September 19, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC Are you able to speak properly and make rational decisions when you’re super turned on? Because I can’t. I call this having “sex brain,” and it’s way more serious than an intense craving to pounce on your crush as soon as they walk into the room. Rather, it’s an inability to think, talk, and act logically that can plague even the most levelheaded among us. Sex brain is oh-so real and can strike in a number of ways, like jumbling words when you’re trying to talk dirty, having unprotected sex because you’re in the heat of the moment, going back on your plan to not hook up with someone after experiencing electrifying sexual chemistry in their presence, or something else entirely. There is a common denominator “symptom” of all these events, though: doing something that’s outside the realm of what you’d consider a good decision in your normal, sexually unaroused state of mind. Why does sex brain impair decision-making skills? “Much of this sense of passion and attraction occurs in the primitive brain—the limbic system—and, thus, often produces reactive, primal behavior that ‘doesn’t make sense’ to the rational mind,” says clinical psychologist and sex and relationship expert Carla Marie Manly, PhD. Sexologist Jill McDevitt, PhD, agrees that sex brain exists, and points to cognitive overload as an explanation. “The idea is that maybe sexual arousal is the brain equivalent of having too many tabs open, and processes start to get glitchy and shut
Category: You and your body
The Class by Taryn Toomey is coming to a city near you (you heard me!)
September 19, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Every Sunday, no matter how non-virtuous my behavior the night before, I scrape myself out of bed at 8 a.m. to make it to a 9 a.m. exercise class. I do this not because I love to work out (I do not), but because it is the only time in the entire week I can catch The Class by Taryn Toomey (who happens to also be a Well+Good Council member) near my house in east L.A., and I gotta have it. If you know The Class, you know The Class. Trying to describe the yoga-HIIT-dance hybrid always makes me feel inadequate as a wordsmith, because it’s really different than anything else out there. Much of The Class is focused upon the principles that you can build long, lean muscle by focusing on working fast-twitch muscles. You do this by repeating small, dance-like movements for what feels like for-e-ver. It’s emotional, raw, and plain-and-simple: effective. And it’s gained enough of a reputation outside of the New York City and Los Angeles bubbles that the brand felt like it needed to take Toomey’s show on the road. In an attempt to answer these calls, she’s kicking off a seven-city tour this October. “Every day we receive emails and DMs from students near and far that are asking about when The Class might come to them, whether that’s in Midtown or Nashville,” says Toomey. “So we decided to bring it to cities where we’ve never been,
Feng Shui your office for more wealth and success in just 5 steps
September 19, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC If you’re anything like me, you probably spend way too much time at your desk, whether it’s in your home office or a cubicle at work. Luckily, there are many ways you can improve the vibe of your work space. Plants, for example, will breathe life into your office, literally. Essential oils will make the space smell heavenly and boost your mood too. Another way you can seriously create more good juju and take your work vibe to the next level? Feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of placement.“Feng Shui principles provide guidelines for how to successfully arrange our space with intention and meaning,” says Feng Shui consultant Jen Boyd. “Our environment influences the way we feel and it’s important that what surrounds us is supportive.” “It helps us discover how to create the most harmonious spaces for our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being,” adds Dara Dubinet, intuitive astro-geographer and Feng Shui consultant. By simply placing things in your office in a certain way and bringing in essential Feng Shui elements, you can boost your productivity, attract more wealth, and feel good on all levels—mind, body, and soul. Into it? Here’s how to Feng Shui your office, according to the pros. Step one: Declutter, declutter, declutter Before you infuse your office with good vibes, you first need to get rid of all the clutter, Dubinet says. Specifically, make sure there is no clutter on the floor so “chi,” aka life force energy, can
Find your superfood soulmate based on your wellness goals
