February 19, 2020 at 09:00PM by CWC Way before we turned to Megaformers and Theraguns in an attempt to achieve wellbeing, cultures around the world relied on far more simplistic measures to keep them feeling good—things like heat and cold, for instance. Sweating it out in saunas and dipping into ice baths are just two of the long-standing practices that endure today, thanks to their resulting physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits. “Temperature has always been used a therapy,” says Elizabeth Gazda, CEO of wearable tech company Embr Labs. “The human body is built to absorb those therapies and use temperature stimulation for wellbeing.” So perhaps it’s not surprising that, in an everything-old-is-new-again twist, thermal manipulation is once again a hot topic in the wellness space—this time with modern scientific research and leading-edge technology driving the trend. In general, our bodies stay within a tight core temperature range as we go about our days. “The body does try to stay at the same temperature—around 98.6℉—but it will cycle between a normal range of 97 to 99℉ depending on what may be going on, such as digesting food or entering the ovulation cycle in women,” says One Medical provider Michael Richardson, MD. (Actually, a recent study shows that the average body temperature is now closer to 97.5℉, which could be due to a decrease in infectious diseases since the Civil War era, when the 98.6℉ benchmark was established.) Strategic exposure to higher and lower temperatures, however, is thought to impact the body
Category: Beauty
The 12 most common sex mistakes keeping you from your orgasm
February 19, 2020 at 08:01PM by CWC This is super embarrassing to admit, but once upon a time I was known for bragging about my “abilities” to orgasm easily. Then, poof! My superpower disappeared. Now, just like many other vulva-owners I know, I’ve started having trouble orgasming on command. It’s tempting to blame partners, and there are some who need a hand-drawn map in order to find certain erogenous zones, but given we’ve basically just learned the difference between a vagina and a vulva ourselves, it might be that we could use a little more education, too. After all, it’s complicated! To that end, I asked sexperts and psychologists to enlighten us as to the myriad ways by which we’re sabotaging our own orgasm. Below, they share tips for getting out of your own way in order to get yours. Here’s what to do when you’re having trouble orgasming 1. You’re ‘Spectatoring’ Spectatoring refers to looking in on your experience from the outside instead of enjoying the physical sensations of the experience itself, says Jess O’Reilly, PhD, host of the Sex With Dr. Jess podcast. “If you’re worried about how you look or you’re focused on what your partner is thinking, you may be less likely to orgasm,” she says. “Some research suggests that you have to ‘let go’ in order to allow your body to release and relax into the moment; instead of thinking about what the experience looks like from the outside, focus in on one sensation—physical touch,
Why Italian skin care is like the Mediterranean diet for your complexion
February 19, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC If you’ve ever been to Italy, you understand how beautiful it is—it’s verdant, markets are filled with fresh fruit (like lemon, the country’s staple), and rich scents of rosemary and tomatoes waft through the air. Given that Italy plays host to such varied, fresh ingredients, it’s no wonder that the country’s skin care reaps the benefits. Italian elixirs, serums, and creams are packed with vitamins and good-for-skin oils that are a direct product of the rolling Italian countryside. “In Italy, we’re all about using high-quality ingredients, eating the right things, and putting good oils and fats on skin,” says Irene Forte, a native Italian and founder of her eponymous skin-care line. “We’re not about quick fixes [in beauty], but about a relaxed way of life with balance.” Italian skin care takes a minimalistic approach—it’s more about using fewer, nourishing products than a 10-step routine. “The few [beauty products] we use are packed with super botanical ingredients,” says Italian beauty pro Gabriel Balestra, founder and president of Skin&Co Roma. “Beauty for Italians is a ritual of wellness that starts every morning when we wake up by choosing the nutrients we put in and on our bodies.” “In Italy, we’re all about using high-quality ingredients, eating the right things, and putting good oils and fats on skin.” —Irene Forte A lot of these ingredients happen to be the same ones that make up the Mediterranean diet, like healthy fats and oils. “The ethos of my
The key to enjoying a plant-based diet is embracing food inclusion, not restriction
February 19, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC Back in the late 2000s—way before everyone was obsessed with oat milk and Beyond burgers—a facialist recommended that I cut back on my dairy and meat consumption for the sake of my skin. At the time, I felt like she was sentencing me to foodie prison. How could life be worth living without mac and cheese? Wouldn’t I wither away on a diet of sad, chicken-less salads? Still, I slowly (!) started phasing out animal products and have been happily vegan for about two months now. In the decade since I first bid adieu to Brie, I’ve come to realize that plant-based meals are far from restrictive—in fact, I’m eating a wider variety of foods than ever before. (And not just because there are now vegan dupes for just about every animal product imaginable.) Think about it: In the average grocery store, the produce section is a lot bigger and more diverse than the deli counter. “There are hundreds of different varieties of fruits and veggies and things that we often skip over at the store,” says Catherine Perez, MS, RD. She says that many of her clients fill up on the same handful of animal proteins over and over—chicken, beef, and pork on repeat, for instance—whereas there are dozens of readily-available, affordable plant-based proteins to experiment with, from tofu and beans to lentils, seitan, tempeh, and beyond. “You can make your meals different every single night if you want to,” she says.
