March 11, 2019 at 11:30AM by CWC Infrared saunas offer a whole host of science-backed benefits—like being helpful for lowering blood pressure, helping to alleviate chronic pain, boosting your mood, and improving circulation. And so many people anecdotally swear that time in the hot box clears up their complexions and doubles as a workout (infrared saunas can increase your heart rate). Plus, I’ll be honest, the flattering light in them has opened up a whole new world of selfie opportunities for me. All of this, coupled with the idea that you don’t have to be clothed, led me to think a visit to one may just make for a sexy date-night experience. In the past, I’ve always gotten my infrared on solo, using it as a time to either read, blast rap music, or simply zone out. But there are options for two-seater seshes, and I’ve heard stories of people using infrared saunas for their date nights. Why not give my typical dinner-and-drink nights up for a romantic romp at my local HigherDose? So, I recently asked my boyfriend if he wanted to join me for an infrared sauna session. Without hesitation, he said yes. He had never experienced this kind of sauna before, but said he’s down for whatever we can do together. (What a keeper, right?) When the day came, he texted me a few hours before our sweat sesh: “Will I freak out?” I LOLed before responding “no, it’s just incredibly hot but you feel like a newborn baby afterwards.
Category: Relaxation
The first thing you should check in your hotel room to know it’s clean
March 11, 2019 at 07:52AM by CWC Even the fanciest hotel rooms aren’t always as clean as you’d expect. I was forever scarred by an episode of Inside Edition that exposed how bad it can get. (In on instance, hotel staff didn’t even change the bedsheets between guests!) Whenever I check into my room, I immediately scan the bed for any sign of another person’s presence before settling in for the night, but I’ve been overlooking a certain area when it comes to hotel room cleanliness. Harrison Jacobs, Business Insider‘s international correspondent, spent 300 nights hotels and Airbnbs throughout the past year. In his opinion, checking the electric kettle or coffeemaker is a great way to tell if your room has been well maintained, since moisture is ever-present in both devices. “I’ve found that consistently the best barometer of cleanliness is the coffeemaker or electric kettle. Almost every hotel room has one and it can tell you a lot about how detail-oriented the housekeeping is,” he writes. “If they aren’t cleaned regularly—and I mean with vinegar, not rinsed with hot water—they quickly become gross. As such a small item and a tedious one to clean, I’ve found that coffeemakers and electric kettles are frequently overlooked by less diligent hotels.” While the coffeemaker and electric kettle can give you an idea as to whether the hotel prioritizes sanitation, Jason “The Germ Guy” Tetro, host of the Super Awesome Science Show and author of The Germ Code, says the sniff test is another great indicator of hotel room cleanliness.
How to keep pre-workout anxiety from affecting your sweat sesh
March 11, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC I have been to roughly a bajillion workout classes and can confidently say that I’m adept at doing everything that’s required of me: squats, sprints, and even burpees. Still, I’m surprised every time that I get pre-workout anxiety. Before I go into a class—particularly a more intense one—I feel butterflies in my stomach as if I’m a middle schooler gathering up the courage to speak to my crush. My heart rate shoots up, I start pre-sweating, and a wave of nervousness washes over me. What the heck gives? “Pre-workout anxiety and jitters are very common, even for people who work out on a regular basis,” says Janine Delaney, PhD, psychologist and fitness expert. “Sometimes the thought of knowing you have to work out on certain days can cause stress and anxiety that feels counterintuitive.” Ain’t that the truth. Essentially, your emotions are signaling a “threat”—in the form of a spin class or hot yoga sesh—which makes you question your confidence and ability to tackle the task at hand. Whether it’s a class you’ve been to before or not, it all comes down to how your body’s processing what’s about to happen. “When you look at the nervousness and anxiety symptoms, it’s a fight or flight response in the body, which is a chemical reaction,” explains Hillary Cauthen, PsyD, CMPC, a certified mental health performance consultant with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Essentially, your emotions are signaling a “threat”—in the form of a spin
The overlooked erogenous zones that could use (a lot) more love
March 10, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC For me, the term “erogenous zones” conjures a bygone era—one where “What do women want?!” could be a non-ironic headline uttered by a Ron Burgundy clone. It feels oh so ’80s somehow, right up there with IUDs and “What’s your sign?” Well, life is weird. Here we are decades later, and astrology is more popular than ever. IUDs are suddenly the queen of the contraceptive world. And erogenous zones are back. As a new generation expresses female desire like never before, everybody wants to have better sex. And why not? Studies show it’s great for your physical health, your mental health, and even your skin. If you are living in a female body (or you’re attracted to people who are), you probably are already familiar with the erogenous zones that get the most attention: the nipples, the clitoris, the vulva, and the neck. For others, a foot rub is heaven—or a (mutually agreed-upon) booty smack. “When we start to receive stimulation in areas that are not often touched, those sensations can feel heightened and can create a more exciting awareness.” —Sexologist Megan Stubbs, EdD But sexologist Megan Stubbs, EdD, says things are not quite that simple. If you’ve got the body parts listed above in your regular rotation, she urges you to go beyond Sex 101. “Basically, [it’s] all about touching areas that don’t frequently get as much love as the more popularized ones. When we start to receive stimulation in areas that are
