Month: October 2017

Here Are 4 Ways Moving Your Body Can Improve Your Mental Health

Post author By Jeanne Sager
Post date October 5, 2017

If Sasha Brown-Worsham skips a workout, her mood plummets. “I snap and lash out,” the Maplewood, New Jersey, yoga teacher admits. “I get depressed and agitated and angry.”
Her solution? Head into a yoga studio to take on a challenging asana or lace up her sneakers for a run around the neighborhood.
“When I am moving, I feel alive!” she says.
Fitting time in your schedule to move with the level of commitment Brown-Worsham does isn’t always easy. The average American woman is working long hours of both paid and unpaid labor.
Some days you probably find yourself thinking “After doing the grocery run and grabbing coffee with Rachel, how am I really going to fit in a workout?”
But then again, if you’re thinking “I could really use a mood boost right now,” you’re not alone in that either. American women are more likely than American men to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression, and we make up more than half of all mental illness diagnoses in this country.

Whether you’re just feeling a little down in the dumps or you’re living with and learning to manage a diagnosed mental illness, there’s solid science out there that shows incorporating just a little movement into your day can make a big difference. Heck, it can even prevent someone who’s struggling from falling into depression (according to the scientists, anyway).
If you’re feeling the urge to get on your feet but you don’t think you’ll have time to make it to kickboxing class this week, here are some mood-boosting options that might fit the bill.

1. Dance around your kitchen.

If you can’t make it to the gym, bring the gym to you. Telling Alexa to play something sassy and moving your hips while you stir that tomato sauce won’t just burn some of the calories you’ve consumed throughout the day.
Dance movement therapy is actually prescribed by practitioners these days to help people cope with depression. Bonus to doing it in your own kitchen: You really can dance like no one is watching.

2. Take a walk.

A walk around the neighborhood may not help you work up a sweat like you would at CrossFit. But when you’ve got just 45 minutes between the end of the work day and your best friend’s kid’s soccer game, do you really want to show up smelling like the gym?
According to one Australian study, as little as 30 minutes in nature every week can decrease your depression risk by 7 percent, and it drops your blood pressure too. Lace up your sneakers and start smelling the roses.

3. Unfurl your yoga mat.

If you’re looking for a quick mood boost, a little quiet meditation and movement may be all you need. The effects of yoga on anxiety have gotten the thumbs up from researchers, and Brown-Worsham confirms that you don’t need to go in the studio to reap the benefits.

She’s known to head out on the back porch for a quick yoga session when she feels the need. If you don’t have time for a full yoga class, pull up a quick YouTube class (Yoga With Adriene has 10-minute options) and bliss out.

4. Turn friend time into workout time.

When former Facebook executive Randi Zuckerberg said women have a choice of work, sleep, family or fitness, and they can only pick three, the world erupted. The general response? Randi, you are speaking our language!
So if you’re waffling between the much-needed mood boost that comes from coffee with your bestie or the equally needed pick-me-up of a workout, you might just want to marry the two. It turns out the only thing better for your mood than a workout is a workout with a friend.

Tags 50036091, balance, hemingway

Nosh

Essentials For Cooking With Cast Iron

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date October 5, 2017

If you’re still cooking with non-stick, it’s time to treat yourself to a cast iron upgrade. Cast iron cookware offers more heat, a naturally non-stick surface, and a dose of iron with every meal since the foods you cook in a cast iron pan absorb some of the iron and pass it on.

There are, of course, several downsides, but if you start with high-quality cookware, cast iron makes sense. Here’s what you’ll need if you’re looking to make the switch.

1. First, get a decent cast iron skillet.

Let’s start with the basics. A decent cast-iron skillet will quickly become your favorite piece of cookware, and you won’t have to break the bank to get one. This 12.5-inch skillet from Utopia Kitchen comes with a silicone handle cover for a secure grip, and it’s pre-seasoned, so you can use it as soon as it arrives.

Get it on Amazon.

2. If you’re cooking with cast iron, you’ll eventually need a quality scrubber.

Cast iron requires more maintenance than other types of materials, especially when food gets stuck to the bottom of your pan. You could use a sponge or scouring pad, but you probably won’t get very far—plus, you generally don’t want to use soap on cast iron.

This chainmail scrubber cleans away food and rust, giving you a clean cast iron surface reading for seasoning. Plus, when you use it, you’ll feel like one of the characters from Little House on the Prairie.

Get it on Amazon.

3. Use a decent cast iron cleaner to keep your cookware in great condition.

To be clear, you don’t necessarily need a cast iron cleaner, as you can often get by with a decent cooking oil. Still, Camp Chef’s cleaning liquid makes cast iron maintenance a little easier.

It breaks down sugars and proteins, effectively cleaning your cast iron without causing rust. Most importantly, you won’t taste it in your next meal.

Get it at Bed Bath & Beyond.

4. You’ll also want a decent cast iron conditioner for seasoning your pan.

Again, you could just use a heat-tolerant vegetable oil, but this conditioner packs in a few quality organic oils (including palm, coconut, and sunflower seed oils) and citric acid to make seasoning a bit easier.

And don’t forget to season your cookware after every use. Remember, cast iron cookware is one single piece of iron, so you’ll need to cover the entire pan with a thin layer of oil when seasoning. Towel off the excess, and you’re ready to store your pan.

Get the conditioner on Amazon.

5. If you’re interested in cooking with cast iron outdoors, this griddle is awesome.

Cast iron is a favorite cooking surface of campers. The material holds heat well, so you can cook at high temperatures even with a modest fire.

Of course, you can take your everyday skillet camping, but we prefer a specialized piece of cookware designed for the task.

The Bayou Classic 17-inch griddle couldn’t be easier to use. Put it over your campfire, allow it to heat up, and start cooking. If you haven’t had eggs cooked over a real fire, you’re in for a treat.

Get it on Amazon.

6. Cast iron is also amazing for pizza.

Here’s something that a lot of home chefs don’t know: To cook a great pizza, you need a lot of heat. That’s why cast iron makes for a great pizza pan.

Of course, you could just turn your cast iron skillet upside down and cook your pie on top of it, but that can leave you with a messy oven (and a fairly small pizza). This inexpensive pizza pan is a nice alternative. Most importantly? The raised lip keeps all of that delicious cheese from melting away.

Get your Cast Iron Pizza Pan on Amazon.

7. Cast iron cookware isn’t always huge and heavy.

This little melting pot is an essential piece of gear for barbecue fanatics. It’s also great for melting butter, frying garlic, or cooking incredibly small chickens (alright, we’re stretching a little on that last one).

Regardless of the size of your cast iron cookware, remember to season and clean it properly. That’s especially important for anything that regularly holds liquids; otherwise, you’ll wind up dealing with some rust.

Get the Lodge Cast Iron Melting Pot on Amazon.

8. Yes, you can stir fry with cast iron, provided you’ve got a decent wok.

Why would you want a wok made from cast iron? To get a great stir fry, you need heat, and cast iron can provide it over almost any cooking surface. You’ll need to pay close attention to your dish, of course, and because most woks are relatively thin, a cast iron wok works differently. We’d recommend starting with a simple vegetable stir fry to test it out.

The Lodge P14W3 wok is an excellent choice as it features a flat base and a relatively light weight. It comes pre-seasoned, and it’s also great for deep frying. If you’ve got an induction stove, you absolutely need one of these.

