October 04, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC Hormones, unfortunately, get a pretty bad rap. While of that reputation is earned (hello, menstrual mood swings and ho-hum sex drive), the truth is your hormones have a huge impact on your overall health, so keeping their function in tip-top shape is essential to your well-being. “The endocrine system is a collection of glands that produce hormones that help regulate metabolism, development, sexual function, reproduction, sleep and even mood,” says Yasmin Akhunji, MD, an Arizona-based endocrinologist with Paloma Health. “When these glands are not producing the right amount of hormones, diseases can develop and affect many different aspects of your life.” It’s true: Whether it is endocrine-disrupting chemicals (which can be found in everything ranging from food to the air to cosmetics) or a lack of sleep, the health of your hormones can be affected by a number of things. Which is why you’ll want to listen closely as Dr. Akhunji weighs in on the things she does every day to help promote a natural, healthy hormone balance. 1. Set sleep goals—and follow through on them There’s a reason why practically every expert goes on and on about getting a good night’s sleep—it’s crucial for all aspects of your health, including the endocrine system. The release of hormones from your pituitary gland (the “master endocrine organ” in the brain), is “markedly” influenced by sleep, says Dr. Akhunji. “Several studies have been done that examine the impact of the hormone, metabolism, and immune function
Tag: Well+Good
If vegetables had Coca-Cola’s ad agency, we’d all be addicted to them, too
October 04, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC Every time I stroll through the cereal aisle at the grocery store I hear a familiar tune in my head: “Hearts, stars, and horseshoes, clovers and blue moons, unicorns, rainbows, and tasty red balloons!” It’s catchy, sure, but a new study published in the journal Psychological Science suggests that the breakfast Leprechaun is also using a clever marketing strategy to convince you to add a box of cereal to your cart. When it comes to selecting what we buy and what we pass by, researchers found that healthy food labels with marketing driven by taste rather than healthiness wins over the consumer. To reach this conclusion, academics from Stanford University partnered with Menus of Change University Research Collaborative—a network of U.S. universities dedicated to promoting healthy and sustainable eating for college students—to study how labeling foods influences decision-making in the cafeteria. After tracking 140,000 decisions made about 71 vegetable dishes either labeled with taste-focused, health-focused, or neutral labels, researchers found that the taste reigned supreme. In fact, cafeteria-goers put veggies on their plates 29 percent more often when the labeling focused on flavor than when it stressed the health of the vegetable. With more research, the Stanford team also learned that vegetables sold as delectable had to actually follow through on that promise. Otherwise, students abandoned the healthy foods on their plates. “This is radically different from our current cultural approach to healthy eating.” —Alia Crum, PhD Alia Crum, PhD, an assistant professor
3 fail-proof ways to remove your makeup so that every last bit is gone
October 04, 2019 at 05:22PM by CWC Over the last few years, the double cleanse has become about as popular as leopard midi skirts or posting pictures of yourself as an old person to Instagram—nearly everyone has gotten involved. Thanks to K-Beauty, we know now that if we wear makeup, sometimes we need more than one pass with a cleanser to get rid of all the stuff chilling in our pores. While choosing which cleanser to use for that second part is determined by skin type, making the decision of which makeup remover to use for step one isn’t so clear. “You need to start off with a clean slate before you put on to anything else,” says K-Beauty expert Charlotte Cho, the brains behind Soko Glam and Then I Met You. Thanks to skin-care technology, there are a whole lot of options out there that will help you get rid of the remnants of your lipstick, foundation, and mascara to create a clean slate before you wash your complexion. There’s micellar water, cleansing oil, and of course good old-fashioned makeup remover, all of which do the job just fine. But which one are you supposed to reach for? The pros, it seems, have some opinions—and spoiler alert, but one method reigns supreme. Photo: Getty/Dougal Waters How to get off every kind of makeup imaginable Cleansing oil: Surprisingly enough, cleansing oil is actually the best makeup-removing option for most skin types. “Cleansing oils often contain vitamins C and E, which
Six pack abs are the biggest scam of our generation
