January 15, 2019 at 07:30AM by CWC Many evenings before bed, I dim the lights, light a candle, and listen to lullaby-esque instrumental versions of Red Hot Chili Peppers songs by a group called Rockabye Baby! (They also produce baby-friendly bedtime renditions of everything from David Bowie and Beyoncé to Hamilton.) For me, listening to familiar songs that replace pounding drums and a shredding guitar with a gentle xylophone and the occasional slide whistle is self care. In that vein, a self-care routine doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming or really require any serious life changes. The most important feature of it is to simply exist. And often, it’s the very simple, very personalized things we do that have the biggest impact on our sense of well-being—especially if we take the time to recognize the benefits. Need some inspo for your own routine? I asked 22 busy people, “What’s the smallest thing you do for self care?” Here are there answers. 22 small acts of self care that make a huge difference in happiness. Photo: Getty Images/PhotoAltoFrederic-Cirou 1. Rewatching content “I watch movies I’ve seen before, or episodes of television shows that I’ve seen before. I’m often spiraling down a dark and seemingly endless well of unknowing, and so I find it really calming to watch something knowing exactly what awaits.” —Hanif Abdurraqib, poetry editor at Muzzle Magazine and author of They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us 2. Making perfect soft-boiled eggs “I use my egg machine to soft-boil
Category: Relaxation
Want healthier hair? Think about your scalp as part of your skin-care routine
January 14, 2019 at 08:17AM by CWC Despite the fact that I adopt a more-is-more philosophy when it comes to my complexion (seriously, you should see my bathroom shelves, which are overflowing with serums, creams, and body products galore), when it comes to my hair I’m a decidedly wash-and-go kind of gal. All I do is cleanse and air dry. Boom, done. And while many people have more complicated hair regimens than my own (it wouldn’t be hard), I’ve been considering lately that hair deserves as much adoration as skin. The reality: The scalp is a continuation of the complexion, and it’s the foundation of hair. So, why does hair care rarely get the skin-care finesse? That’s precisely what the brand-new brand Act+Acre has set out to remedy. “Hair should be included in the wellness category,” says Helen Reavey, co-founder of the brand and former hair stylist. “If you’re having a bad hair day, that’s because of your scalp—it can so easily get weighed down with silicones and dry shampoo.” Essentially, the hair-care brand—which uses a unique cold-pressed formula to preserve the integrity of its clean ingredients—is pivoting the anti-aging focus to your scalp. Delivering a single, on-point message: Don’t ignore the health of your scalp. Here’s how to create a regimen that you can stick with for happier hair that gets all the love. Photo: Getty Images/Gilaxiais The scalp-friendly hair-care regimen Watch the clock: It’s actually really important to not have a product sit in your hair for too
9 tips for working out with you S.O. that’ll save you from becoming competitive monsters
January 14, 2019 at 05:30AM by CWC Prioritizing your workouts can do your love life a solid in so many ways. You can meet potential flings at the gym, rev up your libido, up the flexibility required for more (ahem) elaborate positions, and straight-up just have better sex. It’d be logical, then, to assume that getting your sweat on with your sweetie is a real relationship #win. But does a couple that works out together really stay together? It depends. While research suggests that having a workout buddy is the key to sticking with your fitness goals and that exercising is good for your sex life in major ways, sexologist Jessica O’Reilly, PhD and host of the podcast Sex with Dr. Jess, says that if you become too competitive with your significant other, the result can ruin even the strongest of bonds. But even if you have a competitive personality (looking at you, Pittas), that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work out with partner. It just means you may need to implement a few rules and strategies to keep everything copacetic. Check out expert-approved tips below. 9 tips to keep workout competition with your S.O. totally healthy. Photo:Stocksy/Mosuno 1. Be open to trying each other’s workouts Even if CrossFit is your partner’s fave mode of exercise, while “Zen yogi” is more your speed, try each other’s fave modality on for size. Who knows? maybe you’ll end up becoming one of those CrossFit couples, or maybe they’ll find some newfound intimacy with partner-yoga poses. Also, try to enter the
