Month: November 2017

Categories
Sweat

Beauty Parlor Stroke Is Real: Should We Be Worried?

A simple trip to the salon can turn suddenly tragic. It happened to Elizabeth Smith.

How could that happen to me?

When Smith, 49, checked in at the Blowbunny: Blow Dry & Hair Extension Bar in San Diego in December 2013, she didn’t expect to leave with anything more serious than some extra luster and body in her hair. Instead, she alleges, she went home with an invisible injury that would eventually lead to a serious health condition: ischemic stroke, in which blood supply to the brain is cut off.

HealthyWay
Blowbunny

Brain cells can only live for a few minutes without life-giving oxygen, so strokes are extremely dangerous.
But what about a trip to the salon could possibly lead to such dire outcomes? Well, if you’ve visited a beauty salon, you know that most trips include a luxurious shampooing. This can be the most relaxing part of the experience: Your beautician tilts your head back into a deep sink to massage expensive-smelling unguents into your scalp. Then they rinse with deliciously hot water. It’s like a dream.

For Smith, though, that dream quickly turned into a nightmare.

A few days after her appointment, she noticed something strange. Her arms and legs felt somehow off, weaker and less responsive than usual. These alarming symptoms disappeared just as quickly as they’d arrived and Smith put them out of her mind.
Fast forward about a week. As if out of nowhere, Smith suffered a massive stroke.
“Initially, I couldn’t walk at all. It hit both sides of my body but more my left. I couldn’t move my left arm at all,” Smith told CBS Los Angeles. “It was just utter disbelief. How could that happen to me?”

HealthyWay
The Law Office of Spencer S. Busby, APLC

The mother of two is still dealing with complications from that event. Four years later, Smith has difficulty walking, loss of motor skills, dizziness, and impaired vision. Even worse, Smith still has a blood clot in her brain, she said. At any moment, the clot could dislodge, travel through her blood vessels, block the flow of blood to a certain region of her brain, and even take her life.
Smith traces the entire medical disaster back to that fateful day at the salon. More precisely, she traces it back to the sink and the shampoo job. Smith is suing Blowbunny for damages and to help cover the cost of her medical bills.

What happened?

While the type of stroke Smith had isn’t rare (ischemic strokes account for 87 percent all of stroke cases), the way in which it occurred is incredibly uncommon—but not at all unheard of. Budding neurologists are familiar with the link between beauty salons and strokes. In fact, the condition is familiar enough in medical circles to be given its own name: beauty parlor stroke syndrome.

No one really knows what the mechanism is. But hyperextension or injury are the causes given by the medical dogma.

The terrifying condition arises when visitors to the salon lean their heads back into the wash basin for the shampoo. If they tilt their heads too far, they can hyperextend the neck—and that can lead to a horrifying injury that victims might not notice until it’s too late.

HealthyWay
via University of Louisville Physicians

Vascular surgeon Charles Dinerstein explains that this type of stroke “is a result of an injury to the vertebral artery in which a portion of the three-layered wall become partially detached forming a flap. The flap is pushed by the blood flow against the opposite wall (like a valve) and cause[s] blood flow to stop.
“This is termed a dissection because of the separation of the artery wall. In other instances, the injury to the inner lining of the artery provides an area for a small clot to form which then travels further downstream into the brain,” he tells HealthyWay.
“These vessels supply the back of the brain so that symptoms of a stroke are not the classic problems with speech or movement of one side or another,” Dinerstein says. “It can impact balance and coordination primarily, speech in making it confusing or garbled, and coordination.”
These symptoms would be tragically familiar to Smith and the women who, like her, have experienced strokes following trips to the salon. And as if dizziness and balance problems weren’t enough, there’s always the possibility of clots remaining in the brain, as in Smith’s case.
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However, before you swear off a shampoo at the salon entirely, be aware that there are usually factors well beyond hyperextension of the neck at play when someone experiences a stroke after visiting the salon, Dinerstein tells us.
The surgeon explains that, while the assumed mechanism of the stroke is hyperextension of the neck, “you would have to be bending the neck back a lot” to cause the injury that leads to stroke.
The more likely scenario is “a combination of some weakness of the wall along with hyperextension. No one really knows what the mechanism is. But hyperextension or injury are the causes given by the medical dogma,” Dinerstein says.

Examining the factors that lead to stroke—beyond beauty parlor visits.

It’s not just beauty parlor stroke you should be aware of. It’s important to be know the things that increase your chances of having a stroke of any kind.
Remember that, if you’re at risk for a having a stroke, your visit to the salon is probably not going to be the deciding factor. We’re not sure if this is comforting or just makes things worse, but the risk factors for stroke go way beyond salon visits.
HealthyWay
Many common health problems increase your risk of having a stroke. And they are cumulative. That is, the more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of having a stroke becomes.
High blood pressure is the biggest contributing factor for most strokes. Luckily, it’s also one of the more controllable medical issues in the diagnostic guides. Having regular checkups, changing your diet, quitting smoking, or taking prescribed medication can all help keep your blood pressure under control. Heck, why not try all of them?
Diabetes, obesity, and heart disease are also major risk factors for stroke. Again, patients can usually control these things through lifestyle changes and/or medication.
But there are also plenty of things that raise your risk of stroke that you can’t control at all, like ethnicity, sex, and age.
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Black, Alaskan Native, and Native American adults are at a higher risk of stroke than those who are Asian American, white, or Hispanic. Younger men are more likely to suffer from strokes, but women are more likely to die from having one.
Over ethnicity and sex, though, age is the great equalizer when it comes to stroke: The older you grow, the higher your chances of stroke tend to become.

If you have one or many of these risk factors, it’s important to know the signs and symptoms of a stroke.

Since stroke victims are racing against the clock to restore blood supply before their brain cells start dying, time is of the essence. Immediate medical attention is crucial, so watch out for the most common symptoms of the health event.

Time is brain tissue.

The American Stroke Association has a great acronym for recognizing these symptoms: FAST (F: face drooping, A: arm weakness, S: speech difficulty, T: time to call 9-1-1).
HealthyWay
If you or a loved one begins showing any of these signs, “you should seek medical attention in an emergency room immediately,” says Dinerstein. “The statement for strokes is that ‘time is brain tissue’, so the sooner it can be diagnosed the sooner measures can be taken to protect the brain and reverse injury.”

