According to the Dietary Reference Intakes set out by the US Department of Health and Human Services, she’s totally right. Those guidelines spell out that individuals need to eat about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Meaning, for every 25 pounds you weigh, you should be eating about 9 grams of protein, unless you’re an endurance athletes, meaning you may require between 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kg, or about 14 grams per 25 pounds. So
Making zero plans this summer taught me some important lessons about JOMO
October 01, 2018 at 07:12AM At a time when most people were figuring out how to make the most of their 99 days of summer, I set a different intention. After feeling a bad case of burnout coming on, I decided to sit the summer out. Because, IMHO, the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day feels more-and-more like an extended New Year’s Eve, where plans must be made and fun must be had. I was over it. Mid-way through my experiment, a term was coined—JOMO or “the joy of missing out”—which pretty much sums up what I was going for. My goal was to do nothing or as close to nothing as one could do with a full-time job at a women’s lifestyle website. Now that summer has come and gone, I have a bit of distance and can reflect on what the experience taught me. Here, my biggest takeaways from a summer spent celebrating myself. Photo: Getty Images/Westend61 1. The real thing we should fear missing out on is getting to know ourselves Super-packed calendars keep the mind occupied and allow us to avoid confrontation—with ourselves. At other times when I’ve felt exhausted or overwhelmed, I’ve thrown myself into social functions. My hope was that by putting an emphasis on the “fun,” I’d forget how I was feeling. Doing so didn’t solve my problems—it just delayed my dealing with them. By eliminating outside distractions, I forced myself to face my own fears and gave myself the mental space to solve them.
Why we need a ritual to cope with pregnancy loss
October 01, 2018 at 07:00AM Famed relationship expert Esther Perel once told me that American culture is deficient in ritual. In agreement is Jessica Zucker, PhD, a clinical psychologist who specializes in reproductive and maternal mental health and founded the #IHadAMiscarriage campaign years after she herself suffered a traumatic miscarriage at 16 weeks. She believes society needs something to help those dealing with pregnancy loss move through the process of grief. As of now, such a ritual doesn’t exist—but Dr. Zucker is working to change that: The latest installment of her work is aimed at undoing the culture of silence around this common and yet somehow unspeakable event. I’m moved by her description of Japanese Jizo statues. These figures, which can be found standing guard in temples and cemeteries, are meant to provide protection for children and unborn babies, and are sought by those dealing with miscarriage (and any offspring loss) as a source of comfort—flowers are placed alongside them, incense is burned, and the stone figures are dressed in warm clothing. Within Japanese society, this is a highly normalized process. And yet, we have nothing remotely similar in the United States. Photo: Rebecca Coursey “What’s so beautiful and profound is that [this ritual] is in plain sight, integrated into the city, into daily life—I spent several hours at the foot of the Zojo-ji temple in Tokyo amidst countless Jizo statues [and witnessed] loads of people coming and going, visiting statues, while others walked by as they were going about their day,” Dr.
Calling all honey haters: This funny wellness takedown for the ages is for you
October 01, 2018 at 06:38AM There are lots of things to love about honey. First off, it’s a skin savior—as a gentle (and cheap) facial cleanser and as a hydrating, acne-fighting mask. The natural sweetener also has proteins and enzymes that can actually heal the gut lining. And you probably have at least one Manuka-crazed friend who relies on it during cold and flu season. Still, I guarantee you’ll never look at honey the same way after hearing comedian Max Silvestri’s epic takedown of the sticky stuff. It all went down on a recent episode of the buzzy Las Culturistas podcast—which has an “I don’t think so, honey!” rant segment at the end. Silvestri dedicated his venting time to reveal his hate for, well, honey itself. His disdain is deep and specific—like someone who has read all the info on honey, tried to get on board, but is just not having it. “You are sugar that refuses to own a TV. You are sugar on rollerblades trying to explain to a group of girls at a party what Inception was about.” —Comedian Max Silvestri “You taste weird. You are annoying sugar. You are sugar that refuses to own a TV. You are sugar on rollerblades trying to explain to a group of girls at a party what Inception was about. Congrats, you figured out how to make tea worse,” Silvestri starts off before finishing with one final stinger for the buzzy superfood: “You’re a sticky Thighmaster covered in flies.” Hosts Bowen Yang and
Exclusive: Naturopathica launches book featuring beauty regimens for different “skin personalities”
October 01, 2018 at 04:07AM Naturopathica has been slaying the holistic beauty game since it first opened its spa doors in East Hampton in 1995. Since then, herbalist-aromatherapist-skin-care pro, founder, and CEO of the brand Barbara Close has made her company a go-to in the spa world and with natural beauty enthusiasts everywhere. So it couldn’t have been more fitting when the holistic skin-care powerhouse introduced customized facials—targeted to four different skin personalities—along with seven new products to go along with them. Post-facial, you’ll walk away with a dedicated regimen that involves nutrition tips, herbal remedies, and lifestyle advice, too. Now, all that advice (think of it as an owner’s manual for your healthiest skin, ever) has been rolled up into a must-have new edition of Close’s book, The Naturopathica Effect, featuring a foreword by Well+Good co-founder Melisse Gelula. “I’ve always said it takes more than a serum to have beautiful skin—so to walk the walk, this treatment really addresses people’s skin care from a holistic approach that balances more than the complexion,” Close tells me over kombuchas at her Chelsea Healing Arts Center. “This treatment really addresses people’s skin-care from a holistic approach that balances more than the complexion.” Accordingly, each facial begins with a comprehensive questionnaire (which asks everything from how your skin responds to stress to how many cups of coffee you drink a day). An esthetician then determines your skin personality—this goes way beyond the old-school skin types like normal, dry, and oily—which Close believes don’t really