November 24, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTohjJPsHSY] In recent years, the drugstore beauty aisle has gotten such a major makeover that it’s practically unrecognizable—like Sandy at the end of Grease (or, my personal favorite, Mia Thermopolis at the end of Princess Diaries). That means it’s a better time than ever to shop for affordable skin care, because there’s so dang much of it out there that really, really works. In fact, I once switched my own pricey skin-care routine with one straight from the drugstore aisle, and as it happens, it might just have been an A-OK dermatologist drugstore skincare routine. But don’t just take my word for it: In the latest episode of Dear Derm, board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, reveals the best products that drugstore dollars can buy, and not a single one of them will run you more than 30 bucks. “It doesn’t have to be super expensive to work,” says Dr. Gohara. “You can walk into any drugstore and find a lot of efficacious options.” From the $1 cleanser that she swears by for cleansing her own skin head-to-toe to the best retinoid money can buy (which only costs $14!), scroll through for Dr. Gohara’s go-to, eight-step dermatologist drugstore skincare routine. The best part? The entire thing will only run you $125, which means you can spring for a pack of gum and a La Croix on the way out. Shop her picks below, and watch the video above to find out why these eight products
Category: Your Healthiest Relationship
The one protein-packed ingredient missing from your avocado toast
November 24, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC Some breakfast foods are nothing more than passing trends (looking at you, bran muffins), but avocado toast has proved to have staying power. (Or sweet potato toast for a slightly more cost effective morning habit.) Avocados and sweet potatoes are both full of health benefits, most notably fiber. But there’s a major nutrient your toast is likely missing: protein. Healthy eating experts will tell you that getting a serving of protein at breakfast is a must for powering through your morning. This doesn’t mean you have to swap out your beloved toast for a protein bar. All you have to do to up the protein in your go-to breakfast is top your toast off with a serving of nuts. That one effortless tweak gives it a major upgrade. Avocados are definitely worth the hype: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5D6Xr1gg7c] Of course not all nuts are considered equal. Here, dietitian Kajsa Ernestam, the in-house dietitian at global health app, Lifestum, breaks down which nut to add to your toast, depending on which nutrition benefit your overall diet needs most. The best part: all nuts have protein, so no matter which one you choose, you’re bound to get an energy lift from your new and approved AM meal. The healthiest nut to eat that’s… Best for protein: peanuts Not only are peanuts cost effective, Ernestam says they are a high-protein choice. “Unlike almonds and walnuts, peanuts are actually not included in the botanical ‘family’ of nuts. Peanuts are
How to use avocados to make your favorite desserts so much healthier
November 24, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC When you think about the primary ingredient in super-creamy desserts, your mind probably goes straight to dairy. But what if I told you your favorite green fruit is the key to making a mouthwatering treat the plant-based way? Using avocados in desserts isn’t anything new. It’s been a vegan cooking staple for years and is often used in lieu of butter when baking. It’s so much more than a healthy ingredient swap, though. In many recipes, its natural creaminess is what takes desserts to the next level, whether you’re making a chocolate silk pie, key lime bars, or ice cream. If you want to make a healthier version of some of your favorite sweet dishes without sacrificing taste or texture, these avocado desserts truly give you the best of both worlds. Mouthwatering avocado desserts you’ll want to make again and again Photo: The Conscious Plant Kitchen 1. Chocolate avocado pie There’s no baking required for this pie that uses avocados to create a creamy, chocolatey mousse filling. Photo: Daisy Beet 2. Avocado key lime bars Any key lime fans will love this melt-in-your-mouth, avocado version. Photo: Feel Good Foodie 3. Avocado ice cream You only need a handful of simple ingredients for this dairy-free ice cream, including avocados, bananas, maple syrup, and coconut milk. Photo: Minimalist Baker 4. Chocolate peanut butter avocado pudding This chocolate and peanut butter combo is like Reese’s, but better. Photo: Eating Bird Food 5. Creamy lime and avocado
A bottle of this drugstore face cleanser is sold every 4 seconds, so yeah I’m buying it
