September 27, 2018 at 08:38AM In some circles, September is considered to be a second January, aka another shot at resolving to curb or enhance various behaviors in order to achieve your goals. One such resolution may, for some, include healthy weight loss—you know, the kind that focuses on diet rather than dieting and reasonable levels of targeted physical activity—and it’s not uncommon for this to become a frustratingly evasive unicorn to chase. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you cannot shed a single lb. But why? Of course, there are many reasons your weight may stay stubbornly stuck. One, however, is quickly becoming a central player not just within this conversation but in dialogues around a broad spectrum of health questions: your gut microbiome. It turns out, there is a relationship between weight loss and the 100 trillion bacteria living within your digestive tract. Status: It’s complicated. When I call Emeran Mayer, Ph.D, author of The Mind-Gut Connection and Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Physiology, and Psychiatry at UCLA, he says that research is still in the early stages, but explains what scientists know so far. First, he describes a couple of studies used to prove a connection. In one version, lean, germ-free mice raised in sterile environments were transplanted with bacteria-rich feces from genetically-modified obese mice with voracious appetites. They not only gained weight but also developed the same uninhibited food intake as a result. A similar experiment was done with fecal material taken from obese humans and transplanted into lean, germ-free
Category: 2019 Health
6 dating tips to make sure social anxiety doesn’t stand in your way of love
September 27, 2018 at 07:55AM Dating can be an anxiety-inducing thing in its own right. You’re meeting someone new. You’re putting yourself out there. You’re worried about whether the other person will like you or not. It’s a lot to deal with! But if you throw a case of social anxiety into the mix, the already stressful, scary act of going out with a stranger becomes much more difficult. Still, you absolutely can date successfully even if you struggle with social anxiety. From curated dates ideas designed to keep nerves low and tips to prepare for the event to strategies for self-soothing if a panic attack does arise mid-date, clinical psychologist and How to Be Yourself author Ellen Hendriksen, PhD, has a lot of helpful advice to offer. 6 expert-approved tips to date like a pro, in spite of social anxiety. 1. Date often While completely avoiding the battlefield of love might feel like the easiest route to take for squelching your social anxiety, Dr. Hendriksen actually recommends challenging yourself to date more. “Social anxiety tells us that we can’t handle things,” she says. “So dating often will give us evidence that that’s not the case.” Just like doing anything else that scares you, the more you subject yourself, the easier and easier it becomes. “Social anxiety tells us that we can’t handle things. So dating often will give us evidence that that’s not the case.” —Ellen Hendriksen, PhD 2. Turn your attention outward Your attention, Dr. Hendriksen says, naturally goes inward
The surprising thing writer Glynnis MacNicol wishes she’d known about turning 40
September 27, 2018 at 06:20AM Photo: Simon & Schuster When you’re single and a over 30—and especially over 35—any time a piece of pop culture featuring an unmarried, childless woman of a certain age emerges, everyone you know sends it to you. Why? Because it happens so rarely, the phenomenon feels remarkable. (Bigfoot, Nessie, and I play bridge on Thursdays…) So when TheLi.st co-founder Glynnis MacNicol’s new memoir No One Tells You This hit shelves, several fellow singles sent it my way. But this time, the book was circulated with exclamatory notes about how MacNicol writes about being single and childless in your 40s…but without the usual soul-crushing regret and depression popularly associated with the scenario. Reading No One Tells You This felt like sweet relief from all the fear-mongering about the clock running down on my ability to have a fulfilled life. Below, I unleash all of my thirty-something anxieties on MacNicol in the hopes of further comfort (or at least commiseration). She delivers on both and explains why having this conversation is so important. Keep reading to find out why MacNicol was surprised by what comes after 40. Graphics by Well+Good Creative As women, we’re taught to expect our stories to turn to marriage and children at a certain point in time (namely, before 40). As I’ve gotten older, however, I’ve started to question whether I really want kids or if I just think I *should* want them. Do you have any advice for women navigating this decision (as you did)? I think the
4-ingredient pumpkin fudge is the legit-healthy answer to your basic-fall-treat prayers