5 dietitian-approved tips for using Trader Joe’s ‘Everything But The Elote’ seasoning
February 19, 2020 at 03:00AM by CWC There’s a new spice in the aisle at Trader Joe’s, and its name is Everything But The Elote. Like the idea behind Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel seasoning before it, the goal was bottling the mouth-watering flavor of a beloved staple. This time, that was elote (aka grilled corn on the cob sold by street vendors throughout Mexico and the United States). And TJ’s has succeeded once again. The second the $2.49 bottle hit the spice section at TJ’s, the masses went wild. To capture the flavor of the delicacy—which is typically coated in crema, cheese, chili powder, and lime juice—the company used a blend that lights off those same dopamine receptors. Essentially, like the name suggests, it has you covered on everything but the corn. “It contains spices like chile pepper, chipotle, cilantro, and cumin that add a nice kick for relatively few calories when combined with the sea salt, corn flour, Parmesan, and other ingredients,” says Amy Gorin, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist in the New York City area. “I don’t love that the first ingredient is sugar. But ideally, you’re only using a little bit of this—a serving is ¼ teaspoon—so using the seasoning wouldn’t add too much added sugar to your day.” While this stuff is great on corn (duh!), there are also so many other ways you can use it to create healthy meals at home, too. View this post on Instagram : “Elote-Jalapeño Cornbread
$10 billion for climate change is a start, but here’s why I expect more from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos
February 19, 2020 at 12:00AM by CWC On Monday, Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, announced he’s committing $10 billion to fund solutions for battling climate change with the creation of the Bezos Earth Fund. “Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet. I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share,” said the founder and CEO of Amazon with an estimated net worth of $131 billion. “Earth is the one thing we all have in common—let’s protect it, together.” We should all totally be grateful that the unfathomably wealthy Bezos is benevolent. After all, he didn’t have to donate anything, and just think about how many more $165 million mansions he could have purchased instead (the answer is 60 mansions). But Amazon as a business is not good for the environment, so he kind of owes us one, no? I had, after all, felt guilty enough using its fast and free shipping to go Amazon-free in 2020. View this post on Instagram Today, I’m thrilled to announce I am launching the Bezos Earth Fund. Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet. I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share. This global initiative will fund scientists, activists, NGOs —
This $220 ‘royal jelly’ facial is fit for a queen—here’s what you need to know
February 18, 2020 at 11:02PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsIghfE9Ixg] Let’s have a quick entomology lesson. Honey bees make a substance called royal jelly that’s used to feed queen bees. It’s all a developing queen bee eats. Aside from literally being food for the monarch, royal jelly is also seriously great for your skin. In the latest episode of What The Wellness, host Ella Dove gets the Guerlain Spa’s Anabielle Royale Queen Treatment at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. It’s $220 for 60 minutes, and it’s just as luxe as it sounds. “The queen bee treatment is a facial that’s going to bring back the radiance to the skin, thanks to the honey and royal jelly concentrate,” says facialist Alina Cimpoeru. “It’s going to hydrate your skin,” which she says helps to fill superficial wrinkles and lines. Honey is great if you have a breakout due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, says Cimpoeru. It can also help with collagen and elastin production, since it’s packed with amino acids. So what sets this facial apart from me going home and rubbing pure honey on my face? The 13-step process involves a lymphatic drainage massage that’s been used at Guerlain since 1928. Rooted in 100 years of tradition, the massage feels like an “incredibly expert facial that you could not do to yourself,” says Dove. The facial uses products from Guerlain’s Anabielle Royale skin care line. To get a taste of the experience at home, you can buy the Abeille Royale Queens
The average American woman spends 51 minutes cooking every day—here’s how to cut that time in half