So should you be worried about beauty parlor stroke syndrome in particular?

“Short answer—no,” Dinerstein tells HealthyWay.

It is exceedingly rare.

Yes, there are multiple reported cases of beauty parlor stroke, but it’s not something you should lose sleep over, not even if you’re a frequent salon customer, the surgeon says.
“It is exceedingly rare,” he explains. “The estimated incidence of [beauty parlor stroke syndrome is] 1 to 1.5 [out of] 100,000 people, or 0.000015 percent. Or to put another way, you are 20 times more likely to be struck by lightning than experience this injury,” says Dinerstein.
HealthyWay
Again, we’re not sure this is any comfort, but plenty of everyday activities and movements might cause you to have an ischemic stroke. That’s why it’s difficult to have a 100 percent positive diagnosis that a stroke was caused by a trip to the salon.
It’s a little scary, but we can do some serious damage to our bodies without even trying. Playing sports, holding a cell phone between your shoulder and ear, whiplash, or even sneezing wrong can create an arterial tear. If you want to reduce your risk to zero, you’d probably have to stop moving entirely.
Because beauty parlor stroke specifically is so rare, then, there’s nothing you need to do to prevent it from happening to you. There are other common and more dangerous activities people participate in on a daily basis. For instance, it appears that chiropractors are responsible for many more of these injuries than hairdressers.
HealthyWay
Dinerstein tells HealthyWay that neck injuries from chiropractic work are much more common than beauty parlor stroke syndrome, and can also have serious consequences.
“There is a larger literature on injuries to the vertebral artery due to chiropractic manipulation so that significant hyperextension of the neck and manipulation should be avoided,” Dinerstein says.
The point is that, yes, beauty parlor stroke can happen. But the chances are so slim that you probably shouldn’t let it keep you out of the salon when you really want a nice blowout.

Categories
Nutrition x Advice

5 Ways To Use Turmeric (That You Probably Haven’t Considered)

Turmeric is the new golden child of the food world. Traditionally used to season the curries of South and Southeast Asia, this luxuriously hued and scented spice has started to enrich menus—and healthcare regimens—in the West.
A relative of ginger, turmeric is loaded with curcumin, an antioxidant with promising anti-inflammatory powers. An especially popular application of late has been in golden milk, a warming, turmeric-infused drink long known by Ayurvedic healers and more recently embraced by Instagramming baristas.  
But savory curries and gilded lattes are only the beginning of this super-spice’s diverse applications. Here are some “bright” ideas to inspire more turmeric use in your life.

1. Spice up your morning scramble with a pinch of turmeric.

It may seem exotic, but that doesn’t mean turmeric can’t be easy. The next time you’re scrambling some eggs, add a little turmeric to your oil (a half teaspoon should do) and finish them off with an extra pinch on top. Consider cracking some fresh pepper, too, as it helps your body absorb turmeric’s star chemical, curcumin.
Sprinkle a little turmeric on fresh avocado for a simple but sophisticated snack—or double down on your superfoods by slathering on some delicious turmeric-topped mash to make delicious avo toast.  
Turmeric also likes roasted veggies. The spice will add depth—and color—to cauliflower and potatoes. Toss in some Brussels sprouts and make a clean, healthy dinner out of it. A tablespoon of the spice usually suits a batch, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice will zest up the turmeric’s earthy undertones.

2. Mix up your gin and tonic with a splash of turmeric syrup.

Move over, cucumber and pepper. Up your G&T game with a few ounces of turmeric syrup.
The mixology mavens at Stir and Strain suggest the Southall Tonic—and it ain’t your grandma’s cocktail. This concoction involves a tea tincture, orange flower water, and turmeric syrup for a vivid twist on the classic. For the turmeric syrup, you’ll cook down one cup of water and one cup of sugar with a half cup of chopped turmeric root, which you can pick up at an organic food market or international grocer.  
The turmeric brings a savory warmth, making the more summery G&T an exciting and unexpected treat in the winter. It’ll also bring the conversation—and compliments—at your next cocktail party. Even if you skip out on the tea tincture and orange flower water, you’ll still wow your guests. I mean, how can you not sound impressive when you say, “Oh, this? It’s just a little turmeric syrup I put together.”

3. Turmeric can soup up your broth.

Okay, so maybe you overdid it on the turmeric cocktails last night. Well, turmeric has a solution for that, too.
Wellness Mama offers a quick, comforting turmeric broth to help you detox. She combines four cups of broth with garlic, apple cider vinegar, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper, and, yes, turmeric. You can use turmeric powder, but since you probably have some left over from your cocktails, consider grating fresh turmeric root for a more potent elixir.
Not wholesome enough for you? Strengthen your joints by making a turmeric bone broth instead. Gather up some beef knuckles and neck bones—you have those handy, right?—and let them simmer in a bath of turmeric-spiced carrots, onions, and celery. You can drink it straight or use it a base for soups and stews.  

4. Brighten up your skin and teeth with turmeric.

Nothing quite says “spa day” like turmeric, now does it? Turmeric is beneficial not only in your body but also on it.
Whip together some yogurt and honey with a bit of turmeric (try not to eat it all of it—you need some for the treatment!) and make your own turmeric face mask. Thanks to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, the turmeric can rejuvenate your skin and maybe even help reduce acne.  
You don’t need all that much of any ingredient to create a paste. One tablespoon or so of yogurt and about a half teaspoon of turmeric powder and honey should do. Slather it on and let it sit for about 15 minutes—you might even pretend to be your favorite emoji or Simpsons character while it’s on. Don’t worry: It won’t stain your face, though it may take a few rinses to wash off the yellow. Do be mindful of your clothes, towels, and linens, as the turmeric will leave its mark on them.
Turmeric is also a natural alternative to teeth whiteners. Dip a moist toothbrush in an eighth of a teaspoon of turmeric and leave it on your teeth for up to five minutes. Yes, the taste will be intense and your yellowed mouth might be a little scary looking, but the turmeric will help brighten up your smile. Use turmeric on your teeth in moderation, though—and make that toothbrush your designated turmeric application device.
And if you want to get really creative, try making your own turmeric soap. The marigold-colored bars will perfume your bathroom and pamper your skin. The Soap Queen provides an easy melt-and-pour recipe. The soap could even make for a very original gift idea.