September 27, 2018 at 06:16AM With fall in the air, whipping up at least one seasonal treat is kind of required in order to get into peak autumn mode. (There’s no law to mandate the baking sesh, but, y’know what? There totally should be.) Don’t rush off to your go-to organic grocer just yet, though: Instead of filling your cart with a long list of ingredients, why not try out a pumpkin-fudge recipe that only requires four items that you probably already have in your pantry? And the recipe’s simplicity isn’t even its best feature: It’s also legitimately healthy. Amanda Meixner, the healthy food blogger behind the popular Instagram account @MeowMeix, recently shared a recipe for healthy pumpkin fudge that’s so easy to make, you should prepare yourself to re-create it all season long. The only things you need in order to whip up the satisfying dessert—which just so happens to be both Paleo-compliant and vegan—is 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (AKA you can finally put those leftovers to good use!), 1/2 cup creamy almond butter, 1/2 cup coconut oil, and 1/4 cup maple syrup for some natural sweetness. View this post on Instagram Fall is here and that means pumpkin everything! Give yourself a healthier a fall treat with this easy, peasy 4-ingredient pumpkin paleo fudge! . What you need: (Makes about 10 small pieces) 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 1/2 cup creamy almond butter 1/2 cup coconut oil 1/4 cup maple syrup . What to do: Step 1 – Pour all ingredients
*This* exercise helps shed fat and preserve muscle, study shows
September 27, 2018 at 05:17AM While many fitness-related activities benefit your body, especially as you age, one in particular is said to make a difference in your well-being: pumping iron. According to a study published in the journal Obesity, an effective way to prevent weight gain and preserve muscle mass over the years is to add weights into your routine. While all the participants in the study lost weight by cutting calories, those who weight-trained rather than solely walked (or didn’t exercise at all) displayed the best results: At the end of the study period, the walkers had dropped 4 pounds of muscle and 16 pounds of fat while weight-trainers lost 2 pounds of muscle and 18 pounds of fat. “Walking is excellent exercise. But it looks as if it might not produce enough of an anabolic signal to really spare muscle mass during weight loss,” —Kristen M. Beavers, PhD “Walking is excellent exercise,” lead study author Kristen M. Beavers, PhD, told The New York Times. “But it looks as if it might not produce enough of an anabolic signal to really spare muscle mass during weight loss.” So, sure, walking is great—but weight-training is simply better for helping you cling to muscle mass as you age. Incorporating iron-pumping reps into your routine will help you see impressive results and stay strong as you get older. Originally published on November 20, 2017; updated on September 27, 2018. Here’s why so many people are posting pictures of themselves replacing weights with dogs. Also, this is why yogis are adding weights into their routines. Continue Reading… Author Tehrene Firman | Well and Good
The best way to take your collagen, according to Olivia Culpo
September 27, 2018 at 03:30AM You’d never guess by glimpsing Olivia Culpo‘s extensive resumé, but the actress and model has a mere 26 years of life under her (no doubt stylish) belt. This year, the Miss Universe winner broke new career ground by starring on E!’s Model Squad, a reality show chronicling the lives of models. And now, she’s joined Vital Proteins’ Feed Your Beauty campaign to spread her love for all things collagen—especially in creamer form, which she tells me is her fave way to supplement, BTW. Apart from infusing her coffee with one of the world’s most lauded beauty booster‘s though, Culpo also has quite a few other trade beauty secrets she’s picked up from the revolving door of makeup masters that have dappled her cheeks with highlighter, brushed on lipsticks, or layered mascara on her lashes before one shoot or another. However, she does admit that, when it comes to beauty, she always comes back to one of her mother’s favorite axioms: Less is more. Below she shares the items she’d stash in a paired down—but still majorly glam—beauty kit. Scroll down to find out what beauty essentials Olivia Culpo always has in her bag of tricks. Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm, $5 “I’m pretty sure everybody loves this—it’s pretty universal! First of all, I really like the way that it smells, which is so funny. But it’s also really hydrating,” she tells me. “It’s a great drugstore product that everybody needs because it adds insane color to your lips.” Koh Gen
Two psychiatrists explain why spirituality matters
September 27, 2018 at 03:30AM Medicine is a field firmly rooted in science. And yet, it can coexist with spirituality, as psychiatrist Drew Ramsey, MD, a member of the Well+Good Council, knows. His fellow psychiatrist Anna Yusim, MD is the author of Fulfilled: How the Science of Spirituality Can Help You Live a Happier, More Meaningful Life—and devoting time to her own spiritual practice, she says, makes her a better doctor. Here, the two doctors discuss the hows and whys of cultivating spirituality—and how even skeptics can get started. Drew Ramsey, MD: You’re a psychiatrist and and expert on spirituality, Dr. Yusim. I’m wondering, how can we have a more spiritual fall? Anna Yusim, MD: One of the things that you could do to connect to your own spirituality is ask, “How do I feel connected to something greater than myself?” That could be to God, if you believe in God. It could be to the universe. You could be a spiritual person without believing in God at all. You could be a spiritual person by looking at the synchronicities in your life and looking for guidance by the way that events unfold in your life and move you forward. Can you talk more about that? Usually, you can see in retrospect that A, B, and C resulted in where you are now. Sometimes, you can even ask for that guidance from the universe in real time: “God, I need a sign. Universe, I need a sign. In what direction
