June 13, 2019 at 07:53AM by CWC One of my all-time favorite jokes is a John Mulaney bit from his his Netflix special Kid Gorgeous, in which he muses that his college days essentially felt like a game show called “Do My Friends Hate Me, or Do I Just Need to Go to Sleep?” After hearing it the first time, I was overcome with nervous laughter—the kind you feel deep in your bones when something rings so true, it’s scary. That’s because, like Mulaney, “Does my friend like me?” is a worry I often have after a hangout session. Even if my suspicion is completely unwarranted, I’m overcome with social anxiety about whether I said the wrong thing when they asked for advice, or if they wished they canceled plans instead of seeing the movie I picked, or if the reason we saw a movie period is because they prefer that to having a conversation with me. The reason I end up in this tightly wound ball of stress? Friendship imposter syndrome. Rationally, I know the love my friends and I share is reciprocal, and my worries are nothing but deep-seated projections. But the self-awareness doesn’t shield me from spinning out with my insecurities—and experts say that makes sense. Just as imposter syndrome can impact our professional experiences, it can also show up in our relationships, especially when we’re not confident in our ability to show up fully for our friends, says anxiety and self-worth coach Amanda Huggins. So if
Category: 2019 Health
There’s a perfectly logical reason why you might hate certain perfumes
June 13, 2019 at 07:00AM by CWC Whenever a new perfume comes across the Well+Good Beauty Desk, the first thing fellow beauty editors Ali Finney, Rachel Lapidos, and I do is take turns sniffing it. And every time, without fail, we have completely opposite reactions to the fragrance, ranging from “OMG I love this!” to “ewww” to “eh, it’s fine.” All of this is to say that we like very, very different things spritzed on our wrists and wafting into our noses, which has recently had me wondering: Why? What makes Ali love the scent of patchouli and me want to gag every time it comes within two feet of me not love it? It all comes down to the intrinsic link between scent and memory. “Scent preference can be influenced by so many exterior factors, both consciously and unconsciously,” explains Sarah Horowitz, the in-house perfumer at Skylar. “There are cultural preferences that we grow up with, and then more specific experiences that can affect how we react to a scent. Remember that scent is the strongest memory trigger, so this plays a huge part in influence.” So, for example, I absolutely love the smell of (… don’t judge me) Axe Body Spray, because it reminds me of making out with my high school boyfriend after football practice, and yet, that likely won’t hold true for everyone. As Horowitz puts it, “If you had many happy memories by the ocean, you may love the salty scent of the sea. If you had
There are 188,000 oblique workout videos on YouTube. These 8 are the absolute best.
June 13, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC By now, I feel like I have a full-on ab workout encyclopedia living inside my head. Whenever I need to work on my core, I just drop onto a mat and knock out some planks, sit ups, hollow holds, standing crunches… the list goes on. But when it comes to my obliques—AKA those side core muscles—my head draws a blank. All I can ever think of to do is bicycle crunches, which are standard and effective, but I’m looking to keep things interesting. The best and quickest (and cheapest!!) way to find some workout inspo? Hit up YouTube. Scrolling through the video library, it’s actually overwhelming how many oblique workouts there are that can get your side stomach burning. Depending on which you choose from for your sweat sesh du jour, they’ll have you torquing your core, doing side weight exercises, balancing in a side plank, and an extensive variety of other creative and ab-quaking moves to get your oblique working just as hard as your middle abs do. So to balance out your core workouts—and let your side abs take center stage—keep scrolling for our 8 fave oblique workouts on YouTube. ad_intervals[‘400236_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘400236_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ziM3raE6-4] Blogilates 20-Minute Waist Shaping Workout You’ll never twist and dip as much as you do in this ab-scorching workout that is literally 20 full minutes of oblique-targeted moves—including my personal fave, the side seals, which are killer. I
Steal the bathroom organization habits of the chillest woman we know
