July 30, 2019 at 07:55AM by CWC Making plans should be simple, right? And maybe in a perfect world, it would be. Be here in real life, schedules are hard to coordinate given that some people prefer to keep their options open and be spontaneous, while others feel most comfortable having a meticulously laid out schedule. Clearly, people have different planning preferences, and some even attach a ton of emotion to plans. For example, some may see it as disrespectful to break an existing plan or to never make an effort to cultivate one in advance. For others though, advance notice for every little thing can come across as controlling and stuffy. To better understand where you—and those you care about—fall on this continuum of planning preferences, look no further than your Myers-Briggs personality type. Because regardless of what your spontaneity stance and style actually is, it’s something that’s best to know in advance. (Don’t know what your MBTI is? Read this first!) ad_intervals[‘404869_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘404869_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Here’s your preference for making plans, based on your Myers-Briggs personality type. W+G Creative ISFJ ISFJs love to make plans, but they are also pretty flexible when unforeseen events pop up. As long as these last-minute additions and switches are optional, with no pressure to attend, they don’t bother you. What matters most isn’t whether the people you love and trust cancel plans every now and then, but that they have an overall pattern
Category: Relaxation
We found out just how much exercise is *too* much exercise
July 29, 2019 at 12:07PM by CWC When it comes to exercise, many of us want to know how much we have to do in order to feel stronger (like: Do my 10,000 steps fill in for time spent at the gym…or nah?), while others love to double-up on sweat-fueled cardio classes a few times a week. It begs the question: What’s the right amount of exercise to squeeze into a day, week, month, or year—and how much exercise is too much? As it happens, you can exercise too much, and the effects result in more than just sore quads. Exercise, in its most basic form, is a regimented way of putting your body under stress. Just like any other stressor, there comes a time when your bod just can’t take any more, however according to Rondel King, MS, an exercise physiologist at NYU Langone Sports Performance Center, one’s tolerance for physical activity is very individual. “When it comes to monitoring how much exercise is too much, you should listen to your body,” he says. “Your body will definitely tell you whether it’s under stress, you’re exercising too much, or you’re just exerting too much.” ad_intervals[‘391189_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘391189_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); But your body isn’t the only thing that needs workout recovery. Having that no-days-off mentality can impact your brain’s ability to tackle a workout, too. “We’re constantly pushing, and we don’t give ourselves that mental break,” says Angela Fifer, PhD, CMPC and
CBD is *technically* legal, but the industry still operates in some major grey areas
July 29, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC December 20, 2018 was a day for the wellness history books: The 2018 Farm Bill was signed into law. Among other things, this long-awaited document removed industrial hemp from the Schedule 1 controlled substances list, allowing licensed farmers to grow the plant more freely and removing restrictions around selling, possessing, and transporting hemp-based products. Experts (and Well+Good!) predicted a potentially unprecedented boom in the budding CBD industry. In a lot of ways, that’s exactly what’s played out over the past seven months. The market’s been flooded with a deluge of new products containing CBD—a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis sativa plants, including hemp, that’s credited with numerous potential health benefits. Specialty CBD retailers such as Standard Dose and Fleur Marché have debuted both online and IRL storefronts, providing stylishly curated assortments of CBD skin-care products, food, and supplements. Drugstores including CVS are bringing CBD topicals to hundreds of stores nationwide, while big food brands such as Ben & Jerry’s have stated their intentions to feature the ingredient in future products. ad_intervals[‘409522_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409522_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Joel Stanley, co-founder and chairman of long-established CBD brand Charlotte’s Web, confirms that this is a high time (no pun intended) for the industry. “When you consider the obstacles we’ve faced, the Farm Bill was a celebration that allows us to scale our agricultural operations in new ways,” he says. “More and more people are looking to hemp as a safe,
How a novice herbalist uses plant medicine in her daily routine
