August 15, 2019 at 08:28AM by CWC It’s often said that the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach, and there’s something really vulnerable about cooking for someone. You’re spending your time and energy in hopes of making that special someone feel nourished and cared for. And hey, cooking is a skill! All of that makes choosing what to serve a new SO for the first time challenging. Not only is it hard to predict what someone will like, but the whole cooking process is unpredictable, too. No one is immune to the occasional #foodfail. Here, nine people in the wellness space get real about exactly what went down the first time they cooked for their significant other. From what they decided to make to how it was actually received, the stories are both heartwarming and inspiring. Ready for a little dose of food romance? Keep reading to see their stories. 1. “We still make it three years later” Registered dietitian and Well+Good Wellness Council member McKel Hill, RDN, went big with the first meal she made with her now-husband. “We were about a month into dating and we made curry-baked tofu, red peppers with fresh parsley, lemon, and olive oil. We also made a massaged kale salad with nutritional yeast, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and dill,” she says, adding that they ended their meal with some store-bought coconut milk ice-cream. Ambitious as the dish was, it turned out awesome, Hill recalls. “It was perfect for so many reasons,” Hill
Category: You and your body
5 Instagram videos to bookmark if you’re still confused in the weight room
August 15, 2019 at 08:23AM by CWC In college, I had an (admittedly weak) comedic bit about how cardio machine hopping was my version of bar hopping. The 45 minutes I spent at the gym consisted of bouncing from the treadmill to the stairclimber to the elliptical with no real rules save for one exception: under no circumstances—never, ever, never—enter the weight room. In retrospect, this unspoken boundary is a result of a belief that I didn’t deserve to be in the weight room. (I know—that sounds funny! But hear me out!) Strength equipment remains largely male-dominated. And while cardio machines are pretty intuitive, leg presses, power racks, and lat pull down machines are not. Many of them require trial-and-error, asking for help, and developing muscles memory over time. Back then, I didn’t feel confident enough to approach these machines with the curiosity they require. Now, a fleet of Instagram fitfluencers has taught me how to dabble with heavy lifting—and quite frankly—I’ve never felt stronger. IG has made it easier than ever to stock your phone with free personal trainers and the Gym Shark-sponsored women are some of my favorite to follow. To name names, Natacha Oceane, Whitney Simmons, and Hanna Öberg have all transformed my idea of what a trip to the gym can look like. To be clear, I’m not an expert with every machine just yet, but with the help of my virtual sidekicks, I’ve become a little bit more brave about sampling the equipment. Anyone who
The secret to making any foundation look sheer? It’s all in the brush
August 15, 2019 at 06:57AM by CWC As much as I love makeup, foundation is the one thing that still makes me cower in fear. There are just too many factors you’ve gotta pay attention to in order to apply it flawlessly, from matching your skin tone with precision to what brush to use (if any) and how much to swipe on to tread the line between cake-y and natural. So I just… don’t use it (hence my addiction to good ol’ BB creams). But then makeup artist Tegan Rice shook my entire beauty world up with a small—but game changing—secret: You just need a big brush, and you’re good. “Use a powder brush for foundation so that it appears sheer,” she tells me as she applies a Charlotte Tilbury foundation to my face. “The bigger the brush, the more of a blend you get, while more dense means the more full-coverage.” She’s right—once she finished applying the foundation to my skin, I looked into a mirror and was shook by how natural my complexion still looked. Like, I could still see my freckles, and it looked like just a whisper of coverage (but also just… so good). It changed me and now I have heart-eyes out for foundation—I’m ready to use it, guys. Some big brush options you could throw into your makeup bag for the trick include Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Complexion Brush ($55), which is what Rice used on me, or the Hourglass Powder Brush No. 1 ($65), or
Hips tight from spin class? Same. Here are the best ways to combat that
