March 18, 2020 at 11:30PM by CWC I’m trying to think of the moment in my life when I felt the most brave. Maybe it was as a kid, standing up in front of a group of adults to bow after my very first piano recital. Or singing in my church choir as a teen—I was so nervous, I locked my knees and passed out, which made me feel rather stupid. As an anxious adult, it took a lot (of therapy; of Klonopin) for me to prepare to learn to drive a car again after many years of not driving. But I knew then that I had to breathe deep and fight my fears and get behind the wheel. This was vital for my independence, my ability to get what I wanted, to live a life unrestricted by self-imposed boundaries. That’s what bravery was: doing things, out in the world, showing people you weren’t afraid. But bravery has never been just that. Over the weekend, social media was full of scenes of people convening in restaurants and bars, doing what they had been explicitly told not to do. For them, tweeting and ‘gramming was a defiant (rather misinformed) signal that they refused to be afraid. A lot of the rest of us tried to explain that no, in this case, that was not bravery at all. It was only selfishness, and way more stupid than locking your knees while singing in the church choir. And it wasn’t just young people
Tag: Well+Good
How to properly clean and disinfect your beauty products
March 18, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC These days, keeping clean is top of mind for everyone. We’re washing our hands more often, wiping down our countertops on the reg, and tossing our clothes in the laundry after a single wear. One more thing you might want to add to your “daily disinfecting” list? Your beauty products. According to the CDC, in order to protect yourself from Covid-19, you should “clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas,” because from what we understand the virus can live on surfaces and transfer when you touch them. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to regularly disinfect any makeup or skin-care products you’re coming into contact with on the reg (which, for what it’s worth, is something you should be doing whether or not there’s a global pandemic going around). The CDC states that solutions with 70 percent alcohol (or more) serve as effective disinfectants, so celebrity makeup artist Mari Shten recommends keeping a spray bottle filled with alcohol (Jason Teatro, microbiologist and author of The Germ Files, suggests using nine parts undiluted alcohol mixed with one part distilled water) and using it to clean your products at least once a week. “You can use it for sanitizing the space you’re using, any powder makeup like pressed powder, eyeshadow, and blushes, and certain lipsticks,” says Mari. Just hold the bottle 10 inches away from the product, then spritz it generously and let it dry. You should also be regularly cleaning the
5 places to donate right now if you want to help feed your neighbor
March 18, 2020 at 10:00PM by CWC While millions of people have loaded up their shopping carts with toilet paper and all the canned goods they can find, millions more throughout the country don’t have the option to buy foods in bulk or very much food at all. There are of course people in need year-round, but according to Lisa Davis, senior vice president of No Kid Hungry, there is an even greater need right now. “Millions of vulnerable children are losing the healthy meals they depend on as the [COVID-19] closes schools nationwide,” says Davis. “As of [March 17], 39 states had closed schools entirely. When you add in the districts closed in other states it means 41.6 million kids, or 4 out of 5 kids, are out of school.” Even in areas where the schools are still open, many businesses are currently closed, which means hourly workers who may already be struggling to make ends meet are being hit hard. If you are in a position to help, Davis says there are several ways to do so. “First, speak up! We can urge Congress to pass emergency SNAP funding for low-income families and empower community response,” she says, adding that it just takes a quick call to your state representatives to support this initiative. Davis says that another way to help is rallying your virtual community, creating Facebook fundraisers. (You can use this link to easily start an online fundraiser that supports No Kid Hungry.) And of course
How to avoid injury now that you’re running outside a lot more than usual
March 18, 2020 at 09:00PM by CWC One of the things that sets running apart from other forms of exercise is that you don’t need any special equipment—apart from your sneakers—to do it. Now that gyms are closing temporarily to slow the spread of COVID-19, you may be upping your miles to keep your body moving. But what about wear-and-tear? Before you hit the pavement, it’s important to know how to avoid running injuries now that you’re doubling or even tripling your miles each week. To help you get those lovely, mind-clearing and cardiovascular benefits of running without risking injury, we tapped Meg Takacs, trainer and founder of fitness app #RunWithMeg, and Cameron Yuen, DPT, a doctor of physical therapy at Bespoke Treatments in New York City, to tell us how to collect miles while social distancing without collecting injuries, too. How to avoid running injuries now that you’re pounding the pavement more often 1. Focus big time on your warm-ups Warm-ups are important always, but especially when you’re attempting to increase the volume of your runs. “Your warmup should increase body temperature,” says Dr. Yuen. “This makes muscles, connective tissue, and blood vessels more compliant for activity.” It will also help the blood move toward your muscles and away from your digestive tract (read: cramps be gone!). “In the case of running, you will want to activate your calves, quadriceps, glutes, and obliques,” says Dr. Yuen. Then, you’re good to go the distance. Your runner’s warm up: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xObddmVyXD4] 2.
