November 07, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC For the past year, an Instant Pot versus air fryer debate has been raging. While both small appliances offer big possibilities for home cooking, Jessie Van Amburg, Well+Good’s senior food editor, and I simply cannot agree which kitchen gadget reigns supreme. I have even argued my case publicly. To know where I stand, just read Ode to My Air Fryer, a 1,000-word essay of adoration. Meanwhile, Jessie feels strongly that the Instant Pot is a superior tool. In order to settle the score once and for all, we conducted a side-by-side comparison of the kitchen appliances, considering price, pros and cons, functionality, and plenty of unsolicited personal opinions. Hopefully, by the end you’ll be able to decide which device is right for you (or you just might decide to buy both). Instant Pot vs Air Fryer: Once and for all, which one is better? Instant Pot Price: $95 Functionality: It makes stews and soups, slow cooks meat, makes effortless casseroles, and prepares eggs. Pros: It holds large amounts of food for bulk batching and meal-prepping, can easily be cleaned, and can tackle any meal of the day from breakfast until dinner. It also gives at-home chefs the opportunity sharpen their cooking skills with more difficult recipes like desserts. Cons: It comes with a learning curve: you have to learn how to use it before you can really appreciate it. It requires understanding many settings and can be intimidating to use. Jessie says: “I think it
Category: Your Regeneration
Petroleum jelly is the best (and least expensive) skin moisturizer you can buy, according to derms
November 07, 2019 at 01:45AM by CWC The best skin moisturizing ingredient might be the one your mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother have known about all along. It only costs $4 to add it to your own collection—if it’s not a part of it already. Petroleum jelly, most well-known under the brand Vaseline, has many uses, and one of its best is fighting off dry skin. Petroleum jelly is thick like peanut butter, so it’s not something to slather all over your body like lotion, but it’s a great choice for areas that are dry or prone to dryness, says dermatologist Sandra Lee, MD, aka Dr. Pimple Popper and the founder of SLMD Skincare. “Petroleum jelly is very occlusive, meaning it works to keep moisture from leaving your skin by blocking exposure of the skin to air, because dryness in the air can really pull moisture from your skin,” says Dr. Lee. “In some ways, that’s wonderful, as this type of thick formula can strengthen the skin’s barrier, making it less likely for water to evaporate from your skin and dry it out. However, this isn’t true for all skin types.” If you have oily or acne-prone skin, Dr. Lee doesn’t recommend using petroleum jelly. “It can clog your pores and promote breakouts or the development of milia, which are really superficial tiny cysts,” she says. Other skin types really benefit from using it as a spot treatment for super-dry skin. “In the winter, many of us need to switch to
Meet the energy-boosting herb that legitimately tastes delicious
November 07, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2m0TnBMsKY] This herb has been associated with longevity *and* healthy energy levels? Sign us up. There’s a reason why Starbucks is just as busy in the afternoon as it is during the morning rush: having enough energy to get through the whole day is a struggle and a half. Thankfully herbalist, holistic health coach, and Supernatural founder Rachelle Robinett has an energy boosting solution that doesn’t involve a third latte: gynostemma. “Gynostemma is a plant that contains gypenocides,” Robinett says in the latest episode of Well+Good’s YouTube series, Plant-Based. They’re a type of saponin, aka plant compounds often associated with medicinal-type benefits. Why does this matter? Well, the herb’s gypenocides are very similar to those in ginseng, which has long been used for its adaptogenic, energy promoting powers. “That means that gynostemma acts like a fantastic adaptogen as well,” she says. As an adaptogen, gynostemma can either rev you up if you’re feeling sluggish, Robinett says, or calm you down if you’re a little keyed up. Incorporating it into your wellness routine could lead to more even, consistent energy levels—though eating fiber-rich foods low on the glycemic index for even blood sugar levels is still crucial, too. Most herbs, of course, taste…pretty funky. But Robinett says that gynostemma is surprisingly sweet and very easy to eat. To see how to incorporate gynostemma into a delicious, naturally sweet snack, check out the video above. That p.m. Starbucks line just got one person shorter.