Get it on Amazon.

9. If you’re new to cast iron cooking, be sure to get a decent infrared thermometer.

A good thermometer will help you learn how to cook different types of foods efficiently, and it’s extremely important if you’re deep frying.

This model couldn’t be easier to use: Point it at your pan, press the trigger, and check the digital readout. There’s even a built-in laser pointer to show you where you’re aiming (and to drive your pets crazy).

Get it o n Amazon.

10. When you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time for cast iron biscuits.

Yes, you can bake with cast iron. Great seasoning is crucial, otherwise you’ll end up with a caked-on mess, but Lodge’s L7B3 biscuit pan is pre-seasoned, so you can upgrade your biscuit game as soon as it arrives.

Get it on Amazon.

11. We almost forgot about Dutch ovens.

How could we forget about Dutch ovens? They’re the second only to skillets in versatility. They’re wonderful slow cookers, perfect for soups, roasts, and anything else that needs to sit cooking all day. Granted, they’re also heavy, so be sure to have some decent oven mitts on hand (pardon the pun).

Get the Lodge Cast Iron Dutch oven on Amazon.

Tags 50034371, fuel, hemingway

Wellbeing

Multi-Level Marketing Businesses Aren't Making People Money…So Why Are They Still Popular?

Post author By Brooke Geller
Post date October 5, 2017

If you found out that a friend of yours had just suffered a horrible tragedy—a sudden job loss, a divorce, even the loss of a family member—how would you comfort them? Perhaps you’d offer an ear to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. Maybe you’d bring them a home-cooked meal. Or you’d just offer a simple message to let them know they’re loved and supported during this difficult time.
How about trying to sell them a product they really don’t need (now or ever)? What about trying to get them in on an exciting new business opportunity?

Those last ones might seem like pretty inappropriate gestures. But in the world of multi-level marketing, they’re common tactics.
It’s hardly surprising that multi-level marketing’s negative reputation is gaining notoriety, and not just thanks to insensitive sales pitches. Statistics show that the overwhelming majority of people who sell products through network marketing rarely make any profit.
Yet despite this, more and more people—especially women—are desperate to get involved. So what’s the appeal?

Multi-Level What Now?

Multi-level marketing (MLM) is nothing new. Many of us have fond (or painful) childhood memories of our mothers hosting Tupperware parties at home, or poring through the latest Avon catalogue. (And who can forget Edward Scissorhands’ most endearing local Avon representative, Peg Boggs?) In fact, at 131 years old, Avon is one of the oldest direct-selling companies in the world.

Nowadays, MLMs look a little different. They offer everything from Borzoi-printed leggings to weight-loss cling wrap. Wellness products rate particularly high.
What has remained the same over the years is the way these companies make money. The products are sold not through stores, but directly through salespeople (direct selling). A customer must place an order through a local representative, sometimes through home parties. The whole operation, however, is not so cut-and-dry as that.
The real money comes not from product sales, but from recruiting more sellers. MLMs offer large financial incentives for enlisting more representatives. This varies depending on the company, but it often involves a lump sum of cash and a regular cut of that person’s profits. It’s little wonder 20 million Americans are now sellers.

Many proponents of MLMs (usually sellers) rave about the benefits of the products: “Herbalife’s shakes helped me to lose that baby weight! My Lularoe leggings are insanely soft! This Rodan + Fields serum is a game changer!”
Don’t forget the apparent perks of being a seller. Successful representatives are more than happy to boast the fruits of their labor, which more often than not appear to involve luxury sports cars and exotic cruises. And yet the public outcry against these companies is growing louder and louder.

Why (Almost) Everyone Loves to Hate MLMs

In 2016, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ran a 30-minute segment exposing some disturbing flaws in the design of these companies. The episode, inspired by Ted Braun’s 2016 documentary, Betting On Zero, focused on nutritional supplement company Herbalife.

The main accusation against multi-level marketing companies like Herbalife is simple: They’re pyramid schemes, which are illegal in many countries (including the United States). That means the business model operates by profiting mostly from the recruitment of more sellers rather than actual product sales.
Most MLM sellers are encouraged to recruit about five people, with the promise of more money as each of their “recruitees” sign up five more people. To start making serious dime—as in cruise ships and Lamborghinis—a seller must have many levels of sellers under them, referred to as a “downline.” That doesn’t sound too terrible—until you really look at it:

And here lies the flaw. As Oliver, Betting On Zero, and yes, even The Office, demonstrate, there’s a limit to this system. After just 13 of these cycles, every single person on the planet would be a seller. It’s really not possible to keep recruiting people at the rate that these companies encourage.
The numbers just don’t add up, no matter how you spin it.
The trouble doesn’t end there. In 2013, The League of United Latin American Citizens campaigned against Herbalife. They claimed that the company took advantage of thousands of vulnerable Latino-Americans with the promise of a successful businesses model only to leave them in crippling debt. Herbalife have since paid out $200 million to disadvantaged sellers.
How did these sellers incur such massive debts? Many MLMs require sellers to pledge an initial investment into stock, with the promise that they’ll be able to quickly make that money back from sales. To join companies like LulaRoe and Herbalife, would-be sellers are shelling out thousands. It often doesn’t get better from there: supply doesn’t always meet demand—especially if there are many sellers in the same locality. This can leave sellers with thousands of dollars in unsold stock.

In the case of LulaRoe, it seems their shady business practices may be sparking a fall from grace. As we mentioned, joining an MLM is often astronomically expensive. To join LulaRoe, new “Independent Fashion Retailers” must purchase an “onboarding package” that contains 336 to 463 pieces of LulaRoe clothing; the packages range in price from $4,812 to $6,784. According to data acquired by Business Insider, by February 2017, over 77,000 individuals made that leap.
When the company was accused of improperly taxing their customers, many sellers, who had already coughed up thousands of dollars, stood by them. But things weren’t looking so hot in the last half of 2017. Over several months, a private social media group devoted to LulaRoe products (with over 45,000 members) saw plenty of action: Consultants and customers alike have described their experiences with “LLR defective clothing, poor customer service, illegal shipping/sales” and more. As the number of claims of slipping quality increase, more and more people are voicing their criticism and looking for refunds.

While LulaRoe started refunding those who were unhappy with their products, any refund claims had to be made by July 31, 2017; they also had to be backed up with a proof of purchase with original receipt. In an April 2017 announcement, the company said that customers could get an exchange or refund directly from their consultants, which didn’t bode well for any consultants without the assets to do so. Worse, LulaRoe no longer offers a full reimbursement policy for their representatives who have had to offer returns—out of their own pockets.
Needless to say, plenty of sellers are fed up. Many, unable to afford floating the customer refunds, have held going-out-of-business (GOOB) sales just to offload the hundreds or even thousands of dollars of extra stock they have lying around at low prices—because something is better than nothing. Eager customers hit up GOOB sales to take advantage of the ability to pay less than retail price for the leggings, undercutting sellers who remain in the game at full price.

LulaRoe isn’t the only company with issues. Another problem that plagues many MLM companies is that their products often carry a high price tag that doesn’t quite match the quality. For example, Juice Plus supplements aren’t proven to be any more effective than a regular multivitamin, but Juice Plus is significantly more expensive.
The expiration date on perishable products often means sellers struggle to shift the massive amount of stock they bought with their wholesale discount.
To put these factors into perspective, 99.7 percent of multi-level marketing sellers lose money.

