September 16, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Fertility is such a complicated topic (and simultaneously so fraught with emotions) that it’s a breeding ground for myths. Some people want to be pregnant so badly that they’ll do anything to achieve it, whether it’s listening to old wives’ tales about what to eat to ensure a certain sex or Googling their questions for hours on end to get answers from increasingly sketchy blogs. It doesn’t help that actual facts about fertility were pretty hard to find in high school health class. As you can imagine, fertility experts spend a great deal of time correcting false beliefs. We talked to several to learn the most common fertility myths that they want people to stop believing, ASAP: 1. Myth: Birth control pills can either protect or harm fertility Bat-Sheva Lerner Maslow, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist at Extend Fertility, says she sees first-hand a lot of misinformation around birth control and its potential impact on fertility. “Some women feel that birth control must protect their fertility by ‘saving’ their eggs from ovulation. Others worry that pills harm their fertility, especially if they’ve been on them for a long time,” she says. In reality, neither are true. “Once a woman goes off of birth control pills, she is no more or less likely to get pregnant than she would be if she had never been on the pills in the first place,” Dr. Lerner Maslow says. 2. Myth: Irregular cycles are a sign of infertility
Category: You and your body
We tried 21 days of at-home workouts—here’s how it changed our outlook on fitness
September 16, 2019 at 02:59PM by CWC At-home workouts are pretty ideal for people with busy schedules (so, pretty much every human). You roll out of bed, throw on your activewear, and get straight to sweating. The problem? Finding the motivation to actually power through at your maximum potential. It’s easy to slack off when it’s just you looking down at your sneakers, willing yourself to bust out one more rep, versus having a professional trainer cheering you on IRL. Enter LES MILLS On Demand—the all-in-one fitness platform that features over 800 workouts from HIIT to yoga to dance—that’s essentially an entire boutique fitness studio in your phone. Our editors’ question: Would the at-home format really be as motivational as the studio classes they’re used to? To find out, two editors signed up for the Back To You 21-day challenge, which was created to help people “bring the focus back to their own health after the summer break,” explains Dr. Jinger Gottschall, a former triathlete who works with the head of research at Les Mills to test exercise programming. Because lets be honest, packing your sneakers on vacation takes up valuable real estate in your carryon. Les Mills proposed two workout plans for the challenge: Level 1.0 (for the wellness curious, designed to ease your body back into exercise with fun, short workouts) and Level 2.0 (for wellness fanatics who are ready for an amped-up challenge). Since no workout is complete without the right outfit (duh), our editors sported the
5 exercises a physical therapist wants you to do every day to prevent stiffness as you age
September 16, 2019 at 02:01PM by CWC If you’re already feeling a little stiff, just wait—this is just the beginning. As you age, your joints only become stiffer, and usually that goes hand-in-hand with bodily aches and pains. And there’s typically one thing behind the problem: not being active enough. “Stiffness often occurs when we’re not exercising enough, so the best way to prevent stiffness is by being regularly active,” says Katie Sun Worrall, DPT, physical therapist at Zion Physical Therapy. “There’s a lot of research that shows how sedentary behavior—aka sitting at work all day and not exercising—can lead to a number of health problems: obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure, to name a few. Whether it’s walking, running, yoga, cycling, lifting weights, or another exercise of your choice, all of it is good for you and your health in the long run.” To help you fight off stiffness in the future, you’ve gotta start now. Here are Worrall’s top exercises to combat stiffness—particularly the kind that occurs in the spine, neck, and back, as they’re some of the most common complaints. A physical therapist’s top 5 exercises to fight stiffness as you age 1. Cat-cow Start on hands and knees in a neutral spine. Inhale, drop the belly, widen the collarbones, open the chest, and arch the spine. Make sure to keep the back of the neck long (often people crunch the back of the neck trying to look up in this posture). Then exhale, draw the belly in,
If employers can commit to these 10 culture goals, a burnout-free workplace is possible
September 16, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC “I’m so burned out,” is a phrase many of us have called upon to describe a state of being tired or stressed, but this year especially, the condition of burnout has been percolating in the public conscious as a condition to regard in measures more serious than colloquial. And in May, the World Health Organization‘s International Classification of Diseases sanctioned it as an “occupational phenomenon.” In other words, burnout at work is a serious issue of which we should all be aware. “Generally, burnout is described as emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness in the workplace, and chronic negative responses to stressful workplace conditions,” says Mary Ann Baynton, director of strategy and collaboration for Canadian advocacy platform Workplace Strategies for Mental Health. It’s not rare, either. A 2018 Gallup poll of 7,500 workers found that 23 percent reported frequent burnout at work and 44 percent reported occasional burnout, meaning nearly three quarters of employees surveyed had experience with the phenomenon. So, what we can we do about it? Richard Summers, MD, chair of the American Psychological Association’s Workgroup on Psychiatrist Wellbeing and Burnout, tells me that to really change, the intervention needs to happen on the organizational level, not the individual level. “Burnout is the problem that a well individual has with interacting in a stressful and complicated workplace, so the intervention has to be in the workplace.” Essentially, if the people you manage are burnt out, the onus might be (gulp) partially on you.
