December 12, 2019 at 10:30PM by CWC Have you ever taken a bite of something and thought: “Now that’s a well-seasoned dish!” You certainly have, and as someone who knows a thing or two about flavor, Well+Good’s senior food editor Jessie Van Amburg recently got her first taste of a Japanese seasoning known as sansho powder. Sansho powder is a close relative of Sichuan peppercorn. It comes from the green seedpods that grow on the Japanese prickly ash. The spice sparks a fiery numbness on the tongue, and its flavor is at once surprising and satisfying. “I first tried sansho powder on a video shoot, and immediately fell in love with its taste,” says Van Amburg. “It starts off with a subtle citrusy flavor, but leaves behind a nice heat on the tongue that temporarily numbs your tongue—in a good way! Sansho powder is traditionally used in Japanese cuisine in sushi and noodle dishes, but I could see this also being a great way to spice up roasted vegetables or even to add some heat to scrambled eggs or omelettes.” After researching some other ways to use the seedpod spice, I stumbled upon a vinaigrette that works like magic with grilled vegetables, a hot toddy recipe that looks about as cozy as a weighted blanket, and countless others. So grab some sansho powder (for $5 on Amazon) and start experimenting. The difference between matcha and green tea: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADUuZrFQX7M] This spice mimics the flavor of red meat, and these spices
Category: Your Healthiest Relationship
A derm reveals the most common mistakes in your routine that could be making your skin dry
December 12, 2019 at 10:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTuLmx0JslY] Dry skin and cold weather are like two peas in one very uncomfortable pod. When temperatures dip below 40 (and the heat cranks up to full blast) it’s only a matter of time before that chapped, itchy flakiness sets in. But while an icy environment is certainly one reason why your skin is feeling parched, it tends to get far too much of the blame. Instead of cursing the weather for the less-than-radiant complexion you’re currently dealing with, it may be worth taking a peek inside your skin-care cabinet. In the latest episode of Dear Derm, board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, deep dives on all things dry skin related—from why it happens in the first place to how to treat it once it sets in. But first things first, it’s important to understand what, exactly, “dry skin” is, because there’s a surprising amount of confusion around the term. “When you have dry skin it means there’s not enough water, period,” says Dr. Gohara. “It could mean that there’s not enough water being trapped in, or that there’s too much water leaving the skin.” There are a few different reasons why this happens, but the biggest culprit, no matter what the temperature is outside, is your skin-care routine. According to Dr. Gohara, your dry skin could be setting in thanks to certain ingredients, like retinol, or methodologies, like over-exfoliating. In fact, she says there are five ultra-common mistakes she sees people making in
Narcissistic personality traits diminish as you age, so snaps for growing up
December 12, 2019 at 09:00PM by CWC Can a narcissist change their behavior? Indeed narcissism evolves over time, and it looks relatively similar in baby boomers, Generation Xers, and millennials, according to a study from Michigan State University, published in Psychology and Aging. The study followed 750 people to see how narcissism changes from age 13 to 70, and it’s really a shifting of qualities. There are many different types of narcissists, and maladaptive narcissism has different traits that are categorized as like, really, really bad. People exhibit these traits—being full of oneself, hypersensitive to criticism, and imposing one’s opinions on others—more often when we’re younger. These traits generally decrease with age as narcissists realize that the universe doesn’t owe then anything just because they’re adorable. Why? Typically narcissistic personality traits tend to decline in the throws of negative firsts. In fact, the study showed that maladaptive narcissistic traits tend to decline when someone gets their first job. “One thing about narcissists is that they’re not open to criticism,” says lead author and associate professor of psychology at MSU William Chopik. “When life happens and you’re forced to accept feedback, break up with someone or have tragedy strike, you might need to adjust to understanding that you’re not as awesome as you once thought.” That checks out. When reality pushes you off your pedestal, the mature thing to do is to reevaluate your good qualities—and to think about how to sharpen the bad ones. Likewise getting older means reconsidering that the
64 dermatologists identify the 10 most common causes of acne—and we’re shook
December 12, 2019 at 08:31PM by CWC After countless trips to the dermatologist’s office, I’ve come to recognize one skin-care truth: the causes of acne aren’t always easily discernible. In a new survey released by eMediHealth—a resource for expert-reviewed health information—64 dermatologists identified the most common triggers. Some of the culprits behind painful blemishes are kind of a “no, duh” and others are—well—pretty darn surprising. “The results of this survey are in line with what we know are truly causes of acne,” says New York City-based dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD. “At the most basic level, acne is caused by your hormones. We know that they stimulate activity of sebaceous glands promoting breakouts. We also know that the environment significantly impacts our skin. Psychological stress has been directly linked to acne breakouts as has dietary factors—like foods with a high glycemic index.” The 10 most common causes of acne, according to dermatologists 1. Fluctuating hormones Oh, hormonal acne—thou art persistent. More than 84 percent of the dermatologists survey listed hormones as a common breakout trigger. “Hormones are the cause of almost all acne no matter what age you are,” Gary Goldfaden, MD, a Miami-based dermatologist, previously told Well+Good. “The hormones we’re talking about are primarily progesterone and estrogen, but you also have to consider cortisol, aka the stress hormone. The interaction of these three are usually the cause behind the acne.” 2. Stress Number two is actually linked to number one—and 76 percent of dermatologists surveyed named it as a factor.