5. Turmeric is the new black.

Turmeric can leave a big mess behind, but crafts can turn turmeric-stained items into real things of beauty. The most prominent feature of turmeric, after all, is its rich yellow–orange color. Turmeric has long been used in foods and medicine, but it has also been used as dye. Buddhists monks, in fact, dyed their vibrant robes with turmeric—which might just give you some DIY inspiration.
Harness turmeric to dye your own tablecloth or pillow cases. Remodelista shows how easily you can turn plain, natural cloth into very elegant decor. Consider wearing your turmeric, too, by dyeing a scarf. You’ll need a fair amount of turmeric powder—up to half a cup—for these projects. But you should have plenty of the stuff around, considering how much you’ll be eating, drinking, and lathering all over your body.

Categories
Favorite Finds Sweat

Here They Are: This Year’s 10 Best Fitness Trackers for Women

Dozens of features, hundreds of brands, thousands of models, tens of billions of dollars—we’re talking about the booming business of fitness trackers, whose wearable biometrics are transforming the way we eat, dress, work, sleep, and play. But with so many options out there, it’s hard to know which fitness tracker is best. HealthyWay is here to help.

From DaVinci to Smartwatches

First, let’s take stock of just how far we’ve come with fitness trackers. In his famed notebooks, Leonardo DaVinci sketched his vision of a mechanical pedometer for Renaissance soldiers, though it wasn’t until 1780 that Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Perrelet actually constructed the first one. And Thomas Jefferson gets the credit for bringing an early pedometer—his, a French design—to the New World.
Fast forward to the 1960s, when the Japanese developed the manpo-kei, literally the “10,000 steps meter,” which set the now-popular benchmark for activity today. In 1982, a Finnish professor invented the first wireless wearable heart-rate monitor: the Polar Sport Tester PE2000, designed for professional athletes.  
The 2000s marked some of the biggest breakthroughs in fitness trackers, with tech titans like Garmin, Apple, and Samsung packing accelerometers, altimeters, barometers, Bluetooth technology, gyroscopes, GPS, and magnetometers into ever smaller, sleeker, and more sophisticated devices, like the Nike+iPod. This 2006 collaboration embedded a wireless sensor in a special Nike sneaker, providing runners with distance, pace, and calorie data on their iPod Nano all while getting a power boost from their favorite tunes. The technology now may seem a little quaint, but the Nike+iPod was a visionary application of technology for personal fitness.    
Then along came a little startup called Fitbit, which helped take fitness trackers further into the mainstream in the 2010s with its ever-expanding line of fun, user-friendly, and affordable wristbands and smartwatches for the everyday exerciser.
Today, we have fitness trackers that not even the genius of DaVinci could have dreamed up. Take Fitbit’s latest release, the Fitbit Ionic. It tracks your sleeping cycles and withstands water to dozens of meters deep. It offers personal training tips and analyzes long-term health data trends on its related app. It can also store hundreds of songs and push a range of alerts and notifications. It features a touchscreen and even allows for touch-pay.

Remember: Fitness trackers are still tools, not cure-alls.

The bells and whistles of today’s fitness trackers are impressive, but do they work?
If you’re hoping that fastening on a fitness tracker will get you shedding those extra pounds and never skipping a workout, think again. A September 2016 study concluded that wearables did not improve weight loss over traditional methods. The following month, another study questioned the effectiveness of fitness trackers in even motivating long-term increases in physical activity.
Still, researchers are finding an uptick, if modest, in activity thanks to the self-monitoring and goal-setting fitness trackers afford—and that matters. Changing behavior begins, after all, one step at a time.
And the behaviors fitness trackers are helping to change aren’t just about clothing sizes. As one working mom, Felicia Bolton, has previously told HealthyWay, her Fitbit helped her overcome her postpartum depression. The fitness tracker sent her reminders to get up and move when she was stuck in a Netflix binge. It also connected her to distant friends and family, inspiring her to take more and more steps through friendly competitions the device supports.
For Bolton, the psychological and social benefits have spilled over into her physical well-being. In a follow-up message to HealthyWay, Bolton writes: “The Fitbit helped me keep track of my overall fitness, down to sleep as well as diet. It helped me monitor all those with the ease of a button, I really didn’t think much of it once I got used to tracking my everyday progress and seeing how far I’d come.”
She continues: “I suffer from severe insomnia, as well as an eating disorder, so keeping track of my sleep and caloric intake really helped me get on a better track with the help of the Fitbit. I didn’t realize how low I really was in every department until I started tracking everything using the Fitbit. It helped me take on a vegan diet and lifestyle.”
As Bolton suggests, it’s best not to think of our fitness trackers as magic wands or silver bullets. Instead, we should approach them as tools—albeit extremely high-tech ones—for our health and personal goals, whether they be taking one small step or running 26.2 miles.
So, what are the best fitness trackers for women right now?

The Fitbit Charge 2 is smart overall choice.

The Charge 2 ($149.95) is Fitbit’s top-selling fitness tracker—and it consistently earns some of the top reviews. TechRadar, for instance, touts it as “the best Fitbit tracker you can buy right now.”
The core of the Charge 2 is its PurePulse technology; its all-day activity tracking automatically and continuously monitors the wearer’s heart rate whether you are running, hiking, biking, lifting weights, or simply going about a normal day. Thanks to its SmartTrack functionality, the Charge 2 will sense and record workouts even if you forget to hit start. It will also vibrate and flash a reminder to move if you’ve been idle too long.
The Charge 2 features a high-res, tap-enabled screen that displays real-time calorie burn and exercise intensity along with basic call, text, and other alerts if your smartphone is nearby. You can access a more detailed breakdown of your cardio fitness (as measured by VO2 Max) and much more on the robust Fitbit app. The app also analyzes the quality, duration, and consistency of your sleep thanks to the device’s automatic sleep tracking.
In Relax mode, the Charge 2 will guide you through a short deep-breathing session to help reduce stress and anxiety.
The Charge 2 does not come with built-in GPS—an important feature for runners, as GPS provides pace, distance, and route data. However, you can easily pair your Charge 2 to your smartphone’s GPS if you don’t mind hitting the trails with an extra device.  
Its info-rich screen does make the Charge 2 a bit bulkier than other models (it’s 0.84 inches wide, although it comes in just a few ounces, depending on band choice) like the Fitbit Alta HR. Its battery last up to five days, and it can withstand rain, sweat, and splash.
The Charge 2 comes in a range of colors and interchangeable bands, including a breathable sport band for workouts and a classy leather option if you want to dress it up for work.

