March 05, 2019 at 05:33AM by CWC With so many feel-good yoga poses, it’s hard to choose just one as a favorite. Some people love the stretch they get from triangle pose or the feeling like you’ve prepared for battle with Warrior II. Shavasana provides ultimate relaxation. And downward dog always gets the job done no matter who you are. But if you’re looking to hit all the right muscles in one move, Jennifer Lopez‘s trainer, David Kirsch, demonstrates a downward dog pushup you’ll want to master for the end of your workouts. When it comes to exercise, the downward dog pushup is a triple-threat. Not only does it work your core and triceps, but it also provides a great stretch, exactly what you need after finishing up an intense routine. “Try it at the end of your workout,” Kirsch writes on Instagram. To get the most out of the pose, Kirsch doesn’t just stop with the downward dog. He adds on a plank and pushup into the flow, too. After pushing back into downward dog, Kirsch lowers through a plank right into a low pushup position on the floor. After going down as far as you can, slowly bring yourself back up into downward dog again and feel the goodness of the stretch. Basically, by adding a few minutes to the end of your routine, you’ll be able to wind down with a quickie exercise that provides the perfect combination of burn and relief. (Oh, and some J.Lo-level toning in the process.) View
Category: Relaxation
A massage therapist explains why your stomach makes weird noises during treatments
March 04, 2019 at 09:14AM by CWC One of the best parts of getting a massage (aside from, you know, the actual massage) is unwinding and letting your worries dissolve into the ether. So the most recent time I treated myself to one, I slipped out of my clothes and onto the table, laying my head down with an exciting anticipation for my hour of relaxation. And then things got awkward. As in: My stomach would not shut up. Seriously—like clockwork, just when things got quiet and the massage therapist started on my back, my gut began to make embarrassing noises that almost even sounded like I was passing gas. Ugh. I found out it’s a thing, though, that no one tells you about getting massages: They can make your tummy chatty. Like, aggressively chatty and loud. Instead of spending the rest of your session contemplating if you should apologize, Ericka Clinton, BS, LMT, and dean of massage therapy at the Swedish Institute says you should just relax—because it happens to nearly everyone. “When I hear the belly rumbling, I smile because I think I’m doing my job,” says Clinton. “As well-trained massage therapists, we’re prepared for anything, and we know that once you get relaxed you may have digestive processes occurring—belly rumbling, gas—that will happen.” “As well-trained massage therapists, we’re prepared for anything, and we know that once you get relaxed you may have digestive processes—belly rumbling, gas—that will happen.” —Ericka Clinton Essentially, it’s because all of that pressure
I went to a sexting coach, and now I feel like an erotica author whenever inspiration strikes
March 04, 2019 at 07:12AM by CWC If there’s anything better than enjoying pristinely white sneakers, a perfectly ripe avocado, or pajamas that are just-got-out-of-the-dryer warm, it’s gotta be receiving an expertly crafted NSFW message from someone you’d like to, have been, or plan to take to bed. Sexts hold the power to take me from zero to hero in a split second (read: aroused hero). Yet even as someone who’s been in the sexting game since the days of Motorola RAZR phones, sometimes I still feel like my messages are less so akin to a bona fide erotica author than they are an immature kid giggling at dirty words. So naturally, when Brianna Rader, founder and CEO of sex and relationship coaching app Juicebox, introduced me to to her app—explaining that the platform’s sexperts offer coaching on nitty-gritty—I was intrigued. Could I learn to sext like true arteest? Rader suggested I try. So through the app, I connected with intimacy coach Stella Harris, author of Tongue Tied: Untangling Communication in Sex, Kink, and Relationships, who gave me some blush-worthy actionable tips in the art of sexting. Check out five things I learned below. (Spoiler: I now feel like I unlocked the power to turn on some nonexistent filthy filter whenever I pick up my phone and sexy inspiration strikes.) 5 tips to sext like an erotica author 1. Give the recipient a heads-up before sending a sext Let’s clear up any confusion: You need to ask for consent before sending a sext or
4 things amethyst is good for—other than looking pretty in Instagram posts
