March 16, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC The great wide world of internet memes suggests two mutually exclusive truths: First, there’s a cat pic to mirror every mood. And second, there’s no deflating feeling quite like getting friend-zoned by someone on whom you have a massive crush. As proof, I give you this lengthy Reddit thread, wherein those who have ended up friend-zoned ask lucky souls who have gotten out how the heck they did it. Answers run the gamut, including hot (and decidedly awful) tips, like giving your love interest the silent treatment and reinventing your entire personality. I have to assume there’s a healthier approach for communicating your desire to make a flame out of friendship, so I sought out two relationship experts who could advise how to locate the emergency exits if you find yourself wanting to leave the friend zone. “Being in the friend zone means that romance is out of the question,” says Rachel DeAlto, JD, a litigator turned relationship therapist who specializes in dating in the digital age. “[The relationship] is all platonic, and any sort of advances just aren’t happening.” There are a number of reasons someone may label you strictly as “friend material,” but in DeAlto’s experience, all come down to one factor: attraction. Either they’re not physically attracted to you, or something about your vibe just isn’t meshing with their own. “It’s kind of harsh, but typically, if someone’s in the friend zone, it’s because the other person doesn’t see them
Category: Beauty
I’m a chef, and this is the easy, ‘clean out the fridge’ healthy salad I eat every week
March 15, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXvGEkr2XEs] Looking for the easiest, healthiest possible dinner to make in 20 minutes? Try this recipe developer’s go-to salad. Raise your hand if this sounds familiar: It’s the end of the week, you haven’t been to the grocery store in days, and the contents of your fridge are pretty random and haphazard. But you’re hungry *now*, so you have to figure out how to cobble together something edible with your random food scraps, Chopped style. Figuring out what that “something” is, though, is harder than showing up to Barry’s Bootcamp for a 6 a.m. workout. That’s why we made “cleaning out the fridge” the main task of our latest episode of Cook With Us. Host Jessie Van Amburg (Well+Good’s senior food and health editor) challenges chef Rachel Mansfield to make a delicious, vegan meal in 30 minutes or less using the leftover ingredients from her fridge: sprouted grain bread, kale and tahini. WTF do you do with those ingredients? Mansfield, who’s also a recipe developer and author of the new cookbook Just The Good Stuff, jumps right in by whipping up a vegan garlicky kale caesar salad. “I know what you’re thinking—there’s no way that something that has kale in it could actually be delicious,” she says. “But I promise, even if you don’t like kale or kale isn’t your thing, you’re going to love this salad.” She starts by making croutons with the sprouted grain bread, which she recommends should be
This derm-approved overnight treatment will prep your hands for a full day’s worth of 20-second washes
March 15, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC Washing your hands for 20 seconds, multiple times a day, is great for protecting yourself from getting sick. What it’s not good for, though, is keeping your skin hydrated. If you’ve been diligently scrubbing yourself per the CDC’s recommended guidelines, you may have already started to see the effects on your skin. And if your usually moisturized, manicured fingers are starting to look more and more like the Cryptkeeper’s every time you lather up, there’s an easy overnight fix you can treat them to while you sleep. Even when you’re not washing them non-stop (though, right now, you should be), your hands are still vulnerable to wear and tear from environmental factors such as cold air. To remedy this, board-certified dermatologist Jenny Liu, MD, recommends the “soak and smear” technique for treating dry hands. On Tuesday, she shared the method via Instagram in response to the increased amount of hand dermatitis that she’s seeing from more-frequent handwashing. The four-step treatment can be done every night as frequently as needed. (It can be particularly helpful for hands so irritated that they’ve begun to crack.) All you need is some warm water, a little ointment, and a pair of gloves. The “smear and soak” method for treating dry skin on hands: 1. Soak your hands in warm water for a few minutes. 2. Pat them dry. 3. Apply a petroleum-based ointment such as Vaseline ($5) or Cerave Healing Ointment ($16). 4. Put on a pair of
How this 74-year-old Australian man works on his mobility every single day
March 15, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC We got the chance to chat with 74-year-old Kantilal Chiba to discuss the senior mobility exercises and workout routine that he follows to stay healthy. My mobility is addressed by everything that I do in my workouts. I work out five or six times a week, and I start every session with a five-minute warm-up of “animal moves” that work my whole body. I’ll do moves called the bear, the monkey, and the frog, which I learned using the GMB Fitness method. Their philosophy on fitness is a perfect fit for me—they focus on functional movement, and you can watch all of their workout videos online. The animal movements ensure that my body is warmed up and that all of my joints are prepared for the workout, and that I’m also mentally prepared. You really need strength, flexibility, and control in order to work out like this. I make my workouts skill-based, so that each time I train, I’m able to learn and become proficient in selected skills. The advantage of this is that your goal is specific, which makes you fully engaged both mentally and physically. View this post on Instagram Progress, you know you are making progress when you move something from practice to push. My first multi-rep muscle-up ever. came early. A post shared by Kantilal Chiba (@kanti.chiba) on Dec 18, 2019 at 3:40pm PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js At the end of last year, I was working on the gymnastics rings everyday.