The TomTom Spark 3 will fire up runners.

While the Fitbit Charge 2 makes for a great general-purpose fitness tracker, the TomTom Spark 3 GPS Fitness Watch is an exciting choice for the avid exerciser. Wareable, a leading website for all things in wearable technology, picks the Spark 3 as its No. 1 fitness trackers for runners. And a major reason why is its built-in GPS.
The Spark 3 ups the GPS game with its Route Exploration feature. Not only can you leave your smartphone at home, but you can just get out there and run or cycle. Route Exploration shows the route you are running, and, thanks to its compass sensor, helps you find your way back home with a digital “breadcrumb trail.” If you do fancy a pre-planned trail, Route Exploration also lets you upload routes from websites like MapMyRun, serving up some adventure alongside your workout.
Swimmers will also love the Spark 3. It’s waterproof up to 40 meters deep, and the watch’s swimming mode tracks metrics like laps, stroke pace, and more.
Like other fitness trackers, the Spark 3 tracks sleep, supports phone notifications, and provides insights into your workouts on the TomTom app.
It starts at $129.00, but you can make some nifty upgrades: the Spark 3 Music + Headphones ($169.00), which stores up to 500 songs that you can listen to on its workout-tailored Bluetooth headphones; the Spark 3 Cardio ($189.00), which adds a heart monitor to the base model; and the Spark 3 Cardio + Music + Headphones ($249.00), which bundles all the goodies into one. A software update will offer personalized workouts on the watch soon.
The Spark 3 packs in all these feature at a lightweight 1.62 ounces and less than 1 square inch display. The battery lasts up to three weeks if you’re not using its GPS, which otherwise will require a recharge in 11 hours. (Ever wonder why your phone dies when you’re heavy on the Google Maps?) Individualize your Spark 3 look with its interchangeable bands.

The Opter Pose will rejuvenate your lifestyle.

On the other end of the spectrum is Opter, whose Pose health tracker sees physical fitness as just one part of a broader healthy lifestyle.
As Opter’s co-founder Chalisa Prarasri tells HealthyWay: “What sets Opter apart is our behavioral approach to health tracking. We don’t focus on gathering data so much as what we can do with the data to help people live healthier lives.”
She continues: “A lot of people track loads of data about their lives but don’t have a doctor or personal trainer looking at it to really give them good insights from the data. But what if you could have a personal health assistant in your pocket to teach you all of the little tricks associated with better living? That’s what Opter does. We don’t just track; we guide in real time. And all of our suggestions come from the accomplished doctors and specialists we work with, so we’re giving you some of the best information out there.”
Like most fitness trackers, the Pose logs steps, calories, and sleep. It doesn’t come with a heart-rate monitor, but it will vibrate if you are slouching, helping to improve your posture. And it will sense if you’re at risk of too much sun, prompting you to apply more sunscreen. It also tracks your exposure to blue light, the high-energy light that our smartphone and laptop screens emit.
“No sleep tracker that’s been done is tracking your daily light exposure,” which “affects your biological clock,” Prarasri explained in a previous interview. “If we can track that as well as your sleep schedule, we can recommend times to sleep so that your sleep is higher quality and more efficient. Light is the thing that is shifting a lot of people’s schedules and giving them insomnia.”
To help rectify this, the Pose will monitor your blue light exposure throughout the day and direct you to turn off the lights at night.  
“If you’re just looking for tracking, you could go for any tracker (though we do track more metrics than most). If you’re looking to learn how to perfect your everyday habits, Opter might be right for you,” Prarasi writes. “The Opter app analyzes your habits and figures out what daily behaviors you can change to sleep better, work better, and just feel better.”
The Pose comes in a beautiful, 5.2-gram “modern organic” design that can be worn as a clip or as a pendant on any chain. Get yours on pre-order now. It will retail for $129.00 to $139.00.
Still not sold? Prarasri closes the deal: “We’re especially good for busy people who don’t want to worry about charging or taking off their device too often, since we have a 7+ day battery life and are water resistant.”

Go for great GPS with the Garmin Vivosport.

Garmin is a trusted name in GPS and is fast becoming a trusted name in fitness trackers. The Garmin Vivosport ($199.00) is the latest member of its Vivo family.
Like other fitness trackers, the Vivosport connects to your email, calendar, and social media while counting everything from your footsteps to heartbeats through its wrist-based sensors. But it packages Garmin’s top-notch GPS tech, which is lacking in many fitness trackers, into an incredibly slim body and a touch-activated color display.
Although the Vivosport doesn’t feature any sleep tracking, it does track your stress levels by monitoring changes in your heart rate.
The Vivosport comes in four color choices but no interchangeable bands. Screen: 0.38 inches. Weight: 24-27 grams. Battery: seven days in smartwatch mode, eight hours when using GPS. It’s accompanied by an app and, with Garmin Connect, can communicate with your—and others’—Garmin devices.

Get a dazzling display with Samsung Gear Fit 2.

If you’re looking for amazing display in your fitness wearables, look no further than the Gear Fit 2 Pro ($199.99), the latest offering from Samsung.
The centerpiece of the Gear Fit 2 is its curved screen and pixel-packed (432 x 128) display, giving it some of the best fitness-tracking optics out there. The usual internet connectivity and activity-monitoring apply (steps, calories, heart rate, sleep), but the Gear Fit 2 throws in GPS and up-to-50-meter waterproofing. Samsung bills it as a smart “watch for fitness,” because of the many apps you can download on the device.
Speaking of downloads, the Gear Fit 2 Pro is a friend of Spotify, letting you save up to 500 songs that you can listen to offline. It’s also partnered with Under Armour, giving you access to the sport company’s quality fitness apps.
Style choices are limited, as it only comes in black or red, but you’ll probably want to customize its fancy 1.84-inch display anyway. It’s a hair on the heavier side, as far as these things go, at 34 grams (.07 pounds).
Gym rats quibble with the accuracy of some of its activity tracking, but the Gear Fit 2 Pro still makes for a high-performing option for the tech-forward weekend warrior.