Women Still Can’t Get Enough

Regardless of the negative aspects, what’s really intriguing about multi-level marketing is the gender gap. Why are so many more women selling these products than men?

It just sort of came up when I was at a party and I just thought, why not?

For stay-at-home mothers, it’s certainly not hard to understand the appeal. Full-time parenting doesn’t leave much time for a regular job, and most MLM companies boast a flexible schedule with high earning potential as the biggest benefits. When you’re supporting a family, every little bit of extra income counts.

Leanne Digby was a stay-at-home mother who had just gone through a particularly traumatic separation from her partner when she decided to start selling Tupperware.
“It kept you motivated,” she said. “I was living in the middle of nowhere. There was no childcare, really. It just sort of came up when I was at a party and I just thought, why not? It really helped me get over what happened, to be quite honest, because it got me out.”
Because of her rural location, she only ever recruited two other women, and says she didn’t feel much pressure to find more. The women she recruited became sellers to get the wholesale discount on Tupperware products, and only ever sold a small amount each month to family and friends.
She also sold for Mary Kay, a multi-level marketing cosmetics company. She says that she only ever sold products that she was confident were good quality, but has noticed the recent influx of MLMs selling what she describes as “just junk.” Some of them have even tried to recruit her.

“You have to be fussy,” she says.
Like Digby, Nay Cananzi became a seller for Juice Plus because she enjoyed the products.
“An old friend started talking about it,” she says. “Apart from her being a health freak, I was more interested in the product because I wanted to get healthier.”
While she continues to use Juice Plus products, she was unable to commit the amount of time required to become profitable. She stopped selling after a few weeks.
The pressure to sell can be time-consuming and doesn’t always match the supposedly flexible schedule that draws many sellers in. Anti-MLM groups on social media often post pitches they receive from sellers they know, with many of them using strange and even inappropriate tactics. But those desperate attempts to find customers aren’t surprising when you consider how few are able to turn a profit.
Flexible schedule or not, the one thing that appeals to all sellers is the potential for success (remember those sports cars and tropical vacations?). Anyone can become a seller, regardless of education, background, or social status. And each of these companies show off their highest performers (while disregarding the majority who stay in the red month after month). It’s clear to see why this would appeal to women, particularly those without secondary education or formal job experience.

According to a report by the United States Joint Economic Committee, American women earn an average of $10,800 less each year than men. They’re also more likely to study and work in fields that have lower pay and are far less likely to hold positions of leadership in a company.
Simply put, women are not experiencing the same level of financial success as their male counterparts—which may very well be the reason so many are eager to sign up to multi-level marketing.

#BossBabe Business Owners or Pyramid Scheme Suckers?

Many women who sell multi-level marketing products argue that they feel a sense of empowerment as a seller. How? Because they’ve managed to build and run their own business, of course.

But is a multi-level marketer a legitimate business owner? Let’s take a look at the differences.
As a seller, your entire customer base consists mostly of people in your own social circle—something that few conventional business owners do.
Some MLMs don’t allow sellers to choose their own products. How many regular businesses would allow their distributors to send them mystery boxes of stock each month?
More importantly, the hiring process is completely different. When regular businesses look to employ salespeople, they’ll consider applicants based on their skills and experience. With multi-level marketing, the only prerequisite is to be willing to do it.
Additionally, when typical businesses hire one individual, that doesn’t often immediately increase their success or profits, whereas adding to your downline in a direct marketing company is essential to success.
Granted, buying a starter kit from one of the many multi-level marketing companies out there means you skip over much of the initial groundwork involved with actually starting your own business.
But no matter how many hours their sellers work per week, these companies don’t offer basic benefits like a regular wage, health insurance, or retirement contributions.

But there’s one more thing you’re likely to miss out on: profit.
Unless, of course, you happen to own a company like Herbalife—in which case you’re probably worth billions.

Tags 50035856, balance, hemingway

Nosh

Why Does Fall Bring Out The Inner Pumpkin Spice Enthusiast In All Of Us?

Post author By Katie Martin
Post date October 5, 2017

September 22 is the best day of the year.
Why?
Because it’s the official start of pumpkin spice season…also known as fall.
“I was so excited about pumpkin spice season that I bought pumpkin spice yogurt in August,” says self-described pumpkin spice enthusiast Blanche Joslin.
Joslin—a graduate student in Toronto—raves, “I LIVE for the pumpkin spice muffins with cream cheese. The Tim Horton’s ones are the best but Starbucks has a good runner up.”
Joslin’s not the only one who looks forward to pumpkin spice season all year.
In 2015, over $500 million in pumpkin spice products was sold in the U.S., and the craze has only continued to grow since then.

So why does fall bring out the inner pumpkin spice enthusiast in all of us?

Pumpkin spice just smells delicious.

According to the McCormick jar in my spice rack, pumpkin pie spice contains an aromatic blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves, which has been around since the 1600s when a recipe appeared in the book The Compleat Cook: Expertly Prescribing the Most Ready Wayes, Whether Italian, Spanish, or French, for Dressing of Flesh and Fish, Ordering of Sauces, or Making of Pastry.
I admit, there’s nothing better than waking up to the scent of my favorite pumpkin spice coffee brewing.
But while the spices in my McCormick bottle are real, it turns out that the components responsible for the aroma of most pumpkin spice products are synthetic—and designed to trick your brain into wanting more.

Sugar is the real culprit.

When it comes to most pumpkin spice consumables, sugar is the real reason we become addicted.

The ubiquitous Pumpkin Spice Latte, which started the whole pumpkin spice craze way back in 2003, contains over 50 grams of sugar in the grande size alone.
Sugar basically hijacks your brain, triggering a release of dopamine—the hormone that makes us feel good. The more sugar we eat, the higher the amount of dopamine that needs to be released in order for dopamine receptors to signal to our brains that we’ve been rewarded for our behavior.
So, you might have started your PSL addiction by getting a tall every now and then, but by the end of pumpkin spice season, you could be downing three or four ventis a week to satisfy your craving.

Get your fix the healthy way.

The blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves is actually pretty great for overall health. Cinnamon can help regulate blood sugar and reduce the risk of heart disease. Ginger and nutmeg can reduce inflammation. Clove can even help ease pain when applied topically.
Instead of splurging on calorie- and sugar-laden prepackaged treats, consider getting your pumpkin spice fix naturally with my take on Grandma’s Pumpkin Spice Roll, a straightforward and crafty recipe featured below.

Pumpkin spice is here to stay.

Just like Charlie and Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin, we eagerly anticipate the arrival of fall for the first taste of pumpkin spice.

It doesn’t look like the pumpkin spice trend is going away anytime soon, and an increasing number of products are embracing the pumpkin spice trend, much to Joslin’s joy.
“I’m ordering pumpkin spice nail polish as soon as it’s available.”

