June 21, 2019 at 09:38AM by CWC When I was 13 and going through my first “real” (lol) heartbreak after my 7th grade boyfriend dumped me, my aunt Dawn imparted upon me a very important piece of wisdom: “Breakups are like bikini waxes—they become less painful over time.” Sadly, as I’ve since learned, neither of these statements are true (seriously—a derm actually debunked the whole “bikini waxes get easier” thing for us last year). But while there unfortunately isn’t a magic cure to make heartbreak suck any less, there are some pro-approved ways that can make bikini waxes at least marginally less horrible. Sure, you can pop an ibuprofen and hope for the best, but there are a few other things you can do to help lower the torture factor. First things first: Take care of the skin surrounding your lady parts. While a full-on vajacial may not be necessary, it can certainly help your cause if you exfoliate and moisturize ahead of your appointment, using a product like Hydropeptide 5x Power Peel Face Exfoliator ($68). “Dry hair and dry skin makes it easier for your hair to break when removed, so to have the most comfortable wax session and the smoothest, longest lasting results, the skin and hair should be healthy and moisture rich,” says Helene Marie, a waxing expert at European Wax Center. Ingrowns can also make the experience less pleasant, so she suggests using something like European Wax Center Smooth Me Ingrown Hair Serum ($29) to help avoid
Category: 2019 Health
Why bodywork therapy will soon rule the wellness space
June 21, 2019 at 08:34AM by CWC When it comes to spotting trends in the wellness world, the words of certain luminaries make our senses tingle. At the most recent Well+Good TALK in New York City, three such experts couldn’t stop raving about bodywork therapy, an ancient modality that’s on the rise in the 21st century. The umbrella term applies to hands-on treatments that are strategically designed to create energetic and physical shifts in the body. Think acupressure, reflexology, reiki, and massage. “Fitness fuels us, and it’s amazing… but what we’re also realizing is there’s so much more to being healthy,” said Kate Flannery, head of community and partnerships at Athleta. Bodywork is a big part of that “so much more”-ness we’re all after. That’s why Lily Kunin, founder of Clean Market and Clean Food Dirty City, chimed in to say that she’s made it her 2019 wellness resolution to sample bodyworks’ vast menu of offerings. ad_intervals[‘402609_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘402609_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); What makes bodywork particularly unique is that practitioners act in tandem with their clients to address issues that are both physical (like pain) and emotional (like stress). “It’s almost like the matrix,” says Daryl Thuroff, DACM, an acupuncturist, herbalist, and massage therapist at the Yinova Center. “You tap into somebody and their energy and you’re able to figure out what’s out of balance. You help them help themselves rebalance.” The scientific research behind holistic practices is still relatively new—and not yet
85 percent of Americans don’t eat enough fish—here are 5 healthy recipes for living that Mediterranean diet life
June 21, 2019 at 08:01AM by CWC Health experts the world over have been touting the benefits of eating fish for ages. Seafood is full of protein, healthy fats, and nutrients that promote optimal brain health, like vitamin D, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids—all reasons why fish is a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet. Yet despite knowing that fish is pretty damn good for you, research shows that Americans still aren’t eating very much of it. According to a new study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, each week U.S. adults consume an estimated 284 grams of red meat and 303 grams of poultry, but a paltry 115 grams of fish and seafood. Less than 15 percent of Americans are eating enough seafood per week, a press release for the study adds—meaning that 85 percent of us have some catching up to do. For the record, you should be eating about 8 ounces (227 grams) of seafood per week, which is basically just two servings of fish. That’s not such a big ask, no? Yet the study suggests there are a few barriers to seafood intake, including balking at the high price of seafood as well as concerns about mercury levels in fish. But another very real possibility, says this food editor: Not really knowing what to do with fish once you buy it. Sure, you could easily bake some salmon with olive oil and a sprinkling of dried herbs (never a bad thing!),
Ask a germ expert: How filthy is your cell phone case?