Drybar Founder Alli Webb reveals the common mistake you’re probably making with your blowout
March 09, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC As the founder of Drybar, it’s safe to assume that Alli Webb knows a thing or two (or, ya know, two million) about how to give the perfect blowout. Not only is she basically the fairy godmother of the blow dry world, but she somehow always manages to make her own hair, which is naturally curly, look seamlessly smooth and straight. As a proud curly girl, I have always been dying-with-a-capital-D to know: How the heck does she do it? Or, okay, how the heck can I do it for myself? “You definitely want to section your hair,” she tells me at an event celebrating her partnership with T.J. Maxx on Thursday morning, where we chatted about some of her favorite ways to maximize her (very, very limited) free time. “I think that’s the biggest mistake that women make is that they rush through their blowout so that they don’t get every section. And then when you’re flat ironing it, you don’t get every single section because you’re working in too big of sections so you don’t get all the hair.” When it comes to creating these style-saving sections, Webb suggests starting with the pieces closest to your face. “I always tell people to start in the front because it’s the first thing that people see, but also don’t forget the back,” she says. “Get a mirror and look at the back of your hair so you can get the back and make sure it looks
If meditating is stoking rather than extinguishing your anxiety, here’s how to tweak your practice
March 08, 2019 at 09:00AM by CWC I’ve always been a pretty anxious person, but last fall, my anxiety level rose from a manageable 5 to an all-consuming 10. After a few weeks of bad sleep, a poor appetite, and nonstop circular thoughts, I turned to the tool many mental-health experts swear by: meditation. The problem? Not only did my meditation practice not help, but it actually made things worse. I practice mindfulness meditation, and something about being tuned in to my breath made me even more aware of my anxious thoughts. Perhaps least bearable was the fact that my practice actually highlighted some of the physical anxiety symptoms I was experiencing, like a racing heart and a clenched, too-tight stomach. Upon googling the phenomenon, a number of message boards made clear that I’m in good company. While I found a bit of solace in having my struggle shared by others, that still didn’t arm me with strategies to quell my anxiety. So to learn more about why this happens—and what to do about it—I turned to experts. Why does meditation sometimes stoke rather than extinguish anxiety? According to holistic psychotherapist Alison Stone, LCSW, turning attention inward, as meditation asks us to do, can put other parts of us on high alert. “We might get an immediate feeling of ‘I’m doing this wrong’, or ‘this feels unnatural’, which might elicit a spiral of anxiety-related thoughts.” This heightened self-awareness of emotions can cause discomfort, especially in the beginning of a meditation journey. “Most
Here’s how to get in on today’s worldwide feminist meditation
March 08, 2019 at 03:30AM by CWC Today is International Women’s Day—an opportunity to recognize and support women around the globe. To mark the occasion, Kundalini yoga teacher Guru Jagat is leading a global meditation. Here, the Well+Good Council member explains the idea behind her new campaign, #WhyImAFeministWhoMeditates. 2019 is the year of womxn. And no matter what your gender identification, we all can be supporters of feminism and womanism as a movement of listening and exalting the feminine principle on this planet. With a record number of 131 women holding congressional office this year (35% of those seats held by women of color!) and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer political representation on the rise, it’s clear that the matrices of political power are changing—and quickly! Though an intersectional future is closely in sight, there is still a long way to go with many rivers to cross on our collective journey toward social and political inclusion, unity, and power. It’s why I feel it’s a critical and perfect time to launch #WhyImAFeministWhoMeditates. I believe some sort of contemplative and conscious practice is no longer a luxury. I believe some sort of contemplative and conscious practice is no longer a luxury—in whatever way inspires inner assessment and deepening awareness. And those personal practices are keystones to the expansion of ruthless compassion for ourselves and others and the momentum accelerators to action as better, more informed, more action-oriented citizens, business people and neighbors. If your meditation or prayer practice isn’t inspiring
OK, TMI…Why do people fart so much more in their sleep?