October 04, 2019 at 04:54PM by CWC The menu of benefits that comes with a workout is delectable: a boost in mental health, increase in energy and focus, improved sleep and sex…I could go on. But for many people, the #sixpack remains the pinnacle of fitness goals—and it has a hashtag with over 10 million posts to prove it. But what do visible abs actually say about someone’s health or fitness level? Not a whole lot, says Jessica Ash, a functional clinical nutritionist and certified personal trainer. She points out that the pursuit of a six pack can be a healthy one for some; but for other body types, it can signify that their diets are too restrictive, workouts that are too aggressive, or that their overall expectations are unrealistic. “I’m not demonizing having abs at all, but it’s important to know the facts and that everyone’s a little bit different,” says Ash. So, suffice it to say that picture-of-health that six pack abs have come to represent is pretty much the biggest scam of our generation (next to needing 10,000 steps a day, that is). That’s because healthy recommendations for body fat in women tend to fall between 20 to 25 percent, while engineering a visible six pack requires dropping those body fat percentages down to somewhere between 16 to 19 percent (or lower), according to many trainers. Ash says that six-percent drop can bring on some unwanted side effects in women, including hormonal imbalances, which can cause amenorrhea (missed periods). “This is what you should think about
I’m an 80-year-old runner and I’ve broken 17 World Records—this is how I train
October 04, 2019 at 04:26PM by CWC Even though I live in a small town, La Canada, near Pasadena in southern California, in the foothills of the mountains, I haven’t hiked since I was a Girl Scout. I would much rather run. Growing up in Brooklyn, we played in the streets: hide and seek, tag, you name it. But I went to an all-girls high school, and the only available sports were intramural volleyball and basketball, which I played in my junior and senior years. Then, I went to Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, which had no sports whatsoever, so I was out of the game until I moved to California at 33. But, I’ve always been fast. I didn’t actually get involved with track and field until I was 54 and my husband Bert was 56. We saw an article in AARP magazine about the senior Olympics, which were being held at a college near our home. We started training and at my first meet, I ran the 50-meter dash in 7.6 seconds and the 100-meter dash in 14.9 seconds. I was faster than all the other runners, which was amazing since I did a standing start. Using starting blocks is a much more efficient way to start, but I didn’t know how and I didn’t have access to them. Fast forward twenty-five years, and I still participate in the high jump, sprint, and throw the discus and javelin. To date, I’ve broken 17 World Records. I
This white button-down shirt is the first one I’ve ever owned that I haven’t sweat straight through
October 04, 2019 at 04:23PM by CWC My mom has been trying to convince me of how great I look in a white button-down shirt since I was 12. In fact, she sent me to the first day of seventh grade wearing one, which turned out to be a disaster because by 11 a.m. I had sweat straight through it. And let me tell you: Accessorizing my “great” look with pit stains was not exactly the first impression I was trying to make on my new classmates. Thanks to a low-level case of hyperhidrosis (or I as I like to call it, “my annoying armpit sweating problem), the same issue has plagued me for the better part of the last two decades. As much as I love the look of a crisp white shirt—they go with everything! They make you look like a real, put-together adult!—I’ve never met one that I didn’t immediately soak through… until I met The Époque Évolution White Shirt ($148). Photo: époque évolution The fabric isn’t technically “sweat-proof,” but there are a few different elements that make it able to stand up to my body’s moisture production. For starters, it’s got the perfect oversized fit, so that it doesn’t hug my armpits the way so many other shirts have over the years (which, for the lucky uninitiated, is the kiss of death when it comes to dealing with pit stains). It’s also light and breathable, so it doesn’t make my skin feel claustrophobic on even the
Forget 10,000 steps: Recovery is the next thing you’ll be tracking non-stop
October 04, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC First, everyone began to diligently track their movements, their steps, and their workouts. Then, the tracking phenomenon quickly spread to other aspects of our health: our menstrual cycles, our sleep, our heart rates. And now, as the fitness world has realized that recovery is just as important as the workouts that you’re doing, tech has caught on with recovery tracking. Technology has already been laser-targeted towards recovery and professional-grade devices—like the HyperIce and Theragun—make it easier than ever to recover properly at home. Now that we’re all putting so much work into out post-workout therapies, the logical next step is to start tracking them the way we do with seemingly every other element of our wellness routines. And yes: Theres an app (or a device) for that. Jaxjox Foam RollerConnect ($100), which launched last week, is a “smart” foam roller that connects to an app (or your Apple Watch) to track your recovery. It guides you through your roll-out sessions, and suggests exercises to complement whatever workout you just did or to target the specific muscles you just worked out. Then there’s the Whoop ($30 per month), which launched this summer and keeps track of your recovery, heart rate, response to cardiovascular stressors and sleep quality by way of a sleek band around your wrist. Garmin’s Forerunner series tracks your “training state,” and tells you when your body’s fully recovered and ready for its next workout. Other watch-style trackers, like the Polar Vantage V ($500)
Can honey water help clear up a cold, or was my grandma lying to me?