Target just revealed a sneak peek of its Black Friday deals—and an Apple Watch is $170
November 07, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC Why even shop throughout the year when you can save so much money by waiting until Black Friday? But it’s way too early to get excited about what awaits behind Target’s doors. Or is it? Target revealed the first sneak peek at what deals you can expect, and you might want to sit down because they’re good—really good. Whether you’re in the market for an Apple Watch or Fitbit to help you reach your health (and daily step!) goals, an Instant Pot or air fryer for home-cooked meals, or a weighted blanket to help you find your calm throughout the holidays, Target has you covered. This year, you can score tech, clothes, beauty essentials and more for a fraction of the cost when those doors open at 5pm on Thursday, November 28—and these are the best deals to look out for. 11 best Target Black Friday deals 1. Instant Pot, $65 Start stockpiling Instant Pot recipes, because the 6-qt. 7-in-1 Duo Nova multi-use pressure cooker will be available for $35 off its typical price. 2. Apple Watch Series 3, $170 If you haven’t quite bitten the bullet on getting an Apple Watch, give yourself an early holiday gift by scoring the Series 3 on sale. 3. Weighted blanket, $30 You’ve always wanted a weighted blanket to cozy up in, and now you can get the 12-lb. option on sale. 4. Ninja Air Fryer, $80 You know how amazing air fryers are. Whether you want to make
5 activewear items with pockets that hold more of your things than those mini bags you love
November 06, 2019 at 10:52PM by CWC This one time, not-so-long-ago, I boldly decided: “You know what sounds challenging? Running a marathon!” Having never run this distance before, I anticipated many, many obstacles including potential injuries, feeling fatigued, enduring soreness, and waking up at very (!) early hours to mark off miles. What I didn’t realize—or even think—would be an obstacle was where to put my keys (and other necessities). Honestly, this rings true for all forms of outdoor fitness from long walks on the beach to long walks up a mountain (also known as hikes). Hear me out: I love studio fitness (and gyms!), so even though I was exercising every day before marathon training, I always had a locker to place my belongings. This outdoor workout thing is fairly new to me, and well, it’s new for my stuff, too (read: keys, AirPod cases, and credit card and cash.) My storage problem came to a head when—as a last resort and as a pure act of desperation to free my hands—I placed my keys in an armband specifically designed to simply hold my cell phone. Five miles and about 45 minutes later, I found myself locked out of my apartment because the keys had fallen out. I’d had enough, and so, I embarked on a personal scavenger hunt (not to find my lost keys of course—that could have taken years!). Instead of pouting, I opted for some new clothing items. The best workout gear with pockets come in
Adding trace minerals to drinking water is the latest ‘healthy’ fad you can skip
November 06, 2019 at 10:23PM by CWC Whether it’s collagen or chlorophyll, there’s always some new product on the shelves calling your name and begging to be added to your water—all with the tantalizing promise of making your hydration experience even healthier. The latest? Trace minerals, a clear, liquid supplement that is added in a few drops at a time to your water to disappear…well, without a trace. It seems like a good idea. We already know that certain minerals are important for keeping the body running properly, from ensuring you have enough energy to providing your immune system with the support it needs to ward off that nasty office cold. While your body only needs trace minerals in small amounts (hence why they’re called “trace” minerals), Whitney English, RDN, a dietitian and certified personal trainer in Los Angeles, says they’re crucial for health. “These include minerals like selenium, which is required for making antioxidant enzymes and important for thyroid health; chromium, which is involved in metabolism and insulin sensitivity; and manganese, which is required for normal bone development and wound healing,” she says. “Most trace minerals have a very small window of optimal intake, meaning too little can cause deficiency and too much can cause toxicity.” Trace minerals sound important—should I add them into my water and food? Some companies argue that trace minerals are being stripped out of our water and soil by conventional farming practices—necessitating that we add them back into our diets. But English wants to
That’s it, CBD has gone way, way too far
November 06, 2019 at 09:13PM by CWC What do lip gloss, leggings, and lube have in common? Besides the fact that they’re all fixings for a really good date night, you can now get each of these products laced with CBD—for softer lips, better workouts, and steamier sex, supposedly. And that’s just the tip of the $5 billion iceberg that is the CBD consumer products market in 2019. Cannabidiol—a compound found in hemp plants that’s credited with various health benefits—is now making cameos in massages, facials, skin-care products, shampoos, and cosmetics including mascara. You can buy it pre-mixed in (not-quite legal) sparkling water, cold brew coffee, and cookies for humans and dogs alike. Even big brands like Ben & Jerry’s are developing new products with CBD on the ingredient list. This is all happening in a CBD landscape that’s still completely unregulated, and the products currently hitting the scene vary wildly in terms of efficacy and purity. So as increasingly, um, “creative” applications for CBD roll out faster than research backing its benefits can possibly keep up, it’s got many in the industry wondering one thing: Has CBD finally gone too far? “Even though CBD is a real therapeutic agent, it’s also definitely a fad right now so we’re seeing it in a crazy array of products,” says Anna Symonds, director of education at craft cannabis and hemp farm East Fork Cultivars. “I’ve seen some gross-looking stuff—CBD burgers, CBD pizza, that kind of thing—that are clearly just attempts to get
