As a model with an online presence, I’ve been on the receiving end of some pretty unsavory behavior. I’ve read nasty comments about my appearance. (I’ve since stopped reading.) People have asked me about my “real job,” since being a plus-sized model could never amount to a career. Friends have laughed in my face and wished me luck when I told them what I wanted to do with my life....
What are these specks we speak of? It turns out, you may be dealing with sebaceous filaments. But don’t become too concerned, because everybody has them—some are just more noticeable than others. For the most part, sebaceous filaments live invisible lives, helping to flow sebum beneath the skin’s surface. It’s when you do notice some specks (usually a yellowish, off-white, or even gray color) that it becomes an issue: Ever pull your skin taut to find small, white pinpoints dotting the area?...
Jennifer landed a position at a high-pace Manhattan law firm last year and was determined to pave a steady career path. But that determination often meant 70-hour workweeks, a frantic office environment, and deadlines getting pushed up. Chronic stress took a massive toll on Jennifer’s weight and health. She had put on about 20 pounds, suffered frequent migraines, and developed lower-back pain that was really affecting her quality of life....
As a certified yoga instructor and lifelong student of the practice, there are a few yoga poses that I attribute to helping quell my anxiety and bring back my mental fortitude. Child’s pose helps to release tension in the back, neck, and shoulders, which are areas where most people hold a lot of their stress. This pose also helps to promote relaxation by encouraging steady conscious breathing, which is particularly great for anxiety sufferers due to a calming of the sympathetic nervous system and stimulating of the parasympathetics....
We asked home health and efficiency experts all about how to find a safe, eco-friendly electric fireplace that will warm you up—without warming up the planet. Here are their criteria and six top picks to cozy up to. “In general, electric fireplaces are a clean heating alternative,” she explains. “Typically, they produce almost no pollutants. In comparison, gas and wood-burning fireplaces produce combustion and gases and fumes, which are pollutants to indoor and outdoor air1....
Beyond their plump golden interior, the stem4 and peel (and sometimes leaves) of pineapple plants are also praised for their anti-inflammatory5 and immune-supporting6 abilities. That’s because they contain bromelain, a type of digestive enzyme derived from pineapple juice, peel, and stem. Among its multiple uses, bromelain’s5 therapeutic benefits expand from treating osteoarthritis7 and cardiovascular disease8 to reducing oxidative stress and inflammation9. We can all agree that food is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal when it comes to combating inflammation....
You could also try to think your way out of stress. “Stress is a thought, a perception of a threat, even if it is not real—this means we have control over stress because it’s not something that happens to us but something that happens in us,” says Hyman. Meditating or going outside for a walk can help you shift your mindset and regain control. Finally, try ending your day with a hot lavender bath at night, or as Hyman calls it, the UltraBath....
Serious doubts about the widely used material started to surface over a decade ago, when people complained of headaches and dizziness after smelling the pungently chemical odor of their new PVC shower curtains. “We found that one new curtain on its own can release over 100 chemicals into indoor air, some of them persisting in the air for at least 28 days,” Schade, who is now a campaign director at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, tells mbg....
While Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine have known this for thousands of years, Western science is now catching up to discover that many spices provide powerful anti-inflammatory and energy-boosting effects, even in small doses. Bonus: They also offer antioxidants that can help you become healthier. Turmeric is composed of curcumin, known as a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. In fact, studies show that it may even have cancer-fighting benefits, can reduce pain, and can improve brain, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and lung functions....
This is not to say that I am more spiritual, or more special than you. I just incorporate my spirituality into everything I do, so that even the most mundane tasks have meaning and help me to grow as a person. I am constantly learning lessons, working on forgiving myself and others, and practicing mindfulness. Here are six practices you can incorporate into your life every day, which will help you to live more spiritually:...
