December 13, 2019 at 05:15PM by CWC As much as we would all love to feel 100 percent all the time, some days that’s far from reality, especially as you get older. There are body parts that start to ache, chronic pains that don’t let up, sniffles that keep you up at night, and headaches galore. All of which make it difficult to be a fully functioning human sometimes. If you’re searching for a holistic way to manage these ailments, acupressure is one tool you can use. “Acupressure is a non-invasive method of stimulating the body’s innate healing ability via purinergic signaling and modulation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems,” says acupuncturist Jacqui Kinzig. “In simpler terms, stimulation of certain areas of the body can help stop many different types of symptoms, from pain to anxiety to allergies.” The best part? Unlike acupuncture, no needles are required to reap the benefits. Even more good news: Kinzig says there are more than 400 acupressure points on the hands alone, which means you can inconspicuously apply pressure to these points for instant relief and no one would notice. Note that it does matter which hand you use when doing acupressure. “For systemic or non-pain related complaints, either hand can be used,” Dr. Kinzig says. “For acute pain, it is best to use the hand on the opposite side of the body from the painful area.” So, if let’s say you have lower back pain on your left side, acupressure should be
Category: Your Healthiest Relationship
Historic new law aims to grant 2.1 million federal workers 12 weeks of paid parental leave—here’s why that matters
December 13, 2019 at 05:04PM by CWC The absence of parental leave policies forces many people to prioritize their jobs over starting a family. Now, a new law would grant 2.1 million federal employees 12 weeks of paid leave. For some workers, having a child will no longer have to come at the cost of a career. The Senate is expected to pass the law next week, following in the footsteps of a series of paid parental leave policies from eight states and the District of Columbia, reports NPR. In the United States, less than 20 percent of workers receive leave benefits, excluding the people who need it most. Meanwhile, the vast majority of countries in the United Nations offer some kind of paid parental leave. Studies have shown that such legislation could shift the dynamics of parental leave for the better. A report from Rutgers University, for example, found that women who had the opportunity to take paid leave after giving birth were more likely to be working 9 to 12 months later. And given that the parental leave would extend to both men and women, newly minted fathers (only 36 percent of which currently take their allotted leave) would have the opportunity to step into the caregiving role of a newborn that has traditionally been left to women. But the new law—which would go into effect in October—doesn’t just cover new parents: caretakers for the sick and elderly will also be eligible for paid leave. Seventy-five percent of workers
Historic new law aims to grant 2.1 million federal workers 12 weeks of paid parental leave—here’s why that matters
December 13, 2019 at 05:04PM by CWC The absence of parental leave policies forces many people to prioritize their jobs over starting a family. Now, a new law would grant 2.1 million federal employees 12 weeks of paid leave. For some workers, having a child will no longer have to come at the cost of a career. The Senate is expected to pass the law next week, following in the footsteps of a series of paid parental leave policies from eight states and the District of Columbia, reports NPR. In the United States, less than 20 percent of workers receive leave benefits, excluding the people who need it most. Meanwhile, the vast majority of countries in the United Nations offer some kind of paid parental leave. Studies have shown that such legislation could shift the dynamics of parental leave for the better. A report from Rutgers University, for example, found that women who had the opportunity to take paid leave after giving birth were more likely to be working 9 to 12 months later. And given that the parental leave would extend to both men and women, newly minted fathers (only 36 percent of which currently take their allotted leave) would have the opportunity to step into the caregiving role of a newborn that has traditionally been left to women. But the new law—which would go into effect in October—doesn’t just cover new parents: caretakers for the sick and elderly will also be eligible for paid leave. Seventy-five percent of workers
The ‘four right exertions’ of Buddhism teach you how to regain control of your own energy