Nike just built a shoe that cut injury rates in athletes by over 50 percent
November 06, 2019 at 07:06PM by CWC No matter what kind of runner you are—whether you’re clocking a casual three miles or a record-breaking two-hour marathon—nothing puts a damper on your daily grind like getting injured. You’re cruising through mile-number-whatever when all of a sudden you’ve got a shooting pain in your knee, and the endorphin high you’ve been working toward comes crashing down. It sucks, full stop. For over 40 years, Nike has been studying why we get injured, and with the launch of the new React Infinity Run shoe, the brand is set to take the first step in helping combat this. In an external study, researchers at the British Columbia Sports Medicine Research Foundation found that 226 half marathon runners (who collectively logged 60,000 miles, NBD) cut injury rates by 52 percent while wearing this sneak as compared to another Nike motion control (read: stability) model. “There is kind of this fear of injury that’s plagued runners in our sport for a long time, and really been one that, ourselves included, haven’t really been able to find the right solution,” say Bret Holts, Nike’s VP of Running Footwear. Part of the reason why injuries are so hard to end forever is because every runner’s biomechanics are different, and while some injuries do come from the bottom-up, others are top-down problems, so to speak. While many shoes aim to help runners find more stability by packing the mid-sole of the shoe with foam that adds space between the
4 nonverbal ways to convey max confidence, according to a body language expert
November 06, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC There’s the radical thing I’ve been trying out recently called “looking people in the eye.” It’s not my natural inclination to look up from my iPhone and directly at a human being, but I’ve long known it’s a worthy endeavor to prioritize. It’s also an entry point to maximizing body language for confidence. I’ve weathered self-esteem issues for quite some time, and I’d now like to start exuding stronger energy. Enter: nonverbal communication. That’s where body language can help: Classic research by Albert Mehrabian, professor emeritus of psychology at UCLA, led to his communication model in which body language accounts for 55 percent of communication (vocal tone takes 38 percent and actual words spoken 7 percent). This means, in terms of conveying confidence, I need not worry so much about my voice getting lost in the crowd or introvert tendencies leading me to hide in a corner. So, whether you’re about to give a work presentation, have jitters about an upcoming date, or are preparing to mingle with your billionaire former classmates in a real-life Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion situation, it’s great to know what kind of body language for confidence is best to project. Below, body-language expert Patti Wood shares how to literally put your best, most confident foot forward. 4 expert tips to use body language for confidence 1. Eliminate barriers between you and other people “Be awake and aware of the situations where you find yourself protecting yourself,
Tapping into the ocean’s power, “blue beauty” has become the gold standard in skin care
November 06, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC “The ocean is medicine,” says One Ocean Beauty founder and CEO Marcella Cacci. She’s right: Research has proven that being near the coast boosts your mood and calms you down by lowering your cortisol levels. But in addition to our body, mind, and soul a regular dose of vitamin sea is also great for our skin. Think about what it must take for one of the ocean’s two million organisms to thrive in such an extreme environment, where salt and harsh currents would seemingly make it impossible to survive. Not only are the plants found in the deep blue adaptable, but because they live in a mineral-rich waters, they’re also primed to be great for our mineral- and vitamin-loving skin. Cacci founded her brand on exactly that principle. She wanted to harness the powers of the great blue beyond and turn them into lotions and serums that will make complexions happy. And while some seriously powerful stuff can be plucked straight from the ocean, brands like One Ocean are finding ways to use technology to replicate their benefits in a more sustainable way. “We take a single cell or micro organism out of nature, and then we regrow it in the lab through biotechnology, so it’s completely sustainable production,” says Cacci of the process, adding that the brand sources algae from all over the world, including France, Japan, and Antartica. Luxury skin-care brand Algenist has also developed a more eco-friendly take on marine