October 04, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC When dealing with a cold, most of us are probably mainlining lozenges and tea while reaching for a box of tissues. But anyone dealing with the obnoxious symptoms for more than a few days is probably willing to try anything to feel better—including resorting to random remedies recommended by grandma (or various Reddit forums). One that seems to be getting some traction is honey water. Honey water is…exactly what it sounds like. “Honey water is simply water with honey dissolved in it. Sometimes, lemon is added, especially when people are using it for a sore throat or immune boost, or to add flavor,” says Kelly Jones, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN. Sounds delicious…but can it do anything for you besides tasting good? “Honey has been shown to benefit immune health in a variety of studies,” Jones says. “It contains some antioxidants that contribute to functions that protect the body from stress.” She adds that honey has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that could be helpful, although there are few large clinical trials confirming these benefits. (Read: Don’t throw out your meds and replace them with honey.) Manuka honey in particular has extensive cold-fighting potential—it has certain de-congestant and anti-inflammatory properties, Tracey Lockwood Beckerman, RD, previously told Well+Good. Honey can also be helpful if your cold comes with a side of hacking cough. “The texture of honey also allows it to coat the throat and act as an effective cough suppressant. Several studies have found it
Checks+Balanced: How a post-grad living in Nashville budgets for a plant-based diet
October 04, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Chances are, you talk with your friends about that embarrassing thing that happened to you at yoga and the ins and outs of sex. But for some reason, money talk remains off limits. People want to live their healthiest life ever, but—#realtalk—it can add up. Have you ever wondered how your colleague who makes less than you do (or so you think) can afford to buy a $5 matcha and a $12 chopped salad every day? Or how your friend’s budget allows her to hit up $34 fitness classes three times a week? It’s enough to make anyone want to ask, “Ummm, excuse me. How do you afford that?!?” That’s where Well+Good’s monthly series Checks+Balanced comes in. By lifting the thick, tightly drawn curtain to expose how much women of varying income brackets spend on wellness, we’re spreading transparency and hopefully providing some inspo that’s possible to copy. Because no matter how much you make, it’s possible to cultivate healthy habits that work within your budget. This month, meet Lauren Barlow, a 22-year old health-care sales specialist living in Nashville, Tennessee. She’s navigating her first full-time job while upholding healthy habits she cares about, like being plant-based on a budget. Keep reading to see how she manages. Here, a 22-year-old health-care sales specialist living in Nashville shares how she maintains healthy habits on an entry-level salary. Graphic by Well+Good Creative Lauren Barlow, 22, health-care sales specialist, Nashville Income: $38,400 per year. I work as a health-care
This common nutritional disorder might be why you’re so tired—here’s how to get your energy back, according to an RD
October 04, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC Pop quiz: How many people do you think are low in iron? Considering 1.6 billion people (which is about a quarter of the world’s population, btw) are anemic, and an estimated 30 to 50 percent of them have iron-deficiency anemia, that puts the answer to our math problem at around… 800 million. Guess right? If those giant numbers are blowing your mind, let us break it down for you. Anemia—when your blood doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells—affects a lot of people, and it can have a pretty major impact on your health. “If you don’t have enough iron, you don’t have enough hemoglobin, because your body needs iron to make hemoglobin,” explains Robyn Nohling, FNP, RD, MSN, and owner of Real Life Women’s Health. “Hemoglobin is really important because it’s how your body transports oxygen to your tissues, organs and muscles.” Safe to say iron is a must-have-at-all times kind of nutrient. Photo: Robyn Nohling So how do you know if you’re iron deficient or not? “A big sign is people often feel tired,” Nohling says. “They might also feel short of breath doing everyday activities that didn’t used to leave them feeling short of breath.” In the past, Nohling struggled with low iron levels, which made it difficult for her to focus and left her feeling like she had to drag herself out of bed in the morning. Sound familiar? If your body is nudging you to bump up your intake,