July 28, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w00Gn70s3Vo&w=560&h=315] Want to learn more about the power of plant medicine? Watch the video here. Sometimes grounding ourselves to feel like real humans (rather than an “airy, fragmented all-over-the-place” version of ourselves) requires more than a few deep breaths. For Sara Elise, owner of woman-led and collaboratively run Brooklyn-based catering company Harvest & Revel, it means dabbling with herbalism. In the latest episode of Self Care Nation, the Well+Good YouTube series that features the different ways people practice—you guessed it—self care, she explains how her love of plants and her recent connection with her “native side” allows her to find inner peace, largely by using herbs for grounding purposes. “I’ve started diving into that history, and the group’s relationships with plants and plant medicine, and then started to experiment with different herbs, roots, and plants,” Elise says. From there, she developed a relationship with some of the herbs, which have “100 percent” changed her life. ad_intervals[‘410601_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410601_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); As Elise unpacks the ingredients in her tinctures, explaining the ingredients, several of them are totally foreign to me: Shatavari? Damiana? Oatstraw? Hawthorn? I, clearly, have a lot to learn from her, but the newbie herbalist does swear by the benefits of one ingredient I know oh-so well: chocolate’s antioxidant-rich cousin, cacao. It’s what makes up half of her adaptogen powder—and so much more. “It is also a sacred medicine that my native ancestors
You don’t even need a partner to achieve a tantric full-body orgasm
July 28, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC Is it just me, or does it seem like everywhere you turn these days, there’s a new type of orgasm everyone is buzzing (literally and figuratively)? TBH, I’m starting to feel a little like an old lady, shaking my head as I say, “In my day, we only had one or two types of orgasms, tops—if we were lucky!” Now, brain orgasms are apparently a thing, as evidenced by a Well+Good writer who actually had one. Breast orgasms are the real deal, too. And while it hasn’t yet been studied, I’m pretty sure there’s such a thing as a Netflix orgasm, usually occurring on Friday and Sunday nights and often induced by the arrival of Thai takeout. Why bother with any of these, however, if such a thing as a full-body orgasm exists and it doesn’t require bikini waxes or birth control? According to sexperts, this too-good-to-be-true-sounding phenomenon is not something invented by men whose sexual partners deserve Academy Awards for their climax performances, either. Instead, it’s a tantric practice that can actually be done solo. (Sex coach Helena Nista had one alone in her car, an anecdote that, as an Angeleno who considers the freeway to be the seventh circle of hell, has me saying, “I’ll have what she’s having.”) ad_intervals[‘406807_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘406807_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); What, exactly, is a tantric practice, though? As with most things in life, my only exposure to the idea was
7 quick cool down exercises that are just as important as your warmup
July 28, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC After checking off my workout, I usually book it out of the gym. I’m endorphin-fueled, hungry, and ready for some post-cardio R&R. Skipping cool down exercises because I’m too impatient and just want to flop down in front of the TV isn’t a sustainable way to work out, however. Maillard Howell, owner of CrossFit Prospect Heights and founder of the The Beta Way, says that opting out of your cool-down is a surefire way of opting in for less-than-deal post-workout feels. “Cooling down goes hand in hand with warming up. You need to downgrade—especially if you’re coming from high-intensity or a strenuous workout,” says Howell. Your body enters fight or flight mode during this kind of exercise regimen, and without a clear transition to your more laid-back life activities, it will stay that way. “All the brain knows from millions of years of programing is that when you’re breathing heavily, it triggers responses. Your heart rate keeps going, your sight is very acute, your hearing is very acute—all this stuff. You kick into survival mode. That mode isn’t very sustainable or healthy to remain in,” he adds. ad_intervals[‘409531_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409531_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); “You need to downgrade—especially if you’re coming from high-intensity or a strenuous workout.” —Maillard Howell, owner of CrossFit Prospect Heights The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends powering down your engines until your heart rate is no more than 120 beats per minute. (This usually takes
5 questions to ask yourself when you have no idea what you want to do with the rest of your life
July 27, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC This super-fun existential question of what to do when you don’t know what to do with your life is something that many of us of experience at some point (or points). Maybe you find your current career path to be unfulfilling, or you hear the gentle siren of “grad school, grad school” calling to you. Doubting your life choices and wondering whether you should go back to the drawing board is a big, scary, and totally common thing. And, more good news: You don’t have to tackle the conundrum alone. That’s a truth I know all too well: At age 20, I wasn’t invited back to the fashion design program in which I was enrolled in Philadelphia, because I earned D+ in flat pattern over the summer. Despite my unease about the future (okay, let’s call a spade a spade—I couldn’t stop crying), I had already done enough self-reflection to brainstorm a wobbly Plan B, C, and D. And, one day at a bus stop, I helped myself to explaining these plans to a complete stranger. ad_intervals[‘407071_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘407071_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); “I could try to fight to stay in the program, which at this point sounds exhausting; I could switch my major to textile design…” I mused, ticking off the options on my fingers. “Or I could leave the school in shame, go to community college for a year, and maybe get into journalism.” After