November 23, 2019 at 10:00PM by CWC Even though France tends to get all the credit for micellar water—aka the one beauty product that every single person in the universe loves—we’ve had some innovations with the cleanser stateside, too. Case in point? The Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water ($7). In fact, one bottle of this cleanser is sold every four seconds. It’s literally the number one-selling micellar water in the U.S., despite the fact that we can totally buy French-fave micellar cleansers here now too (like Bioderma or Caudalie). Why is it so incredibly good? Well, Garnier’s micellar wash has all of those lovable qualities that we know and continually turn to micellar cleansers for: It’s gentle, has zero harsh detergents, removes makeup like a pro, and cleanses your skin without drying it out. Oh, and you can get it at your local drugstore for less than the cost of lunch. Photo: Garnier “Micellar water is a super gentle method of cleansing skin,” board-certified dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD, previously told W+G. “It gets its name because it contains micelles which are oil-in-water suspensions that attract dirt, bacteria, and makeup, but gently—without stripping moisturize from your skin.” And, because Garnier’s micellar cleanser so light on ingredients and filled with hydration, even the most sensitive of skin types can use it without irritation. On Ulta’s website, this cleanser has racked up over 800 five-star reviews, while 73 percent of customers on Amazon rated it as five-star. The proof’s in the pudding, which, in this
Enjoy this cornucopia of gluten-free stuffing recipes for your Thanksgiving spread
November 23, 2019 at 08:00PM by CWC As iconic as turkey is to the Thanksgiving spread, everyone knows the side dishes are really the stars—and stuffing is often the dish people get excited about the most. (Sorry, green bean casserole.) Traditionally, stuffing is bread-based, which is a major bummer to GF eaters. But cubing loaves of bread certainly isn’t the only way to make the classic holiday dish, and dare I say, it’s not even the tastiest. Don’t believe me? Check out these seven unique, gluten-free takes on Thanksgiving stuffing, which both traditionalists and GF eaters will enjoy. Many even check other boxes, such as being Paleo, Whole30, vegetarian, or dairy-free. So no matter what the dietary needs are for your Turkey Day meal, you’re sure to find a recipe that will have everyone around the table reaching for seconds. Keep reading for 7 gluten-free stuffing recipes. Photo: Lexi’s Clean Kitchen 1. Gluten-free bread-based stuffing If you’re set on making bread-based stuffing but are looking for a gluten-free way to do it, the most straight-forward trick is using a loaf of GF bread to cube, as this recipe from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen does. It calls for the same ingredients you’ll find in traditional stuffing recipes too, such as thyme, carrots, mushrooms, and celery. Photo: Ambitious Kitchen 2. Gluten-free cornbread stuffing If you’re from the South, chances are you already use cornbread as a base for your Thanksgiving stuffing. This recipe shows how to whip the cornbread up the GF way
The to-do list loophole that lets you feel great about not finishing every single thing
November 23, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC I’m a big believer in the power of crossing things out, and many of the items do make the journey from “to-do” to “to-done.” But nearly never do all my daily tasks get completed by the end of the day, no matter how late I allow my end-of-day marker to stretch until. Though I’ve grown used to living with the omnipresence of tasks to be completed getting carried over to the next day (and next day, and next day), I do harbor some shame about what feels like follow-through failure. But, according to Arianna Huffington, I should cut myself a break. In a recent piece for The New York Times, Huffington shared her favorite micro-steps that can lead to big change and increased productivity. My favorite of the bunch? Allowing yourself to declare an end to the day, even if you don’t cross out each to-do list item. “Effectively prioritizing means being comfortable with incompletions,” she writes. “Once you’ve handled the day’s essential priorities, recognize that in any interesting job it’s almost impossible to do all you could have done in any one day.” “As humans, we hit a plateau after a certain amount of time working, when returns for the time and effort we’re putting in starts dwindling.” —business coach Kimberly Lucht Furthermore, implementing time limit for completing that to-do list provides us the opportunity to finish tasks more artfully. After all, your brain can only handle so much at a given
What to know about working out after having a baby, according to a pelvic floor specialist
November 23, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC When you’re pregnant, your body goes through a lot of changes (cue the resounding, no duh): Your center of gravity changes, your abdominal muscles stretch (and, in the case of a C-section, are cut and repaired), and your pelvic floor goes through nine months of pressure thanks to a baby sitting on top of them. Cue a little bit of pee dripping out when you do jumping jack, or not being able to contract your core into a crunch. These symptoms can make it a real challenge to go back to exercising after a baby (as if you don’t have enough to think about with the whole “keeping a tiny human alive” thing). Most women assume that all of this is something they need to suck up and deal with for the sake of motherhood, but that’s actually not the case. While these things are normal for the first six to 12 weeks—considering, ya know, your body brought a human into the world—there are certain things you can do to build strength in your pelvic floor post-birth that can help make working out after that point much less terrible, especially if these symptoms are continuing for longer. Here, physical therapist and pelvic floor pro Staci Levine, DPT shares her tips for how to get your pelvic floor primed and ready to get back to the gym. And remember: It took your body nine months to grow a tiny human, so cut yourself a