Harvard Health says this fitness trend engages more than 80% of your muscles
December 12, 2019 at 08:00PM by CWC A riff on cross-country skiing, nordic walking might just be the next big fitness trend. This European workout mirrors the popularity of brunch in the United States, says Aaron Baggish, MD, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hosptial. “You go to the train station on Saturdays and there are droves of people over 70 waiting to go up to the mountains to walk with Nordic poles,” he tells Harvard Health. (I hope you’re just as entertained by the image of folks of all ages standing around with walking poles as I am.) So grab your poles and get moving to engage 80 to 90 percent of your muscles. The poles are not just props; they transform walking into a workout that’s not just for the lower body. “When you walk without poles, you activate muscles below the waist,” says Dr. Baggish. “When you add Nordic poles, you activate all of the muscles of the upper body as well.” The doctor adds that nordic walking has been found to increase “good” HDL cholesterol, as well as cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and endurance. If you’re ready to pole-up and try the workout for yourself, you can snag a set of poles on Amazon for $37. Once you’ve given your pair a test run around the safe space of your back yard, go forth. Nordic walk that trail, city park, beach, desert—you name it. This writer’s self-care routine includes a walking commute: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MWHUCBuvmM] Did you know power walking
9 foods high in folate worth filling up on—whether you’re pregnant or not
December 12, 2019 at 07:33PM by CWC There are two types of vitamins: the scene-stealers you *know* are important, like vitamin C, D, and magnesium, and the stage hands with little name recognition who consistently work behind-the-scenes to keep your body working properly. Folate is definitely one of the latter. Even though it typically only comes up when talking about prenatal health, everyone needs to make sure they’re getting enough folate, aka vitamin B9. “Because folate plays a crucial role in preventing neural tube defects, we tend to associate it with prenatal nutrition and supplementation. But folate is also involved in DNA synthesis, tissue formation, and formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow,” says Gena Hamshaw, RD, a registered dietitian and Full Helping blogger. Not getting enough folate, Hamshaw says, can result in certain forms of anemia. “All women, even those who aren’t thinking about becoming pregnant, should be mindful of their folate intake, especially since adequate folate can be difficult to obtain through food, which is why many cereals and grain products are fortified with it,” Hamshaw says. The average woman should aim to get between 300 and 400 micrograms of folate a day. Hamshaw says women who are pregnant (or actively trying to become pregnant), or have kidney, liver, or digestive diseases, especially need to be aware of their intake. Just because meeting your required folate intake from food can be difficult doesn’t mean it’s impossible (or pointless). If you’re wondering what foods to fill up
These hip-opening “gate” stretches are key to mobility in your workouts
December 12, 2019 at 07:00PM by CWC After being told for years by fitness pros that doing a dynamic warmup before I start my workouts is absolutely essential, I’m now (finally) diligent about priming my body for boot camp, rather than going from zero to 100 the way I used to. Within that stretching sesh, I always have to spend extra time mobilizing my hips with hip flexor stretches, since desk-chair-sitting doesn’t exactly leave me prepped and ready for a run. And allow me to share with you my new favorite dynamic hip-opening stretch: the gate opener. This move involves opening and closing the “gates” of your hips, which means pulling your knee up, rotating it out and down, then doing it all in reverse to close that gate. “The opening and closing the gates hip stretch is a time-proven staple because it gets to many muscles in one move,” says Andrea Marcellus, fitness expert and creator of the And/Life app, who says it’s great before any athletic activity because it stretches the psoas muscle—an all-important muscle group located through your pelvis, lower back, and femur. This makes the stretch a “huge component in stability and properly firing hip rotators to help keep your knees in alignment,” she says. Austin Martinez, director of education at StretchLab, adds that the gate opener is a great go-to dynamic warmup because of how it “integrates the muscles around your hips.” Plus it preps your body for high impact or repeated use of certain muscles,
