September 11, 2019 at 10:17PM by CWC Healthy relationships have been described many ways throughout the course of human history, but a new analogy comes straight out of Hot Girl Summer. According to Dan Siegel, MD, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, we should think of our relationships as fruit salads and not smoothies. You may be thinking, “I’ve never thought about any of my relationships as a smoothie, does this apply to me?” Also: “Now I’m hungry and feel compelled to buy a $12 smoothie from Whole Foods.” First, yes it does. And second, I love this journey for you. I also love this analogy, because it involves two of my favorite things: chopped fruit and talking about my failed relationships. Essentially, what we’re supposed to get is that a “smoothie” relationship is not healthy because you blend together and lose yourself in the relationship, while a “fruit salad” relationship allows you to maintain your independence and sense of self while still being connected to your partner. “We are often taught that romantic relationships should ‘complete us’ or be our everything,” says Dee Stacey, certified sexual health educator for Blume. “But this isn’t actually a healthy relationship practice!” We’ve been fed (ha!) this idea that true love means you simply cannot go on without the other person. While it can feel good to “blend” into another person, it will not feel good to lose your identity. While it can feel good to “blend” into
Tag: Well+Good
Parsley tea isn’t the only way to reap the perks of the healthy herb
September 11, 2019 at 10:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnu3SWMzh5U] Parsley is more than just a garnish. Check out the health benefits in this video. When it comes to parsley, healthy eaters tend to use it in two ways: as a garnish, or to sip as tea. (We sure do love our herbal teas!) But before you start brewing yourself a cup, there are a few things holistic health practitioner Rachelle Robinett wants you to know about parsley tea. Like all plants, Robinett says parsley is full of vitamins and antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and K. However, she says parsley is unique in that it can impact kidney and liver function. “[Parsley is] sort of a purger and will remove excess water weight and act on those organs to release whatever they may be retaining,” Robinett says in the latest episode of Plant Based. This helps it act as a diuretic, which is why it has been such a popular herbal tea. However, drinking too much parsley tea can be problematic, Robinett says—it’s a diuretic, so you might lose too much water (and obviously, hydration is crucial). “You just want to be careful with it,” she says. Plus, Robinett says there are other ways to use the herb besides in tea form. Watch the video above for other, unexpected ways to reap the benefits of this herb—including a recipe for a delicious, parsley chimichurri. Way more exciting than tea, wouldn’t you say? Here are some other foods that are food
I’ve tested almost every Trader Joe’s beauty product, and this one is by far my fave
September 11, 2019 at 08:58PM by CWC Late last year, I had the immense pleasure of treating myself to an entire skin-care routine straight from the aisles of Trader Joe’s. And as my face and I quickly discovered, everyone’s favorite destination for everything bagel seasoning and cauliflower gnocchi happens to have some legit beauty offerings. One that I’ve been reaching for now that the skin seasons have started to shift from “humid and greasy” to “dry and chapped”? (Let us pause to mourn the end of summer.) The Nourish Hyaluronic Moisture Boost Serum. The serum was formulated by dermatologists with—you guessed it!—hyaluronic acid, which holds 1,000 times its weight in water and is a true hero when it comes to hydrating your skin. “Hyaluronic acid is a molecule that is produced naturally in the skin,” says board certified dermatologist Sheel Desai Solomon, MD. “It helps bring water and collagen together, and absorbs moisture into the skin to make it look revitalized and hydrated. The great thing about hyaluronic acid is that it works to replenish moisture that we lose with age, lack of hydration, or underlying skin conditions.” In addition to being wildly hydrating, the serum also #humblebrags about its ability to improve collagen production, brighten and firm skin, and create a protective barrier on top of your dermis. While I can’t speak to what was going on with my body’s collagen factory when I used the serum, I can tell you that after a week of regular use my
How to eat more fiber using a functional medicine doctor’s ‘3-to-1 rule’ at every meal