August 15, 2019 at 06:30AM by CWC Although zillions of people are spinning class fanatics, there are two very common complaints I hear from those who attend workouts: 1) “Ouch, my butt is definitely going to be covered in bruises,” and 2) “My hips are tight AF.” While the former issue is one that typically goes away after you get used to the spin seat-butt relationship, the latter is one that tends to stay put—no matter how often you clip in. When I asked my colleague (hi Erin!) whether she deals with tight hips as a regular cyclist, she put it bluntly: “Story of my life.” Physical therapists and fitness pros agree that it’s extremely normal (albeit not fun or comfortable). “Repetitive movements through a fixed range of motion in a compromised postural position—forward flexion—will cause the muscles on the front of your hip and thighs to become overworked and stiff relative to the muscles on the opposite ends,” explains Sean Kuechenmeister, certified athletic trainer with the New York Sports Science Lab, confirming this hip tightness happens with most cyclists. Considering that spinning involves your body staying in the same position (minus your legs pedaling fast), it’s easy for the muscles to get tight and contracted. “The tightness in hip flexors comes from the fact that the body’s moving in the same plane of motion,” adds Erin Nelson, a cycling instructor at Swerve Fitness. So you’re recruiting the same major muscles in the same direction for roughly 45 minutes, which doesn’t leave much
6 things I wish I’d known before freezing my eggs
August 15, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC I’d written about egg freezing pretty extensively for multiple outlets—including Well+Good—before I decided to give it a go. For this reason, I thought I knew what to expect of the process: lots of shots, of course, and some sticker shock (to the tune of $15,000). I wasn’t even remotely nervous. I want babies and am not currently in a place to have them, so the idea of being proactive in some way about my fertility energized me. Friends who’d been through a freeze were reassuring, too. It wasn’t the favorite thing they’d ever done, but it “wasn’t that bad,” either, and now felt like they had a fertility insurance policy. “Not that bad” seemed like a pretty good trade-off for some peace of mind. However, there were a few aspects of the process for which I was in no way prepared, despite all of my research and advanced planning. Keep reading to find out what surprised me, and what I and other woman—polled after-the-fact—wish we had known before starting the freeze. 1. That first fertility consult can be super emotional (and disheartening) My fertility doctor sounded something like this during my first appointment: “Bad news, bad news, bad news, oops, now you’re crying, bad news, goodbye.” This was traumatizing because I hadn’t expected to hear anything negative. I was there to preserve fertility; I assumed that I was in good shape considering that my cycles were regular and I’m not “old” by fertility practice
I love you (long distance?): How I reclaimed 3 words for myself
August 15, 2019 at 04:02AM by CWC My boyfriend is hanging upside down when I realize—holy crap—I’m head over heels in love with him. We’re at a rock climbing gym in Queens, and I’m gawking up at his six-foot frame alongside a group of his closest friends as he scales a perilous course known as “the cave.” It should be impossible, but not for him. Suddenly, I think, “That person picked me! I picked him!” I want to cup my hands around my mouth and shout “Hey, you! I’m in love with you!” in a Say Anything-style boombox moment. He’s my first love and this should be it; this should be wonderful. Instead, my mind reels back to a conversation we’d had two weeks before. You see, my boyfriend—let’s call him Logan—recently accepted a job offer in the midwest that’s no hop, skip, and a jump away from me. In three months’ time, he’ll whisk himself away to a new life far from my home in New York City, and the inevitability of that move has made the subject of our “future” together sticky and painful. To make an apropos analogy—it now feels like I, too, am gripping precariously to multi-colored climbing holds against gravity’s better judgement. In three months’ time, he’ll whisk himself away to a new life far from my home in New York City, and the inevitability of that move has made the subject of our “future” together sticky and painful. Spending time with Logan now feels
A dermatologist says *this* ingredient is the little black dress of skin care
August 15, 2019 at 02:21AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0sqKBXyjls] Welcome to ‘Dear Derm,’ our brand-new series in which dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD shares serious skin-care realness. In each episode, she’ll answer your most burning beauty questions and give you all the tools you need to take your glow game to the next level. Ask any dermatologist to recommend one ingredient that should be a part of your morning skin routine, and they’ll send you straight for a bottle of vitamin C serum. “I think that vitamin C is essentially the LBD of skin care,” says board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, in the latest episode of Dear Derm by Beauty Geek. “It makes absolutely everybody look better.” Why the reputation? The superstar skin ingredient—otherwise known as L-ascorbic acid or tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (you can probably understand why we just call it “vitamin C”)—is known for its antioxidant prowess, which fends off fine lines in the long run, while brightening and acting as an anti-inflammatory in the short term. Rushing out to buy 100 bottles of the liquid gold? Know this: “Vitamin C is an amazing ingredient, but just like that Bumble date you had that weekend, it sure isn’t perfect,” according to Dr. Gohara. That’s because it’s highly unstable (like Edward Cullen, it too, hates the sun), and so you have to look for three things (check out the video above to find out what they are!) to make sure that it retains its potency. Check out the video above for everything