June 21, 2019 at 07:12AM by CWC Of all of the inanimate objects I touch everyday, just two of them are basically extensions of my hands: my BKR bottle (hydration, y’all!) and my iPhone (duh). And that’s precisely why I had turned a blind eye as to whether these items are covered in germs. But then I found out about how moldy your water bottle can get, so… I figured it was time to come face to face with my iPhone case (which has definitely touched surfaces in public restrooms). I decided to call the Germ Guy, Jason Tetro, a microbiologist and author of The Germ Files, to ask: How dirty is your cell phone case? He would definitely have the dirt. Tetro’s take? Think of your cellphone case as your purse. They acquire the same germs, since you carry both pretty much everywhere you go. “There have been studies done on purses, and they have bacterial contamination,” he says. “In all likelihoood, your cellphone case is going to have microbial contamination, too. It doesn’t matter what material it is.” Yes, your phone case is germy. ad_intervals[‘402730_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘402730_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); But here’s the thing—these germs aren’t so scary, so there’s no need to go frantically shopping for a new case. “When you start looking at the different types of bacteria, it gets a little bit less worrisome,” says Tetro. “When you look at the purses, the majority of bacteria that grows or finds
Real Talk: I practice hot power yoga in cashmere and will never go back
June 21, 2019 at 07:00AM by CWC What I’m about to regale to you is not practical. Not one bit. But ask the regulars who practice hot yoga beside me on a daily basis, and they’ll tell you that I’m the girl who shows up in a cashmere sweater layered over actual workout gear. I first introduced the additional layers into my repertoire to make sure I broke a sweat earlier on in the class (because who doesn’t feel incredible during a great sweat session?). Over the years of practicing hot yoga, I’ve noticed that it takes me longer to work up a sweat, so while newbies might not need the cashmere to heat things up, it certainly makes things more efficient for me. And despite the fact that I’m willing to put one of my nicer fabrics through the ringer, I can assure you that I peel the clothing off my body (often with great reluctance) once I begin to drip. Say what you will about the fabric, it’s luxe, it’s soft, it’s oh-so cozy, but it’s not exactly a great sweat-wicking option. ad_intervals[‘392357_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘392357_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); Yoga instructor Steph Armijo explains the draw of heated exercise (yoga or not) saying, “your core temperature rises faster, so you break a sweat much more quickly. The internal heat, coupled with a consistent raised heart rate, will improve aerobic capacity more than you would in a room temperature class.” But, when asked
My kid just walked in on me having sex, and I can’t avoid them forever…so…help?
June 21, 2019 at 05:53AM by CWC It’s been a minute, yet I’m still secondhand mortified by how Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos got caught, um, celebrating Father’s Day this year, which fell on their daughter Lola’s 18th birthday. “It happened again,” Consuelos said this week during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan, recalling Lola walking in and catching an eyeful. (Apparently locks are not in vogue in the Ripa-Consuelos household.) Despite Ripa’s excellent cover of “I’m being resuscitated!” for Lola, the damage was done. “She shuts the door and you hear, ‘You just ruined my birthday and my life and I used to see in color and now everything is gray,’” Ripa shared. Well. I, for one, am happy that Lola has at least some sense of humor about the ordeal, because walking in on your parents having sex, or having a child walk in on you having sex is a one-way trip to Trauma City. For all parties involved. But because life happens, if you ever find yourself tangled in a Conseulesque (Ripa-esque?) snafu, how can you handle ever looking your kids in the eyes again? Does it require, like, a sit-down discussion, or is it best to shuffle the whole memory under the rug? According to a pro at handling life’s awkward-shrug moments (a therapist, folks), honestly, it depends. ad_intervals[‘402505_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘402505_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); “In response to your kids walking in on you in the middle of
There are 3 common ways to develop an insecurity—and it’s possible to shake off each one
June 21, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC Feeling less than confident in various arenas of life is practically part of being human. These can be minor things, like worrying that your eyebrows aren’t perfect, and sometimes they’re major roadblocks, like thinking that you’re never good enough in any given situation. Whatever the issue at hand may be, it can lead even the seemingly most confident people on Earth to wonder, Why am I so insecure? There are a few different ways and reasons people develop insecurities, says Stephen Graef, PhD, a psychologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Some are born with an anxious mind, which can facilitate worries and insecurities about things that many other people simply don’t stress over. But, for many people, the answer to “why am I so insecure” is written in the pages of their personal history. For instance, you can develop an insecurity as a result of a single seminal instance when someone made you feel lesser than. “Maybe you got yelled at or laughed at at a very impressionable time in your life,” Dr. Graef says. And these events can happen quick and dirty—and often unintentionally. Lets say a family member makes an offhanded (and poorly received) joke about your appearance just once. Well, “just once” can be enough for insecurity roots to plant themselves in your psyche for years to come. ad_intervals[‘398616_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘398616_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); One-time offenses are viable catalysts for