One day, Tosha asked Don, “Really Don, total truth. Has anything ever happened that made you wonder if you had the full picture? Anything ever rock your perfect little rational world?” He stumbled out to his VW Bug, woke up with a start, put on his clothes, walked to his car, and started driving. But it felt more like the car was driving itself to the side of the road several blocks away....
These allow you to buy one reusable bottle for your soap and refill it as needed—saving on plastic packaging waste. Here are a few refillable hand soap, dish soap, and cleaning products that will leave your home (and conscience) squeaky clean. In 2018, the e-commerce platform launched an eco-conscious refill program for its line of cleaners. Now, for a few bucks you can order a pod full of concentrate that activates when combined with water....
Try following these seven simple healing practices, and note how quickly you notice changes in your own body: The best way to shift that balance is to eat fewer inflammatory foods and much more anti-inflammatory food. The latter include wild-caught fish, loads of nonstarchy vegetables, low-sugar fruit like berries and avocado, raw nuts and seeds, and cultured and fermented foods. Stop and consider, for instance, that our ancestors ate nearly an equal ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids—whereas today we are eating 20 times (sometimes higher)2 of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids....
So does that mean that not all happiness is equal? Assuming there are different grades of happiness, how can we go from minimal, short-term happiness, to long-term happiness which no doubt equates to being very happy? And while no form of happiness is permanent, this form of happiness appears to be the most fleeting. Because what happens if you don’t like your new job, or if your new partner leaves you for someone else after a week?...
The latter muscle group, also referred to as your side glutes, is an often neglected area because it can be difficult to train. Although many exercises hit a majority of your glute muscles, sprinkling in a targeted side glutes exercise will allow you to make sure those harder-to-reach muscles get some much-needed attention. And there are so many reasons to make training your side glutes a priority. Strong glutes can make walking and running more comfortable, support better balance, and even promote posture....
Traditional decks (like the classic Rider-Waite deck) have 78 cards, all with unique meanings, and when you pull a card, the idea is that it has a message for you and your inquiry. As tarot expert and astrologer Bess Matassa, Ph.D., explains to mbg, tarot is really about tuning inward, more than searching for answers outside yourself. She likens tarot readings to having a conversation with a less conscious part of yourself or even a conversation you would have with someone you trust....
This quick heart-opening dance sequence is no exception. The routine we demonstrate here is perfect for all levels, and there are absolutely no rules. So if you want to do something that’s a little different from what we’re doing, by all means, go ahead and do that. Throughout the sequence, focus on the feeling of your heart beating in your body, blood coursing through your veins, sweat on your skin, and any other sensations that come up....
Like a hamster wheel, the belt of a manual treadmill won’t move unless you do—so you’re pushed to propel yourself harder with every step. This fact alone makes manual treadmills a safer option for beginners, seniors, and those currently rehabilitating an injury. When you slow down or stop, so does the belt. As an ACE-certified personal trainer with a specialization in orthopedic exercise, I’m a huge proponent of exercising on a manual treadmill: be it a leisurely walk, an uphill trek, or a heart-pumping jog, run, or sprint....
As a nutritionist and a newly minted physician assistant (!), I spend a lot of time thinking about how food plays a role not just in our health, but in medicine and assisting in the treatment of chronic disease. So it’s impossible to ignore the way in which food gets to the plate—the journey, evolution, and life cycle of a product, truly from farm to table. They say that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but I’d like to rephrase it to, “Being an Applegatarian makes this nutritionist say hooray!...
Finally they end up at their local drugstore or on their favorite beauty website only to see a bunch of claims and phrases like “antiperspirant,” “aluminum-free,” “deodorant,” “baking soda-free,” “safe,” “clinically tested,” “essential-oil free,” “all-natural,” and “clean”—not to mention a laundry list of ingredients, and they may not fully understand whether they are “good” or “bad.” A deodorant does not stop sweating but will help mask, curb, or inhibit odor via other ingredients, like baking soda, acids, clays, starches, perfumes, and so on....