I professionally stretch people for a living—and this is the best stretch in my arsenal
November 23, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC A good stretching session makes everything better—you know this. But some days you simply don’t have time to follow along a YouTube video or list of feel-good exercises. Sometimes all you need to do is set aside a few minutes for just one stretch—and who better to cue you in on the most beneficial move than someone who professionally stretches people for a living? When you visit Racked Stretch in New York City, you can have a pro stretch you out based on your needs and problem areas. Even with the countless moves the stretching pros have in their arsenal, the Closed Figure 4 hip stretch is the one that always gets overwhelmingly positive feedback from clients. “The number one stretch that’s been beneficial to every client I’ve seen are our hip stretches. We have a few different variations, but the Closed Figure-4 is definitely number one,” says Hayley Lubow, Racker and training leader at Racked Stretch. “It involves the entity of the hip area—including the joints and muscles—and even starts to get into the connected muscle groups like the hamstrings. Basically, you get a lot of bang for your buck.” I can attest that the Closed Figure-4 stretch feels ah-mazing, but it does so much more than I realized. “Most of our clients sit at a desk for work, and that crunching of the hips for eight or more hours a day can have devastating results on your posture,” Lubow says. When you have
Use this 3-step breakfast formula to prevent a blood sugar spike
November 23, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC If you can’t seem to figure out why you’re experiencing sudden energy crashes, it your sugary breakfast could be to blame. “When you have blood sugar dysregulation, you’re potentially having energy crashes in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon,” said Nicole Jardin, certified women’s health and functional nutrition coach, at the most recent Well+Good TALK. “You might also have trouble falling or staying asleep at night—especially if your blood sugar or insulin are higher at night.” And the reason why? Sugary foods—including simple carbohydrates (think white bread and pastries), some yogurts, and breakfast cereals—cause your blood sugar to spike then quickly drop, which can affect your mood and energy levels and even increase anxiety. To keep everything stable, Jardin recommends sticking to a three-part breakfast formula that contains everything your body needs to prevent a spike from occurring. “I’m a big fan of having a breakfast that has some kind of protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates in the morning,” she says. “That tends to work well for people—especially if there’s blood sugar imbalance.” There are many different ways to get that protein, fat, and complex carb combo. You can do a breakfast bowl, avocado toast, oats with fruits and nuts, a scramble with veggies, or a healthy breakfast wrap. As long as you’re reaching for body-bettering ingredients—and ditching the added sugar and white carbs—you should avoid a blood sugar spike, and the crash that follows. Here’s how to eat for energy: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adF3tbP2wC4] You can
The 1 crystal you need for each and every phase of dating and relationships
November 23, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC There are many things in life that may change depending on your relationship status. To name just a few, consider your underwear choices, your most-used emojis, and your default Friday-night plans. But as it turns out, there’s also an argument for switching up your go-to crystals for relationships and love manifestation depending on what stage of a romantic relationship you’re currently in (or seeking). That’s right, your trusty rose-quartz point isn’t necessarily the best crystal companion for every relationship milestone. But there’s sure to be a stone out there to help you get what you need, from the first date to the 500th. “Love can be complicated,” says Heather Askinosie, co-founder of Energy Muse and author of the new book Crystal365: Crystals for Everyday Life and Your Guide to Health, Wealth, and Balance. “Whatever stage you’re in during a relationship—beginning, end, or somewhere in-between—crystals can help you go deeper within the layers of yourself. They help you take time to reflect upon your past so you can let go of anything holding you back from the love you want and deserve.” Crystals for relationships and love can also serve as a reminder of what you want from your future, Askinosie adds. “Once you set your mind to what you want, you can program your crystal for your specific intention. Your crystal then acts as a tool to remember your goal. [You can then] set yourself up for success in love and relationships by