How hormones can play a sneaky role in hyperpigmentation, according to derms
June 21, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC As an avid acne researcher, I’m well aware that one major culprit behind breakouts is hormones. As plenty of people know (I mean, research shows that roughly 50 million people suffer from acne at some point in their life), hormonal acne is a thing…. and a force to be reckoned with (trust me). Another common skin condition driven by hormones? Hyperpigmentation. “Fluctuations in hormones can lead to hyperpigmentation or melasma, and this occurs most commonly in women,” says Dennis Gross, MD, board-certified dermatologist in New York and founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare. “Estrogen and progesterone, the female sex hormones, stimulate the overproduction of melanin which leads to dark spots. Dark spots due to hormonal fluctuations are more prevalent in darker skin tones—the skin is already creating melanin, which is what gives it a darker color, and when hormones trigger an increase in this melanin production, you’re more susceptible to hyperpigmentation.” ad_intervals[‘391980_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘391980_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); While not all hormones can play into different types of hyperpigmentation, the most common is melasma. “It’s the skin condition where hormones play a huge role—so those dark patches on the cheeks, sometimes the forehead, and the upper lip typically occur during pregnancy and when taking birth control,” says Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD, a Miami-based dermatologist. “We think it’s the estrogen. Estrogen interferes with how we make melanin, so high-in-estrogen conditions like pregnancy or taking birth control can lead to
The most boring-seeming piece of gym equipment is actually a HIIT secret weapon
June 21, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC Ah, the assault bike. It’s one of those pieces of equipment, like the Bosu ball and the battle ropes, that just kind of hangs out in the corner of the gym with nobody on it. It’s like the workout machine equivalent of the smelly kid no one wanted to sit next to at lunch during middle school. It’s hard, sure, but it’s also just… boring. And with so many other more fun options on the floor (looking at you, ski erg!), it’s no wonder that the assault bike has kind of fallen by the wayside. To be honest, every time I see it, all I can think is that it should go back to 1986 where it belongs and make way for something more interesting. But as I recently learned, everyone’s least favorite piece of equipment can actually be a full-body burning powerhouse… as long as it’s used the right way. “I love the assault bike for so many reasons—just the name alone scares people, but I view it as challenge,” trainer Jay Mark of FitHouse tells me. He was actually the one who first introduced me to the machine during a HIIT class at FitHouse and opened my eyes (and blood vessels) to just how effective an assault bike workout can be. The bike has a sort of built-in Tabata of 20:10, which means you pedal (aka werk) for 20 seconds, then rest for 10. “It’s great for conditioning purposes,” says Mark.
Here’s how to work out with momentum to push yourself to the limit
June 21, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC A kettle bell swing is all about power. Once you find your rhythm, gravity starts to take over. But you shouldn’t tap into that same energy if you’re isolating and strengthening your glutes in a hip bridge. This is the difference between momentum and control. While related, the two modes of exercise do very different things, explains Isaiah Harmison, a Houston-based Barry’s Bootcamp instructor. And if you’re going to train like an athlete, you’ll need to learn how to harness both. “Control would be something that I would utilize to get the body to focus on a muscle, like a mind-muscle connection,” he says. “Whereas momentum is kind of getting the whole body to move in a powerful fashion towards a certain direction.” Before hopping into momentum moves you should first master working those muscles with control, to ensure that you’re practicing proper form, which can prevent injury. ad_intervals[‘402248_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘402248_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); “Slow and controlled movement will get your body comfortable with a variety of movements and can help with muscle gain,” says Gold’s Gym personal trainer Carlisle Price, NCSF-CPT. “Then you’ll be able to incorporate working out with momentum.” This will help increase your endurance. Think about a squat: “We’re going to want to focus on control to gain that strength,” but, Harmison says you might want to then follow with jumping lunges or a squat jump. He explains that incorporating power trains