April 04, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC Start Googling “post-pregnancy…” and the top suggestions for completing your search are belly, workout, and diet—i.e. all searches focusing on ways to change your body after having a baby. If you believe the internet, post-pregnancy body confidence is not a thing. But according to Lisa Ann Jersey—a Nevada-based stay-at-home mom who works part-time teaching life skills to newly released prison inmates (yeah, she’s a badass)—mothers should be feeling more self confident, not less, after pregnancy. She would know. She’s been fielding uncomfortable comments on her 48 DDD chest since she was a little girl, but having two little girls of her own is what finally helped her fully step into her confidence. “I tried really hard to wear my busty nature as a badge of honor.” “For quite some time—until I had children probably—I tried really hard to wear my busty nature as a badge of honor,” Jersey says. “I sort of linked it to my identity in a way.” Motherhood, though, has readjusted how she defines her identity and has helped her develop a deep sense of self love that isn’t dependent on what others have to say about her. To help you unearth that kind of self-esteem, we’re teaming up with Target to share the personal journeys of inspiring women and the better body-image lessons they’ve learned along the way. Keep reading for 4 powerful post-pregnancy body image truths that mothers and non-moms need to hear. 1. Tune out the haters
Category: Fashion
The little-known Instagram tweak that’s basically a double-tap for your mental health
April 04, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC In a definitive ranking of habits that most benefit my mental health, scrolling through Instagram would come in dead last. I can’t recall a time I actually felt joy post-appsturbation, and yet, the social media platform’s built-in activity monitor tells me I spend an average of 32 minutes each day idly liking handstand videos, quasi-inspirational quotes, and color-coordinated stacks of books. My digital relationship is far from perfect, but lately, I’ve found one small way to reclaim the habit for myself: interacting with the ads rather than swiping past them at warp speed. I know, I know—sounds bananas. But I have a thesis statement and everything, so please allow me to present my unofficial TED Talk about reclaiming targeted ads to bolster digital autonomy. By now, you’ve probably noticed that Instagram’s new M.O. involves placing an ad between every two or three posts on your feed. According to The New York Times, the platform first announced its plans to commercialize feeds back in 2015, but based on my personal non-scientific experience, the promos have hit an all time high in just the last few months. I mean, I can’t even read about my favorite foodstagramer’s buckwheat waffle recipe without also having earrings, a crystal-shaped water bottle, and hair-growth vitamins clogging up my scroll. So a few week’s ago, when Instagram’s algorithm dared to slide a $1200 gym bag (something I personally have never dreamed of affording) into my social check-in, I decided on
Medicine ball moves are the most overlooked way to fire up your entire body
April 04, 2019 at 12:01PM by CWC There’s that one corner in the gym, somewhere between the mats and the weights, that doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves. You know the one I’m talking about—where the medicine balls all just sort of hang out together until, once in a blue moon, some adventurous soul comes over and takes one out for a test drive. But while they may not seem as sexy and exciting as the cardio equipment, or as easy to grab-and-go as the weights, medicine balls should not be overlooked when it comes to getting in a full-body workout. Sure, you’re probably familiar with slams (a trainer favorite in seemingly every modality), but what you may not realize is that there are literally hundreds of other ways to feel the medicine ball burn from your head—or at least, shoulders—to your toes. “Using a medicine ball provides countless uses that can be used to increase muscular stretch, endurance, and power,” says Tony Vacharasanee, a trainer at NYC’s BodySpaceFitnes. “They can be thrown, caught, and used to provide resistance for many movements, in all three planes of motion, and at varying speeds.” He also notes that both beginners and experts can benefit from their versatility. “Developing explosive power is one of the unique benefits of using medicine balls since maximal movement speed is critical to increasing power capabilities,” he says. “Medicine balls are great for this since they allow movements to occur as explosively as possible without the need
Apps and online tools aim to ease the loneliness too many new moms suffer from in silence
April 03, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC There are certain expectations about how you’ll feel when you have a new baby, like, say floating on a happy cloud of new-motherhood joy. But even if you’re aware of how common postpartum depression is and the slew of ways it and societal expectations can impact your life, feeling it play out in real life is often more complicated. Some changes aren’t surprising, like the sleepless nights and the fact that it’s suddenly so much harder to find time to do basic things like shower and eat. But there’s one aspect that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: loneliness. “I see this a lot,” says Tamar Gur, MD, PhD, a women’s health expert and reproductive psychiatrist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. There aren’t a lot of hard numbers on how many new moms struggle with feelings of loneliness, but a survey conducted by the U.K.’s Channel Mum found that 9 out of 10 feel lonely after having kids. A lot of it has to do with the way the postpartum period is structured in our society, says Catherine Birndorf, MD, founder of the Motherhood Center in New York City and co-author of the forthcoming book What No One Tells You: A Guide to Your Emotions, From Pregnancy to Motherhood with reproductive psychiatrist Alexandra Sacks, MD. Women are usually encouraged to keep babies home to protect them from germs, and that can be isolating, Dr. Birndorf says. “You may be stuck at home,
The most important part of forgiveness actually happens way before anyone says “I’m sorry”
April 02, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC Let’s take a time machine back to 2003, when the Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan remake of Freaky Friday premiered in theaters. The gist of the epochal flick is this: When you put yourself in somebody else’s shoes—or, y’know, switch bodies with them—finding forgiveness becomes so much easier. (Plus, you might just land a new fling, go on a shopping spree, and have an epic guitar solo in the process.) Unfortunately though, the real world doesn’t afford us such literally transformative opportunities for striking amnesty with a relative, best friend, or someone else who’s recently been excommunicated from the “Favorites” tab of our contact list. But according to clinical psychologist Jennifer MacLeamy, PsyD, we can practice forgiveness in three steps—two of which come before either party even utters the words, “I’m sorry.” Dr. MacLeamy says the single hardest (and most important) part of making amends with anyone is step one, which is to unhook yourself from the narrative. “I think, in some ways, [latching onto the story is] a way of staying hooked; it’s a way of staying connected to the hurt and to the pain, which is ultimately not particularly healing for people. It’s not that we have to forget completely if someone does something wrong to us. But oftentimes, whether we want to or not, we’re engaging in behaviors that are subtly trying to control other people.” If you’ve ever given someone the “silent treatment,” then you know exactly what she’s alluding
Meet the $3 laundry rescue to save your once-white shirts from a life sentence of pinkness
April 01, 2019 at 11:18AM by CWC Laundry day is a weekly crapshoot. If all goes well, you end up with a freshly washed leggings collection and a replenished underwear drawer. But if things don’t go so swimmingly in that sudsy, sock-stealing machine, you somehow end up with an entire millennial pink wardrobe. (And by “somehow,” I mean that rogue red bra made it’s way into the load.) Should the worst happen, however, there’s a $3 solve to SOS—save our shirts. Rit Dye Color Remover—which you can buy in bulk on Amazon for repeat laundry 911s—is designed specifically to return once-pristine tees to their former glory. According to the product description, the stain-fighter is best used on cotton, wool, ramie, linen, and rayon. It’s also a non-chlorine, meaning, it’s less stringent than bleach. Once you’ve (temporarily) ruined a load of laundry, all you need to do is throw the pastel-hued garments back into wash, set the machine to piping hot, and apply the appropriate amount of Rit. For every packet of Color Remover, mix in four cups of water. A small load requires two packets, while a larger load may need three, according to the website. Start the cycle, remove the detergent cup from the tray, and pour the mixture into the dispenser. Then, pour four more cups of hot water down the tray. When the cycle is over, run the clothes through once more. (Note: If you have a top washer, you’ll want to add the entire solution before
5 wellness April Fools’ Day jokes we totally fell for
April 01, 2019 at 07:34AM by CWC Every day at Well+Good HQ, we dig deep into the latest headline-grabbing wellness news, deciphering what’s legit and what’s not. Let’s be real: Even when it’s not April Fools’ Day, some of the trends that pop up in the wellness world can sound like a joke. We’ve been known to have our fair share of April Fools’ Day fun, too. (Shout out to those of you still trying to order a kale massager—we see you!) Other wellness companies have come up with their own pranks too—and some totally got us. Hats off to the masterminds behind the below five pranks. You totally got us! 1. Cauli-milk is the latest alt-milk. Given that cauliflower can be transformed into pizza crust, is it really that far-fetched that it could become the latest alt-milk ingredient? And hey, in our defense, what can’t you milk these days? Well it turns out that Fresh Direct’s “chaulk cauliflower milk” is definitely not happening anytime soon. D’oh! 2. Tinder’s new height verification. Adding a few inches to their height is notoriously one of the biggest deceptions guys tell on dating apps. Which would make Tinder’s new height verification badge a pretty handy feature. Unfortunately, there’s still no sure way to know if your date is actually 5’11”. Yet another reason to stick to wearing sneakers on first dates instead of heels. 3. Aligners for dogs. There are already chew toys specially crafted to prevent cavities, but dental care for canines stops there.