The Mi Band 2 wins big on budget.

Looking for something much more streamlined in terms of function and cost? Consider the Mi Band 2 from major Chinese consumer electronics player Xiaomi.
The app-synching, splash-resistant, 20-day-long-battery, light-as-air (7 grams) Mi Band 2 counts steps, monitors heart rate, tracks sleep, supports basic message notification, and gives you a nudge if you’ve been sitting still for too long—all for $29.99, if you don’t find it for less.
The Mi Band 2 is a no-nonsense no-brainer for the budget-conscious newbie to fitness trackers.

Class it up with Misfit Ray.

Misfit proves that fitness trackers don’t have to sacrifice style for substance. This wearables brand brandishes a clever name—and gorgeous products, like the Misfit Ray.
The Ray (~$85 to $100) tracks the fundamentals—activity and sleep—in an elegant band that comes in 23 sporty and classy metallic-finish options such as a striking rose gold. The Ray is discreet but distinct, looking more like a smart bracelet that accessorizes your activity tracking rather than announcing it. That’s because the Ray features no screen. Its minimalist look pairs well, too, with a wristwatch or smartwatch. Misfit offers lots of band options and even a special lariat, should you want to sport your Ray as a necklace.
You can monitor your performance in the Misfit app, which offers a Speedo-powered upgrade so this water-resister can track your swimming. The free Misfit Link app lets you turn your Ray into a smart button for, say, taking a selfie or changing songs on your smartphone.
And there’s no need to charge the Ray. It lasts for four months before you have to replace its battery. The device itself runs under 1.5 inches long and weighs a mere 8 grams.

Each Bellabeat Leaf is unique—and includes period tracking.

The Bellabeat Leaf styles itself as smart jewelry, and indeed, this elegantly crafted device is designed to be worn as a pendant, bracelet, or brooch-like clip. “No buttons. No screen. Simply wear it and sync it to the app,” as the Bellabeat website puts it.
The Leaf isn’t intended for hardcore marathoners who need to track pace and distance in real time, but it’s perfect for the modern woman who cares about health, technology, and fashion. The Leaf tracks sleep, activity, stress, and menstrual cycles—which the tracker logs and learns from, and it even provides advice tailored for each woman’s period.
As Bellabeat’s social media and content manager Katja Peric explains to HealthyWay, the Leaf is “the perfect companion in health for any woman—it looks beautiful and can suit any occasion or lifestyle. The features are optimized for women (reproductive health tracking) and serve as a reminder that their overall well-being matters by providing insight into stress levels and having meditation exercises available.”
It comes in four main styles, combining a silver or rose gold clip with a wood- or stone-styled tracking device. But each actual Leaf is unique, which underlies the core philosophy of Bellabeat.
Peric elaborates: “[In] nature each leaf might be a part of a tree, but not one single leaf is the same shape or color. It is unique in its existence and beauty—just like every person in the world is as well. Our Leaf trackers are created from materials that ensure each model [is] a slightly different shade or pigment, to show that every woman who wears our product is unique and beautiful in her own way.”
Its flagship device weighs 0.64 ounces and measure 1.9 x 1.2 x 0.5 inches. The Leaf is splash resistant and runs for six months on a coin cell battery. Cost ranges from $119.00 to $139.00. For an extra $50 to $60, you can purchase Leaf bundles to interchange your device with different clips, among other accessories.
“[W]e don’t just want our users to focus on numbers, competitions, or unrealistic fitness goals,” Peric adds, “but instead learn to love themselves and appreciate the capabilities of their own bodies as unique individuals that should not be compared to others.”

The Moov Now will get you moving. Now.

There’s a lot of buzz about the Moov Now—and it’s well deserved.
As much a fitness tracker as a personal trainer, the Moov Now is a small, screen-less disk you insert into a workout-optimized strap you can wear on your wrist or ankle. Pair it with your smartphone, where with the Moov app you can download workouts for swimming, running, cycling, and even boxing—all started with the click of its button.
Thanks to its special motion sensors, the Moov Now’s AI personal trainer will tell you in real time if you’re striking your feet too hard on the ground, if you need to push a little bit harder riding up a hill, if you’re clenching your fists while jogging, or when to hook and jab-cross during a boxing routine.
You’ll need to keep your smartphone on you and wear headphones to use the Moov Now, except for Moov Swim, where the device will record your stroke/lap data for up to 120 minutes. For up to 30 days the Moov Now will store Active Minute + Sleep Tracking, which monitors your daily activity and sleep quality.
The Moov Now doesn’t have a heart monitor, although it will connect to Moov’s latest product: the Moov HR, a headband-based heart monitor that measures pulse on the temple.
It weighs 6 grams and is powered by a coin battery that lasts for 100 hours in active coaching mode and six months when doing simple activity tracking.
This is one hot deal for only $59.95.

The Apple Watch Series 3 will wow your workout.

Finally, many Apple users are surely wondering: Should I buy a separate fitness tracker or just shell out for the Apple Watch Series 3, which starts at a whopping $329?
Consider these features: The Series 3 offers daily tracking with its native Activity app. It offers exercise tracking with its Workout app. It has GPS. It has an altimeter for stair climbing. It holds playlists. It’s swim-proof. It displays in-depth, real-time data on your heart health with its advanced Heart Rate app—which some have credited with saving their lives. Get relaxed and centered with its Breath app. And access countless other health and fitness options with third-party apps targeting everything from sleeping and skiing to hydration and yoga.
Oh, and you can do lots of others things with this approximately 30-gram device, as the Series 3 practically doubles as a smartphone. Yes, you can make phone calls on this fitness tracker if you’re connected to your iPhone. Apple reports the battery lasts up to 18 hours if the watch is used moderately as an all-day general fitness tracker.
With the Series 3, Apple is pushing the envelope not just for what smartwatches can do for fitness tracking but for treating illness and managing disease as well. As part of its so-called HealthKit, Apple has partnered with major universities to create special apps monitoring melanoma, epilepsy, autism, Parkinson’s disease, and more.
Plus, the Apple Watch has a seriously sharp display and design. Apple-loving health enthusiasts will get a lot out of it.

