December 11, 2019 at 03:38PM by CWC Whenever I stumble upon a word I don’t know how to use, I hit up the dictionary search bar. As a health and sex writer, I’m mostly looking up multisyllabic mumbo-jumbo like endocannabinoid, perineum, and astragalus. But according to a recent announcement from Merriam Webster, a seemingly simple four-letter word is the word of the year: They. In September, Merriam-Webster added the use of gender-neutral singular ‘they’ to the dictionary. And today, after tallying 2019 search results which showed a 313 percent increase in searches from 2018, Merriam-Webster named “they” the 2019 word of the year. Likely, this is due in part to the fact that celebrities like Amanda Stenberg, Jacob Tobia, and Sam Smith announced that they use they/them pronouns. “Our lookups are often driven by events in the news,” writes Merriam-Webster in a press release. But whatever the reason, gender, identity, and LGBTQ+ activists celebrate the addition. “Merriam Webster is widely recognized as the authority figure on the english language, so to have them recognize ‘they/them’ as widely used singular pronoun that’s grammatically sound is important,” says pleasure-based sex educator and sex-positivity advocate Lateef Taylor. “These are the kind of steps can better peoples lives. As someone who uses they/them pronouns, I personally find the addition to be really affirming and useful.” Sexologist Jamie LeClaire who specializes in sexuality, gender, and identity and also uses they/them pronouns offers a similar sentiment: “The acceptance and recognition of ‘they’ as a singular by a
Category: Your Healthiest Relationship
I’m a dermatologist, and these are the 3 kinds of face masks worth buying
December 11, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC When you’re shopping for a face mask, you’ll find that there’s one for practically every skin concern out there. This is great news when you consider all the skin-boosting possibilities that can happen within a 20-minute masking treatment. But anyone who’s slathered on masks to no avail has one question: Which skin conditions are best served by face masks and which ones should you reserve for your serums? “Masks are a huge part of the skin-care market,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, a New York City-based, board-certified dermatologist, explaining that they offer benefits through prolonged contact of active ingredients on your skin. “This process enhances the penetration of those active ingredients.” She’s also a fan of the product category because it’s so representative of self care and “encourages the need to stop and sit.” In other words: You get to relax and benefit from a complexion boost. Win-win. That said, there are some skin conditions that leave-on products are best suited for. “For major skin issues like severe acne or rosacea, I would not depend on a short-contact mask to greatly improve [flare-ups],” says Dr. Nazarian. New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Melissa Kanchanapoomi Levin, MD FAAD agrees, noting that the skin benefits of face masks tend to be “minimal if anything.” You won’t notice as much of a change, for example, if you use an “anti-aging” face mask with retinol as you would from using a retinol—an active ingredient that’s been studied to better
Low sex drive in women is a medical diagnosis that’s finally starting to get the attention it deserves
December 11, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC It’s long been recognized in the medical community that if you’re a man struggling to have a satisfying sex life, it deserves not only a solution, but one you don’t have to pay for. Viagra has been on the market for over a decade and you’ll be hard up to find an insurance provider that doesn’t cover it. Women’s right to sexual desire, however, has a more complicated history—and has only recently become a mainstream topic of discussion. Doctors have finally started to recognize the reality and prevalence of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), a medical condition causing low libido that affects one in ten women (though this number is likely underreported). However, advocates are still fighting for HSDD to be treated as seriously as erectile dysfunction. Cindy Eckert, the CEO of Sprout Pharmaceuticals, says the battle to get her company’s HSDD drug Addyi and FDA-approved was a long, hard fight. “There’s the tale of the blue pill and the tale of the pink pill,” she says. “[A drug to treat erectile dysfunction] was seen as such an important medical need that it received a special status and was fast-tracked to the FDA, and was then approved in six months. By contrast, [a drug to treat low libido in women] took six years, despite the fact that HSDD is just as prevalent in women as erectile disfunction is in men.” Despite the continuing hurtles, progress is finally being made in treatment for HSDD, in
The best gifts to give someone, according to their love language