Why Samantha Jones is still the role model young girls and adult women need
March 18, 2020 at 08:00PM by CWC While today I’m the co-founder and CEO of the sexual-wellness company Dame Products, sexuality in its many forms has always been a prominent topic in my life. In grade school, for instance, I got in trouble with my teacher after telling my class about a party I attended with my aunt where drag queens and non-cisgender folks were among the attendees. That not only sparked my interest in sexuality and gender, but also in what was then, at least, a societal inability to speak openly about those topics. So it should really come as no surprise that when I discovered Sex and the City, I embraced Samantha Jones as a role model of sorts who further fueled my interest in sexuality, owning a business, and being self-sufficient. I recall watching, awe-inspired, as this fiery, independent, sexually liberated woman not only navigated the world knowing what she wanted, but also knowing how to lead a pack. To this day, these are traits I value and strive to hone and cultivate in myself, and seeing how much they impacted me as a young girl, I’d want nothing less than Samantha Jones as a role model for my hypothetical daughter (who, to be clear, doesn’t exist yet, but one day may). Samantha Jones’s quest to fulfill her needs and desires makes her a timeless role model for young girls and adult women alike. Back in the late ’90s and early aughts when Sex and the City
Yes, you can keep your beloved avocados ripe for *months*—here’s how
March 18, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC If you’re looking for sturdy produce that stays good for long periods of time, avocados are not it. One minute they’re sitting on your counter ripe and ready to eat, then you look away for a second and they’re completely rotten, destined for the trash. To say this is frustrating would be an understatement. But what if I told you there’s a way you can keep them perfectly green for months? Yes, you read that correctly. Months. Bethany Ugarte of Lilsipper recently shared a hack on Instagram that’s dropping jaws around the world. You probably know you can freeze mashed avocado in an ice cube tray for later use, but evidently you can freeze whole avocados, too—peel and all. After running an avocado that had been frozen for four months under some hot water then letting it sit out on the counter for a bit, she cut it open to reveal a perfectly-ripe fruit that looked like she just purchased it from the grocery store. View this post on Instagram 4 month avocado just like new! Here’s how to prolong your avocados for MONTHS! #freshfood #lilsipper A post shared by Bethany Ugarte || Gut Health (@lilsipper) on Mar 17, 2020 at 9:04am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js Right now, her video has nearly 150,000 views and more than 1,200 comments—and they’re only growing, so clearly I’m not the only one who’s completely shocked by this discovery. In fact, the frozen avocado she peeled months later was a prettier,
Why it’s important to do stretches before walking, no matter how many steps you’re clocking
March 18, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC As the best study ever recently confirmed, walking is just as much of a legitimate workout as spinning or running. So long as you’re clocking 100 steps a minute, for at least 30 minutes a day, you can count those 3,000 steps as your daily recommended dose of moderate-intensity exercise. And just as stretching is an important part of any modality, doing stretches before walking is a great way to ensure you’re getting the most out of every step you take. While this sort of workout might seem like a walk in the park (and, okay, might actually be a walk in the park), you’ll still want to prep your body the same way you would for more vigorous cardio. “When done correctly, stretching helps prepare the muscles for activity and reduces the risk of injury—if a muscle is too tight, it won’t be able to function as it should, which can lead to compensation and discomfort,” says Jeff Brannigan, PT, programming director at Stretch*d. He adds that everybody can benefit from cycling through a series of stretches before walking, because if you walk a lot, your muscles can become overworked and fatigued, which can lead to pain over time. Here, pros share the best stretches to do before walking. And bonus? The more limber you are, the more spring you’ll have in your step… speed walking Olympics, here you come. Why is it important to do stretches before walking? With every step
6 online games you can play virtually with your friends near and far