September 19, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC Integrating superfoods into your everyday diet is awesome—but understanding which superfoods address specific areas of your health before adding them to your grocery cart? Even better. For a refresher, here’s what a superfood actually is: “A superfood is a naturally occurring ingredient that has health-supporting properties in the form of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, highly bioavailable nutrients, or unique structural components,” explains Ali Miller, RD, CDE integrative dietician, and author of The Anti-Anxiety Diet. To put it simply, superfoods are organic methods of reaping wellness-boosting benefits, in just one scoop. (Life. Hack.) If you’re saying “yes please” to all of the above, same. The next step is figuring out how to actually add them to your diet—and luckily, that task has gotten a lot easier. Enter Further Food, the women-owned and led brand that dishes up real superfood supplements that you can add into your morning smoothie or go-to caffeinated bev. Developed by leading naturopathic doctors, scientists, and herbalists, the supplements are designed to support specific parts of your wellness—so you can find the exact one to meet your needs, because it’s all about that customized life. Keep scrolling to see which superfood supplements you should opt for depending on your wellness goals. Radiant skin It’s not news that the beauty scene has been buzzing about collagen, and for good reason: Studies have shown that the supplement could potentially help boost skin elasticity and hydration, meaning it could be nature’s way of giving you
The case for using a bidet seat (and why you actually need one)
September 19, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about bidets (what, like you haven’t?) and if this luxe bathroom upgrade—which is a super common cleanliness essential in Europe—is something I should try. You see, I’m a prime candidate for upping my level of well-being in the bathroom, because dealing with my various digestive issues means I spend a lot of time in there. But before I took the plunge, I sent a mass message to the Well+Good office with a simple question: “Bidet seats—what are your thoughts?” “Honestly, I’ve never used one, but people who have made the conversion swear by them,” said digital designer Ems McCarthy. “I think they’re cool but never used one—definitely would elevate my space if I had one,” added account manager Caprice Serafine. Even Eva Rohan, our director of content and strategy, chimed in: “It sounds like a ‘once you try it, you can never go back’ situation, and any situation like that is one I want in on.” Among these responses, it was obvious that pretty much all my wellness-loving co-workers are intrigued by bidets. So for the sake of journalism and hygiene, I took TOTO WASHLET out for a test spin (err, rinse?) to see what becoming a regular bidet-seat user would feel like. Keep scrolling to see how using a bidet seat was a totally life-changing experience. 1. It’s easy to install (even for me, someone who somehow messes up everything) I’m so jaded by my own
Scuba diving in the Caribbean gave me the meditative experience I didn’t sign up for
September 19, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC When I arrived in Utila, Honduras—one of country’s three Bay Islands, which are located in the Caribbean—I had no intention of scuba diving period, let alone taking a certification course and then scuba diving in Costa Rica soon thereafter. But once I arrived on the Central American island surrounded by soft blue waters, I quickly learned that diving is enmeshed in area’s culture. Practically everyone I met was taking a course and seemed puzzled as to why I was even visiting if not to dive. So, nervous as I was, I changed my plan—while in Utila, do as Utilia tourists do, right? I enrolled in an open-water diving course for the entry-level certification, and while I wasn’t shocked about how quickly I fell in love with the activity, I hadn’t anticipated the underlying reason why. From the beginning, I knew diving would be a constant exercise in learning to keep my cool, and the first rule I learned facilitated this: Just keep breathing. It’s simple but something I definitely had to keep in mind in order to stay calm. After all, inhaling underwater after spending your whole life associating such an action with drowning is a strange sensation that can be scary. I put the rule to good use on my first day when my instructor and I were running through potential underwater mishaps and emergency situations at about 8 to 10 feet underwater. After one of these exercises, I had a panic
Your friendly neighborhood pharmacist is an under-utilized healthcare hero
September 19, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC If you’re anything like me, you use your pharmacy mainly for filling prescriptions, buying supplements, and impulse purchasing drugstore beauty products. But I’ve never considered talking to the actual pharmacist for…anything, really. I’m missing out, apparently, because pharmacists are medical professionals who can play a helpful role in anyone’s overall health care network, particularly given their accessibility. This is something I realized while researching a piece on over-the-counter birth control, when I learned that pharmacists in my state (California) can actually prescribe oral contraceptives. I had no idea this was the case, which led me to wonder what else they’re capable of doing which, it turns out, is a lot. “Pharmacists are truly under-utilized in our healthcare system—they’re very highly educated and trained [for five to eight years!] and skilled,” says Edith Mirzaian, Pharm.D., BCACP, an associate professor of clinical pharmacy at the University of Southern California. However, there is some variance in what pharmacists are able to do for you, depending on where you live. “All 50 states are variable in terms of the scope of the pharmacist’s practice,” Mirzaian explains. “If you have a cardiologist, the cardiologists in New York that’s the same thing as a cardiologists in California and a layperson will be able to tell you what a cardiologist does but a pharmacist in New York absolutely does not do the same thing as a pharmacist in California because our state laws are very different.” Yet by taking the time