Grandma’s Pumpkin Spice Roll

You’ll need:
A cookie sheet, parchment paper, blender, and mixer
For the cake:
–3 eggs
–¾ cup pure maple syrup
–2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
–1 teaspoon ground ginger
–½ teaspoon nutmeg
–⅔ cup puréed pumpkin
–¾ cup self-rising flour
For the filling:
–1 cup granulated sugar of choice (I like to use Pyure Stevia for baking)
–One 8 ounce package cream cheese
–4 tablespoons salted butter
–½ teaspoon real vanilla extract
Whip it up:
–Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
–Beat the eggs at medium speed for 5 minutes, gradually adding in the maple syrup. Add in pumpkin, followed by flour, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix well. Pour mixture onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
–Blend granulated sugar on high in blender for 30 seconds. Sprinkle liberally onto a sheet of parchment paper.
–Once it’s finished baking, immediately flip the pumpkin cake onto the parchment paper. Roll up (longways or you’ll have a HUGE pumpkin roll) and let cool completely.
–Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. Unroll the cake carefully and spread the filling on the cake. Re-roll the cake and place it in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
–Cut and enjoy your synthetic-free, fall feel-good treat!

Tags 50036086, fuel, hemingway

Wellbeing

Fake Surprises And Fairytale Weddings: Love In The Age Of Instagram

Post author By Brooke Geller
Post date October 5, 2017

A woman and her boyfriend are taking a nature walk on a beautiful, sunny day. They pause at the top of the hill to take in the unbelievable view in front of them. She turns around to find her boyfriend kneeling. He presents her with a box.
“Maddison Marie, will you marry me?”
She gasps, pausing for a moment before responding with: “Wait— you hired a photographer, right?”

Thankfully, this isn’t a real proposal. The hilariously YouTube video, titled “The Millennial Marriage Proposal,” is a satire of society’s obsession with social media and its ability to ruin even the most intimate of moments.
Nevertheless, the skit does hold an element of truth. In the era of Instagram feeds populated with impossibly magical proposals caught on camera, the soon-to-be-engaged are undoubtedly feeling the pressure to make their engagement story extra special.

Could these dreams-come-true be too good to be true?

No, this isn’t about fake proposal stunts to rack up Reddit karma (or just free dessert). But in an age when women are becoming more assertive and clear on their own wants and needs—especially in regard to their relationships—is there an element of fiction behind even the grandest engagement story?

Love in the Age of Instagram

That Millennial Proposal video may have been satirical, but the line about the photographer seems to be an emerging trend in the real world.
Instagram accounts like @wedding.proposals boast some amazing photos of engagements from all around the world. With over 200,000 followers and some seriously impressive photography, each photo garners hundreds (if not thousands) of likes.
One post, which has almost 2,000 likes, describes a proposal that many women would dream of:
“…I put on a fancy red dress and pumps and he picked me up in a Ralph Lauren coat and dress pants (he looked like prince charming). He took me out for pre-dinner drinks at J Parker rooftop in Chicago (where we went on our first date ever a few years ago). After drinks, we were picked up by a carriage ride to take us to dinner. About half way through the carriage ride, the coachman said she had to stop to feed Pickles, the horse, and suggested we take photos in front of a beautiful gazebo. As we walked up to the gazebo glowing in the sun and surrounded by bountiful red roses, Patrick got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.”

A post shared by Wedding Proposals (@wedding.proposals) on Aug 1, 2017 at 11:06pm PDT

Apparently her boyfriend had hired a photographer, who was hiding in some nearby bushes and waiting to snap photos of the impossibly perfect moment.
Other stories also feature photographers who were conveniently close by. Some cunning boyfriends even propose to their girlfriends during a photoshoot, to make sure every minute is captured. But could these dreams-come-true be too good to be true?
It’s become a modern cliché to moan about people’s need to feel validated on social media, and accusing brides-to-be of using their proposal story as a ploy to get attention is more than a little bitter. But it’s certainly not unusual to paint a picture on social media of what we think the world wants to see.
In 2016, social media superstar Essena O’Neill shocked her followers by deleted her online presence. The 18-year-old, who had over half a million followers, went public with her reasons for doing so, explaining that she’d found herself in a toxic headspace, addicted to the attention she received from her online fame.

O’Neill admitted that she’d often spend hours of work on a single photo for Instagram, desperately chasing the idea of perfection that was hardly an accurate representation of her life.
At the height of her internet fame, O’Neill claims another social media star—a male model—asked her to be his girlfriend. But according to an interview with The Guardian, it wasn’t a proper relationship he was after. It was the ultimate stunt for attention.
“He referred to a lot of people who were doing just that,” she told The Guardian. “And he said in the industry it is not unheard of to do this, that it is actually really smart and that I should think about it as a business proposal.”
When people are faking entire relationships for the approval of their followers, it might not be too much of a reach to hazard that not every proposal is as perfect as what’s written in the caption.

There’s no denying that sharing an incredibly personal life event—engagement or otherwise—with thousands of strangers is quite the juxtaposition. Then again, aren’t weddings themselves the very personification of intimacy made public?

@pontifex in new selfie with newlyweds at today’s weekly general audience. pic.twitter.com/ZzbI7dxtUi

— Edward Pentin (@EdwardPentin) March 19, 2014

A marriage is about two people moving their relationship to the next level, and yet we still insist on sharing that very personal decision (and the moments following) with hundreds of other people.

The Wedding Is Still a Fairytale Affair

Modern engagements may be getting more Disney-fied by the minute, but they’re really only setting the stage for what comes next: the big day. Society’s view of relationships and marriage may be changing, but the same trends still hold true.

The fairytale ‘one perfect day’ feeling is still very much there.

A survey by The Knot revealed that the average American wedding costs more than $35,000—a number that was significantly higher than the previous year. In particularly affluent areas like Manhattan, that number sits around $78,000. About $1,500 of that goes toward the bride’s dress.

And if Pinterest’s most popular pins are anything to go by, then white dresses, flower-topped cakes, and pink bridesmaid gowns are still in style.
Of course, not every wedding follows the same formula. Wedding blogger Kat Williams runs Rock n Roll Bride, a website (and magazine!) that showcases unique weddings that capture the individuality of the lucky couple. Many of the couples featured on Rock n Roll Bride have piercings, tattoos, and neon-colored hair—a far cry from the usual white-wedding aesthetic.
Williams says that in her experience, even the most offbeat bride still holds on to a specific fantasy for their big day.

“Even if they’re having a low budget wedding or making things themselves, they still want the day to be perfect, and a reflection of the two of them,” she tells HealthyWay. “The styling of weddings may have moved on a lot on recent years with trends changing and more traditional elements falling out of favor, but the fairytale ‘one perfect day’ feeling is still very much there.”

The Need for Control

When people talk about their wedding, they don’t just share details of the actual day. The engagement is just as much a part of the story. But is a wedding only as good as its proposal?

You can can upgrade a diamond but you can never change a memory.

There are countless articles online that teach women how to get their partners to go about proposing the right way, including how to get the perfect engagement ring.
In fact, online forums are often filled with admissions from brides who admit that not only did they discuss the engagement with their boyfriend at length before being proposed to, but they even picked out the ring together.