September 11, 2019 at 07:19PM by CWC Everyone, it’s time again we talk about the F-word. And by that I mean fiber of course. As one of the nutrient darlings, fiber has quite the impressive resume. It makes you feel satiated, revs up your metabolism, and keeps you full between meals. But since it can be hard to squeeze in your recommended 21 to 38 grams each day (that’s a lot!), functional medicine doctor Mark Hyman, MD, has a trick for never falling short again. Since plants are humankind’s one and only source of fiber, Dr. Hyman points out that they deserve to take up the most room on your plate. “Non-starchy vegetables like spinach, asparagus, broccoli, and kale should make up 50 to 75 percent of your plate with a small portion of animal protein as ‘condi-meat,’” writes the doctor on Instagram. “Think of this as the 3-to-1 rule.” In other words, your plate should be three parts fiber and one part protein. Easy enough, right? How to eat more fiber using the “3-to-1 rule” at breakfast, lunch, and dinner View this post on Instagram And the average person doesn’t even come close to getting enough. Plants are living pharmacies that dispense natural substances with medicinal powers and chalk full of phytonutrients (phyto meaning plants); a group of chemicals essential to vibrant health that protect us from a long list of chronic ailments. They’re a huge reason why eating our veggies is important. Veggies
What your doodles say about your personality (besides ‘I can’t draw’)
September 11, 2019 at 06:31PM by CWC During my yoga teacher training, I was enthralled with the “Om” symbol, my one and only doodling muse. I drew it everywhere—in the margins of my notebooks, on my hands, in the sand at the beach—but I never stopped to think too much about the motivation behind such a repetitious act. That is, until graphologist Tracey Russell explained how to decode the meaning of doodles and what each style says about your personality. “Doodling is proactive daydreaming, produced casually and unconsciously—often on auto-pilot—whilst the writer is busy focusing on something else at the same time,” says the handwriting expert. “Doodles are not intended for any particular recipient. This means that doodles are the complete free-flow of uninhibited symbols, ‘live and direct’ from the subconscious.” Each doodle is like a secret map to your psyche. While most will begin with basic, universal shapes like a circles, squares, and triangles, how they evolve from there can paint a pretty interesting picture of the goings-on between your ears. “For example, drawings may consist of single objects, mini scenes, childlike scribbles, shapes or even complex patterns,” says Russell. They may be precise or slapdash, big and invasive, or small and insignificant. Many are repetitive but rarely look like works of art.” At the end of the day, how you draw is as unique to you as your fingerprint or eye color. That said, Russell does have a few ideas for what certain doodling habits may say about
4 steps to stop imposter syndrome from putting out your charismatic fire
September 11, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC If I’ve learned one thing from life in New York (and about 40,000 re-watches of Almost Famous), it’s that the best way to come across as charismatic is to act like you belong. Charisma gets results; it’s why the best way to walk into a music venue without a ticket is with your head held high. So it’s not shocking to learn that imposter syndrome (AKA the often unwarranted fear that you don’t belong or aren’t worthy of your position) can impede your charisma factor, as reported in a recent New York Times article. But, um…how do you stop internalized issues such as imposter syndrome from stifling your charisma? And furthermore, is it even possible to learn how to be charismatic? Well, it helps to regard charisma as a forward-facing, perception-based personality trait that’s not necessarily reflective of anyone’s inner self. “Charisma is a public quality,” says clinical psychologist and author of I Know I’m in There Somewhere: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner Voice and Living a Life of Authenticity, Helene Brenner, PhD. “It’s not a quality you have in private with the people you are really close to. Charisma is not about intimacy; intimacy requires vulnerability, allowing someone to see you as just human, with flaws and weaknesses like everyone else. Charisma is almost the opposite of that.” Meaning? Faking it is essentially the name of the game, especially because being uncharismatic can be a problem in the pursuit of getting
It’s not news to me that I have acne, so stop commenting on my skin concerns
September 11, 2019 at 06:10PM by CWC To know me, you should know this: Getting my eyebrows done is the only thing that makes me feel like I have control of my life. Born with a caterpillar of a unibrow that could rival Count Olaf, each time I look in the mirror and see clean, non-conjoined arches, I breathe a sigh of relief. Yet, during my last brow sesh, an esthetician ripped that privileged feeling from my skin as if it were an unwanted facial hair, telling me that my skin was broken out and suggesting products to clear it up. Whoa. Please back the hell up. I’m very used to my waxer asking me if I’d like to add on additional treatments like getting my lip waxed. And separately, I’m very used to people, unprompted, talking about the quality of my skin; however, never before has the negative energy of both fused together into a hellish half-hour dialog about my hormonal acne. One singular thought screamed over and over in my head: “Please don’t talk about my skin problems.” Because, while she was transfixed on “clearing up my skin,” I couldn’t help but think that I’d like to clear up why it’s no longer appropriate to comment on the state of someone else’s complexion. In case you don’t realize it, having acne sucks If you have never had to deal with acne, you have no idea how all-consuming it can be. One 2017 study reviewing 13 separate articles showed