Try this two-minute trick for turning insecurities into confidence
September 18, 2019 at 11:55PM by CWC It can be easy to let seemingly harmless thoughts (like wondering why your skin won’t cooperate with your own agenda, or skipping that workout class due to the anxiety of sweating it out with a group of strangers) the same way you mentally cycle through your daily to-do list. But according to blogger, model, and disability advocate Mama Cax, now is the time to quit the negative self talk. And at our recent Wellness Collective event with Athleta, she broke down exactly how. The answer? Leaning on the power of your (literal) collective. In real time, she confronted these feelings head on by asking all 41 women in the room to write down their top three insecurities on a sheet of paper—and then share them with each other. Not an easy task, but the exercise proved that even taking a moment to be mindful of how you speak to yourself can immediately halt its effects. Case in point: One pair of women—who were complete strangers until this moment—were hung up on the same exact characteristic (they both thought they sweat too much) and felt a giant sense of relief once they realized they weren’t alone. Letting your insecurities out into the open creates an opportunity to reframe them—and reclaim your power. “How you talk to yourself affects how you feel,” shared Cax, who survived having her leg amputated due to cancer. “Instead of saying, ‘I hate my scars,’ I say, ‘I’m happy I
A dermatologist says *this* is the number one culprit behind bikini-line bumps after you shave
September 18, 2019 at 11:22PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8oUKNCZHbo] I don’t remember how old I was the first time I decided to shave my bikini line, but I do remember how excited I was to finally be able to wear my favorite bathing suit without having to worry about flashing any #BigBushEnergy to the world (while that’s some people’s thing, it’s never really been mine). I also remember how painful it was when those first few ingrown hairs started to rear their heads, and how GD itchy my bits-and-pieces were when things started to grow back. So imagine my surprise when I learned that keeping razor burn at bay relies not in the way you shave, but the razor you don to get hairless. In our latest episode of Dear Derm—aptly titled “Booty Call Beauty” (lol)—board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, reveals everything you need to know about how to get rid of the hair down there, including the tools to do so properly and without having a whole “pants-on-fire” situation on your hands. After all, in the waxing-shaving-lasering lottery, it’s the least painful in the moment (and cheapest!) option out there. “Shaving is quick, easy and convenient, and we all know you can get it done in the shower less than five minutes after getting that ‘U Up?’ text,” she says. So what razor should you reach for? WTF do you do when shaving cream is on your shopping list, but not in your shower? Check out the video above to
Half of our editors use these peel pads, which make the rest of your skin care work better
September 18, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC There are very, very few beauty products that I would sell my soul to get a lifetime supply of. Someone recently asked me what my number one, can’t-and-refuse-to-live-without skin-care product is, though, and after some reflection and time gazing into my (very packed) beauty cabinet, I’ve realized that it’s: Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel ($88). I remember the day I received my first box of these peel pads, individually wrapped in the brand’s iconic orange package box. It’s an important date that I’ll celebrate right alongside my birthday and anniversary. Because, once I started swiping the pads over my skin in the morning—first, step one, the “exfoliate and peel,” then step two, the “anti-aging neutralizer”—I started seeing my complexion’s true potential. I’m not alone. These pads are a permanent staple in half of the Well+Good edit team’s beauty routine. The magic’s in the one-two punch of alpha hydroxy acids or AHAs like lactic, malic, and glycolic and beta hydroxy acids or BHAs like salicylic and willow bark extract, which more thoroughly exfoliate your skin. “They’re topical exfoliants,” explains Shirley Chi, MD, a California-based dermatologist. “Beta hydroxy acids go deeper into the pores and are great for acne, oily skin, and brightening. Alpha hydroxy acids are good for superficial exfoliation. So when they’re used together, you get more exfoliation and brightening than when used alone.” It takes two, ya know? Photo: Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare I know that chemical exfoliants and the