The 9-minute, at-home Pilates workout that targets every muscle of your core
September 16, 2019 at 12:01PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaQwt8_c6Sk] Welcome to Trainer of the Month Club, our brand-new fitness series, where we tap the coolest, most in-the-know fitness leaders to create a month-long fitness challenge. On Mondays, we have our “sweat drops,” where you’ll get access to the week’s workout that you can follow along at home. This week, Kimmy Kellum from East River Pilates is taking us through a Pilates workout focused on your core and glutes. As I browse fitness classes to take, these days, those that target “abs and ass” seem to be in excess. There’s just something so satisfying about working your glutes and core in one workout. So I’m thrilled to present this week’s Trainer of the Month Club workout from East River Pilates founder Kimmy Kellum—a Pilates sesh that’s going to work your booty and core all in one go. “This is an obliques and outer thighs workout, or, in other words: abs and ass,” says Kellum in this week’s video. All you’re going to need is a mini stability ball, or you can grab a blanket and roll it up. These props are simply to increase your range of motion for more of a challenge, since you’re balancing your torso on top of it the entire time (we’re working on balance, too!). In the course of nine minutes, you’re going to feel your obliques, your bum, your outer thighs, and your abdominal muscles burn—trust me. Let’s get to it, shall we? The Pilates core workout to
Want to get into investing? Here’s your beginner-friendly guide to deciding which route is best for you
September 16, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC Meet Wellness Collective, our immersive curriculum with Athleta that hooks you up with actionable advice from the smartest experts and brand founders in wellness right now. Get the goods at our monthly event series in New York City plus our online one-month wellness plans. Here, Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, shares her insight on how to go deeper with your investing know-how. Real talk: Unless you have a degree in finance, listening to someone rattle off investment terms can sound like a foreign language. And a lot of you agree—when we asked you to share your most pressing investing questions, the response was overwhelmingly “can someone please translate for a beginner?” To break it down for you, we asked Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, to explain why women still feel a barrier to investing—and how to combat that. “Ellevest’s mission is, to put it simply, to get more money in the hands of more women,” explains Krawcheck. “The entire investing industry was built by men, for men. In fact, 86 percent of financial advisors are men. Is it any surprise that all this wasn’t working for women?” Nope. That’s why Krawcheck built a platform “that takes our real lives into account—things like the fact that women get paid less, on average. And that they take more career breaks in order to care for children or other family members. And on average, women tend to invest less of their money than men do.” Not down with those
To all those seeking balance (aka everyone): Cosmically, this is your time
September 16, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC With the harvest full moon behind us and the moon now in its waning phase, we approach the denouement of Virgo season. This week, the sun moves from 22 degrees of Virgo to 29 degrees (each sign only contains 30 degrees total). So, essentially we wrap up our experience with the sun in Virgo—and, consequently, summer as well. With the sun moving into Libra on September 23 and the autumnal equinox right around the corner, the cosmos invites you to enjoy this mutable moment of adjustment. As the sun wanes back to balance this week, we find ourselves briefly in a moment of perfect equilibrium—with even parts of day and light. As the sun wanes back to balance this week, we find ourselves briefly in a moment of perfect equilibrium—with even parts of day and light. Venus, the planet of love, and Mercury, the planet of communication, already made the journey into the sign of balance. Having left Virgo on Saturday, September 14, both planets find their way through Libra now. Venus, the ruler of this judicious, value-driven sign—which works tirelessly to preserve beauty and harmony—does just fine in this domain of the zodiac. Mercury, now in its triplicity, does well here too. So, we can expect high-minded thinking, and echoes of balance to permeate the week. While traveling in the early degrees of Libra, both Venus and Mercury will oppose Chiron in Aries. This cosmic event will help to illuminate healing messages