In 2015, famed jeweler Tiffany & Co. launched an app for engagement rings. Women can scroll through all of their offerings and even virtually try them on, just to see what a 4-carat rock will look like on their fingers.
There’s no shortage of ways to plan your entire engagement before the idea has even occurred to your partner. Post-engagement planning is even hotter, especially thanks to nearly limitless ideas available on Pinterest. Granted, weddings are big, extravagant, and expensive affairs, and it’s important to plan them properly. But is the need for control usurping the beauty of a surprise proposal?
In Williams’ experience at least, not quite. “Almost all of the proposal stories I hear still have the element of surprise. The real difference is I am seeing a lot more women proposing to men these days though!”
As for staged proposals, Williams says she’s personally never seen any of those.
While the majority of women may not be literally orchestrating their own proposals, there’s no denying the pressure to have the picture perfect day is stronger than ever. How else would companies like The Heart Bandits—self-described “marriage proposal and romantic event planners”—exist?

From custom proposal planning to arranging proposal packages in cities around the world, the service (which requests potential proposers email them for service fees) says, “You can can upgrade a diamond but you can never change a memory.”
For Rocco Marchese (who did not reach out to The Heart Bandits), planning his wedding put a tremendous amount of strain on his relationship with his soon-to-be-wife. The prospect of planning and financing their engagement ring, party and wedding was enough to break them—but not in the way that you’d think.
Instead of letting the stress get the better of them, Marchese suggested that the pair elope.
“We were getting pretty stressed about it and my wife blurted out something like, ‘Do you even think we’ll get married?’ and I had had it,” he says. “I told her, let’s do it now. She was taken back by the comment after we were trying to figure out something memorable to do, since every other wedding in the family was always such a big deal.”

After making sure he really was serious, the pair jumped in his truck and headed straight for the courthouse. Unfortunately, it was closed—so they drove to the next one. They got there 10 minutes before closing, which was just in the nick of time.
“The lady who did our vows actually stayed late and did them in the street of Warrenton, Virginia,” he says.
Is Marchese’s story Instagrammable or Pinterest-worthy? Maybe not. Heart-warming? Absolutely.

Tags 50035851, balance, hemingway

Wellbeing

4 Secrets That Men Are Keeping From Women

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date October 5, 2017

Honesty is an important element in any relationship…but it’s not always easy to tell the truth.
The average person holds onto about 13 secrets, according to a study from researchers at Columbia Business School, which certainly isn’t beneficial for our mental health; the study also showed that people displayed physiological signs of stress when actively concealing their secrets.
For a couple, secrets can be even more damaging. Both men and women are more than capable of romantic subterfuge, but women tend to be slightly more honest than men, per the National Honesty Index Survey. Meanwhile, men tend to keep more secrets, says a Totally Money poll.
In some cases, keeping secrets makes sense—you probably don’t need to tell your partner that they’ve picked up a few extra wrinkles over the years, for instance—but other secrets can eventually damage a relationship. We spoke with several dating experts, therapists, and psychologists to find out about the secrets that men frequently keep from women (and how those secrets can eventually cause huge issues).

1. Financial secrets are common (and potentially damaging).

According to a CreditCards.com report, one in five Americans have spent $500 or more on purchases without their partner’s knowledge, and about 7.2 million Americans have hidden money from their spouses.
Bonnie Winston, a matchmaker and relationship coach, says, “Money issues are one of the top reasons that break relationships up.”

Winston told us about one couple’s especially toxic financial habits.
“One couple I set up were both over spenders,” Winston says. “But what was worse was that they hid it from one another. The husband who was a contractor bought a cherry red conspicuous Cadillac and parked it on nearby streets in the community instead of his garage, [accumulating] thousands of dollars in parking tickets.”
“His wife spent over $200,000 a year on designer bags, jewelry, shoes and clothing. As they lived in a McMansion, she actually took one of their 10 bedrooms in another wing and turned it into a large closet, keeping it completely off limits from him.”

While both men and women fib about their bank accounts, Dr. Caroline Madden, a licensed marriage and family therapist, believes that men are especially prone to keeping financial secrets in order to project strength.
“Men will keep [this] secret if they are struggling to pay the bills,” says Madden. “This happens even within a marriage. He is embarrassed and doesn’t want to worry his wife. He really thinks that he will be able to pull it all together and save the day. This comes as a shock to the wife when her credit cards are declined and the house is being foreclosed on.”

For men, transparency can be difficult at first. However, building a budget can help both partners build financial stability, which is a key component of a healthy marriage.

2. Many men fake interests, at least at first.

“Many guys will suddenly become interested in what the girl he likes is interested in—music, foods, movies, etc.,” says certified counselor and author David Bennett. “In reality, he may not really like them that much, but feel like it’s an in to get a date. Many men do this early on in a relationship, and eventually turn into their true selves.”

This is a problem, since this type of secret relies on misleading a partner. That’s not a great way to start a new relationship, especially considering that research shows “practicing” a lie might eventually lead to more lies.
In a study published in Nature Neuroscience, researchers found that the human brain adapts to the process of dishonesty. Little lies feel bad, but over time, the negative emotional feedback all but disappears, allowing a person to repeat lies without feeling bad.
“The amygdala responded a lot the first times people lied, but it went down over time,” lead author Neil Garrett told National Geographic. “We think this is the first empirical evidence that lying escalates.”
That’s the potential danger of these little white lies; while a man might stretch the truth in the first few weeks of a relationship to impress a potential partner, his brain can get used to the process of lying.

While that’s a pretty scary scenario, it isn’t the worst thing we’ve heard about guys, love, and lying. Amber Madison surveyed more than 1,000 men while writing her book Are All Guys A**holes?, and her results don’t paint a very flattering picture of masculinity. Thirty-five percent of the men Madison surveyed said they would lie “about the degree of commitment they were willing to offer a girl in order to sleep with her,” she wrote, as quoted by Jezebel. Is there any better proof that lies and romance go together like oil and water?

3. Men (and women) often keep secrets about their previous relationships.

Several relationship experts told us that couples often keep their past love lives to themselves.
“Many of my client couples come from diverse pasts, and most have been married previously,” says Eric Hunt, a marriage coach based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “Be it a serious relationship or [a] fling, I hear from more men who express they are not comfortable discussing their past relationships.”

To avoid making waves, men might keep details of past relationships under wraps. According to Hunt, that’s a mistake.
“I always promote honesty and open communication in a relationship,” he says. “The past is the past, but [the truth] will eventually come out…it’s always better for the man to initiate an open and honest conversation, especially prior to marriage.”

Plus, there’s a pretty good chance that you won’t be able to wish away your memories of romances past even if you want to—and that might give you a better chance of making things work this time around.
Helen Fisher, a senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute and chief scientific advisor for Match.com, told HuffPost that the human brain is designed to hold onto failed relationships.

“People will go through long periods after they’ve been dumped or after they dumped somebody asking, ‘Why did I do this? What did I lose? What did I gain?'” Fisher said. “The brain really does remember this, and it remembers this forever. You remember the ones that got away. It’s entirely possible that the brain is built that way so that you can remember why it didn’t work so that you can do it better the next time.”

4. Men frequently hide their emotions, which can result in feelings of loneliness and depression.

“The great secret men keep from their wives is how emotionally vulnerable they are,” says Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA, a professional mediator and author of De-Escalate. “Men are taught to suppress emotions, but that does not mean that they don’t feel them intensely.”

