August 13, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC One of the strongest arguments for Aladdin being the hottest Disney prince is that whole “A Whole New World” routine. If someone showed up at my window with a one-way ticket to Greece, Egypt, and China, my crop top would be flying faster than any magic carpet. In reality, though, a late night trip around the world would probably show more people bug-eyed and in the throes of insomnia. Behold the results of 2019 Philips Global Sleep Survey, answered by more than 11,000 adults from 12 countries. As it turns out, sleeping around the world—here defined as “whether we have good sleep hygiene across the globe” and not your wild semester abroad junior year—shows that we’re all failing a little together. But since I’m aggressively American, let’s focus on how we’re slaying the competition first. The United States, in case you’re curious, actually wins the bronze medal for being one of the more well-rested countries (U-S-A! U-S-A!). So when it comes to at least feeling like we’ve gotten enough sleep, the only countries that have us beat are India for the gold and Saudi Arabia for the silver. Way to go, global fam. ad_intervals[‘414740_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414740_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); The world average for optimum sleep, however, shows that most of us are falling short. We all know that we’re all supposed to be shooting for a coveted 8 hours of sleep. To that I respond with a
Tag: Well+Good
The key differences in how introverts and extroverts can best navigate today’s world
August 13, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has been around for decades, helping countless people understand how they think, feel, and behave. More general, though, than being able to highlight what you were like as a kid and where you find motivation in life, your Myers-Briggs personality can help you decipher where you lie in the matter of introvert vs extrovert. The test breaks down whether you’re introverted or extroverted, intuitive or sensing, feeling or thinking, and perceiving or judging. And while general understandings of what it means to be an introvert vs extrovert are widely held (there’s even a quiz you can take here!), deciphering what, exactly, those terms mean in today’s world isn’t necessarily straightforward. This is especially true given the entire concept of social media asking us to communicate at all times. (Are we ever really alone anymore?) Since it’s complicated—but knowing yourself and whether you identify as more of an introvert or extrovert can be helpful—it’s time to break down how these terms apply to people in today’s world. ad_intervals[‘413819_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘413819_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); What are the key differences between introverts and extroverts, again? “An introvert is a person who is most comfortable being alone and gets the most fulfillment and energy by being alone,” says clinical psychologist John Mayer, PhD. He adds that, in general, introverts tend to spend time thinking about communicating to the point of overthinking and also skew sensitive. They
5 benefits of olive oil that explain why it’s a staple of the Mediterranean diet
August 13, 2019 at 02:03AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rof-B24i37s] Here’s why one registered dietitian says “Olive you so much” to EVOO. Watch the video. If you know anything about the Mediterranean diet, it’s probably that olive oil reigns supreme. And it’s not just because it’s essential for crafting salad dressing, or makes oven-baked foods even more delicious, but also because it’s so good for your health. In Well+Good’s latest installment of You Versus Food, dietitian Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, is here to share olive the benefits (sorry, I couldn’t resist). 1. Olive oil is a powerful antioxidant Yes, the same kind of compounds you find in blueberries and teas are also found in olive oil. “[Antioxidants] act as a scavenger for harmful free radicals and has been shown to reduce chronic disease,” Beckerman says. ad_intervals[‘414290_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414290_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’);}); } }, 100); 2. It can help reduce inflammation Although inflammation isn’t always a bad thing, an excess of inflammation can lead to health problems like arthritis. Enter olive oil, which Beckerman says is made of primarily monounsaturated fats like oleic acid. Studies suggest oleic acid can decrease chronic inflammation, Beckerman says. Talk about a win! Cooking with olive oil can be a bit tricky—there are different types, and you may lose some of the benefits if you use them wrong. To learn the best cooking practices, and all the other benefits olive oil has to offer, watch the full video. If you’re craving more You Versus Food, be
Is it dangerous to wake a sleepwalker? (And other tips to help the somnambulant people in your life)