From Wristbands to Waistbands

Fitbit, Misfit, Moov, Mi Band 2: These are among the best, most innovative, and most cutting-edge fitness trackers. But even as they revolutionize health and fitness, the future of fitness tracking may not be on our wrists—but in our clothes.
The technology is only just emerging, so you can definitely enjoy your new fitness tracker for some time. But tech giants like Google and startups like SUPA are developing “smart threads,” e-textiles that track biometrics like smartwatches do but can be washed and worn in denim jackets, sports bras, and even yoga pants—like the Nadi X, which vibrates to help coach your yoga practice. How about that, DaVinci?

Categories
In Season Lifestyle

Stocking Stuffer Gift Ideas

Disclaimer: Just so you know, if you order an item through one of our posts, we may get a small share of the sale.

Even though stocking stuffers may not cost as much, you can still get thoughtful items that’ll surprise and touch your loved ones. Here’s our list of sock-worthy ideas.

1. Giving the gift of comfort is an oldie but a goodie.

No one is disappointed by slipper socks in December, and these are the coziest ones you’ll find. They envelop feet in thick fleece and have rubber non-slip dots on the soles.

Unlike most traditional slippers, these slipper socks can be tossed in the wash when your giftee has worn them for a week straight (and trust us: They will wear them for a week straight).

2. Try a simple gift that college students may not have shelled out for—and older people may not even know exists.

PopSockets are ultra handy for propping up smartphones and tablets. They allow the user to take better selfies, watch videos more comfortably, and more.

This ingenious device uses simple technology to attach to a phone or tablet. When the user is ready to reclaim their device, they simply pull on the base to remove.

3. If you know someone who’s always misplacing things, there’s a great solution for that.

A Tile Style attaches to anything you don’t want to lose—keys, a suitcase, etc. When you can’t find the lost item, use your smartphone to make the Tile ring.

You can even use the Tile to find your lost phone. Double tap the button on the Tile Style, and it will make your phone ring even if it’s on silent.

4. Phones aren’t the only things that have been getting smarter.

Smart plugs allow the user to control whether a plugged-in appliance has power or not. That means someone can turn a lamp on or off in their home when they’re on vacation.

These smart plugs work with iPhones and Androids and integrate with Amazon Alexa. They offer a hassle-free way to control devices in your home from a distance.

5. For the hipster, lumberjack, or other hirsute man in your life…

A Groomarang is an ideal stocking stuffer. It’s cheap and funny but also useful.

Hundreds of positive Amazon reviews attest to the usefulness of this strange-looking product. The Groomarang helps tame and style a beard as well as gliding beard oil through hair. Instructions and a case are included.

6. Keep everyone organized with this simple and stylish solution.

A cable wrapper makes a great stocking stuffer for someone you don’t know super well. It’s not exactly personal, but it’s still thoughtful and extremely useful.

That’s because everyone has cords to deal with. Whether it’s a jogger who keeps earbuds in her pocket or a reader taking a Kindle cord on vacation, everyone can find a use for this leather snap-button wrap.

7. Most people are switching from disposable water bottles to metal or high-density polyethylene.

And if you’re going to reuse a bottle hundreds or thousands of times, it might as well be from S’well. This small company is one of the fastest-growing woman-owned businesses in the United States.

S’well creates eco-friendly water bottles that are both fashionable and functional. Take a look around their website and you’ll see they have a little something for everyone.

8. This cosmetic product has plenty of imitators, but the original is still the best.

The beautyblender helps apply primers, foundations, powders, and cream blushes to the face. Its unique design results in streak-free, even application with minimal product waste.

It’s perfect for applying pricey cosmetics that require an exact touch. It’s so good that it won an Allure Beauty Award and has almost a quarter million “loves” on Sephora (yes, you read that correctly).

9. Allow someone to unleash their inner artist with a surprising twist.

These Melissa & Doug scratch notes reveal vibrant colors beneath matte coating when you apply the stylus. They brighten up everything from shopping lists to doodles.
 

This cute little set is perfect for office gift exchanges when you want to keep it cheap and fun. The recipient can enjoy it right out of the box, and with 125 notes, it lasts until long after the party.

10. Send good vibes to a loved one who deserves them.

This Good Vibes sticker cheers up any laptop, notebook, or phone. With a kiss-cut design, the sticker has intricate and stylish edges.

The sticker is available in four sizes and is backed with a permanent adhesive. It’s great for sending a positive message to someone you care about.

11. Even chalkboards are entering the 21st century.

Boogie Boards allow you to write on their screen just like a notepad. Your message, doodle, or design will last until you touch a button to instantly erase it.

Use it time and again to write reminders or draw designs. It’s awesome for aspiring artists or those who constantly make to-do lists.

12. Just because it’s getting colder doesn’t mean we’re going to stop sweating.

Sweaty Bands are versatile new headbands that keep sweat out of someone’s eyes and hair out of their face. It’s great for those who like to work out in style.

The headbands are 95 percent polyester and 5 percent rubber elastic to make them a little more comfortable. They have a non-slip velvet lining that feels great while it performs an important function.

13. Your special someone can perform live in the living room this Christmas morning.

The Selfie Mic Music Set has everything a future music star needs to record audio and video (except the phone, of course). The set includes a selfie stick, working microphone, earpiece, and StarMaker app.

The app allows the user to sing along with thousands of free songs. Once a masterpiece is recorded, the user can edit and share it with friends.

14. If you’re looking to completely surprise someone with an adorable and addictive gift, here it is.

No one is expecting an interactive baby monkey in their stocking this year. And that’s part of what makes it such a perfect gift.
 

This robotic primate will hug someone’s finger and blow kisses, babble, and more. It may be intended for children, but everyone will fall in love with it.

15. If you want another road to a child’s heart this holiday season, here’s a surefire path.

You can’t go wrong with a Shopkins mega-pack. It comes with 20 Shopkins and 4 Petkin backpacks that will delight any Shopkins fan.

You may not understand why kids love these toys, but you don’t really need to. All you have to do is buy it, wrap it, and then sit back and enjoy.