If you’ve ever cried on your mat (and liked it) Yin Yoga is the emo release you need right now
July 25, 2019 at 10:25AM by CWC There’s a reason more-and-more people are turning to fitness as a form of emotional release. We’re living in an era that’s being deemed “The United States of Stress,” where chronic anxiety has become a widespread epidemic, especially for millennials and Gen Zers who are consistently clocking higher stress levels than our elders. Along with the dangerous health issues that stress introduces, Americans are internalizing these feelings, finding distractions, and nurturing others—when what we need is an outlet. Enter Yin Yoga, the inclusive, easy-does-it practice based on holding yoga poses for lengths of time, rather than rapidly flowing through them. Yin not only produces an opportunity for physical strength and emotional release, but it revolves around the assumption that there is no standard alignment, no such thing as a standard body, and that means way fewer nerves about jumping into your first class. ad_intervals[‘410700_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410700_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); There’s no perfect standard in Yin Yoga “As many of us in cities live in a constant state of high stimulation and ‘fight or flight’ mode, it’s necessary that we include ‘yin’ activities to keep our system healthy—one of the keys to longevity in our training routine is efficient physical and mental rest,” says Vanessa Michielon, the London-based movement instructor who had me weeping during my first Yin Yoga session on a faraway beach at Kamalame Cay’s Silver Linings holistic retreat, where she hosted a sunset class overlooking Bahamian
How to recover from a therapy hangover, because the post-session blues are super common
July 25, 2019 at 07:17AM by CWC I’m new to therapy, but having recently embraced my weekly sessions with gusto, I can say with certainty that I love it. (How could I not? I get to hear myself talk for an hour straight.) Immediately, it felt like a pricey, businesslike vent sesh, and one of those things I kicked myself for not having subscribed to much earlier in life. Therapy was therapeutic! Cleansing! Great self care! Until it wasn’t. I mean, not that it wasn’t therapeutic or cleansing or self care. It just wasn’t…fun anymore. In fact, it led me to wonder whether therapy makes me feel worse. I wasn’t simply just feeling sad after each session; I would leave appointments emotionally fatigued and melancholic. And, despite having been warned about therapy hangovers, I was starting to get concerned. ad_intervals[‘409404_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘409404_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); So here’s the thing: Many of us go through life holding in our emotions, feeling more comfortable with internally ruminating than speaking out loud and being possibly judged, misunderstood, and wrong. “Typically in therapy, your first few sessions are an initial consultation, which means you’re sharing your history with the therapist, and they’re also getting to know you,” says psychotherapist Jennifer Silvershein, LCSW. “This may be the first time you’ve been given the space to completely focus on yourself without feeling like you need to allow the other person to share. It’s an amazing feeling” Basically, since we
The era of sexual self care has brought Big Bush Energy to its climax
July 24, 2019 at 06:48AM by CWC If record-breaking sales of sexual self-care products are any indication, the contents of people’s nightstands are looking a little bit different these days. In late 2018, Well+Good forecasted fast-approaching wellness trends, finding undeniable evidence that Big Bush Energy (and all the self-intimacy that comes along with it) would be, well, big in 2019. Body literacy continues to gain traction (seriously, the feminine hygiene market is set to reach $42.7 billion by 2022)—and it’s just the self-acceptance inspiring foreplay we need to truly unlock the power of sexual pleasure. Masturbation and sexual energy aren’t dinner table topics just yet; in fact, they remain maddeningly taboo. But brand after brand—Womanizer (the buzzy device boasting an “O-guarantee”); Dame (the sex toy that recently released a sex pillow); and Enby (one of the first gender-free toys to hit the market)—has stepped up to orient the conversation toward what feels good. Beyond the bounds of physical products, adult sexual education platforms like Allbodies (an informative online destination for all things related to sexual health), and feminist porn sites, like Lust Cinema, Indie Porn Revolution, and Pink Label TV, have entered the space to make the know-how of sexcapades more gender-inclusive. ad_intervals[‘408451_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘408451_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); At Foundermade East, an annual discovery show of innovative brands with their fingers on the pulse of wellness, vibrator companies made a strong showing. The colors, shapes, sizes, and uses varied as much as the produce