The anti-inflammatory breakfast a yoga instructor eats every week
March 15, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC When you work out a lot, properly fueling your body is a must. There’s no way you’ll be able to power through those workouts like a champ if you’re slacking on your meals. One person who especially needs all those nutrients is yoga instructor Blair Flynn—it’s how she keeps her energy up with a busy studio schedule. And there’s one healthy breakfast in particular you’ll find her eating on the regular that always helps her feel her best. Whenever Flynn is in need of an easy and nutritious breakfast, she reaches for some chia seed pudding. Not just any chia seed pudding, though—a golden milk version that’s loaded with plant-based protein and anti-inflammatory properties. Two things that are pretty hard to beat when it comes to your breakfast. “I love making these simple chia puddings for the week ahead. They’re quick and fun to put together, full of protein and fiber, and you can constantly change up the flavor by adding in any fruit or toppings so you’ll never get bored,” she says. “They make the perfect grab-and-go breakfast any day of the week, keeping me feeling energized, full, and satisfied—especially on busy days when I’m teaching all morning.” The golden milk pudding recipe is dairy-free and has a short ingredients list. All you need is plant-based milk—she recommends almond or cashew milk—rolled oats, chia seeds, flaxseeds, cinnamon, maple syrup for sweetness, and turmeric for the anti-inflammatory benefits. After giving it a good
Over-moisturizing is real—here are 3 signs you’re overdoing it
March 15, 2020 at 11:00AM by CWC Most of the time, issues surrounding moisturizer involve not getting enough hydration. But if you’re slathering on cream multiple times per day, or using a product that’s too thick, you could be over-moisturizing. “Our skin likes to stay in a balance, and if we tip that balance by drying out the skin too much, it triggers the body to produce more oil,” says Marisa Garshick, MD, FAAD, a Manhattan-based board-certified dermatologist. “While if we provide too much moisture by over-moisturizing, the body may gradually stop producing as much oil.” If that last bit piqued your oily interest, simmer down. She says when your face stops producing oils, your skin can get severely dry. Using a product that’s too occlusive can also lead to over-moisturizing. Dr. Garshick says to avoid applying products like Vaseline or Aquaphor all over the face (although these are great options for lips and eyes, which she says often require more hydration). You’ll also want to make sure your moisturizer is right for your skin type. “If you already have oily skin, it is best to use a moisturizer that is oil-free or noncomedogenic, which means it won’t clog the pores,” she says. Not sure if you’re over-moisturizing? Dr. Garshick says the most immediate signs are clogged pores, blackheads, and excess oil production. She advises moisturizing no more than two times a day, using a product formulated for your skin type. “If you’re experiencing clogged pores or blackheads, it can
Got a rogue breakout? Try using turmeric for acne
March 14, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC People have been turning to turmeric for ages because of how healthy—and anti-inflammatory—it is for your diet. The ingredient is becoming a DIY beauty star for the same reason, and the ingredient is even trickling into skin-care products, thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects on the skin. Given that inflammation is at the root of breakouts, it’s no surprise than many people are turning to turmeric for acne. If you’re not familiar, turmeric is a plant that is native to southeast Asia. “It’s commonly used as a spice. The powder comes from the roots of the turmeric plant, known as curcuma domestica, which is thought to contain medicinal properties,” says Marnie Nussbaum, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. People relate the plant to ginger, adds Purvisha Patel, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare. “It is bright yellow because of the active ingredient curcumin,” she says. It’s used in beauty products because of its bacteria-killing, irritation-quelling, and nourishing properties. “Curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-neoplastic, and antioxidant, as it combats free radicals and free radical damage,” says Dr. Patel (free radicals can result in the skin aging more quickly). “It has been used for centuries in Eastern medicine to combat certain skin conditions such as psoriasis, vitiligo, and acne.” Keep scrolling to learn more about how the ingredient is an acne-fighting superhero. Using turmeric for acne Acne is an actual inflammatory condition of your oil glands and your pores. “Acne is