March 18, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC It’s a safe bet that you’re missing at least two things during social distancing: your friends and fun. While it’s so important that we stay indoors in order to slow the spread of COVID-19, self-isolation can be, uh, isolating. But since we’re all in this together, there is a way to liven up your downtime by playing online games with friends. Here’s the thing, it’s important to not combat our loneliness and stay connected during this time, and we can best do that by making the internet our bitch. There are lots of platforms that allows for co-op gaming, and there’s more than one video platform to make more offline-games communal. Remember in college when it was either Skype or Oovoo. A simpler time, really. One without mandated curfews. Anyway, I decided to give you a variety of things that you can try out. Whether that’s a very simple board game you can do with your iPhone, a role-playing game you can get into on your laptop, or even just an accessible way to do some pantomime via video conference, you have options. Just get creative with FaceTime or Zoom or whatever while you’re playing. Whether you have friends trapped inside across the street or across the country, it’ll be like the whole gang is trapped right there with you. You know, in a joyful way. Here are six quick gaming options that can rally your community when you have the self-isolation blues. 1. Scrabble Let’s kick
This 30-minute kale pasta salad is made for leftovers (that you’ll actually want to eat)
March 18, 2020 at 04:30PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8olkzuEZw0M] Is there even a point in cooking dinner if the leftovers can’t hold up the next day as a delicious lunch? Answer: Yes, but it’s way easier to motivate yourself to spend time in the kitchen when you know your efforts are resulting in more than one meal. To help you master the art of cooking leftovers you’ll actually look forward to eating, on our latest episode of Cook With Us senior food and health editor Jessie Van Amburg challenged cookbook author, food writer, and trained pastry chef Klancy Miller to create a dish that works double time as a solid weeknight staple that’ll make it into your lunchbox. Oh, and the other half of the challenge? The meal must be high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats, and include gluten-free pasta. Plus, it must come together in under 30 minutes. No pressure or anything, right? To hit on all of these asks, Miller whipped up a kale pasta salad recipe using ingredients from Kroger, where she’s shopped since her childhood. “I grew up grocery shopping at Kroger with my mom when my family lived in Atlanta,” she says. “I’ve always loved Kroger, and I’m happy it continues to offer a huge selection of truly healthy food options for all kinds of people with different health concerns and cooking preferences.” Now it’s even easier to spot those healthy food options with the OptUP app, a nutrition-scoring app that ranks food from
The simple steps everyone can take to live a healthy, ‘genius’ life, according to a science journalist
March 18, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC Brain health expert and science journalist Max Lugavere is the kind of guy you feel comfortable taking diet and lifestyle tips from given his good looks, easy confidence, and the fact that his entire life’s mission was lovingly inspired by his mother. After she was diagnosed with dementia, Lugavere set out to understand why she’d developed the disease and how it could have been prevented. That work birthed his first book, Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life, which took a long, hard look at the dietary factors which influence brain health. In his newest volume (published on Tuesday), The Genius Life: Heal Your Mind, Strengthen Your Body, and Become Extraordinary, Lugavere expands his findings beyond nutrition and the brain to explore a variety of lifestyle choices that can optimize your overall health. In chapters playfully titled, “Don’t Fork Around” and “Get Off Yo’ Ass,” Lugavere distills his dense research into easy-to-digest, affable advice for extending your healthspan, or the amount of life lived well. The book covers a wide berth of topics, so I called Lugavere to discuss some of its most pressing themes (and get some of my own selfish questions answered); here, our conversation on the diet wars, detoxing your home without becoming totally neurotic, and whether or not you should skip spin in favor of scrubbing your home. Well+Good: How have your views on food changed since you started researching this book? Max