August 12, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC The first time Caitlin* learned of her fiancé’s sleepwalking habit, they were on vacation, staying in an Airbnb. It was the middle of the night when she woke up to find John* getting out of bed to—she falsely assumed—go to the restroom. But she was quickly rustled from her half-asleep state to a wide-eyed status when she realized he was about to do his business in the bedroom closet. “I jumped out of bed and said, ‘Babe! That is not the bathroom!’ And then I steered him toward the proper restroom,” she tells me. John later cleared up the situation when he told her that he often sleepwalks when he’s had a few drinks and is staying away from home. But Caitlin quickly learned that wasn’t the extent of John’s after-dark shenanigans. “If we’re home, he’ll get up and go check on ‘noises’ he thinks he hears, but when he wakes in the morning, he has no recollection,” Caitlin says. “One night, he got out of bed and walked over to my side of the bed to check my face, because he thought there were bugs crawling all over me.” ad_intervals[‘412609_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘412609_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); From John’s perspective, the unconscious wandering is no big deal. “My dad used to sleepwalk all the time, too, and I used to think it was hilarious,” he says. “I tend to not remember anything [from sleepwalking episodes], and if
5 meal prep tips to ensure your food is anything but boring
August 12, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Now that meal prepping has actually made its way into my weekly Sunday routine, I have to say, I’m pretty darn proud of myself. It’s so satisfying to look into the fridge and see glass containers prepped with my lunch salads and protein and greens for dinner, all ready to eat. There’s only one small problem: Lately, the sweet reward of digging into a meal I prepped in advance has become a lost less satisfying, because I’m, well, bored. I’ve gone on autopilot with my grocery shopping and meal prepping, buying and making the same things every single week. That means I’m basically eating the same meals on rotation. Can anyone else relate? I decided to ask some of my meal prep expert and dietitian friends for ways to switch things up while still sticking to a healthy eating plan. As expected, they delivered with some game-changing tips. Scroll down for five ways to switch up your meal prep to make mealtime more exciting. 1. Rotate your protein. “When planning your meal prep each week, rotate the protein options,” Simple Healthy Delish blogger and meal prep queen Leanne Miyasaki tells me. “For example, if you made chicken and ground turkey last week, try making sirloin and shrimp next.” If you’re plant-based, try swapping out chickpeas for lentils, or tofu for tempeh. Just changing up the protein (which is usually the base of a dish) can help make the entire meal seem a bit more
What the number of piercings you have in your ear says about your personality
August 12, 2019 at 02:01PM by CWC I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was 20 years old. I only did my lobes, because I was afraid of needles. I think the piercer legitimately had to give me candy, like I was a child, to calm me down enough to get pierced. Now, I have 10 piercings—and that’s not even so many compared to what is trending right now. Stephanie Anders, piercer and owner of Royal Heritage Tattoo in Venice, California, tells me that she has definitely seen a resurgence in multiple ear piercings. “And this resurgence has come with some really incredible, creative ideas,” she says. “With ‘curated’ ear projects or ‘constellation’ or stacked and clustered piercings. We are getting away from the traditional looks and for me it’s become about using each person’s unique anatomy and creating something that flows aesthetically for them individually.” “What I am personally seeing and loving is that the idea and motivation behind piercing has shifted. Now people are seeing [their ears] as more real estate for stunning jewelry,” adds Anders. Piercings are becoming more widely accepted, and so it’s “opening up piercing to a clientele where maybe it wasn’t even considered in the past.” Popular spots to get ear piercings are conch, tragus, and daith—along with the aforementioned cluster piercings. ad_intervals[‘414542_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414542_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); If you’re feeling inspired to get more piercings, Anders says she will personally do a max of three
The one spot to check determine whether or not you *actually* need to wash your hair
August 12, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC I once asked a hairstylist how I could tell if my hair was actually clean, and she suggested that I ask my significant other to sniff my head for me and let me know what was going on up there. Since I haven’t had a boyfriend since Obama was president, her advice made me assume that I was going to be stuck with a potentially stinky scalp (and no way to know for sure whether it was or it wasn’t!) until I found one. But recently, a different hairstylist filled me in on how to check my hair was clean while also maintaining my status as a strong, independent, good smelling woman. The key? Giving a touch-check to the back of your head. “When it comes to washing their hair, the first mistake I often see clients make is that they put conditioner in the wrong places,” explains Dana Hodges Caschetta, Eufora International national trainer and a stylist at New York City’s newly-opened Eufora salon. “There is a common misconception that you should put conditioner directly on the scalp, which can lead to hair falling flat, product build-up and even dry flakes—which nobody wants.” When you apply conditioner this way, the product tends to glom onto the back of your scalp, which can make just-washed hair feel dirty almost immediately. ad_intervals[‘414707_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414707_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); If you feel like your hair gets dirty in these specific