How To Detox For Better Brain Health
January 13, 2019 at 11:00PM How to detox for better brain health, including infrared sauna, an antioxidant-rich diet, and herbs and supplements. Continue Reading… Author Ilene Ruhoy, M.D., Ph.D. | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue Detoxification is a real buzzword these days, immediately catching our attention when we see it, read it, or hear about it. Especially as we’re recovering from the holidays, people are more interested in detoxes and liver cleanses right now than at any other time of the year. But what is detoxification, really? And how is our brain involved? Physiologically, detoxification is an essential cellular function. When the body detoxifies, it packages debris in the form of foods and toxins so that it can be easily excreted from the body. We eliminate this debris through various mechanisms such as our gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract, respiratory tract, and our sweat glands, and it requires the recruitment of multiple organs such as the liver, lungs, gallbladder, skin, kidneys, and yes, the brain. Why organs like your brain suffer most from toxins. Not to get too science-y on you, but our body’s detox pathways also require a variety of nutrients that act as cofactors for the enzymes involved in this multistep process. These steps include activation, oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, conjugation, methylation, and recirculation. Because it’s so complex, detox requires significant amounts of the body’s energy supply. When our body is assaulted by the exposure to pro-inflammatory foods, alcohol, tobacco, medications, and foreign substances such as drugs, heavy
The one yoga pose you can do in bed to help recover from your intense January workouts
January 12, 2019 at 05:31AM by CWC Whether you’re kicking off 2019 with a 30-day fitness challenge or a pledge to hold a plank for a full one minute by the end of the month, January tends to be the time of year when you’re the most motivated to push your limits at the gym. Personally, I’ve made it my mission to get in a 30-minute sweat sesh every day until February 1st, and so far, so good—to an extent. On the one hand, I feel so, so strong (I got into my first ever headstand this week), but on the other… ohmigodIAMSOSORE. Even if you’re taking all of the proper precautions to make a harder-than-usual workout regimen safe for your body, your muscles will ultimately hurt after multiple days in a row of burning them out. So what can you do to rehab them so that you can keep trucking along? Put your legs up on the wall, apparently. According to Erica Chen, an instructor at NYC’s Yoga Vida, “legs up the wall” is the best possible pose for helping your body recover after a particularly intense series of workouts. “Like in all inversions, you are reversing the blood flow in the body which helps to improve circulation, and redirects blood back to your heart,” she explains, noting that the benefits of the pose are multifaceted. “You are calming the nervous system by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. You’re allowing the legs to drain excess fluid build up, which is
Miranda Kerr’s 4-step plan to reset your complexion in no time flat
January 11, 2019 at 04:07AM by CWC January consistently presents itself as a perfect blank slate in which to write all kinds of fresh goals. While strengthening one’s fitness game often gets much of the new year love, it’s also prime time to finally get your skin looking better than it’s ever looked before. But as you’re becoming more diligent about ingredients and building up a foundational skin-care routine, it’s important to not forget about the basics that also lead to a healthy complexion. Take it from Miranda Kerr, supermodel, mother, Well+Good Council member, and beauty brand CEO who’s all about taking a holistic approach to beauty. While the multi-hyphenate loves a good, clean skin-care product, she’s also always preaching the importance of living a healthy life in other ways in order to reap the glowy skin benefits. To get her secrets, I spoke with Kerr about her tips for ensuring your complexion stays radiant year-round. Keep scrolling for her healthy skin advice. Miranda Kerr’s 4-step plan for glowing skin in 2019 1. Take time out for yourself: “I feel that it’s so important to take a little time each day for yourself,” says Kerr, who just had her second child (in other words: finding that time is hard but essential). “For me personally, I find if I can take 15 minutes to do a meditation or set aside some time to exercise, I feel much more balanced and am able to give so much more to my family, work, and friends.” 2. Prepare
Is Acupuncture Officially Mainstream?