December 11, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC There’s no better excuse to shower loved ones with gifts than being amid the holiday season. But while one family member may love receiving a buzzy product, like a high-tech makeup mirror, another friend might rather have the opportunity to spend time together on a new experience, like a cooking class. Gift preferences often have to do with love language types, a concept created by Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love Languages. In it, he explains that there are five ways a person may prefer to receive and give love: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. To this point, finding the perfect gift for people of varying love languages can be a bit complicated. That’s because the way people best receive love can translate to the gifts they find the most meaningful, says therapist Joyce Marter, LCPC. “We need to know our own love language, as well as know and recognize others’ so that we can be conscious about how we’re communicating our appreciation for one another,” she says. “For example, I’m a words-of-affirmation person; I give compliments very easily. [Someone else may] appreciate acts of service, so they may not feel that I am appreciating them in the way that they deserve.” Because gifts are closely tied with being signs of affection, it’s important that we know the recipients’ love language so we may effectively convey our love for someone. (If you haven’t already,
I completed all of my holiday shopping before December (without having a single freak-out)—here’s how I did it
December 11, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC I have been a procrastinator for as long as I’ve been old enough to have deadlines. And when it comes to holiday shopping (despite my deep, Buddy the Elf-like love for the season), my wait-until-the-last-minute tendencies persist—which, with rush shipping and no time for deal-hunting, has not been kind to my budget. This year, I decided to do things differently. In an effort to really enjoy the holidays without scrambling for last-minute gifts or having my bank account take a big hit, I resolved to get my gift haul squared away before the season kicked into gear. With holiday mode in full swing once November hit, I set out on my anti-procrastination mission. My sidekick in the endeavor? Eno, my Capital One assistant, who helped me stay on top of my spending and looked out for my accounts 24/7. Because let’s be honest, thinking about finances around the holidays is enough to make anyone want to bury themselves in wrapping paper to avoid the shopping rush. Still just me? Keep reading for holiday shopping tips for keeping your stress levels low and your finances on track. Take inventory of your finances Step one of my take-action plan was figuring out what my financial situation looked like. Luckily, I’m never super in the dark about what’s going on with my money since as a Capital One customer, I have Eno. Eno helps me manage my finances year-round with proactive alerts and useful account insights
Have a foodie in the family? Any of these 12 gift will be the highlight of their kitchen
December 11, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC Stumped on what to get that one friend or family member who’s always cooking up a new culinary creation, makes vacation plans around buzzy restaurants, and posts more photos of food than people on Instagram? Instead of getting them a gift card to their favorite taco spot (again), grab one of these foodie holiday gifts that will help them whip up restaurant-level cuisine at home. From a next-level knife to The Well+Good Cookbook (call us biased, but we think the collection of 100 healthy recipes should be a staple in every kitchen), our editor-approved picks will put the chef kiss on your holiday shopping. Bon appétit. Scroll down for the foodie holiday gifts to get the food-and-bev-obsessed people in your life. The Well+Good Cookbook, $30 Every home chef needs a go-to cookbook for simple, healthy, and actually doable recipes, and The Well+Good Cookbook doesn’t disappoint. With ideas from wellness experts like Venus Williams, Dr. Mark Hyman, Kelly LeVeque, and more on the recipes they really make (none of which require a ton of ingredients), they’ll feel like a culinary genius with half the effort every time they crack it open. Stasher Reusable Silicone Bag Starter Kit, $87 If (with an emphasis on the “if”) there are any leftovers from their W+G Cookbook masterpieces, they can store them in these environmentally friendly, reusable storage bags, which come in festive colors they’ll still like to use after the holidays. Agate Cheese Board, $78 Fact: Anything
How to decompress your spine using a foam roller, according to a Pilates pro
December 11, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC I always associate my foam roller with pain (sure, that pain often brings wonderful and much-needed muscle tension relief, but still). The recovery tool doesn’t have to be your frenemy, though—it can also be used in therapeutic, gentle ways. One star example of this? Using your foam roller for spinal decompression. At New York’s Dynamic Body Pilates studio, founder and Pilates pro Rebecca Lubart had me lie down on top of a foam roller, with it lined up right underneath my spine from my skull to my tailbone. It may not sound like much, but all of my back tightness felt like it immediately dissolved away. “One of the best things you can do is lie down on a foam roller,” says Lubart. “In the simplest terms, it’s the combination of switching your orientation to gravity while still having to maintain a basic level of balance.” In this position, your under-used spinal stabilizers—like the multifidus and transverse abdominals—get activated, she explains, which help to strengthen your back overall (something that helps you maintain a good posture). “By the end of the day, we can feel stress and pressure from our day [in our backs],” says Lubart. “Even a brief, five-minute session of lying down on a foam roller can leave you feeling relieved and refreshed.” Keep scrolling for the exercises she recommends doing on the foam roller (grab a full-length one) for added mobility and spinal relief. The foam roller exercises to decompress your spine