Hugger, high-fiver, or cheek-kisser? Your greeting style says a lot about your personality
August 14, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC I’m convinced that one of most cringeworthy feelings that can be experienced in life comes as a result of going in for a hug and being met with a handshake from the other person. Take a second now to imagine those uncomfortable fragments of a second when the handshaker’s arm sort of snakes into an adjusted position that could lend itself to either greeting, until one gesture inevitably wins out. Makes your skin crawl, right? While there are so many different ways of saying hi, hugging and handshakes tend to simply not mix, and the overarching reason for this may well have to do with the two tendencies reflecting very different personality types. While there’s no one explanation for how someone ends up as a hugger or a handshaker, but the way you’re socialized certainly plays in. One 2012 study published in Comprehensive Psychology asserts that how we react to physical touch is “is an important element in a child’s emotional upbringing,” and can influence our behaviors into adulthood. For instance, if your childhood resembled a string of Full House episodes, you’re likely to be a big-time hugger in adulthood. And if your childhood was all about the stiff upper lip, you may not be so inclined to show affection upfront. So regardless of your preference for ways of saying hi, you can feel okay about foisting at least some blame on your parents. And if your greeting style doesn’t fall in either category?
S’well made water bottles cool—and now they’re coming for your meal prep routine
August 14, 2019 at 03:30PM by CWC Five years ago, who would have thought that designer water bottles would be a Thing? Yet, having a S’well stainless steel water bottle has become a chic workout accessory. Whether you’re into the marble design, teakwood, or one with a psychedelic print, spending $35 on something to hold your water has become normalized just like buying $110 leggings and $60 sports bras. They’re just so pretty. Well, get ready for your kitchen to get a lot more attractive, too. Tomorrow, the brand is launching a new lines under its S’well Food umbrella, including S’well Eats (portable bowls that keep food hot or cold), S’nack by S’well (portable snacking containers), and Barware. All three new offshoots have the same stainless steel, sleek designs that made the water bottles a cult favorite. Both the bowls and snacking containers come in two sizes (small and large), are microwaveable safe, and keep food the desired temp for between six and eight hours. Prices range between $20 and $50. The Barware includes wine tumblers, an ice bucket, carafe, wine chiller, and even champagne flutes all in either gold, black marble, or teakwood. Like everything else in the S’well lines, it has triple-layer insulation and keeps bevvies chilled for up to eight hours, which means it’s here for your beach and picnic days. As sustainability becomes a bigger focus, more brands are working to create solutions that are not only better for the planet but actually look cool, too.
A therapist’s guide to coping when you feel completely overwhelmed
August 14, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Experiencing the heaviness and stress that comes with feeling overwhelmed can be paralyzing, regardless of the cause. It’s looking down at your to-do list and having absolutely no idea where to start. It’s thinking of everything your partner, kids, and seemingly everyone else in your life needs you to do and worrying you’re going to let them down. It’s needing a break but feeling like you have so much on your plate that you can’t take one. A frequent friend of anxiety, feeling overwhelmed is an emotion that is so big, it’s hard to see your way out of it. That’s where these tips from therapist and anxiety specialist Laura Rhodes-Levin, LMFT, come in. She shares advice on what to do when you’re overwhelmed in a few common scenarios, along with some general insight on what you can do on a regular basis to nip that feeling in the bud the next time life throws a lot your way. When you’re overwhelmed by your to-do list It’s totally counterproductive, but somehow, the longer a to-do list gets, the harder it is to actually get started and tackle what’s on it. When this happens to you, Rhodes-Levin suggests breaking it down into actionable steps, starting with what needs your attention first. Focus on completing the most critical task—having one thing crossed off on your list will feel empowering, she says, giving you the confidence to move on to something else. “I actually cross things