January 30, 2020 at 01:30AM by CWC Everyone is chasing a “glow” for their complexions, but when it’s this cold and dry outside, all bets are off. Thanks to zero-percent humidity in many winter climates, a dry-skin cell pileup happens on skin, leaving it looking a little dulled down. It couldn’t be any more annoying, then, that the way to deal with dull skin is to exfoliate, which can cause more dryness. It’s a vicious dryness cycle that’s hard to escape, and that’s exactly why we reached out to a derm for recommendations on how to brighten up skin without totally drying it out. “Skin gets dull in the winter because it gets dry,” says Adarsh Vijay Mudgil, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. “A combination of cold weather and the drying effects of indoor heat creates a double whammy situation.” His tip for getting that radiance back? Hydration is step number one, so start by nurturing the complexion with a moisturizer rich in hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and barrier-building ones like ceramides. Besides that, combatting dullness is all about light exfoliation (read: gentle!) and giving your skin protection through antioxidants to fend off future damage and restore the glow you had before this frigid air came upon us. Keep scrolling for dermatologist-approved dull skin solutions that’ll brighten up your skin, all of which you can grab at the drugstore for cheap. La Roche-Posay Brightening Foaming Cream Cleanser, $25 Begin your regimen with this brightening cleanser, recommended by
Tag: Well+Good
This high-protein, brain-boosting trail mix is going to be your new favorite snack
January 30, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvW35toe6Gc] This healthy trail mix is guaranteed to be your new energizing snack of choice. Here’s how to make it. The 4 p.m. slump is one of the most persistent banes of existence. Unless you live in Spain and are allowed daily siestas to recharge your batteries, you’re likely well aware of the brain fog that sets in a few hours before you’re actually allowed to vacate the duties of your job. It’s intensely frustrating and difficult to combat, especially given that for many of us, caffeine is not a good idea that late in the day. Personally, the only thing that works for me is a mid-to-late afternoon sweat sesh, but since most office workers can’t jet out for an hour to recharge with a workout, herbalist, Supernatural founder, and host of Well+Good’s Plant Based video series Rachelle Robinett offers a more widely-adoptable solution: nootropic trail mix. “Nootropics are another way of describing herbs, supplements, foods, and compounds that are great for our brains,” Robinett says. “This recipe is designed for the times of day…you’re feeling the lethargy or lowness or brain fog.” One of two key ingredients in her brain-boosting blend is cordyceps mushrooms. Robinett explains that while all mushrooms are great sources of antioxidants, cordyceps mushrooms are especially adept at providing the body with energy. “Cordyceps also enhance our cells’ ability to use oxygen, which is very important for brain circulation and cognitive function,” she says. The second key ingredient is rosemary. “Rosemary is
Sunflower butter vs almond butter: which is better for you?
January 30, 2020 at 12:00AM by CWC Almond butter is creamy, loaded with protein, and is downright delicious. These are just facts. But sunflower butter is going more mainstream too, giving the OG pantry staple some friendly competition at the grocery store—particularly in the freezer section. Ben & Jerry’s just aded three new flavors to its non-dairy line—”Milk” & Cookies, Crème Brûlée Cookie, and Mint Chocolate Cookie—and they’re are all made from sunflower butter. Since the existing vegan flavors the company offers are almond-based, this gives anyone with a nut allergy the chance to get in on the fun. With the popularity of sunflower butter on the rise, you may be wondering how it holds up to the OG of the nut butter world. And while it doesn’t have quite as many body-bettering qualities, it’s pretty darn close. According to registered dietitian Sameera Khan, RD, almond butter will always be the queen of the nut butter world, as it’s one of the most nutrient-dense options available with 7 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fiber per two-tablespoon serving. It’s also loaded with potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. But in terms of the best butter for anyone with allergies, sunflower butter is the best nut-free option to go with. When it comes to sunflower butter nutrition, the option contains 6 grams of protein, 7 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber per two-tablespoon serving. Plus, Kahn says a single tablespoon provides 40 percent of your
Use shadow work to transform your ‘negative’ traits into sources of strength and self-love