If your bedtime is 11 p.m., new research says you should put down that glass of rosé by 7
August 12, 2019 at 11:50AM by CWC While there’s not question that connection exists between what you eat and drink and how well you sleep, researchers looked specifically at the effects of coffee, alcohol, and nicotine on a good night’s rest. And, well, let’s put it this way: happy hour just got a lot shorter. The results of a recent study—conducted at Florida Atlantic University, involving 785 people who kept sleep diaries for a total of 5,164 days—found that consuming alcohol within four hours of going to sleep actually affected participants worse than drinking coffee before bedtime. The major caveat here is that people metabolize caffeine at different rates, so for some people, drinking a post-dinner espresso or coffee could lead to tossing and turning. But despite this, even when researchers accounted for factors including age, gender, weight, mental health, and schedules, alcohol was still the major sleep disruptor. This may come as a surprise to anyone who has ever imbibed and gotten a little drowsy. But according to sleep experts, the problem isn’t falling asleep; it’s that alcohol disrupts REM sleep, so chances are, you’ll find yourself waking up in the middle of the night (likely feeling around on the nightstand for a glass of water). ad_intervals[‘414716_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414716_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’);}); } }, 100); Of course sleep experts also understand that the majority of people aren’t going to shift the hours of their alcoholic consumption from 7 p.m. to 4 p.m. If you’re drinking
I took a class at Pitbull and Tony Robbins’ *EXTRA* new workout studio, and it ended with an electrolyte margarita
August 12, 2019 at 10:39AM by CWC When an email popped into my inbox back in April with the subject line: “Pitbull and Tony Robbins open new NYC fitness studio,” I had a wild mix of thoughts and emotions: 1) utter confusion wondering WTF these two are doing together, let alone in the fitness world, and 2) I. need. to. go. Since I first got the announcement, I’ve been waiting with bated breath until I could visit Grit Bxng for myself—my colleagues and I had an actual countdown going on in the office. Finally, on August 8th, I got to see what a Pitbull x Tony Robbins workout was all about, and let me tell you: It did not disappoint. In fact, from the moment I walked in it was “International Love” at first sight. On the day of the opening, there was absolutely no question that I had come to the right place. The blue Swarvoski crystal-encrusted boxing bag and full liquor bar—which serves things like electrolyte-spiked margaritas, hard kombucha, and kale martinis (as well as some mocktails)—in the lobby were clear indicators that this place was owned by Mr. Worldwide himself. Also in the lobby? An actual boxer dog named Gritty, because, of course. ad_intervals[‘414722_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘414722_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); When instructor Anthony Crouchelli opened the doors to the workout room and beckoned for the crowd to come in, I felt like I was strolling into a nightclub. The studio’s ceiling
What the most spectacular meteor shower of the year means for your zodiac sign
August 12, 2019 at 10:15AM by CWC Mercury is out of retrograde, which, yay, but also does this mean I have to start taking responsibility for my own actions again? It’s far from the only astrologically significant event happening, however. Last month, dueling meteor showers were visible in much of the U.S., and they brought inspiration with them. And now the Perseid meteor shower—perhaps the most spectacular of the year—is giving stargazers a real treat. If you live outside the optimal viewing areas, you can catch of glimpse of the event with NASA’s live stream—but the astrological significance is far-reaching nonetheless. “Astrologically, meteor showers can represent several things. First of all, they’re cosmic dust, debris. They look like beautiful light displays from our perspective, but in reality, they are a type of storm that happens from the breakup of a comet,” says intuitive astrologer and healer Rachel Lang. “To understand the astrological significance of a meteor shower, we need to understand the significance of a comet. Comets are made up of ice, dust, and gasses. If we read that symbolically, we might say they represent our frozen emotions and collective fears surfacing for us to see and heal. Anything we have been ignoring or suppressing can no longer be ignored. To the ancients, a comet represented change, like an eclipse.” Intense, but I’m into it. ad_intervals[‘411952_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘411952_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Meteor showers symbolize beauty rising from ashes, says Lang. “Meteor showers represent