December 13, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC There’s a quote by author Iain Thomas that goes: “And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, ‘This is important! And this is important! And this is important!… And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, ‘No. This is what’s important.’” The “four right exertions”—a 2,600-year-old teaching of the Buddhist canon—offers guidance about how to make a habit of reclaiming what’s important. In her debut book, Tea and Cake with Demons, Adreanna Limbach highlights how modern minds can use the ancient wisdom to channel their energy like the precious resource it is. “I’m a sucker for structure, and the Four Right Exertions is a gorgeous framework for highlighting the amount of choice we actually do have in how we spend our energy, all while taking inventory of what is worth the precious resource of our attention,” says Limbach, a MNDFL meditation teacher. “It has likely survived the test of time for a reason—because it’s legit helpful.” “We live in an attention economy. Money is made by capturing our eyeballs and clicks.” —Adreanna Limbach, author of Tea and Cake with Demons This year seems like a fairly appropriate time to learn how to control our own energy, right? A recent Well+Good sleep survey revealed that, of nearly 1,500 people, 92 percent of respondents feel fatigued more than one day per week. Burnout is rampant. And the average person only
Tap this back-pocket tip to take the pressure off navigating the holiday food scene
December 13, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC Decked out in your most festive holiday attire, you consider whether to pour yourself a second glass of eggnog. As you poise the pitcher over your cup, you think, Well, I can only get this stuff once a year. In Instagram parlance: It me. Yes, we fully endorse pouring the eggnog (check out these dairy-free recipes). But according to Brigitte Zeitlin, MPH, RD, it’s this this once-a-year-opportunity mindset that trips up a lot of people when it comes to not waking up the morning after every holiday bash feeling totally, well, blah. At our latest Wellness Collective event with Athleta, Zeitlin shared the holiday eating tips that she personally uses to power herself through the season of cookies and eggnog. “The whole point of these events is to connect,” Zeitlin says. “We’re seeing our co-workers outside of the office to know them in a different way. We’re seeing family we only see once a year. These are the conversations and connections you want to focus on, because that’s what this time of year is all about. Keep in mind that the food is the background. It’s not the star of the show.” “Keep in mind that the food is the background. It’s not the star of the show.” By changing your mindset to view this as the season of connecting rather than the season of sugar overload for sugar overload’s sake, it can give “making the most of the holidays” a whole new meaning,
5 expert camping tips every aspirational adventurer should bookmark
December 13, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, a 2012 memoir recounting her solo trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, sparked a movement of female outdoor enthusiasts also taking to the trails. Since then, a profusion of diverse, female outdoor influencers and woman-led outdoor groups have been making al fresco adventures more accessible to even the least adventurous among us—myself included. I recently found myself hiking alongside two of these fearless females—photographers Noel Russell and Meghan Young—while exploring Vermejo Park Ranch in New Mexico. All three of us shared a genuine belief in the healing power of the outdoors, but being around these ladies revealed to me a disconnect between that harbored belief and my own experience with getting outdoors. Or, I should say, lack thereof. With each story they shared, I felt increasingly encouraged to solo camp, climb, and hike. So, in the interest of extending that encouragement with other would-be outdoorswomen, I got back in touch with Russell and Young, along with several other outdoors influencers to gather best practices and camping tips for the novice adventurer. If you’re ready to plan your own boundary-pushing, perspective-shifting, heart-opening wilderness trek, allow the following five insights from pros help you make it a more successful one. Pretty soon, you’ll have your own inspirational story to share. 5 camping tips from pros that every novice should bookmark. 1. Get the right gear Stocking up on gear can feel overwhelming thanks to the long list of items (and associated price
Bring damaged hair back to life overnight with this antioxidant-spiked hair serum
December 13, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC My hair has always been pretty long. It wavers between long-as-hell and it’s-short-to-me-but-still-actually-very-long in length, which means that “chopping it” is actually just getting a trim. (Long-haired peeps, you know what I mean.) Right now, my hair is one of the longest lengths it’s ever been, and I’ve found that my low-maintenance routine of shampoo and conditioner and maybe a deep-conditioning treatment now and then hasn’t been working that great. Whether you blame it on my scalp’s oil production or the dry-air season that we’re in, the fact is that I need a product that will help get my hair out of a serious rut—a redo of my ‘do, if you will. Enter: the Kerastase Nutritive 8-Hour Magic Serum ($55). Putting “magic” on a bottle is a bold claim, but they’re not wrong. The second I tried this sleeping serum, which is meant to penetrate your strands as you snooze, I could already tell I was in love. The scent itself does it for me, which is an enticing blend of floral notes. But then I pumped some product into my hand, put it on my dry, unwashed hair, focusing on the ends, and tossed it all into a silk scrunchie bun before I went to bed. The next morning, I let my hair loose to find that I had silky, super-shiny hair that looked like it just had a professional blowout. The serum, a first of its kind, works on each strand with