How to make sure that you have good form when you’re working out alone
September 11, 2019 at 03:11PM by CWC We called it back in 2017: Digital fitness is one the rise. More than ever before, you can now get world-class trainers in your living room. It’s made working out easier and more accessible than ever, and while there’s no doubt that at-home fitness is a great way to get in a sweat sesh, if a fitness pro can’t see you, they can’t know if you actually have good form and are doing your workout the right way. But let’s be honest, having a trainer watch you work out via your phone is not only unrealistic (and like a tad creepy), it makes verbal cues trainers give even more important. “I think that programs have to start from the basics and really explain techniques and modalities, and explain the exercise from beginner to the most advanced level,” says Bergen Wheeler, national director of mind body innovation and talent at Exhale. “There should be different level classes, and each class should offer explanations and modifications for more challenging moves.” If apps are going to be offering classes for anyone, they have the responsibility to offer them for everyone, too. A lot of this comes down to hiring talented instructors, who can coach students into proper form without actually having to see them do the moves. “When you’re a great instructor, you know the top five things in any position that your client is going to hit,” says Brynn Putnam, creator of The Mirror, adding that
Microplastics are in our oceans, our air, and our bodies—but what does that mean for our health?
September 11, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC It’s hard to believe that when plastic was first invented in the early 1900s, it was seen as a technological miracle. Now, plastic is so deeply ingrained into our daily lives that it’s impossible to avoid (just ask one editor who attempted #PlasticFreeJuly). It’s in our clothing, beauty products, phones, furniture, toys, and now, our bodies. According to a recent study, humans are unintentionally breathing and ingesting tiny particles of plastic, aka microplastics. These microplastics, which are each roughly the size of a sesame seed, can come from larger plastics that have broken up or from microbeads of plastic that are deliberately added to beauty products (like cleansers). The study found those tiny plastic particles showing up in stool samples from people living all over the world. Having plastic pieces floating around in our bodies does not sound particularly ideal. But what does the ubiquitousness of microplastics truly mean for our health? Here, some of the top toxicologists who have studied microplastics share what we know—and what we don’t know. How microplastics end up in our bodies It’s understandably unnerving to think about how there’s very likely tiny pieces of plastic in your body right now. But it’s also important to know that microplastics are small—like, really small. According to the National Institute of Health, they’re less than five millimeters big. (That’s half a centimeter.) “They are in consumer products such as synthetic clothing fabric, toothpaste, and skincare products,” the NIH’s site reads.
This is the absolute worst bag for your posture, according to a chiropractor
September 11, 2019 at 02:01PM by CWC In middle school, I thought that having one of those rolling backpacks was the epitome of coolness. (It wasn’t.) While everyone else schlepped around their canvas messenger bags, I proudly wheeled my rolling backpack through the hallways. Nowadays, I favor a leather tote to carry around my work supplies. But that is basically the worst thing I could be doing, according to Jonathan Leary, DC. (The chiropractor also tells me that a rolling bag is best for your back, but we’ll get to that in a moment.) “In this day and age, we spend a lot of time hunched over our computers typing, eating at our desks, texting, the list goes on. The problem here is that we are always contracting the body in a forward motion, which causes all of our postural problems to increase,” explains Dr. Leary. “The more our posture is affected, it will lead to lower back or neck pain.” You exacerbate this pain when your bag—like my aforementioned leather tote—isn’t balanced on your body. But the worst offense he sees is something I am also guilty of: choosing the biggest bag possible and carrying around you entire life in it. (How am I supposed to flirt with cute single guys at the coffee shop I work at if I don’t have a travel makeup bag, quarters for laundry, and the CVS receipts from my last 10 trips there on hand at all times?) “The bigger the bag, the