Sorry chamomile, but banana peel tea is the brew you should sip before bed
September 15, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC Teas have long been used to serve as aids for everything from better energy (matcha!) to digestive assistance (hello, ginger). Sleep has certainly been no exception. While you may have heard that a cup of lavender or chamomile tea help promote good sleep, there’s another, lesser-known tea linked to a more restful snooze: banana peel tea. Typically, banana peels tend to go straight in the compost bin. But you can actually save the peels and brew them into a lightly sweet tea. (Sustainability, FTW!) Skeptical? I was too—until I started doing some research. Why banana peel tea is linked to better sleep Essentially, bananas as a whole are linked to promoting good sleep. “Bananas are full of various sleep-promoting nutrients, specifically the natural muscle relaxants magnesium and potassium,” says registered dietitian Eliza Savage, RD. “They also contain an amino acid called tryptophan, which is a precursor for the sleep hormone, melatonin, and the mood-influencing neurotransmitter, serotonin.” So incorporating a banana into your dessert (or as your bedtime snack) could work in your favor when you turn the lights off later. These sleep-promoting benefits may extend to the peel as well. “Based on some research reports, banana peels do have high concentrations of potassium and magnesium,” Savage says. But since eating a whole peel sounds…unappealing (sorry!), you can make tea out of the banana peel instead. “To my knowledge, it is safe to brew tea using banana peels. However, I would recommend cleaning the
A chef-turned-CEO shares the secret to activating your inner muse
September 15, 2019 at 09:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VKsq7L-cfk] While self care is highly personal in terms of what it means, often it’s built on rituals. Whether that’s a small morning ritual (your 7 a.m. yoga class) or an evening ritual (your five-step, pre-bed skin-care routine), the idea is that you’re carving out some amount of time within the day for yourself. But, rather than sticking to the daily continuum, have you ever considered a seasonal ritual for self care? Well, since the change of seasons is upon us, you can take a pro’s word for its efficacy: In the latest episode of Well+Good’s YouTube series Self-Care Nation, Sarah Ashley Schiear, chef and founder of Salt House, discusses the small ways her go-to fall equinox rituals help her tap into her “inner muse.” “At the beginning of each season, I really like to design a creative ritual for myself,” Schiear says. “The idea behind that is that I’m taking something that is really personal to me and that puts me in a state of inspiration, creativity, and joy.” “At the beginning of each season, I really like to design a creative ritual for myself. I’m taking something that is really personal to me and that puts me in a state of inspiration, creativity, and joy.” —Sarah Ashley Schiear, Salt House founder So what’s on Schiear’s slate for her fall equinox rituals? She first focuses on body movement, and then adds a little bit of exercise to summon those creative forces.
This drugstore moisturizer-cleanser hybrid is the secret to baby-soft skin
September 15, 2019 at 08:00PM by CWC I’d bet that if you paused your TV at any scene in which a leading lady in a 1950s-era show is primping herself or doing her skin-care routine, you could zoom in to see a cold cream on her vanity shelf. If you’ve never heard of such a beauty product, I feel you. It was a staple of women’s regimens half a century ago, used to remove gobs of makeup and soften the skin. But if you take a look at a cold cream, it appears to just be a fluffy moisturizer. And then the name indicates that it’s some sort of sickness remedy, or a skin-care concoction that’s meant to lower the temperature of your complexion. But here’s the deal: A cold cream is essentially a moisturizing makeup remover. “Cold creams are designed to remove makeup and smooth the skin,” explains Shari Sperling, DO, a board-certified dermatologist. “They are simple emulsions of water, mineral oil, and wax, and are best used for removing makeup.” Her take on the old school beauty product? “They don’t contain ingredients that are amazing for your skin, like hyaluronic acid, so just don’t expect cold cream to be a skin-care savior. Be cautious of using too much as the high concentrations of mineral oil and soap can dry out the skin,” says Dr. Sperling. That said, they certainly can feel like a luxurious way to wash your face at night—I’d imagine it feels like you’re rocking the famous