January 10, 2019 at 11:00PM As a key pillar of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has been around for thousands of years. But lately, we’ve seen a huge surge in interest in this healing modality. From chronic pain and infertility to insomnia, anxiety, and neck pain, people are discovering acupuncture—and recommending it to friends and family—left and right, all over the world. Recently, I visited a new acupuncture studio in New York City called WTHN, and after experiencing its boutique fitness studio vibe and looking at their menu of treatment options—including the “Second Wind” for fatigue, “Trust Your Gut” for digestion, and a “Face Time” facial acupuncture treatment—I couldn’t help but think: Is acupuncture officially mainstream? Acupuncture is becoming more well-known by the minute. Even a few years ago, acupuncture felt a little “out there.” But now, it’s practically commonplace. According to Paige Bourassa, MSTOM, L.Ac., RHN, a licensed acupuncturist and founder of Shen Medicine, more and more patients walk into her office already knowing a thing or two about acupuncture. “We used to see people come in for acupuncture as a last-ditch effort, when they were suffering from extreme pain. Now, we have people come in after breakups, to deal with work stress, to help with fertility, for hormonal imbalances, and just about anything else you can think of,” she explained. The number of acupuncturists in the U.S. has also ballooned, with a recent survey published in the Journal of Integrative Medicine showing that the number is now up to
I tried a digital detox facial meant to undo the damage blue light causes
January 10, 2019 at 12:03PM by CWC Technology is such a part of my life that I can’t even remember what things were like before my smartphone existed. My job requires being on a computer, like, all day, and when I’m not typing away, chances are my hands are preoccupied with using my cellphone. Yeah, I know—I can feel you shaking your head in disapproval. So when an email popped up in my inbox announcing a new “digital detox” skin-care treatment catered specifically to tech-loving beauty enthusiasts, my screen-addicted, blue light-riddled face perked right up. The facial aims to undo all of the damage that technology can cause for your complexion. That means tech neck, the effects of blue light, and facial tension that comes from staring at screens. Um, yes please to all of the above. “The digital detox treatment relieves tech neck through touch therapy and complete relaxation,” says Lynne Araw, global service innovation manager at Dermalogica, the brand that’s offering the treatment in their spas starting this month. “Touch therapy massage stimulates and loosens the muscles in the jaw, neck, and shoulders, plus helps balance the circulatory and lymphatic systems to help recapture a healthy, energetic glow.” In other words—it sounds completely necessary. First of all, I was strongly advised to put my phone down—meaning, no social content. (I negotiated being allowed to take one selfie, but the benefits would def be better if you resist this temptation.) “We are on our phones and computers all day so
Opioid addiction in women is growing at alarming rates—what accounts for the increased risk?
January 10, 2019 at 08:56AM by CWC Cassidy Webb was 17 when she got her wisdom teeth removed. As is common after a wisdom tooth extraction, she was prescribed hydrocodone—the generic form of Vicodin—to help her manage the pain. But for Cassidy, it was the spark that ignited an opioid addiction. “I fell in love with it immediately,” she says. “It helped me slow down and relax.” After her prescription ran out, she complained to her doctor that her teeth hurt and got a refill. And when that ran out, she started buying pain meds illegally. “I went off to college and I started doctor shopping. I found a doctor who would give me pain medications every month,” she says. “I would just tell him I had bronchitis.” She also started selling weed to have the money to buy opioids illegally—including heroin, which she had started injecting. “All my money went to drugs,” Webb says. She had started college with a full-ride scholarship to study chemistry, but all her attention went to fueling her addiction. “I kept using for two years and it reached a point where I had lost the will to live,” she says. She eventually decided to intentionally overdose. “I told myself that if I did wake up, I would get help,” she says. Fortunately, Webb did indeed wake up, in the hospital, and decided to leave her home state of Arkansas and go to an in-patient treatment facility in Florida to deal with her addiction. Now, she’s
The 21-Day Action Plan For More Meaningful Connections
Doing These 21 Things Creates Deeper & More Meaningful Relationships Continue Reading… Author | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue January 10, 2019 — 9:00 AM Every single journey toward wellness is as unique as each individual seeking it. No one routine is the same as the next, and that’s the beauty of it. We’re all nourished spiritually, mentally, and physically by different things, and that extends to self-care—the practices that make us feel happy, confident, and whole. So much of the self-care conversation has centered around the idea of “you do you,” which—don’t get us wrong—is awesome and very much needed. But as 2019 kicks off, we’re focusing on expanding self-care to include an often overlooked yet major common denominator for everyone’s wellness: our personal relationships. Research has shown that strong ties and relationships are a significant marker of happiness and quality of life. But whether it’s strengthening a romantic relationship, connecting deeper with a family member, or reconnecting with an old friend, every bond is different. “Relationships are a lot like houseplants: Some plants are high maintenance and need a lot of care and specific environment, but they are unique and beautiful. Other plants require hardly anything,” says Christy Haas, a relationship counselor based in Cincinnati. “Being aware of what your relationship needs and cultivating that is so important,” she adds. “Knowing what your loved one requires to feel connected to you and vice versa is key.” For example, some people will be moved by receiving