March 04, 2019 at 06:30AM by CWC When it comes to crystals, amethyst, a type of quartz (yes, as in the Instagrammable rose quartz), is one of these photogenic and ubiquitous ones. Its popularity, however, isn’t just about its ultraviolet hue. The crystal has been referred to as a spa day in a stone—with a reputation like that who wouldn’t want to incorporate amethyst in their life? As a common crystal, you’ve likely seen it occupying prime real estate on your office mate’s desk or noticed it in beautiful pieces of jewelry. The stone is also the birthstone of February babies (alongside bloodstone) so it tends to draw an especially strong attraction from Aquariuses and Pisces, according to crystal expert and co-founder of Energy Muse Heather Askinosie. Generally speaking, “amethyst brings peace to your life. It clears your mind of stress and worry so you can connect to your inner peace in a moment of quiet, even on the busiest of days,” Askinosie says. Here are 4 more amethyst healing properties that make it a crystal worth carrying. 1. It facilitates peaceful sleep “As a calming crystal, amethyst guides you toward relaxation and restful sleep,” Askinosie tells me. If you regularly suffer from restless sleep or find it difficult to fall asleep you should place the crystal in your bedroom (on your nightstand perhaps). 2. it helps with intuition and communication “Because of its purple color, amethyst is connected to the sixth chakra, located just above the center of your brows,” Askinosie
5 healthy reasons to eat pumpkin in seasons that don’t rhyme with schmautumn
March 02, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC When PSL season rolls around, you know it’s going to be a great couple of months. However, there’s no reason why pumpkin should only be savored when it’s “trending.” Pumpkin has a ton of healthy benefits to add nutrition to your diet and boost the taste of pretty much anything you’re craving. Sweet or savory—it complements both and is pretty low in calories, making it an excellent diet food. As if you needed more excuse to dig into pumpkin-spiced goodies all year long, here are five awesome benefits of your favorite orange-colored food. 1. It’s high in vitamin A… Eating pumpkin is good for your peepers. “One cup of pumpkin contains over 200 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which is an important vitamin for eye health and night vision,” says Maggie Michalczyk, RD. Pumpkin’s bright orange color comes from its high beta-carotene concentration, she explains, and beta-carotene is a carotenoid (an antioxidant) and a precursor of vitamin A. Beta-carotene also helps protect us from the sun’s harmful UV rays, so it’s great for keeping skin youthful and fresh. 2. …and it’s packed with vitamin C, too “Pumpkin is a good source of vitamin C, an antioxidant known for strengthening the immune system and boosting collagen production (one of the reasons why you see so many skin products with pumpkin in them!),” she says. What’s more, it also improves iron absorption and studies show it reduces oxidative stress, which can prevent premature aging.
Announcing your March spirit animal: Hello, deer
March 02, 2019 at 02:52AM by CWC So, what is the spirit animal for this month? That’s a question that “RockStar Shaman” Alyson Charles meditates on for Well+Good readers, as she divines each energy forecast for the next 31 days or so. And for March, it’s tktk. Get ready for tktk. After a month of many energies shifting and scrambling at times, we enter into March with a beautiful opportunity to step even more onto the path of the heart. In my walk as a mystic, one of the teachings that has presented with ever-increasing clarity, importance and power is being able to access your heart and its essence and feel. As you do practices and live a lifestyle that allows your heart to open (thus allowing you to get more in touch with it), you can begin to clearly feel the difference when you are making decisions from your mind, desires, attachments, or from your illuminated heart. While the mind is obviously vital for humans to function, to learn to be in communication with and take steps forward in life from the messages of your heart is a main factor in living a life that feels in alignment with what your soul really wants for you (which allows you to feel deep gratitude and fulfillment) and learning how to step with the light. This is all about making decisions that are not based on what your ego wants for you, or what you think will make you “look good”
This is exactly how long to spend in the shower, according to a derm
March 01, 2019 at 08:16AM by CWC There are two types of shower-takers: those who lazily luxuriate under a waterfall as they lather up with essential oil-spiked suds and those who simply cannot. I fall in the latter category. I treat my showers like sprint practice—the sooner I’m in and out the better. And TBH, while my mom side-eyes the fact that I regularly keep my showers under three minutes (way below average), my skin is likely thanking me for it. For many people, their average shower time far exceeds dermatologists’ recommendations. Allow me to explain. Despite the fact that the warm water is the perfect antidote to chilly temps, the heat isn’t so great for our first line of defense. Studies have shown that hot water can strip away moisture within the epidermis, leaving the skin barrier compromised, inflamed (and dry, in the irony of ironies). Given this, dermatologists say that there are a few things that we can do to address the situation. First off, keep showers short. They don’t have to compete with my gold medal efforts, but they shouldn’t run the length of, say, a Netflix episode either. “I definitely would cap it at 15 minutes,” says dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD. “If your fingers and toes are wrinkly, you’ve been in for too long.” (Rather than Seinfeld, maybe you flip on an episode or two of our YouTube series What the Wellness to count as your timer.) While the length of your showers is super important, so too, is keeping the