The only post-work stretches you need to call it a day on tension
March 13, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC I’m not sure what genius dreamed up the brilliant idea that we should all sit at our desks for one-third of each day to get paid, but that’s the world where most of us live. The resulting tightness from text neck and rolly chair hips means we need to unwind in more ways than one right after work—and that’s where stretches for relaxing really come in. Chalk it up to the recovery revolution, but now many have learned the benefits of taking time to flop down on your living room and move through a quick yoga sequence. It’s like hitting the restart button on your day—even as the sun sets. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself. Here are 2 videos full of relaxing stretches to do after work [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-_d5hkoIj8] Post-work Flow 1: yoga for flexibility Reclined hand-to-toe: Start lying down with your strap in hand. Bring one leg out straight in front of you, and extended the other straight up, catching it with the yoga strap and pulling it towards your head. Flex your feet so that they’re perpendicular to the mat. Send your foot out to the side until you feel your hips start to lift. Then twist your air-extended leg over the one that’s flat to feel the stretch in the outer leg. Switch legs and repeat on your opposite side. Cat-cow: Move into tabletop pose. Alternate between cat pose and cow pose. Push against the ground to pull the
Women’s health has never been a focus in sports, Mary Cain wants to change that
March 13, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC “By second grade, I was the fastest in my class. By third grade, I was the fastest in the grade. From there, it was just onwards and upwards,” says Mary Cain, 1500-meter finalist in the 2013 World Championships, three-time world junior champion, and one of Well+Good’s 2020 Changemakers. Last year, in a New York Times opinion piece, Cain spoke out against the harmful coaching practices used by Alberto Salazar, her trainer at Nike’s Oregon Project. At the end of her time there in 2016, she left the program, no longer one of the fastest runners in America, but dangerously thin, injured, and longing to fall back in love with the sport she once loved. Now, Cain says she’s determined to reinvent the world of women’s sports so that the pursuit of being the fastest doesn’t come at the high price of compromised mental and physical health. “The reason my story really blew up is because it wasn’t just my story,” says Cain. “It was something that a woman in her 40s could understand. It was a story that a 12-year-old girl could understand.” It’s true: In the wake of Cain going public in the Times piece, athletes at every level have responded with a resounding: Me, too. Olympians Amy Begley and Kara Goucher shared similar stories on social media, and Cain says that high school and college track athletes have flooded her inbox with accounts mirroring her struggles with amenorrhea, RED-S: missed periods and
Meet the tantric exercise that boosts intimacy in 30 seconds flat, according to an intimacy expert
March 13, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC A decade ago in 2010, performance artist Marina Abramović dazzled the public with her MoMA retrospective, The Artist is Present. For 736 hours total, Abramović invited any and all human beings to stare into her eyes for as long as they so desired. And, as awkward as it sounds, the practice led to some majorly intimate moments (think: people literally bursting into tears). Abramović isn’t the only one who knows just how powerful eye gazing can be; somatic psychologist and certified sex therapist Holly Richmond, LMFT, recommends it to every single couple who walks through her door for its intimacy-boosting potential. I first learned about this at a recent mindful sex workshop hosted by pleasure brand Dame, where Richmond asked a room full of strangers (myself included) to eye gaze—not in the name of performance art, but as a tantric practice in intimacy. “I have my couples clients do this all the time when they’ve just been disconnected, they’re not having sex, or they’re fighting all the time,” Richmond says. “Do this before you have sex and even after you have sex. Really, what comes up can be profound. You might laugh, you might have gas, your stomach might flip.” “”I have my couples clients practice eye gazing all the time when they’ve just been disconnected, they’re not having sex, or they’re fighting all the time.” —Holly Richmond, LMFT, sex therapist But since this was a mindful sex workshop, though, so it focused on