 More Stocking Stuffers They’ll Love:


Categories
Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

Practice Makes Perfect: The Keys To Overcoming Negative Self-Talk

I was voted “Most Likely To Succeed” in high school, and it was the worst thing that ever happened to me.
I felt like I was never succeeding.
When I graduated from college with no job prospects and had to live with my parents, I felt like a failure.
After graduate school, I had to take three jobs to make ends meet.
Again, I felt like a failure.
Even after I found a great job by some arbitrary standard set in high school, I always put so much pressure on myself to be successful that I often ended up being afraid to take risks and beating myself up for situations that were beyond my control. In my own mind, I was a failure. In reality, I was doing pretty well. I was my own worst enemy.
Sound familiar?
Self-talk is your inner voice. For a lot of women, that inner voice is hyper-critical, making us question our own sense of self-worth in the process.
“We are often sabotaging our own sense of peace by dwelling on possible negative outcomes,” says Amanda Johnson, a licensed therapist at the Crossnore School and Children’s Home in North Carolina. “Negative self-talk can impact health in lots of ways, including increased stress, muscle tension, headaches, trouble sleeping, and poor eating habits. Many of these issues can lead to more serious, long-term health problems. It can also lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices, like substance use or becoming involved in abusive or negative relationships.”

Stop beating yourself up.

The first step to ending negative self-talk once and for all is to recognize it as a pattern of behavior and be aware of negative thoughts that are unhelpful or hurtful.
There are some ways you can can keep negative self-talk at bay. Johnson recommends keeping a journal, as writing down thoughts can often help you recognize behavior patterns of which you may not have been aware.
“Another helpful exercise to build positive thinking is to spend time each day focusing on things you are grateful for. This could be keeping a gratitude journal or taking steps to show gratitude to someone directly,” Johnson tells HealthyWay.

But what if something bad really does happen?

We all have bad days. When we mess up, it can be especially hard to dismiss negative self-talk.
When we’re not in control, overthinking situations that we don’t know the outcome of gives us the illusion of having some control over what happens. We rationalize this by telling ourselves that we are more prepared if we assume the worst-case scenario.
It’s easy to get stuck in the cycle of negativity and self-doubt, but instead of allowing those thoughts to take over, take a deep breath and look at the problem you’re stressing over.
“Take a moment to examine your thoughts about the situation closely using a series of questions,” Johnson advises. “Is your thought accurate? What evidence do you have to back it up? Is there another possible explanation or outcome? Try to use the answers to these questions to reverse your thought or at least begin to shift it to a more positive direction.”
[related article_ids=1004777]

Categories
Uncategorized

7 Traits Kids Get From Their Fathers

It was a colleague’s suggestion that led Amanda Gorman, a pediatric nurse practitioner, and her husband, Ryan, to discover that their daughter has familial hypercholesterolemia. A genetic disorder inherited from parents, familial hypercholesterolemia is known for causing early cardiovascular disease. It was a long history of cardiovascular problems in Ryan’s family that initially clued his colleague in to the the possibility of a genetic disease in the family.
HealthyWay
“We’ve always known that my husband’s risk factors for early cardiovascular disease were likely high, given his family history of early male deaths and cardiac events under age 50. When he was starting treatment for his high cholesterol in his early forties, his colleague, having heard his family history and seen his numbers, suggested he have his children checked for familial hypercholesterolemia,” Amanda explains.
Fortunately, the timing of this suggestion was just right, as Amanda and Ryan’s daughter, who was 3 at a time, was scheduled to have an eye surgery the following week. Knowing she would be sedated, Amanda requested a fasting blood panel in hopes of checking her for symptoms of this genetic disorder. When the tests came back showing elevated cholesterol levels, they knew something was up.
[pullquote]This gene is thought to result in impaired ability to control inflammation.[/pullquote]
In the end, through extensive testing for her husband, they discovered that Ryan carries familial hypercholesterolemia. Although it is a serious condition with the potential for early cardiovascular events and even premature death, early detection in both father and daughter means they can both live long lives if they adhere to their specific treatment plans. For her husband, this means a healthy lifestyle and a medication regimen, while their daughter is following strict diet until she is old enough to start medication.
Familial hypercholesterolemia is just one condition that children can inherit from their dads. Both mental health conditions and genetic disorders like the one mentioned above are things fathers can pass on to their babies. Curious what else a child can inherit from dear old dad? Here are seven traits kids get from their fathers.

1. The Heart of the Matter

In a similar vein, sons can actually inherit a gene from their fathers that increases their risk of coronary heart disease by 50 percent, according to Jen Stagg, a naturopathic doctor who specializes in helping patients make healthy decisions based on their unique genetic makeups.
“This gene is thought to result in impaired ability to control inflammation, which is critical in preventing the development of plaque in the arteries of the heart,” Stagg explains.
HealthyWay
A study led by the University of Leicester supports Stagg’s understanding that coronary artery disease—a condition characterized by a decreased delivery of oxygen to the heart caused by narrowed blood vessels—may be passed from father to son.

2. The Genetics of Mental Health

Although both parents may pass mental health disorders on to their children, there are certain diagnoses that are more likely to be passed from father to child if the father is older, says Stagg. Specifically, children of older fathers with a schizophrenia or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis are at an increased risk of being diagnosed with these conditions themselves.
[pullquote]Fathers are four times more likely to have new mutations in their DNA because they continue to produce new sperm as they age.[/pullquote]
To clarify, mothers can pass on mental health conditions like schizophrenia, ADHD, or bipolar disorder to their children, but older fathers have a greater likelihood of passing on genetic mutations of all kinds for a very interesting reason.
“Just recently, it was discovered that fathers are four times more likely to have new mutations in their DNA because they continue to produce new sperm as they age. Mothers, on the other hand, have all of their eggs from their birth.
HealthyWay
“This appears to result in more rare genetic diseases in their children, as well as high incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism,” explains Stagg, citing both a study published in JAMA Psychiatry and further research shared by The Guardian.

3. His Daddy’s Smile

Although less serious, children may be at an increased risk of developing problems with their teeth if their father has dealt with certain dental issues.
[pullquote]Genes passed on by father tend to be more active than the same gene from the mother.[/pullquote]
Tooth size, jaw size, and the shape of teeth are all genetic, and children can inherit these characteristics from either parent, according to research that appeared in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
However, Stagg explains why it is believed there is a significant possibility of fathers passing these traits on to their children.
HealthyWay
“This is possibly a result of genetic dominance, where genes passed on by [the] father tend to be more active than the same gene from the mother. This may be the case when it comes to genetics related to size of the jaw, which could result in overcrowding of teeth or tooth decay from soft enamel,” Stagg says.