The pro-approved ways to sculpt your jawline at home
February 28, 2019 at 12:53PM by CWC I’m well aware of how to go about sculpting various limbs. For your arms, it’s all about embracing the push-up and perhaps dabbling in boxing. For legs, I’d recommend all the lunges. For that peach? Plenty of squats. When it comes to the face, and more specifically, the jawline, however, there are other exercises (AKA treatments you can do at home) that do the job. Keep on scrolling for all of the intel for how to chisel your jawline both at home or through treatments at the derm’s office. Photo: Getty Images/ iStock Gua sha Sometimes, all it takes to lift and sculpt is a mere crystal—AKA your gua sha tool. “Gua sha is an ancient traditional Chinese medicine treatment where the skin is scraped to intentionally create transitory therapeutic petechiae one (which looks like bruising),” says Lamees Hamdan, MD, physician and founder and CEO of beauty brand Shiffa. “This has positive anti-inflammatory and immune protective effects for the body and the area being treated.” To sculpt your jawline, it takes time and effort using the thin facial tool (which is usually made out of a crystal). It may look like a simple piece of stone, but it works to “contour and refine the face,” says Dr. Hamdan. “Gua sha releases muscular tension, which tends to give you a pinched, angry look, and it helps circulation and to lift the skin. With use, your skin looks visibly plumped, and it glows.” Typically, the tool has
What’s the deal with people who don’t get jet lag—and how can I be more like them?
February 27, 2019 at 01:53PM by CWC Traveling is the best. New places! New foods! New Instagram-worthy photos to send everyone back home! But jet lag? Not so much. There’s nothing that will harsh your vacation high faster than stepping off a nine-hour flight, checking into your hotel, accidentally closing your eyes…and immediately falling asleep for the next 13 hours. It’s even more inconvenient if you’re traveling with someone who doesn’t get jet lag. What are you supposed to do when you’re fighting to keep your eyes open while your traveling companion is ready for a wine-and-cheese fueled tour of Paris? Jet lag, per the National Sleep Foundation, is an “imbalance in your body’s ‘biological clock’ caused by traveling to different time zones.” Basically, your sleep patterns are dictated by your body’s circadian rhythms (the mechanism in your body that responds to light and dark, which is what tells your body to start producing melatonin). Everyone’s circadian rhythms are different, which is why you might be a morning person while your boyfriend loves burning the midnight oil. And messing with those natural rhythms (like traveling on a 23-hour flight to Tokyo), can cause exhaustion, brain fog, trouble sleeping, and all the other fun symptoms of jet lag. Rebecca Robbins, M.S., Ph.D., of the Center for Healthful Behavior Change at NYU School of Medicine and co-author of Sleep for Success! recommends thinking of it this way: Have you ever stayed out really late on a Friday night and then slept in on Saturday morning?
A deep dive into dirty talk—and how to do it without feeling like an awkward llama
February 27, 2019 at 09:46AM by CWC F*ck me like someone who closes deals. That is an actual line I actually once said. Verbatim. Out loud. To my partner. When he was inside me. Why? Because he had just closed a deal at work, so that felt like a good thing to say in the moment. What ensued was the kind of sex I imagine inspires romance novels. But after, we burst out laughing as we repeated my bold outcry in different accents back and forth to each other. Dirty talk. So many of us think it’s hot (in fact, research has shown that those who communicate pleasure during sex are more likely to experience sexual satisfaction than those who did not). But outside the bedroom (or kitchen counter, or really wherever the urge strikes), those grunted phrases come across as naughty and awkward in the best of scenarios and filthy and degrading in the worst. So what is it exactly about erotic-leaning chatter that is such a turn on for so many people? Below, experts dish on why the discourse can be so sexy—plus, seven tips for how to talk dirty without feeling like an awkward llama. Why dirty talk can be a turn-on Beyond being undeniably hot, talking dirty also appeals to our brains, our bodies, and it flips the bird to standards of societal decorum. Furthermore, it introduces an additional sense (hearing) to any sexcapade, and is therefore able to stimulate the brain more so than touch alone.