In fact, research suggests that men are just as emotionally sensitive as women—perhaps even more so. A 2014 study conducted by neuropsychologist Dr. David Lewis and released by Royal Mail showed that men experienced more physiological changes in an emotional experiment than their female counterparts; however, they claimed to feel less emotion when prompted.
“This study suggests that men feel emotion just as much as women, sometimes more strongly, but are less willing to express these emotions openly due to expectations put on them by society,” Dr. Lewis said in 2014. “We tend to oversimplify and exaggerate the perceived differences between men and women and are more likely to focus on evidence that supports our existing gender stereotypes.”

Noll recommends using simple, open communication to bridge the emotional gender gap in a relationship.
“Men often are very lonely because their emotions are overlooked or ignored,” Noll says. “There is a beautiful simple way wives can listen to men and validate them: Ignore the words, guess at the feelings, and reflect back the feelings with a simple ‘you’ statement.”
“Even if they are able to identify and share feelings, most men have a hard time being vulnerable,” says relationship therapist Rhonda Milrad.

“They want to appear confident and self-assured with their partner and a person upon whom their partner can rely. [It’s] hard for them to share their fears, worries and their feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. Consequently, men tend to have a secret emotional life that they hide from their partner… This impacts their ability to be intimate, fully present and connected.”
Of course, both partners need to commit to honest communication in order for this method to be effective. The good news: Once a couple begins communicating, the relationship benefits.

One study reported in The New York Times showed that the best predictor of marital satisfaction was how well partners communicated before the marriage. Another study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family showed that more satisfied spouses “showed more positive, less negative, and more effective communication.”
Secrets aren’t unusual, and they’re not always destructive to a relationship, but strong, clear communication is always preferable.
“Falling in love can be a slippery slope,” says online dating consultant K. Ceakou. “However, maintaining open lines of communication can be the difference between holding on and falling off.”

Tags 50035841, balance, Commerce, hemingway

Sweat

6 Surprising Things That Might Actually Help You Sleep

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date October 5, 2017

Without sleep, there is no health, no well-being, and no comfort. Go long enough without a snooze and you’ll be left with no life between your ears. Sleep is essential. We know that.
So why is sleep sometimes hardest to come by when you need it most?

We suggest that Americans and their doctors talk about sleep as a vital sign of health and well-being.

If you feel our drowsy pain, you’re not alone. The National Sleep Foundation’s 2014 Sleep Health Index (the latest available) revealed that 45 percent of their respondents said they had been affected by “poor or insufficient sleep” within the seven days prior to the poll.
“The findings from the Sleep Health Index demonstrate a need for sleep health improvement,” said David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation, in a press release about the index. “Sleep is an important factor in overall health. We suggest that Americans and their doctors talk about sleep as a vital sign of health and well-being.”
We agree. But while we can’t make you talk to your doctor (you should), we can share some of the surprising techniques sleep specialists and wellness consultants find themselves experimenting with.
Here are some of the expert responses that took us off guard—and hopefully, soon, off to dreamland:

1. Your Noise Is the Wrong Color

The first thing a lot of people do when insomnia strikes is to rush out for a white noise machine. But doesn’t that sound a bit pale? You might need something rosier.

It also drowns out noises that might wake you up in the night, such as a neighbor’s dog barking.

“Many have heard of white noise machines, but pink noise is making a lot of news lately,” Hilary Thompson, a health and wellness consultant from bedding dealer SleepTrain, tells HealthyWay. That’s our emphasis in the quote, by the way—because wait a second. Pink noise?
It’s basically your standard white noise with the less-intense higher frequencies, explains Popular Science. That does sound relaxing.
“Studies have tied it to improved memory,” points out Thompson. “It also drowns out noises that might wake you up in the night, such as a neighbor’s dog barking.”

I’m not sure about that last point (you’d have to really crank the pink noise in my neighborhood), but the study she’s referring to was published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience in March 2017. The study was small, but it found that participants showed increased slow-wave oscillations, which indicate deep sleep, when pink noise played as they slept.
The day after sleeping with the pink noise in the room, participants did better on memory tests. The takeaway, as reported by Time magazine and others, is that “one easy way for older adults to get deeper sleep and stronger memories is to listen to” pink noise. Earlier studies showed similar results in younger adults, Time reports—all of which is good enough for us.

2. Go Bananas

You might munch a banana for breakfast or after a workout for a quick dose of potassium. But be sure to save a few of the world’s favorite comedic fruits to have on hand for bedtime, too.

Bananas have a ton of magnesium in them, but the peel has more than the fruit itself.

There’s a pretty decent nighttime use for banana peels, says Dr. Michael Breus, celebrity sleep doctor and a SleepScore Labs advisory board member.
“It turns out that bananas have a ton of magnesium in them, but the peel has more than the fruit itself,” Breus says. “Magnesium has been shown to relax people.”

At least one recent study supports this claim.
So when you need a little relaxation—maybe the next time you find yourself lying in bed dreading the cruel light of dawn, for instance—get up and try Breus’ recipe for banana tea. He recommends boiling a clean banana in the peel (be sure it’s organic)—minus the two ends—for a few minutes. Mix some honey in the liquid and sip until you drift off.
“It’s delicious and helps to induce relaxation and sleep,” Breus says.

3. Sunglasses After Dark

It’s proven: Shades after dark are cool. But if you get the right kind of sunglasses, you might also find it easier to fall asleep, which is ice cold.

After wearing them, I start to feel sleepy and find that I am able to fall asleep faster.

That’s according to Rebecca Lee, a New York–based registered nurse who runs the holistic medicine website Remedies for Me. Our screens emit blue light that mimics sunshine, disrupting melatonin production, she says. Sure, you could just stop watching TV or checking your phone after dark, but how realistic is that?

Lee has another solution. “I use amber-colored glasses at least one to two hours before going to bed,” she tells HealthyWay. “After wearing them, I start to feel sleepy and find that I am able to fall asleep faster.”

4. You are a ship’s anchor, tossed into the waves.

Well, not literally. Pick the image that works for you.

Feel your body getting heavier and heavier, sinking into your bed until you drift off to sleep.

The trick, Thompson says, is to imagine your body sinking, sinking, sinking into your mattress.
She says to lie in bed “and focus on your breathing. With each exhale, feel your body getting heavier and heavier, sinking into your bed until you drift off to sleep.”

You’d be surprised how effective this can be. Apparently, when you can focus your brain on something other than whatever nightmare-inducing anxiety lurks within your morning at work or school (or just going to the grocery store)—whatever it is, you start to relax. That way lies respite.

5. Go the cognitive behavioral therapy route.

If we have a catchphrase (and we do), it is this: Try therapy. It’s our response to everything. Lost car keys? Try therapy. Disappointed with the job? Try therapy. Pervasive negative bias and generally poor self-regard? Seriously, try therapy.

CBT-I is 90 percent effective in reducing or eliminating sleeping pills and improves sleep quality.

The thing is, we’re not kidding. You’ve got to take care of your mental health. Specifically, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven an effective treatment for everything from chronic anxiety to internalizing disorders in children.
At its core, CBT involves teaching patients strategies to “change their unhelpful thinking and behavior,” according to the Beck Institute, which should know, since it’s named for Dr. Aaron Beck, who invented the approach.

There’s even a cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), says Dr. Angela Reiter, a clinical psychologist who practices in Eastchester, New York.
“CBT-I is 90 percent effective in reducing or eliminating sleeping pills and improves sleep quality,” Reiter says. “CBT-I also helps patients work on their sleep schedule and eliminate negative thoughts about poor sleep.”
All that in a five-session program? You know what we say: Try therapy.