June 13, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC If anyone knows the importance of having a chill space, it’s Cyndi Ramirez. She’s the mastermind behind one of New York City’s buzziest beauty locales, Chillhouse, where you’re pretty much guaranteed to run into someone whose skin-care routine you’ve stalked on Instagram. The nail-salon-meets-healthy-cafe is the epitome if #goodvibesonly. So, when she offered to share some tips on how to create a chill AF apartment bathroom in honor of her partnership with dwell and Build.com, I had to pick her brain. I know, I know—hanging out in an apartment bathroom may not exactly have the same appeal as, say, a cool spa in Soho, but there’s something to be said about designing a space that you actually want to spend time in. After all, isn’t that where most of the magic (otherwise known as “self care“) happens? ad_intervals[‘387832_div-gpt-ad-5443410-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘387832_div-gpt-ad-5443410-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-5443410-3’);}); } }, 100); Steal Ramirez’s bathroom organization tips, below, for a space that will actually make you want to un-plug during your PM routine—whether or not you have space for a beauty bar cart to store the products in. The perfect mirror: “My sacred nightly beauty routine occurs in the bathroom, so it’s important to have the right lighting in order to see my skin and the products I’m using,” says Ramirez, who opted for this pick as the mirror of her dreams. “I’m a sucker for LED lighting lately and this mirror has a cool, clean
Is your sex life feeling blah? Here are the words to get you unstuck
June 13, 2019 at 03:30AM by CWC What happens when you want to have sex…but just aren’t that excited about the possibilities in front of you? Fortunately, the common (but rarely discussed) relationship issue of a boring sex life *can* be solved. Here, in her latest for the Well+Good Council, sex expert and relationship coach Lila Darville outlines a step-by-step communication plan to help you and your partner get “unstuck” and back into the groove. The feeling of desiring sex—but not the sex that is on offer—is more common than you think. This is often expressed as feeling stuck, bored, or even suspecting you’re suffering from low libido. But the main culprit is often routine. I liken it to a trip to Paris. Imagine that every time you went to Paris, all you did was go from the airport directly to the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is gorgeous and glittering and a great experience, but after the tenth or the thirtieth time making that exact same trip, the idea of going to Paris becomes less exciting. ad_intervals[‘399164_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘399164_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Sex is best approached like any other pleasurable activity or hobby. Gather inspiration from your environment. Create your own adventure. Modify it. How can we make this the best experience possible for both of us? I’ve already laid out ways to tackle communication in sex through prioritizing your pleasure and getting on the same team. But now, let’s dive into
Desk elbow is the new tennis elbow, according to a physical therapist
June 13, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC Now that summer is in full swing, I keep having flashbacks to the tennis camps of my childhood summers. “It was SO much fun,” I’d tell my mom each day when I got home. But I do recall that a gnarly case of tennis elbow spoiled at least one summer vacation. Years later (and year-round, it seems), I deal with the working girl equivalent: desk elbow. The crook of the arm suffers so much from repeated forward swings because the swishing motion causes a repetitive stress to the elbow’s tendons, explains physical therapist Corrine Croce of New York City’s Body Evolved. In tennis, it’s the result of poor form and fatigue. In the office, it’s a sign that you may need to rethink how you’re sitting at your desk. The “how” is a back-to-basics lesson in checking on your posture. First, make sure your body’s forming an exact 90-degree angle from your shoulder to your fingertips. “The problem is when the wrists are not in line with the forearm and the fingers are not in line with the wrists,” says Croce. Our elbows sometimes dip below the plane of our desks. ad_intervals[‘399971_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘399971_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Make sure your elbows, forearms, and wrists are fully supported. You’ll need to take a sec to adjust your office chair to match that 90-degree angle you worked so hard to establish. All this maneuvering accomplishes one crucial task:
This waste-free “moisturizing stone” turned me into a twice-a-day lotion user
June 13, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC A few weeks ago, a dermatologist filled me in on the fact that I was supposed to be moisturizing my body with lotion not once, but twice every single day. “Ha, fat chance,” I thought while politely smiling and nodding along. “That is just never going to happen.” In college, I had a friend who spent nearly a half an hour of her post-shower routine “applying her creams.” And I’m going to be honest: I never got it. What she considered to be the most luxurious part of her self-care routine to me seemed tedious, and honestly, just didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I’d always thought of putting on lotion as one of those things like flossing your teeth or brushing your hair—you’re supposed to do it regularly, but it’s so unappealing that I just… don’t. Not once, and most definitely not twice during a day. So when something called a “moisturizing stone” came across my desk, I honestly didn’t think very much of it. “Sure, I’ll try it,” I volunteered, before throwing it into my bag and forgetting about it for a better part of a week. When I finally did remember it existed (and that I was supposed to test it and write a story about it), I actually groaned out loud in annoyance at the prospect of having to use body lotion. For work. Being a beauty editor is weird, but I digress. ad_intervals[‘400261_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if