March 07, 2019 at 09:00AM by CWC When I think of sleep farts (which is, to be clear, not so often) one story comes to mind from my friend Shiloh*, a chronic offender. She learned of her…skill years ago while talking with her college boyfriend about something toilet-humor related, when suddenly, the dude got real weird. “He was like, ‘actually you may be embarrassed by this,’ and then he proceeded to tell me how in a deep, post-sex slumber, I farted directly into his lap,” Shiloh recounts to me. “He described it as ‘Nagasaki in my lap.’” But, you know what, Shiloh’s college boyfriend? Just like everybody poops, everybody also farts—and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. So for you, sir, wherever you are, I sought to answer why it is we seem to really let it go (let it go, can’t hold it back anymore!), flatulence-wise once we’re sleeping. And apparently, a big, stinky social construct is largely to blame. “When we are in public, we have to behave a certain way,” gastroenterologist Samantha Nazareth, MD, tells me. “Passing gas is not acceptable, and therefore we hold in the gas consciously. But, passing gas is part of digestion.” If you won’t let your body do it’s thing IRL, when you’re relaxed and asleep, your muscles give out, and your brain DGAF. And though we can clench and hope for the best in the daytime (which is not a healthy idea for your bod), the battle against the maple pecan Brussel sprouts you ate during
What to do when working out isn’t an option, according to the pros
March 07, 2019 at 03:17AM by CWC The first thing I do every single morning, seven days a week, is lace up my sneakers and head to my workout. I need to start my day with some sweat for the sake of my mental health, productivity, and general well-being. Even if I don’t have time to do a full hour on the spin bike or at the barre, I’ll take myself for a 10-minute run around the block to get my heart rate going and clear my head. But when a recent medical scare laid me out for a full week—which may not sound like much, but to me, it was an eternity—I was lost. Without my usual movement, I couldn’t figure out how to find my center, and quite simply, I just didn’t feel like myself. I know I’m not alone. A colleague who was also recently sidelined with an injury commiserated, and countless Instagram followers told me they could seriously feel my pain. Seeking sweat-fueled sanity, I decided to consult the experts to see if there was anything I could do to keep body and mind happy during this time. “It’s an individualized question of what makes you feel relaxed or what makes you feel calm,” says Hillary Cauthen, PsyD, CMPC, an Association for Applied Sport Psychology representative told me when I begged for her advice. “For some people, that might be doing moderate exercise like yoga or stretching, even if they’re not able to do full physical exercise.” For
Literally set the tone of your home with this guide to Feng Shui colors
March 05, 2019 at 10:24AM by CWC Feng Shui is, put simply, the idea that the energy of a space can impact your mood and your life, and that you can therefore change and cultivate the energy you’d like through conscious decorating. Even if you don’t prescribe to a holistic Feng Shui philosophy, you’ll notice that there’s a reason waiting rooms are usually blue and why you don’t often come across neon living rooms—the color of the things around you can have a measurable (and scientific!) impact on your health and psyche. To make sure you’re creating the exact ambiance you’d like in your home, you should consider the Feng Shui impact of your color scheme. “When we talk about colors in Feng Shui, we talk about them in the context of the five elements and the colors associated with each of them,” says Patricia Lohan, a Feng Shui expert and author. Lohan says to think of the use of the five elements color scheme like acupuncture in the body—it helps restore and remedy energy. Sometimes you can pinpoint the exact thing that makes a room or a home comforting and inviting—maybe it’s all of the handmade artwork hanging on the walls, or the Chip & Joanna Gaines-esque aesthetic of rustic chic coziness. But often times I find myself in situations wherein there are intangible good vibes in the space or alternatively, an overall unidentifiable bleakness to the decor. When you can’t figure out why your bedroom doesn’t feel as welcoming