February 18, 2020 at 10:30PM by CWC In today’s edition of The Patriarchy Sucks, the United States Department of Agriculture reports that women spend an average of 51 minutes per day cooking and cleaning. Men, on the other hand, spend just 22 minutes preparing for and tidying up after a meal. Of course, spending time preparing a recipe from scratch can be a loving act of self care or other care, but there are days when that time chips away from otherwise enjoying your life. When that’s the case, we curated the best time-saving kitchen tips from our stable of nutrition efforts. You deserve to have those 29 extra minutes for doing you—not the dishes. The best time-saving kitchen tips for cutting meal preparation in half 1. Pack your cooking repertoire with one-pot recipes and semi-homemade meals A sink full of crusty pans, dishes, and silverware can mean spending 20 more minutes in the kitchen that you could fill with Netflix, a run in the park, or literally anything else. That’s why one-pot recipes, like this linguine, or semi-homemade dinners that combine premade with fresh foods, can be such a game-changer. At the end of the meal, you just have to clean a plate, a fork, and a pot. That’s a wrap. 2. Get down with a sheet pan full of veggies Cooking everything on the stovetop requires your constant attention. (Is it burning? Am I stirring enough?) Body Love Everyday author and celebrity nutritionist Kelly Leveque‘s sheet pan veggies ask you to
Elite athletes use this underwater breath technique to boost athletic performance
February 18, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC A few weeks ago, I did the weirdest thing of my life to date: I learned how to hold my breath under water. And no, it wasn’t the 30-second amateur stuff you master for youth swim meets—it was full minutes without oxygen. I’ll let that settle in. If you’re wondering why a person outfitted with a perfectly healthy set of lungs would willingly deprive herself of air, there’s a very simple answer: I heard that some of the world’s foremost athletes do it for better performance. Freedivers hold their breath to plunge far beneath the ocean’s surface. Redbull athlete and free-surfer Jamie O’Brien uses breath-holding techniques until he can come back up for air during his most life-threatening wipeouts. And Olympic sprinters Joaquim Cruz and Mary Decker used a similar technique to boost their respiration in sprint races in the 1970s. I myself am not a free-diver, nor a sprinter, nor a surfer, but I am endlessly curious about how the cogs of the body make or break athletic performance. And that’s how I found myself at New York City’s Aqua Studios, learning how to not breathe with Kirk Krack, a world-famous freediving trainer whose client roster includes soaking-wet versions of celebs like Margot Robbie and Tom Cruise. Minutes into the session (which bless, started on dry land) I learned that holding your breath actually involves a lot of… breathing. Before you give up good old O2 for several minutes, Krack tells our group that you
4 hair-care essentials that will take any routine up a notch
February 18, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC Our skin pretty much steals all the beauty spotlight. According to Dianna Cohen, founder of the new hair-care brand Crown Affair, however, your hair deserves just as much attention. And in keeping with the less-is-more vibes reverberating through skin care, that doesn’t mean you need a routine stacked with multiple steps, you simply need a few hair care essentials that you can mix and match, depending on what your hair needs at a given moment. “I’ve always nerded out about hair care, because your wellness routine includes your hair,” says Cohen of her passion for what she calls the “skin-ification” of hair care. “Like your skin, your hair goes through different phases in your life—if you’re going through a stressful time, it shows up in your hair as much as your skin.” As we know, stress really does cause hair to gray, and stress can sometimes even lead to hair loss. This is why creating a simple routine for your strands—something Cohen recommends for all—is key to leaving your hair looking nourished and less damaged. Similar to skin, people have very different hair types (different textures, curl patterns, hair thickness) and lifestyle factors (such as how often you sweat or shower) that impact how you care for your hair. But Cohen swears that regardless of hair type, mixing up these four basic tools will lead you to a reliable, streamlined routine. Keep scrolling for the must-have hair-care essentials Cohen suggests for all. Graphic: