May 31, 2019 at 10:10AM by CWC Even though I can lift moderately heavy weights and carry loads of stuff (sup, gym bag), I’ve resigned myself to not being able to do full-on push-ups. Every time an instructor tells me to drop down and give them 20, I immediately drop to my knees and knock out some of the modified version—which is still challenging, BTW. But then I went to Pilates and learned a much appreciated hack for doing regular push-ups, which lets even those of us who are always modifying to do the full move like pros. The secret? Using a Pilates ring. “By placing the Pilates ring vertically underneath your chest, it offers support to maintain a strong plank position in your push-up,” says Pilates instructor Hannah McMullen. “It’ll keep your core engaged and your alignment in check, rather than letting weight dump into your lower back or your shoulders. If you’re used to doing modified push-ups with your knees down, you’ll surprise yourself with how much stronger you feel with the ring and your ability to support your body weight and stay in the full plank position.” She’s right—when I tried out the move, I was shocked by how much easier doing full push-ups felt with the magic ring, and was able to do way more than I could do on my knees. It will also give you plenty of leverage, which majorly helps with strength building, too. “The ring offers resistance,” says McMullen. “On the way down,
Category: 2019 Health
A derm told me this $5 body wash is the only one to use in summer
May 31, 2019 at 09:39AM by CWC As soon as the seasons change, so too do the needs of our skin. While winter may have left us feeling dry and chapped from our forehead to our toes, the summer months are a hot (literally) mess of dirt and oil and grime and sunscreen… and that’s just on the days when you’re not at the beach. Add in the elements of salt, sand, and sun, and you’re going to need to give the skin on your body some serious extra love. Luckily, you can do that with a body wash that will run you only $5. When I asked Virginia-based dermatologist Dr. Lily Talakoub what people should be using in the shower to deal with these summer skin woes, she didn’t skip a beat before recommending Dove Body Wash, Dry Oil Moisture ($5). “It lathers very gently to remove oil, sweat, sunscreen, et cetera, but will leave a layer of moisture on your skin,” she says. It’s made with argan oil, which helps lock in all of that sweet, sweet hydration, but won’t leave your skin feeling greasy or gross. And unless you’re dealing with body acne, Dr. Talakoub notes that you don’t even have to use a separate body exfoliant with it—it gets the job done all on its own. Photo: Dove In addition to using the right body wash, there are a few other things you can do to keep your skin in tip-top shape. Besides putting sunscreen on
Wait, is butter a carb? Dietitians spread the truth on whether the ubiquitous fat is healthy
May 31, 2019 at 09:32AM by CWC There isn’t much that gets healthy eaters riled up quite like a knife full of butter. Many won’t go near the stuff while others (cough, cough, keto) are such fans that they even put it in their coffee. Poor butter, so misunderstood! It’s time to get to the bottom of this debate once and for all. Is butter healthy or not? “Butter on its own is not unhealthy,” says Brigitte Zeitlin, RD. “It’s a form of saturated fat so you want to be aware of how much you are using overall. Keeping it to a small amount is best, but you do not have to eliminate it.” Exactly how much saturated far is okay? Roughly 13 grams, according to the American Heart Association. (One tablespoon of butter has 7 grams of saturated fat.) If you like butter, the registered dietitian’s tip is to use it in ways where you can actually taste it—such as slathering it on an English muffin. Rather than using butter to cook, Zeitlin recommends using heart-healthy cooking oils like extra-virgin olive oil and or avocado oil. “Just don’t go for fake butters or wannabe butters because those are more processed and have trans fats—the unhealthiest fat around!” she says. Registered dietitian and You Versus Food host Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, agrees that moderation is key when it comes to butter. “Although a small amount of butter can be a reasonable add in in your diet—it’s Julia Child’s BFF—we often
Wait, is butter a carb? Dietitians spread the truth on whether the ubiquitous fat is healthy
May 31, 2019 at 09:32AM by CWC There isn’t much that gets healthy eaters riled up quite like a knife full of butter. Many won’t go near the stuff while others (cough, cough, keto) are such fans that they even put it in their coffee. Poor butter, so misunderstood! It’s time to get to the bottom of this debate once and for all. Is butter healthy or not? “Butter on its own is not unhealthy,” says Brigitte Zeitlin, RD. “It’s a form of saturated fat so you want to be aware of how much you are using overall. Keeping it to a small amount is best, but you do not have to eliminate it.” Exactly how much saturated far is okay? Roughly 13 grams, according to the American Heart Association. (One tablespoon of butter has 7 grams of saturated fat.) If you like butter, the registered dietitian’s tip is to use it in ways where you can actually taste it—such as slathering it on an English muffin. Rather than using butter to cook, Zeitlin recommends using heart-healthy cooking oils like extra-virgin olive oil and or avocado oil. “Just don’t go for fake butters or wannabe butters because those are more processed and have trans fats—the unhealthiest fat around!” she says. Registered dietitian and You Versus Food host Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, agrees that moderation is key when it comes to butter. “Although a small amount of butter can be a reasonable add in in your diet—it’s Julia Child’s BFF—we often
Kiss stretching and foam rolling buh-bye! Recovery can feel like a day at the spa
May 31, 2019 at 08:45AM by CWC I’ve got a confession to make: Despite knowing exactly how important recovery is (I spend like, 80 percent of my time writing about it), I rarely actually do it. I prioritize squeezing workouts into my schedule, but don’t give recovery sessions the same VIP treatment. Stretching sessions feel like a major snooze, and I’d honestly rather take another semester of AP calculus than foam roll (I know! I know!). Recovery activities tend to feel like as much output energy as the workout itself, so I usually opt to skip them instead of making time. So when I got an email earlier this week from the team at CorePower Protein revealing the recovery routines of some top trainers and athletes, I was shocked to find that a lot of them sounded a whole lot more like spa treatments than what I usually associate with recovery. “This,” I thought, “I can get on board with.” While stretching and foam rolling are definitely important elements of any routine (do as I say, not as I do), there are other things you can do for your muscles that you’ll actually look forward to…which means you’ll be more likely to make time for them in your schedule. Acupuncture People swear by acupuncture for everything from jaw tension to glowing skin, and it can also be a powerful tool for recovery. “I strongly recommend using acupuncture as part of a lifestyle and wellness routine to prevent and minimize pain, inflammation, and
An open letter to my obsessive compulsive disorder
May 31, 2019 at 08:35AM by CWC Dear OCD, Get your butt over here. I’m pissed, and we’re due for a chat. Oh. Right. You’re already here. Like always. I could use a GD second alone, but since that’s not happening, let’s use this time to get a few things straight. So, Damn Blood—that’s what I’m going to call you: the thing I’m most obsessed and compulsed by—how are you today? Whatcha worrying about right now? That red mark smeared across a work proof, which is clearly red pen but—bye, rationality!—has a .0001 percent chance of being someone’s blood, “contaminated” with who knows what? (QUICK, GO WASH YOUR HANDS!) Or wait, I know. You’re stuck on that work decision I made three years ago that will surely affect my career forever, lurking around the crevices of my cortex whispering mistake… mistake… mistake… Because if there’s one thing you refuse to do, it’s forget. You slither your way deep into my neurons, poisoning them with shards of blame and slices of second-guessing. Of all the things I hate about you, I hate that the most. But you know this, right? You see how I react to you. Sit tight, Damn Blood—there’s more. And you need to hear it. Know this: I wish you were a better friend If only you could be the Holmes to my Sherlock, the Nutella to my French bread, even my beloved work wife. But if I were a rose, you’d be less soil or sun and more
Scuff your sneaks? Spot treat them with toothpaste to brighten them back up
May 31, 2019 at 08:26AM by CWC Adding a stark white item to your wardrobe is a risky move. It feels like if you blink, white shoes go from utterly flawless to downright dirty. (And I can only tolerate busting out the baking soda so many times in a year.) But thanks to a game-changing hack for how to remove scuff marks from shoes, helping white sneaks get their glow back only takes a few minutes. Nobody wants to follow a long list of steps to get white shoes back to looking brand new again. (I don’t have the time the patience.) That’s why a trick from Food52 really caught my eye. All you need is a tube of white non-gel toothpaste and an old toothbrush. Toothpaste, as it turns out, is a scuff-fighting superhero. Not only does it work on canvas, leather, and faux leather options, but it can also make the rubber roles look squeaky clean, too. Here’s how to remove scuff marks from shoes with toothpaste Take your white non-gel toothpaste and apply it to your toothbrush. Gently scrub the scuffs you want to remove. Wipe off the toothpaste with a damp cloth. Set your shoes somewhere to dry, like in a sunny window. It’s that easy. After they dry (which won’t take more than a few minutes), you can rock your newly brightened white sneakers with beaming confidence. Staying fresh has never been so easy. Do your shoes need more of a deep clean than a
So many women just are not in the mood for sex—here are 5 reasons why
May 31, 2019 at 08:10AM by CWC My sexual-education program in high school was of the abstinence-only variety, which means I saw some very scary photos of STDs but didn’t get much intel by way of how to embrace my sexuality. Even though I consider myself pretty well-versed in the wide world of sex, certain things still confound me, and I’m not alone. Well+Good recently asked via Instagram Stories what about sex confuses you, and in sifting through the many responses, a recurring theme unveiled itself: Many of you answered that you’re not in the mood/horny/interested in sex much at all, or at least as much as you’d like to be or feel you should be. And you don’t understand why. Below, mental-health professionals and docs explain many of the reasons you’re just not in the mood. 1. Stress is occupying your headspace First things first, libido is different from person to person and can shift with age, stress, and other factors of life. “There is no one ‘normal’ sex drive for women (or men),” says relationship psychotherapist Olivia Orley, LMSW. “Having a low sex drive is not an inherently negative thing. It is only problematic when you are unhappy about the ways in which it is affecting your life.” “Having a low sex drive is not an inherently negative thing. It is only problematic when you are unhappy about the ways in which it is affecting your life.” —Olivia Orley, LMSW If you can’t detach from certain external stress triggers—work,
So many women just are not in the mood for sex—here are 5 reasons why
May 31, 2019 at 08:10AM by CWC My sexual-education program in high school was of the abstinence-only variety, which means I saw some very scary photos of STDs but didn’t get much intel by way of how to embrace my sexuality. Even though I consider myself pretty well-versed in the wide world of sex, certain things still confound me, and I’m not alone. Well+Good recently asked via Instagram Stories what about sex confuses you, and in sifting through the many responses, a recurring theme unveiled itself: Many of you answered that you’re not in the mood/horny/interested in sex much at all, or at least as much as you’d like to be or feel you should be. And you don’t understand why. Below, mental-health professionals and docs explain many of the reasons you’re just not in the mood. 1. Stress is occupying your headspace First things first, libido is different from person to person and can shift with age, stress, and other factors of life. “There is no one ‘normal’ sex drive for women (or men),” says relationship psychotherapist Olivia Orley, LMSW. “Having a low sex drive is not an inherently negative thing. It is only problematic when you are unhappy about the ways in which it is affecting your life.” “Having a low sex drive is not an inherently negative thing. It is only problematic when you are unhappy about the ways in which it is affecting your life.” —Olivia Orley, LMSW If you can’t detach from certain external stress triggers—work,
8 easy sauces that instantly upgrade Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi
May 31, 2019 at 08:01AM by CWC Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi is nothing short of a godsend. And that’s exactly why I’m not ashamed to admit that my freezer is overflowing with bags of it. How can I resist when a healthy and affordable dinner is ready in minutes when you’re in need of some comfort food? But if you don’t already have a stockpile of gnocchi sauce recipes, you’ve been seriously missing out. Adding the right sauce to cauliflower gnocchi takes the easy-to-make dish from good to “wow, that’s amazing!” Whether you’re in the mood for something cheesy, tomato-y, or simply want an option that helps you get in your greens for the day, these are the best choices to start with. And get excited: You’ll only need eight ingredients at most. The best sauce recipes for Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi Photo: The Vegan 8 1. Vegan garlic Alfredo sauce This creamy, flavorful sauce is meant for noodles, but trust me: It’s just as delicious with gnocchi. Photo: The Well Necessities 2. Gnocchi with creamy rosemary sauce Rosemary is the star of the show in this five-ingredient sauce. With the help of some cashews, water, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder, you’ll be on your way to gnocchi heaven. Photo: Contentedness Cooking 3. Gnocchi with garlic cream tomato sauce This tomato-based sauce always hits the spot. All you need is marinara, garlic, nutritional yeast, and tahini to make it. Photo: Minimalist Baker 4. Easy vegan pesto This simple pesto recipe