*This* is how a wellness pro nails the healthy jet-set life
September 26, 2018 at 06:30PM Traveling often for work (or just for fun if you’re living your best life) is a great way to check off your tourist bucket list—but it can also throw a major wrench into your wellness routines. Well+Good video producer Ella Dove (more commonly referred to as the office jet-setter) is constantly traveling around the country for video shoots, which has given her plenty of opportunity to master living out of a suitcase—while still keeping her wellness on point. We picked her brain for her top travel tips (and they’re seriously genius)—from how to be the fastest person through the airport security line to her go-to travel uniform, which is actually calculated more strategically than thinking “what will be comfiest for a six-hour red-eye?” (though comfort definitely plays a role). “Comfy pants that still look chic are essential,” she says (she loves traveling in Athleta Stellar Crop Pants). “My best friend’s mom works for an airline, and its true that the better you’re dressed, the more likely you are to get upgraded, be let into a lounge when you’re delayed, or squeezed onto a flight last minute.” Because upgrades mean more leg room, and more leg room means more space for her favorite airplane stretching routine (yes, really). That’s what we call travel, hacked. Scroll down for more of her wellness-infused travel tips—including what she always packs in her carry-on. What she packs in her carry-on One of Dove’s top pieces of advice is to keep your carry-on
People swear ginger baths can combat cold and flu symptoms—this is what you need to know
September 26, 2018 at 02:58PM When sickness strikes, many holistic wellness devotees recommend sipping some ginger tea or sweating it out in a hot bath. But did you know that combining both—in the form of a ginger bath—is also said to help alleviate aches, digestive discomfort, or cold symptoms? Okay, so there’s no formal evidence proving a ginger bath’s alleged benefits. But there are tons of anecdotal reports online from those who swear the practice is a super effective form of a sweaty detox. Why? “Ginger speeds up circulation, which creates heat, causing a sweat response,” says Jennifer Palmer, a holistic wellness coach with a doctorate in traditional naturopathy and owner of wellness center Nourishing Journey in Columbia, MD. Baths obviously create some heat of their own, so it’s easy to see why some people choose to combine the two—even if it’s not a research-backed wellness hack. Why take a ginger bath? Some people take ginger baths to alleviate cold and flu symptoms, while others use them to detox after a big night out. Still others take them regularly in hopes of purging the everyday chemicals we’re all exposed to in the modern world. Palmer says ginger baths are “a fabulous option for sweating out toxins, but they are good for many other things as well.” According to her, a ginger bath may: Calm digestive discomfort Aid in proper digestion Increase blood circulation Aid in reducing inflammation Help improve metabolism Again, Western medicine might raise an eyebrow at these claims. Yet anyone can get
Constantly fighting over the thermostat? Here’s why some people “run hot” or cold
September 26, 2018 at 01:31PM Recently, I read a Vanity Fair interview with Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, not Destiny’s Child) in which she said she’d heard that hotel rooms were kept cool to accommodate men, who tend to “run warmer” than do women. Given that I’d just spent a weekend with my entire family under one roof, waging a gendered war over the thermostat setting—the men wanted it at arctic levels while the women were hoping for balmier conditions—I started to wonder about the realities of the sex-based difference in temperature preference. I also wanted to know, more generally, why some people—male or female—”run hot” while others, like me, are perpetually frozen. Amy E. Chadwick, ND, Licensed Naturopathic Doctor at Four Moons Spa in Encinitas, California, tells me a number of things play into our experience of temperature. Below, she shares a wide range of factors, many of which actually are (spoiler alert!) gendered. Keep reading to 8 factors that cause you and your office mates battle over the thermostat. Photo: Stocksy/Amy Covington Thyroid function Your thyroid plays an important role in regulating body temperature. “The body maintains a relatively steady core temperature by adjusting blood flow and heat generation within the cells,” Dr. Chadwick explains. And it’s your thyroid’s job to increase metabolic rate (how much energy your body is using) in the cells in order to create more body heat. So, she tells me that if you find yourself consistently on one end of the temperature spectrum or the other,