February 10, 2020 at 05:11PM by CWC Black women and girls have long existed within the duality of having hair that is both too much and not enough. Too big. Too coarse. Too tough. Not easy enough to tame. Not good enough to wake up and go. In Hair Love, which won an Oscar for best animated short, we see two distinct ends of that spectrum. A little girl with hair too big for her father to tame, and her mother, who lost her hair to illness. Director Matthew Cherry said in his acceptance speech that Hair Love was “born out of wanting to see more representation out of animation, but also wanting to normalize Black hair.” Cherry also mentioned The CROWN Act in his speech. An acronym for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” CROWN seeks to prohibit discrimination based on hair style and hair texture. It was first written into law in California, and states like New York and New Jersey have since adopted it. The New Jersey law went into effect in December 2019, one year after the wrestling match where New Jersey high school wrestler Andrew Johnson’s dreadlocks were forcibly cut off; Deandre Arnold, a Texas high school student who was suspended for refusing to cut his locs, attended at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards as Cherry’s guest. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNw8V_Fkw28] The film opens with a scene of the little girl excited to get up, put on her pretty pink dress, and take on
Category: Your Healthiest Relationship
Retinol eye creams are everywhere these days—here’s why derms love them
February 10, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC There’s no skin-care ingredient that’s better-studied or more recommended by dermatologist than retinol. In serums and moisturizers, the vitamin A derivative stimulates skin-cell turnover, flips on the collagen pumps within your complexion, and leaves skin looking fresh and bright over time. And in great news for your under eye area, more and more eye creams are now spiked with the superstar ingredient, too. The skin underneath your eyes is the thinnest on your face, and because of this, it’s typically where people first show signs of aging (think: fine lines and dark circles). Old schools of thought assumed that the aggressive ingredient had no business around the most fragile part of your complexion, but thanks to new formulations, that’s no longer the case. Many retinol eye creams use buffered or encapsulated retinol, surrounded by loads of hydrating ingredients to make the products easier for skin to tolerate. In fact, Gretchen Frieling, MD, a Wellesley, MA, board-certified dermatopathologist, says that opting for a retinol specifically concocted for around the eyes can help to protect you from irritation from the get-go. “These usually contain lower concentrations and are more hydrating than what you use on your face,” she says. However, take note: Ahead of using any product (especially an intense one like retinol), do a small patch test to make sure the formula agrees with your skin. And as with any other retinol, wear the stuff at night since it can be sun-sensitizing during the daylight
Did you know that there are two different types of monogamy?
February 10, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Even in a world that’s growing more inclusive by the day, many of us still embrace the concept of monogamy in a strictly binary framework—you either are or you aren’t. “From the day we are born, there’s an overarching narrative that one day we’ll grow up, fall in love with someone of the ‘opposite’ gender, get married and be monogamous,” says LGBTQ+ activist Robyn Ochs, editor of the anthology Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World and Recognize. (ICYWW, “opposite” is in quotations because gender isn’t organized into a neat a binary given that there are more than two genders). That restrictive continuum neither leaves room for different types of monogamy that are more nuanced or any other type of relationship structure. Well for Ochs, and many other queer- and LGBTQ-identifying folks, that narrative took a plot twist. “Growing up, it never once crossed my mind that I wouldn’t be with a man, monogamously, but then I fell in love with a woman and came out as bisexual,” she says. That’s when she began unpacking why she haphazardly accepted the understanding of monogamy that was foisted on her rather than exploring what makes better sense for the scope of her own life. “I started to interrogate why I was in a monogamous relationship. I looked within myself, read about polyamory, talked with my non-monogamous friends, and did the work to unlearn what I was told growing up: that monogamy was and is
Our food system is making us and the planet sicker. Here’s what we can all do to fix it