The 4 rules to follow when eating soy, according to a dietitian
December 11, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lO254Ecgpo] Is soy healthy or not? Get the lowdown from a top dietitian by watching this video. Despite plant-based eating completely taking over the food scene right now, there’s still a lot of confusion around one major source: soy. Some healthy eaters are all about it and gladly fill their grocery carts with tofu and tempeh. Others stay far away, worried about the rumored affect it has on hormones. Fortunately, registered dietitian Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, sets the record straight on the protein in the latest episode of You Versus Food. “In general, soy is a good source of plant based protein for vegetarians and vegans,” Beckerman says, adding that it is one of the few nutritionally complete plant proteins (meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids). She also says that having soy as a regular part of your diet could help lower bad cholesterol in the body. As for all the dangers of soy you may have heard about, Beckerman says the vast majority of the rumors aren’t true, especially the idea that consumption is linked to breast cancer. That said, the healthy eating expert does have a few rules of thumb to keep in mind when it comes to reaping all the soy benefits. One: it should only be eaten occasionally, two servings a day tops. (She’s not into the idea of having a tofu scramble with a soy milk latte for breakfast, edamame as a snack, a
How dancing like nobody’s watching is an effective way to shake off your sadness
December 11, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC Nobody wants to be the first one on the dance floor, and this is doubly true if you’re feeling down or don’t know anyone. The anxiety and vulnerability of doing little kicks all over the place keeps us wallflowering and crying into our gin and tonics alone. (Just me?) But if you’re feeling sad, it’s more important than ever to embrace your inner Elaine Benes—dance therapy is real, and it is powerful. Let’s look to meta-analyses published in Frontiers in Psychology that examines the effects of Dance Movement Therapy for those who suffer from depression. Across the board it was shown that Dance Movement Therapy decreased levels of depression in those who got moving. Now, it’s worth mentioning that Dance Movement Therapy is a legitimate form of psychotherapy, formally defined by the American Dance Therapy Association as the “psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual, for the purpose of improving health and well-being.” You need certain credentials to become a dance therapist, usually a specialized master’s degree. There are no hard and fast rules about which dances will improve your well-being. The methodology is that dance itself is therapeutic. Physical movement to promote mental wellness is what’s paramount to this concept, and you can bring that into every area of your life. You can use pole-dancing to get out of your funk, or club-inspired dance workouts at 305 Fitness. I love SassClass for its empowering, choreographed,
6 easy ways to minimize your holiday waste—including gifts, decor, food, and more
December 10, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC The holidays are a period of excess. Excess eating. Excess traveling. Excess buying. If you look at the actual stats, all that extra consumption is contributing to your carbon footprint in ways that might put a damper on your holiday spirit. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, American households produce 25 percent more waste between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, adding one million tons per week to our landfills (plus enough ribbon to wrap around the entire globe!). That’s a lot of pressure on a planet with finite, dwindling resources. But it’s not only environmental waste that’s a cause for concern. “Looking at economic ramifications, it’s no secret that the holiday season can be an extremely expensive time of year,” says Brent Bell, VP of recycling at Waste Management. “By cutting down and being more mindful with shopping, hosting and gift-giving, you can also give your wallets a breather. Focus on spending special times with family and friends, and giving back to those in need.” With these tips on how to minimize waste during the holidays, you’ll be reducing, reusing, and recycling your way to fulfilled New Year’s resolutions—and a protected planet. Decking the halls Decorations are a huge part of creating holiday cheer, but their materials are not doing the environment any good (especially if you throw them out instead of recycling them properly—oops!). Bell recommends donating older decorations to local charities before buying new ones, or even better, reusing your decorations from