In the future, office design plans will prioritize employee wellness
December 12, 2019 at 06:18PM by CWC I never thought I’d take interior-design inspiration from an office space, but as of late, I’ve found myself spending a number of off-duty hours googling mustard-yellow armchairs and color-coded bookshelves to mimic the chic co-working space The Wing. Workplace design has come a long way in the past decade, as a growing number of companies have started swapping cubicles, unsightly wheeled chairs, and fluorescent-lit break rooms for communal workstations, velvet sofas, and cafés with cold brew on tap. But as we enter the 2020s—with the rising issue of burnout making workplace wellness a top issues for employers to consider—how will office design ideas continue to evolve in a way that doesn’t just appeal to workers’ aesthetic sensibilities, but also helps them stay healthy? To answer that question, it’s key to first consider how we got to this place of offices looking like high-end hotel lobbies and offering many of the same amenities as boutique gyms. “I think a couple of factors go into it,” says Alda Ly, the architect behind The Wing’s 10 co-working spaces in the United States and United Kingdom. “One is intense competition for talent. Employers are realizing what their office looks and feels like matters to employees and is integral to hiring and retention.” Research supports her theory: In a 2018 study of 1,000 British workers, 43 percent said they have rejected a job offer because of uninspiring office design. Other research has found that employees who are happy
The best thing I ever bought for my skin, you ask? These $9 ice pop molds
December 12, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC Whenever the Well+Good beauty team calls out for editors’ skin-care picks, I’m not usually one to throw in new product suggestions. See, I have an extremely sensitive and reactive complexion, which means that I never stray from the same set of serums I’ve been using for years. (That would be Marie Veronique and Kristina Holey’s microbiome-balancing collection, ICYWW.) Recently, I added a new step to my regimen that I can’t stop talking about—and it involves a $9 set of silicone ice pop molds that I bought on Amazon. No, I haven’t been making collagen-peptide popsicles in my kitchen. I’ve been using the molds to freeze water and ice my face. My new esthetician, Hannah Land at Corrective Skincare in Los Angeles, turned me on to this technique a few months ago. She explained that ice can help minimize the effects of inflammatory skin conditions, and once I tried it, I was instantly hooked on how perky and poreless this DIY cryotherapy made my complexion. My facialist isn’t the only one who believes in icing your face. According to board-certified dermatologist Anna Guanche, MD, applying ice to the skin causes blood vessels to narrow, resulting in a few key benefits. “The cool temperature of the ice will restrict blood flow to the area and minimize excess fluid accumulation or swelling that presents with inflammation,” says Dr. Guanche, author of Seven Days to Sexy. “This can help with inflamed acne lesions. Local vasoconstriction will then
Derms say you should be exfoliating your eyebrows—here’s exactly how to do it
December 12, 2019 at 03:13PM by CWC Just like your scalp, the skin under your eyebrows can become dry and flaky in the cold winter months. You’ve probably already been exfoliating the rest of your body, but you might want to exfoliate your flaky eyebrows, too. Just hear me out, okay? “When we talk to patients about the look and feel of their eyebrows, many are surprised when we recommend exfoliating them because we’re so used to talking about exfoliation in terms of just skin. But if you think about it, your eyebrows can benefit from exfoliation, just like your scalp benefits from a scalp scrub,” says Gretchen Frieling, MD, a dermatopathologist in Boston. “All exfoliation is doing is helping clear our dead skin to make room for new skin cells. This helps maintain your natural protective skin barriers, helps skin cell turnover, and—while we still need more research—it’s believed that it can aid hair by helping it grow healthy and strong for better-looking eyebrows.” Exfoliating your eyebrows doesn’t just get rid of those pesky flakes. It can also help with growth, giving you the bushy brows of your dreams. Before rushing off to the bathroom and scrubbing away, first do yourself a favor and find out how to get the job done properly, straight from the experts. How to exfoliate your flaky eyebrows 1. Choose the right exfoliant and be gentle When it comes to exfoliating your brows, chemical exfoliants might be better than physical exfoliants. “They’ll leave the