February 10, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC I don’t think it’s any secret that our current food system is, well, broken. It’s not okay—or even logical—that a hamburger costs less than a salad. It’s not okay that 70 percent of the world’s human use of water goes to animal production—not, in fact, humans. And that’s just one of the ways our current food system is negatively affecting the environment and climate. People often tell me that when they think about the long list of problems our current food system—a term used to describe how we eat and where our food comes from—has created, they feel overwhelmed. I get that; it’s complicated. But that’s also not an excuse to do nothing. Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, how you eat affects not only your body, but the planet—for better or for worse. That’s why I decided to write Food Fix: How to Save Our Health, Our Economy, Our Communities, and Our Planet—One Bite at a Time to give everyone—eaters, entrepreneurs in the food space, and policymakers—a blueprint to help make tangible steps toward change. Maybe you think my book’s title is overblown. Can changing the way we eat really transform the economy, our communities, and planet? Well, yeah, it can. The truth is, we all have the potential to be changemakers. Why our broken food system is ground zero for so many other problems Let’s start with something that you’ve probably already thought about before: the connection between food and health. I’m not going to
There are 12 million Pilates abs workouts on YouTube, but this is the only one you need
February 10, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2m8gcHG3r4] No workout has a better reputation for firing up your core than Pilates. The super-slow, minuscule movements activate your slow-twitch muscle fibers to build strength. While we don’t all have the luxury of having a Reformer in our living room (or a studio filled with them around the corner), we’re happy to report that you can get a similar workout at home with with sliders. It’s so easy in fact that Trainer of the Month Triana Brown, an instructor at SolidCore, put together a follow-along workout only using sliders. In the 10-minute, six move series, you’ll fire up all the muscles in your core (and a good amount in your arms, as well). So let’s get to it. Here are the abs exercises that will get you the same sweat value of a Pilates class from the comfort of your own living room. Try this at-home Pilates abs workout 1. Army crawl: Grab your sliders and put them on the bottom of your feet. Starting in a low plank position with your tailbone tucked under and abs braced, walk your elbows up and down your mat. Keep your hips lifted and stationary. As you go up and down, press into your elbow as you lift the opposite elbow—this gets you feeling the active oblique. Keep your neck neutral and hips lifted away from the mat. To add more, you can add in a plank up-down, walking from your palms back onto
This Valentine’s week, the universe wants you to prioritize a certain type of love
February 09, 2020 at 10:00PM by CWC Coming off the full snow moon in Leo, which perfected early Sunday morning, this week begins at a high point. The Leo full moon, albeit a bit dramatic, invites you to unleash your prowess for passion. While perhaps not the best for deep and restful sleep (hello, full-moon hangover), Leo, a sign ruled by the sun, asks for a fortuitous commitment to owning your identity and desires. Be sure to take advantage of this provocation early in the week because as we come into the weekend ahead, we prepare for a downshift in energy come with Mercury going retrograde. To support you with this, on Monday, Venus, the planet of love and beauty, now in Aries, meets up with Chiron, the wounded healer. This Venus Chiron conjunction in the cardinal fire sign of Aries further aids any healing needed at the moment. While it could come with a side of feeling like not enough, the invitation remains for you to step away from your ego and tune into the deepest desires of your soul. Remember, meditation helps immensely as it reconnects you to your inner truth, and the ability to see beyond limited thinking. High-impact movement is also adept at this. After all, Venus in Aries commands a fast-paced tempo, and as she conjoins Chiron, you may feel compelled to express yourself physically. If so, lean into that feeling. Dance cardio, running, cycling, or any other modality of movement that catalyzes catharsis in
How to use your yoga practice to boost your stamina while standing still
February 09, 2020 at 08:00PM by CWC Typically, when people want to build their stamina, they start incorporating high-intensity interval training and gradually decrease their recovery time between sets. But stamina isn’t only built in the weight or cardio room: Yoga can help get the job done, too. As a refresher, “stamina” is your ability to push through a workout without getting tired—in other words, it’s what drives you to reach your maximum effort in the gym for a given length of time—which is fundamental to your overall strength. “Stamina is important for a productive life,”says Zac Armstrong, master instructor at YogaSix. “If you don’t have stamina, how will you accomplish multiple things in a day without getting fatigued?” So, for example, the better your stamina is, the better you’ll be able to catch up with your running puppy… a very important daily life activity, indeed. Unlike HIIT or cardio, which keep you at your max effort for long periods of time, yoga works to boost stamina mainly through its focus on matching your breathing with your movement. “Yoga can improve your stamina and cardiorespiratory fitness because it helps your body better utilize its oxygen intake,” says Armstrong. And learning how to control your breath—and make the most of every inhalation, the way you do in a yoga class—can pay off immensely in endurance-focused activities like running or cycling. “Yoga also opens up your body in general, creating more room for your respiratory system to operate.” Plus, not only can