7 healthy eating experts reveal the foodie gifts they really want for the holidays
December 13, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC On the surface, buying a holiday present for someone who loves to cook may sound like an easy feat. But when you really start to think about it, shopping gets tricky. It’s easy to walk through Williams-Sonoma or the cooking aisles at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and debate whether they already own a crêpe maker or a set of festive cookie cutters. After all, they’re already in the kitchen a lot. For inspiration, I decided to go straight to healthy food experts to find out what’s *really* on their holiday wish lists. The picks here are items they’re coveting, secretly (well, now not-so secretly) hoping someone will gift them this year. And if none of them appeal to you, hey, there’s always a bottle of wine. (Or one of the trendy non-alcoholic spirit alternatives.) Keep reading to see the food gift ideas nutrition pros have on their holiday wish lists. Photo: Wusthof 1. Wusthof chef’s knife, $146 “Every home cook, no matter your experience or comfort level in the kitchen, will benefit from having an incredible chef’s knife,” says Nutrition Stripped founder, Well+Good Wellness Council member, and registered dietitian McKel Kooienga, RDN. Kooienga spends a lot of time in the kitchen, so this year she’s coveting a new chef’s knife that will make will make cooking both easier and safer. (She has her eye on one from German knife brand Wusthof.) Photo: OXO 2. OXO Good Grips hand-held mandoline slicer, $15 As a
The most popular mascara in the U.S. sells a tube every 3 seconds, and only costs $5
December 13, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC There are certain beauty products that stand the test of time. In my case, the same Clinique moisturizer I used to steal from my mom is now sitting on my vanity, alongside the MAC Ruby Woo lipstick that I’ve been wearing since the early 2000s. And as far as mascara is concerned, there’s one product that has reigned supreme since it was introduced way back in 1971: Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara ($5). The drugstore product has held the title of America’s favorite mascara for years, and 2019 has been no exception. A tube of the iconic lash lacquer sells every three seconds in the U.S., according to the brand, beating both other drugstore options and prestige ones… and it’s all for good reason. The mascara adds both length and volume to make lashes look doubly as long, thick, and luxurious, and gives them a subtle lift without the added step of an eyelash curler. The formula is buildable, so one coat will give your lashes a little oomph, but adding a second and third will amp things up even higher; plus it conditions on top of that. It’s also intensely waterproof, so much so that one of the main complaints that users have with it is that it’s too hard to take off (though, pro tip, this four-ingredient homemade makeup remover should get the job done for you). If you’re looking for something that looks natural, never clumpy or spike-y, and
If you’ve heard of goat yoga, it’s time to level up and try horseback yoga
December 12, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N8ZhwDdFZ8] Yoga’s cool and all, but imagine doing it on top of a horse. If you’re thinking, ‘Huh?’ rest assured that horseback yoga is indeed a thing (as it goat yoga and puppy yoga, ICYMI). Think of it as a mix between the two wellness modalities of yoga and equine therapy (aka hanging with horses), joined together to create a truly otherworldly mind-body experience. And Ella Dove, our director of creative development, is trying it out in Well+Good’s latest episode of What the Wellness, a series in which we investigate all of the most out-there wellness treatments. During a visit with Shakti Ranch in Malibu, California, Dove gets bendy right on top of Sophie, a (very cute) horse. “Horses have this really beautiful way of energetically showing the inner psyche of someone,” says Natalie Riggs, equine therapist at the ranch. So, sure—horses are grounding creatures, but Dove has to actually practice yoga on the horse’s back… which requires a lot of balance (ahem: this one goes out to anyone who’s ever toppled in tree pose). That means that Dove has to use every single muscle in her body to help gain balance so that she doesn’t go ker-plunk on the ground mid-yoga pose. Once Dove moves through some simple breathing exercises and spinal twists, she gets into some impressive downward dogs and camel poses, all with Sophie as her dutiful #yogabuddy. Just how does she fare out with the hour-long practice? Is