January 29, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC No matter how many inspiring quotes pop up on your Instagram feed or how many self-care rituals you squeeze in, the self-love struggle is often real. One way to really level up your feel-good vibes, though, is by cutting through the superficial layers and getting to the root of the issue through a practice called shadow work. “The concept of the shadow self was first introduced by Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung,” says holistic-business and mind-set coach Amina AlTai. “He believed, studied, and demonstrated that we all have dark sides of our personality that we hide in order to stay safe, lovable, and accepted by our communities, families, and society.” “We all have dark sides of our personality that we hide in order to stay safe, lovable, and accepted by our communities, families, and society.” —mind-set coach Amina AlTai We all have a shadow side, and it holds the power to negatively impact all areas of life, including professional, personal, and our very sense of self. Most crucially, though, our shadow can keep us from living a whole, authentic life. That’s why understanding how to use shadow work to heal the shadows and integrate that part of your being into your life is key. But, like with any self-development work, this process won’t necessarily be a breeze. It’s called shadow work for a reason, after all, but since the work is in the name of self-love, it’s almost certain to pay
Why you should wear sunglasses at the airport (even if you’re not a celeb)
January 29, 2020 at 10:00PM by CWC It takes a special person *cough, Rihanna* to wear sunglasses at the airport and not look ridiculous. But, next time you’re taking a long flight, it may be worth embracing your inner celeb, because wearing your sunnies pre-flight can help you avoid jet lag. Rebecca Robbins, PhD, sleep expert and postdoctoral researcher at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, explains that strategic light exposure is one of the best ways to adjust to a new time zone. “Light is the strongest input to our internal circadian rhythm,” she says. When we have new patterns of light and dark, she says “our body is completely confused about when it’s supposed to be tired, and when it’s supposed to be awake.” You’ll want to start adjusting to new light patterns before you get to your destination. Here’s where the sunglasses come in. Say you’re flying to London. When you board your late-afternoon flight, it’s already night there. “You want to wear sunglasses [through the airport and on to the plane] to try to start to trick your body that it’s nighttime, so that you might have a better chance of getting sleep on the plane,” she says. Dr. Robbins also suggests having a bigger meal before you board so you don’t need to stay up to eat dinner, and to wake up a bit earlier they day you fly, so you’re a bit tired. Continue to wear your sunglasses through the flight
I’m an RD, and these are the most common questions I get asked about protein
January 29, 2020 at 09:00PM by CWC It’s safe to say the world is obsessed with protein. Where it comes from, whether we’re getting enough of it, what the best kinds are, when to eat it… the list goes on. Because of all the information circulating around the internet, you probably have your fair share of questions about the diet staple. And trust me—you’re definitely not the only one. Registered dietitians get asked health and nutrition-related questions on daily, both online and in person with their clients—especially with the rise in plant-based eating, as many people are rethinking the way they look at protein in the first place. But out of all the questions they get (and there are a lot!), these are the top three protein questions that come up more than any others. The top 3 protein questions RDs get asked all the time 1. Are some sources of protein “better” or more “complete” than others? You might think certain proteins are “better” or more “complete” than others, but Whitney English Tabaie, MS, RDN, co-founder of Plant-Based Juniors, says at the end of the day, protein is protein and the outdated idea of having to combine plant proteins to make them a “complete” protein has been disproven. “They’re all made up of amino acids that are broken down into individual units to be digested. Even plants contain all nine amino acids, despite what you may have heard. Some are just lower in one than others. For example, beans
Stressed about stress eating? Here are healthy ways to scale back, according to experts
January 29, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC We’ve all been there: a panic-inducing email from your boss pops up in your inbox and suddenly you find yourself elbow-deep in a jar of Nutella. This, my friends, is stress eating—and, no, you’re not the only one tempted to head straight for the Boston cream donuts when you’re feeling under pressure. “Whenever we eat in response to feelings of stress, anxiety, or overwhelm—not physical hunger—that’s stress eating,” says Susan Albers, PsyD, a clinical psychologist specializing in eating issues and the author of 50 Ways To Soothe Yourself Without Food. If you often find yourself trapped in the vicious cycle of stress eating, there are two things you should know. First, the temptation is totally normal. And, second, there is something you can do about it. Why we stress eat in the first place Turns out, stress eating is legitimately woven into our biology. “When we’re feeling stressed, our body releases the hormone cortisol, which drives us to consume as much food as possible,” says Dr. Albers. That’s because back in our caveman days, our cortisol-spiking stressors were immediate threats like a predator chasing us or the fear of famine, so fueling up to escape or save energy for later made sense. An aggressive email from our boss, today, though? Not an immediate threat to our life, but it still triggers the same biological reaction. Plus, saber tooth tiger-level threats aside, food also does just make us feel good. “Taking those first bites of