A top doctor’s ‘daily dozen’ takes all of the stress and confusion out of healthy eating
February 09, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC When a wellness goal of eating healthy reaches a point where it’s totally stressing you out, it’s pretty much counterproductive. (We all know how bad stress is, right?) But it makes sense why so many people get burned out trying to figure out what to eat and live a healthy lifestyle: Comparing different eating plans, carving out time to meal prep, and Googling healthy recipes can all become tedious. Why does eating well feel like so much work? Michael Greger, MD, gets it. He regularly hears from patients how confused they are about what to eat. Dr. Greger is all about eating for optimal health and longevity, but he is against dieting, which is restrictive and only beneficial in the short-term (if at all). He’s so passionate about it that he actually just released a book aptly called, How Not To Diet. Not dieting is cool and all, but there’s still the question of what to eat. Ever the resourceful MD, Dr. Greger has a handy cheat sheet for that, what he calls the Daily Dozen. The Daily Dozen is a checklist of 12 science-backed healthy lifestyle and eating tips tied to longevity. The intention isn’t for it to be another list of rules to adhere to; it’s meant to simplify healthy eating. How to use Dr. Gregor’s Daily Dozen checklist for easier, healthier living Graphic: W+G Creative 1. Eat 3 servings of beans Dr. Greger’s first tip is inspired straight from Blue Zones,
I’m a real estate broker, and these are the top 5 questions first-time home buyers ask me
February 09, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC There’s something about buying your first home makes you feel so empowered yet so small at the same time. It can get complicated fast, making you feel like you’re in over your head. Luckily, you’re not alone if you’re working with someone who has heard all the first-time home buying questions (and knows the answers). Real estate professionals say they get asked the same questions all the time. To get you ahead of the curve, we asked a few realtors to share the basics. The first-time home buying questions real estate agents get asked all the time 1. How much do you charge for your services? “Nothing,” says Samir Rai, a Southern California-based broker. “My fees are paid by the seller or builder.” This is the case for most buyers, as the fee is typically paid by the seller with the proceeds from the sale. 2. What mortgage Lender should I use, and why? A lender is financial institution, or bank, that can assess your creditworthiness and offer you a loan. Alexander Lurie, an agent in San Fransisco explains that things move quickly in busy markets. “It’s normal for homes to be closing in 21 to 25 days,” he says. “For this reason, it’s very important that buyers are working with lenders who can perform on this timeline.” 3. How do I take care of a house? I’ve lived in an apartment for years If a light switch stops working in your apartment,
How to tell longwear makeup products from those that’ll peace out in 2 seconds
February 09, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Whether you have a long day ahead or your skin is so oily your makeup slides right off, sometimes you need to call in reinforcements in order for your makeup to stay put. Enter, longwear makeup. Though many products promise long-lasting, waterproof or transfer-resistant formulas, picking the right one for you goes beyond buzzwords on a beauty box. “Longwear products are made with different formulas and ingredients to help keep the product on for dramatically longer than a traditional formula,” says makeup artist Mary Irwin. Unless she’s doing an editorial shoot where she’s changing a client’s look multiple times, she wants every look she creates to tap longwear products. “Longwear lipsticks especially can make a huge difference. That can be the difference between wearing a lip for an hour versus eight hours,” she says. “Longwear foundations still need to be touched up, but can look good after 16 hours.” Want to know more? Keep scrolling for how these products get formulated to last. What makes longwear… wear longer? It’s all about the formula, says Camara Aunique, celebrity makeup artist and owner of an eponymous faux mink lash line. “The difference between longwear makeup products and traditional makeup products has to do with the ingredients,” Aunique says. “Mainly, how much oil is in a given product.” She explains that unless otherwise marked, foundations, cream blushes, and mascaras tend to have more oil in them, and oil tends to wear away faster. Longwear products, on