6. Stick to the classics.

We hate to disappoint you, but the old-fashioned methods of getting plenty of sleep might still be best. That’s the perspective of Dr. Neil Kline, sleep physician and spokesperson for the American Sleep Association (ASA).
“Most of the principles of getting good sleep are principles of sleep hygiene that have been around for several years,” he tells HealthyWay.
Chances are you’ve heard these before: Skip the caffeine, if not totally, then at least six hours before sleep; keep your bedroom quiet and comfortable; don’t watch TV in bed.
Learn more about sleep hygiene from the ASA here. It might not be super exciting, but it’s the stuff that’s proven to work.

The Extent of the Sleep Deficit in American Life

How poorly are Americans sleeping? Well, if it’s any indication of the extent of our sleeplessness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has labeled insufficient sleep an honest-to-goodness “public health problem.”
Note that these statistics don’t even account for chronic sleep disorders. According to the CDC, somewhere between 50 million and 70 million American adults have “a sleep or wakefulness disorder.” These are more serious than the occasional bout of insomnia, which is what the expert tips above address.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends practicing good sleep hygiene if you feel like you’re not getting enough shut-eye. If that doesn’t work, or if the problem feels serious, talk to your doctor. They can recommend treatment options.
But even those of us who don’t have diagnosable sleep disorders often find ourselves tired and sluggish after a long night. The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours of sleep per night for most adults. Still, a 2009 report from the CDC found that 35.3 percent of a survey’s respondents admitted to an average of less than seven hours of sleep a day.
The survey involved in that report included 74,571 respondents, resulting in some pretty hefty data. And a general lack of sleep wasn’t all the study found.
Nearly 38 percent of the people who responded said that they fell asleep—accidentally, and during daylight hours—at least once within the previous 30 days. A terrifying 4.7 percent of the respondents said that they had “nodded off” or straight-up fallen asleep while driving within the previous 30 days.

This is bad. How bad? A 2006 publication from the Institute of Medicine Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research went so far as to associate the tragic explosion of the space shuttle Challenger with “errors in judgment” caused by “sleep loss and sleep-related disorders.”
So if you’re one of the many comprising the sleep-deprived masses, take the time to address the problem. Start with good sleep hygiene, and maybe try a few of the items on this list. Consider the value of therapy.
The thought of all the people in the world who could benefit from therapy but don’t know it yet is just another thing keeping us up at night.

Tags 50035411, body, hemingway

Sweat

19 Household Items That Also Double As Beauty Products

Post author By Gretchen Bossio
Post date October 5, 2017

For years, smart, efficient women have been finding beauty essentials tucked around their homes. Take my grandma for instance. I vividly recall her sitting at the kitchen table giving herself home manicures every Saturday when chores were complete. She’d have two bowls set out—one with soapy warm water and one with lemon juice. Next to those, a little nail file, a toothbrush, and a hand towel.

She’d scrub the nails of each hand in the soapy water and then give them a nice long soak in lemon juice before washing her hands and calling her nails “all fresh for church.” No paint! Back then nail color was practically a crime! But why the lemon juice step, you ask? It brightened and whitened her nail beds in a natural, DIY kind of way. Clean and fresh perfection!
And perhaps that is the best thing. When you learn the secrets of household items turned beauty products, you can DIY all day long and look gorgeous while you do it! So get ready to find some great resources in your cupboards and mix up a potion or two—because these beauty hacks actually work!

Seattle-based fashion and beauty blogger Jenn of Hello Rigby and makeup-obsessed mom Meg of Meg O. on the Go of Houston, Texas—along with a few other beauty and wellness insiders—share how some of our favorite household items can double as cosmetic treats.
Get ready to be amazed!

Keep this household location stocked and you’ll be beautiful forever.

Are your cupboards bare like Old Mother Hubbard’s, or are they full of all sorts of ingredients? For your sake, I’m hoping full, because the pantry is a perfect place to find household products that double as beauty saviors.
Jenn says that “Honey is a great moisturizing mask and has antibacterial properties that have been shown to reduce breakouts. Using this in place of a hydrating facial mask can save $20 or more … If you have sensitive skin, it’s a great replacement for skincare products with many ingredients that you could be allergic or sensitive to.”

Hallelujah for honey! Guess I’ll be buying the Costco size from here on out.
Next up, coffee grounds. In the past all my grounds have made their way to the garbage, but Jenn says that isn’t their place at all! She advises that we all “use old coffee grounds for an even more invigorating body scrub! I like mixing coffee grounds, a bit of sugar, and coconut oil for a good scrub down in the shower. Coffee scrubs were all the rage in the beauty industry for a while and were often super expensive. I think the DIY one works just as [well] and saves you $15+!”

In consideration of pantry essentials, both sugar and salt are DIY must-haves, too, according to Jenn. “Sugar and salt are great to mix with oils like olive or coconut for a lip or body scrub, which can easily retail for $10+ dollars at the drugstore. I find the scrubbing power to be the same or even greater than what I can buy (though to be fair, they are a bit messier!)”
Meg is all about the homemade scrubs, too. She highly recommends this scrub, which contains a bit of sugar, oatmeal, and other household staples. An added perk: It can be made in small batches.

Fresh is often best.

The next time you’re at the grocery store, consider what produce can double as a beauty product. I was amazed to learn about the grocery items that can do wonders for my body both inside and out.

When it comes to hair care, avocados just might be your best friend. Cassie of Wholefully recommends this monthly mask as a super-hydrating option for thirsty hair.
Another produce winner is bananas. Massage banana pulp onto dry, cracked feet and the thick mixture will hyper-moisturize your feet.

This would work wonders on rough elbows and knees in the dry winter season, too.

Clean freaks unite in your quest for beauty tips!

Who would have guessed household cleaning products can double as beauty saves? I would have considered many too harsh, but nope. Some of these things are quite handy in beauty routines and can save the day when you have an unexpected mishap.

My best friend has always said that a few dryer sheets tucked in your purse are the perfect helper when it comes to hair fly-aways. They tame the static in a jiff!
And when Magic Erasers hit the market, my mom found about 100 tasks for the little gems, her favorite being cleaning up shoes that have gotten scuffs and stains. A swipe or two with a Magic Eraser and, well, abracadabra! Shoes look like new!

Meg reveals that Dawn dish soap is “amazing for getting makeup brushes squeaky clean!” Of all our brushes, those most deserve a thorough cleaning but are often overlooked.
Jenn has this tip: “You can easily reuse an old toothbrush for all sorts of beauty uses. My favorites are to brush brows into place and to use as a lip exfoliator. Multitasking products are big money savers, and a toothbrush works just as well as a brow brush [or] a lip scrub!”

If it’s cold, this just might be a beauty routine winner.

Look no further than your refrigerator for some amazing food-based beauty products.
For starters, eggs! Yes, that protein-rich chicken gold is perfect when it comes to DIY beauty projects. If you deal with under eye puffiness, apply a thin layer of raw egg whites under your eye, allow it to dry, and then rinse.