What derms want you to know about “controversial” skin-care ingredients
January 29, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC These days, there’s unfortunately a lot of fear mongering that comes with shopping for beauty products. Whether it’s due to the clean beauty movement or the endless breadth of unvetted skin-care information available on the internet, certain ingredients used in cosmetics have gained quite the reputation. In an effort to help you cut through the noise (and make the hunt for the next game-changing moisturizer as inspiring and fun as it should be), we’ve asked top dermatologists and a cosmetic chemist for a cosmetic ingredient review (aka: their no-B.S. opinions on the most talked-about ingredients in beauty). “The consumer is confused. The definitions of phrases like natural and clean are all over the place,” says Dennis Gross, MD, dermatologist and founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare (however, it’s important to note that none is actually regulated by an official body). So, when an ingredient gets a bad rap from small studies, it gets replaced with other ingredients that are often less tested and less proven to do the job. “This ever-evolving list of ingredients may or may not have harmful side effects,” says Y. Claire Chang, MD, board-certified dermatologist at Union Square Laser Dermatology. But she points out that many of these “harmful” ingredients haven’t been confirmed to have negative side effects in humans, “especially when applied topically and at the low levels found in skin-care products.” So how do you know which products are okay and which to skip? “Before jumping to
New health startup Kensho wants to bridge the information gap about holistic wellness
January 29, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC If you’d asked me just five years ago if I would ever try reiki or acupuncture, you would have been met with an emphatic “no.” I long associated those practices with crunchy-granola hippies in Berkeley, California—they worked for some people, but were definitely not for me. However, as the wellness industry itself goes mainstream in the United States, more and more people—myself included—are interested in pursuing holistic health practices outside of their MD’s office. Growing interest and research has allowed for certain practices to become widely accepted among the mainstream medical community. For instance, some hospitals now offer yoga and energy healing services alongside traditional treatments. And as of last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it would cover acupuncture for patients with chronic lower back pain—opening up a new treatment modality to the 44 million Americans currently on Medicare. However, anyone who’s dived into the world of alternative treatments can tell you that it’s a confusing space to navigate. It’s a whole new system of modalities and credentials to understand, making finding the right kind of treatment or even the right kind of expert to provide that treatment difficult and frustrating. And while your internal med doctor might be open to the idea of you trying acupuncture or bodywork healing, they likely have no idea who to recommend or where to start, because that’s not their particular expertise. Enter Kensho, a new online platform designed to help bridge
4 ways to keep your A-average in life without perfectionist tendencies getting in your way
January 29, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC If you were a straight-A student in school, you might now concern yourself with being a straight-A student in life. You want to be the World’s Best Partner, the World’s Best Friend, and the World’s Most Successful Professional. And yet, often is the case that your permanent case of stress relating to being perfect gets in your way of actually accomplishing your super-worthy life goals. Well, take a second to breathe: A mind-set shift toward striving for excellence is a key strategy for learning how to deal with perfectionism. After all, being perfect and being excellent aren’t the same. “Because we think something has to be ‘perfect’ we’re scared of approaching it at all,” says Susie Moore, life coach and author of the forthcoming book, Stop Checking Your Likes. “And so we’ll leave it to the last minute, often when a deadline is looming—and it makes us flustered and frustrated.” According to Moore, having a perfectionist mind-set holds you to such a sky-high standard that you’re often terrified to ask for help, which is a key element of success. Likewise, the rigidity of perfectionism lets you take fewer risks because you fear something may go wrong. “This means that as a perfectionist, what you think of as a success could actually just be an average outcome because you’re limiting and not stretching your actual potential,” she says. The good news is that there are certainly ways to still score an A-average in life