If you’re yawning over old-school crunches, have we got an abs challenge for you
April 01, 2019 at 07:09AM by CWC Raise your hand if you are officially bored AF of doing crunch after crunch (after crunch after crunch) for the sake of a stronger core. Yeah, same. To combat the core workout fatigue we’ve been feeling of late, we tapped Le Sweat founder Charlee Atkins as the inaugural leader of out Trainer of the Month Club, and asked her to put together a 4-week ab challenge that won’t leave us all yawning over the usual up-and-down motion. The best part? It’s accessible via our Instagram, completely free, and requires absolutely zero equipment aside from your own bodyweight. So basically, you can do it every day without having to leave your living room or put on pants. Week one’s workout works for all fitness levels, and we will be doing it here at Well+Good HQ every day (sadly, we will have to put on pants for our own routines). A few tips from Atkins? “In all of these core exercises, the focus is to stabilize the core around the spine,” she says. “So in any supine (or lying) exercises the emphasis is pressing the lower back into the ground. And for any prone exercises the focus is on keeping a flat back, head in line with hips or heels, depending on exercise.” Try it out for yourself, and keep an eye on our Insta because Atkins’ abs challenge will be hitting your feed for three more Mondays. When that’s a wrap, we’ll have a
I took CBD oil for two weeks straight, and here’s how it made me feel
March 31, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Whenever a wellness ingredient becomes mainstream, I have to try it in any and all forms possible (I’m looking at you, turmeric). Now, the buzziest ingredient in town is the all-hailed CBD, AKA cannabidiol. So I have to wonder: With its many accolades, how does CBD oil make you feel? CBD is the major, non-psychoactive cannabinoid complex from the cannabis plant that offers significant health benefits. I’ve explored these benefits via skin-care products, body wash, and in my workout recovery routine—but I’ve yet to take it internally, which many say is the most direct way to absorb it. Taking CBD oil has been studied to have pain-relieving, inflammatory-fighting, and anxiety-reducing prowess, so ingesting it on the reg seems as though it might not be the worst idea in the world. “A daily dose of CBD will rebalance imbalances within the body and, depending on the specific individual, the benefits manifest themselves differently,” explains Emily Heitman, co-founder, COO and CMO of Leef Organics. “As a regulator and a modulator, CBD acts in a dynamic and comprehensive fashion to get to the root of individual issues. I believe it should be part of everyone’s daily routine for maintenance and preventative support.” As for how it actually makes you feel, it’s more of a subtle effect. “CBD is used and repurposed by your body in the way you need it most, so the feeling by each individual tends to be a bit different,” says Heitman. “However, I think
What to know about ultra-marathons and what it takes to finish one
March 30, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC Athletic Equation co-founder Alexander Papadopoulos and his wife and two daughters have been organizing ultra marathons—any race longer than 26.2 miles—for over a decade. But, three years ago, Papadopoulos’ daughter Katie, who was seven at the time, caught him off guard with a pointed question: Why aren’t there any women in your races? Papadopoulos wasn’t sure how to respond. He knew most ultra marathoners were men—roughly 70 percent for 50-milers and between 85 and 90 percent for 100-mile races. Papadopoulos points out that men were given a head start; even as recently as the 1970s, women weren’t allowed to run marathons in the Olympics. Swedish competitive ultra-runner Ida Nilsson agrees. “It wasn’t that long ago that you couldn’t run a marathon,” she says. But both are in agreement that they definitely think more women should give it a shot. “It is so amazing to be out there exploring on your feet all these amazing trails all over the world,” says Courtney Dauwalter—who not only runs ultras but, like Nilsson, routinely flat-out wins them. “More and more women are running and also being more competitive, so I think we will see an improvement of the number of women running ultras in the next ten years,” Nilsson says. This month, Katie’s vision came to life through the No Man’s 50K, held in Triangle, Virginia. “It was great. In the morning the trails were muddy and we ended up with blue skies the last couple hours,”