(Green tea bags are another helpful item for decreasing puffiness.)
You can also boost your hair conditioning routine with eggs. Take one egg white, a squirt of conditioner, and a dash of olive oil. Then gently mix and apply like regular hair conditioner. Rinse thoroughly and ta-da, a protein-rich jumpstart for your locks.
Meg is in tune with my grandma on the note of lemon juice. “I love to use lemon juice on dark spots on my skin at night.” This totally makes sense, since lemon is a natural bleaching agent.

Organic Authority can’t say enough good things about Greek yogurt. So keep your fridge stocked! “When topically applied to the skin, a velvety yogurt face mask will help moisturize, fight acne, prevent premature aging, relieve sunburn, and reduce discoloration. It’s an all-around beauty multi-tasker.”

Borrow from the baby.

It’s no surprise that our little ones have some pretty fabulous toiletry products. Personally, I’m obsessed with my baby’s hair and body wash—it has such a calming scent and gets the job done, too.

But Meg says the real secret is in baby’s diaper cream because “it is known to zap a zit if you’re in a pickle!”
Who knew? Thanks, baby, for helping your mama’s postpartum acne flares!

And the winner of them all!

Both Jenn and Meg are giant fans of coconut oil. According to them, it’s the household item that can pretty much solve any problem.

Jenn says, “Coconut oil on its own can be used as a makeup remover. I personally would recommend just using it on your eyes and lips if you are breakout prone, as coconut oil has been known to clog pores. Eye makeup removers can be costly, and this can be an easy way to save a few bucks if you already have this at home!”
Meg agrees: “[Coconut oil] is by far my favorite! I use it every night as makeup remover. It can also be used as a moisturizer on the body or on the hair for a deep conditioning treatment.”

We’ve all found ourselves improvising from time to time, but these are the hacks that deserve to be passed down from generation to generation. So share away, and let’s put grandma’s secrets (and the beauty bloggers’) to work and keep them alive!

Tags 50035646, body, hemingway

Wellbeing

Here's The Fall Reboot Guide We All Need

Post author By Jeanne Sager
Post date October 5, 2017

Remember when you were a kid, and fall meant starting over? New sneakers. New backpack. New headband you just couldn’t wait to show your bestie?
To borrow a phrase from Anne of Green Gables (hey, we’re talking childhood), fall was like starting over on “a new day with no mistakes in it yet.” And it felt good!
But you don’t have to be 9 and have a pack full of freshly sharpened pencils in hand to get that fresh feeling of fall. According to one survey, 45 percent of Americans look at fall as the perfect time of year to get organized, and that doesn’t just mean your desk.
Here’s how to take on fall like the fierce woman you are:

Sleep on it.

With shorter days fast approaching, it feels like Mother Nature is urging us to move indoors and stay there. Maybe she’s onto something? Sleep is an essential part of a healthy you, and the urge to curl up under a warm comforter in the colder months could be just what you need to finally kick off that improved sleep routine.
Even better? Fall weather can actually help you fight insomnia. It turns out the best temps for getting a good night’s sleep are somewhere between 60 and 70 degrees. Try setting an alarm to remind yourself when it’s time to go to bed, and make yourself stick to the same bedtime (more or less). When it comes to morning, resist hitting that snooze button, and get up at the same time each day. Regular sleep and wake schedules alone can make all the difference in how you feel.

Cut the clutter.

You don’t have to go full Marie Kondo, but you know what’s coming? The holidays. And you know what the holidays bring? Stuff! That cute little turkey centerpiece you just can’t resist. The holiday office party Secret Santa tchotchkes you really don’t want. Cut stuff now, and you’ll thank yourself later.

Treat yo’ skin.

That chill in the air doesn’t just mean you can hit up your local coffee shop for a pumpkin spice latte. Skin also tends to dry out when the weather turns colder. Set aside your summer routine and amp up the moisture. You don’t have to abandon everything that’s been working, but if you’ve been skipping the moisturizer, it may be time to add it back in.

Feel like trying a hydrating mask? Now’s the time. And while you’re at it, take a stroll down the cosmetics aisle to stock up on a few fall colors. A new lip color alone can make you feel like an all new you.

Make your wardrobe function for fall.

When you were a kid, fall meant hitting the mall while your mom moaned about how fast you were growing. Thank goodness those days are over! Your favorite jeans can now last years, and they’ll have to pry that sweater you bought in college from your cold dead hands.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in some fall shopping. While you’re putting away your summer clothes, do a quick evaluation of which favorites from last fall have seen better days. A great knit scarf or that pair of boots you’ve been eyeing will bring back that first-day-of-school-wardrobe feeling. And since you no longer grow 2 inches a month, you’ll even be able to wear them straight through the colder months.

Kick your cooking up a notch.

So you had ice cream on the boardwalk, fried Oreos at the fair, and way too much [linkbuilder id=”6443″ text=”fast food”] on that summer road trip? It’s a good thing fall calls for warming up your home.
Get thee to Pinterest for a menu reboot, and start making food at home again. You’ll be warmer, and all those wholesome eats will make your body feel better too.
Bonus: Think of all the money you’ll save eating food at home again.

Make (old) friends.

Fall used to mean meeting the new kids (or maybe even being the new kid) and the potential to make new friends. But with 657 Facebook friends you almost never see in person, you don’t have to get sweaty palms wondering if the new kid will want to come to your sleepover.
You already know these people; you just need to make some plans that involve seeing someone face to face. And if you really want to change things up, you could even try placing an actual phone call to make the date. Now that’s a reboot!

Health x Body Wellbeing

Here Are 4 Ways Moving Your Body Can Improve Your Mental Health

Post author By Jeanne Sager
Post date October 5, 2017

If Sasha Brown-Worsham skips a workout, her mood plummets. “I snap and lash out,” the Maplewood, New Jersey, yoga teacher admits. “I get depressed and agitated and angry.” Her solution? Head into a yoga studio to take on a challenging asana or lace up for a run around her neighborhood.
“When I am moving, I feel alive!” she says.
Fitting time in your schedule to move with the level of commitment Brown-Worsham does isn’t always easy. The average American woman is working long hours of both paid and unpaid labor.
Some days you probably find yourself thinking “After a grocery run and grabbing coffee with Rachel, how am I really going to fit in a workout?”
But then again, if you’re thinking “I could really use a mood boost right now,” you’re not alone in that camp either. American women are more likely than American men to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression, and we make up more than half of all mental illness diagnoses in this country.
Whether you’re just feeling a little down in the dumps or you’re living with and learning to manage a diagnosed mental illness, there’s solid science out there that shows incorporating just a little movement into your day can make a big difference. Heck, it can even prevent someone who’s struggling from falling into depression (according to the scientists, anyway).
If you’re feeling the urge to get on your feet but you don’t think you’ll have time to make it to kickboxing class this week, here are some mood-boosting options that might fit the bill.

1. Dance around your kitchen.

2. Take a walk.

3. Unfurl your yoga mat.

If you’re looking for a quick mood boost, a little quiet meditation and movement may be all you need. The effects of yoga on anxiety have gotten the thumbs up from researchers, and Brown-Worsham confirms that you don’t need to go in the studio to reap the benefits.
She’s known to head out on the back porch for a quick yoga session when she feels the need. If you don’t have time for a full yoga class, pull up a quick YouTube class (Yoga With Adriene has 10-minute options) and bliss out.

4. Turn a coffee date into a workout date.

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