Noise pollution is everywhere—and it’s stressing you out
June 12, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Several months ago, I awoke at midnight to the grating sound of a jackhammer. The construction crew at a building across from my New York City apartment had received a special permit to work late into the night. As a result, my sleep and overall health suffered. And I’m not alone. Of the approximately 8.6 million people residing in the city that never sleeps (you know, because of jackhammers!), most suffer the ill effects of noise pollution on a regular basis—some without knowing it. Noise pollution is “regular exposure to elevated sound levels that may lead to adverse effects in humans or other living organisms,” according to the Environmental Pollution Centers. In the U.S., more than 30 million workers are frequently exposed to hazardous noise pollution, defined by The World Health Organization (WHO) as exposure to sounds measuring at least 85 decibels for more than eight hours at a time.For reference, 85 dBs is equivalent to a kitchen blender or a hair dryer. ad_intervals[‘400686_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘400686_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); On an average day, those who live in metropolitan areas are almost constantly exposed to external stressors at or above tolerable levels of intensity. Subway trains, construction, loud music, fireworks, and even washing machines create hazardous noise pollution. But according to the organization’s definition, one sounds off above all the rest: traffic. “As New York City residents, we don’t experience noise in an isolated condition. We’re often
Sleep experts reveal how your go-to snoozing position can impact your posture
June 12, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC How well you sleep impacts so much of your day—your mood, your appetite, even your complexion can all be affected by how many hours of zzzs you got the night before. Another daytime factor that can be affected by sleep: your posture. When I first heard that there was a link between your sleeping position and your posture, I immediately thought that it’d be just one more case for sleeping on your back (which, boo). But the answer isn’t as clear as, say, sleep this one way and you’ll stand up straighter when you’re awake. “If you have a healthy spine, you can sleep on the floor and be okay,” says Bradford Butler, DC, chiropractor, clinic director of Oakland Spine and Physical Therapy, and author of The Blueprint for Back Pain Relief. However…most of us aren’t in that camp. Because everyone’s predominantly sedentary or hunched over technology all day, Dr. Butler says stretching out in bed is tough on your very tight muscles. “Those tight muscles from a bad posture state are trying to stretch out, and we get into weird positions in order to get comfortable.” Well, that explains why my sleeping positions often look like they belong in a Picasso painting. ad_intervals[‘399927_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘399927_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); The reality is that there’s actually not one specific position you can sleep in that’s best for your posture. The main thing the pros have to say? Sleep
8 ways to make chafing last year’s problem—and not one is over $20
June 12, 2019 at 11:00AM by CWC Summer is officially here, and if 2018 was any indicator, it won’t be long until the breezy 75-degree weather takes a turn for toasty temps nearing the 90s. While that means it’s officially time to swap out our cold-weather wardrobes in favor of sleeveless shirts, retro skirts, and dresses galore, it’s also an indicator of one not-so-fun side effect: chafing. You know when you’re walking down the street just trying to live your best life and enjoy the fact that it’s no longer frigid AF outside, but then your thighs, feet, or braline start to go haywire? Yeah, it’s not fun. In fact, it can be pretty damn painful if we’re being honest. That’s because as the temperatures start to rise, these areas of skin are more likely to sweat, and with the added moisture comes the potential for even more rubbing—whether against itself (in the case of your thighs) or your clothes (in the matter of boobs V bras). ad_intervals[‘396197_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘396197_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); While chafing can be irritating all on its own, it’s the aftermath that’s truly daunting. Think: rashes, blisters, and, in the most extreme cases, bleeding. Nobody has time for that. Luckily, with the perfectly-stocked beauty arsenal, you can avoid it all. The trick is to look for products formulated with moisturizing ingredients—like shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil—that will help create a smooth glide to reduce friction and curb irritation.