4. The Truth About Infertility

Men who have low sperm quality may turn to in vitro fertilization to help them conceive a child. However, research associated with in vitro fertilization indicates that fathers with sperm issues may be passing their struggles with infertility on to their sons, according to a study published in the journal Human Reproduction.
Specifically, recently published data collected from the oldest group of men who were conceived using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI, a fertility treatment) indicates that infertility in men is an inherited trait.
HealthyWay
This research showed that the men conceived by ICSI were more likely to have low quality sperm, just as their fathers did. This data was compared to sets collected from men conceived without the assistance of fertility treatments, who had much higher sperm counts.
Although further study is necessary, the research indicates that fathers with lower sperm counts could pass their fertility problems on to their sons.

5. Boy or Girl?

On a much lighter note, whether a child is a girl or a boy is actually determined by their father. In fact, the father’s family tree can be used to determine the likelihood of a couple having a girl or a boy, according to a study recently published in Science Daily.
HealthyWay
Let’s review something you may or may not remember from your high school science classes: The sex of a baby is determined by the father’s sperm. If the sperm is carrying an X chromosome, it teams up with the mother’s X chromosome and a baby girl is conceived. Alternatively, if the father’s sperm is carrying a Y chromosome, a boy is conceived.
This may be old news to you, but what is particularly interesting is the fact that scientists can now look at a family tree and make an educated guess about the likelihood of a man having a boy or a girl. These researchers hypothesize that a yet-to-be-discovered gene is in charge of determining how X and Y chromosomes are distributed across the father’s sperm.

6. It’s in his eyes.

Let’s be clear, it would definitely be a stretch to say that dad determines the color of the baby’s eyes. The truth is, both of the parents’ genes play a role in the determining if a baby has light or dark eyes. But if a dad has certain traits, it is easier to predict what color eyes his child will have.
HealthyWay
Basically, we know that certain eye colors are determined by recessive genes and others by dominant genes. Lighter colors, like blue or green, are caused by recessive genes, whereas brown eyes are caused by dominant genes. This means if both parents have light eyes, there is a much higher likelihood that the child will, too. However, if one parent has dark eyes, there is a much higher likelihood the child’s eyes will be dark, too.
So, in a roundabout way, a dad with dark eyes has a greater influence on the color of his child’s eyes.

7. Towering Over Mom

A quick glance at most families will reveal what most people already assume to be true—kids inherit their height from dad and mom. And yes, height is largely determined by genetics, but the science behind this trait is still being explored, and new research on the topic is fascinating.
HealthyWay
A study published in the journal Nature, for instance, was able to nail down 700 different genetic sequences that play a role in determining how tall (or short) a person might be. Additionally, this research found that the vast majority of these sequences were common variants with a small impact on height. In some cases, however, rare variants were influential, accounting for as much as an inch of a study participant’s height.

What to Do if You’re Worried About Genetic History

Parents with a family history of genetic health disorders are right to have concerns about their future children. Eye color and gender are one thing, but knowing a child might inherit an infertility disorder or potentially life-threatening disease like familial hypercholesterolemia is daunting.
[pullquote]A couple can visit with a genetic counselor who can work with them to outline potential cause [for] concern.[/pullquote]
Educating yourself about your family history if you are able is a good first step before having children. Spend time gathering information from both sides of the family on general health conditions and mental health diagnoses.
Using this information, you should be able to see patterns or notice red flags that you might want to talk through with a doctor.
HealthyWay
“Genetic counselors and clinical geneticists are trained healthcare professionals who have expertise in addressing concerns about genetics. If contemplating pregnancy, a couple can visit with a genetic counselor who can work with them to outline potential cause [for] concern,” advises Stagg.

Categories
In the Kitchen Nosh

5 Tea Recipes That Are Perfect For Those Cold Winter Months

Coffee is amazing, we all know this. But sometimes—whether it’s way too late in the day for coffee or you want to stay away from lingering coffee breath—tea is a better option. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, it’s easy to buy exotic loose teas, herbs, and spices to make your own teas at home.
These five easy tea recipes are a great place to start and can be made as single servings or in large batches. Who knows? You just might make the jump from coffee to tea on a regular basis.

Moroccan Tea

What is it?

Moroccan tea (also known as Maghrebi tea) is a traditional mint and green tea hot beverage that is lightly sweetened with sugar.

Yield

This recipe serves 4.

Special Ingredients and Equipment

Loose gunpowder green tea (or other strong green tea), 1 quart teapot (or larger), medium-sized saucepan

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp. loose gunpowder green tea
  • Large handful of fresh spearmint leaves, washed and dried
  • 3–4 Tbsp. of white sugar (use more or less depending on how sweet you like your tea)

Method

Add 5 cups of boiling water to a teapot containing the loose green tea. Allow the tea to steep for 15 minutes, then strain through a sieve into a saucepan. Over medium heat dissolve the sugar in the hot green tea.
Place the spearmint leaves in the bottom of the teapot and pour the sweetened green tea over the leaves. Enjoy while hot with extra spearmint leaves added to each tea cup.

Lemon Ginger Tea

What is it?

A warming and energizing tea that offers plenty of oomph without the addition of caffeine.

Yield

This recipe makes enough for 8 to 12 servings of tea, depending on how much concentrate you add to the boiling water.

Special Ingredients and Equipment

Fresh ginger root, medium-sized saucepan, fine sieve

Ingredients

  • 4 inches of fresh ginger root, unpeeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 lemon, rinsed under hot water to remove any waxy residue and thinly sliced

Method

Add the thinly sliced ginger root to a saucepan filled with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then immediately turn the heat down to medium-low and gently simmer uncovered until the liquid has been reduced by half.
Stir in the honey to dissolve and remove from the heat. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the ginger concentrate to a mug full of hot water and lemon slices and enjoy. Leftover ginger concentrate can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Hot Toddy

What is it?

Suffering from a bad cold and finding very little relief from your symptoms? A hot toddy may be just what the doctor ordered! Made of your favorite tea that’s been spiked with a shot of bourbon, this cold remedy has actually been proven to help with decongestion, thanks to the combined effects of alcohol and hot water.

Yield

1 serving

Special Ingredient

Bourbon

Ingredients

  • 1 bag herbal tea (chamomile and peppermint are particularly delicious)
  • 1 oz bourbon
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 slice of lemon

Method

Brew a mug of your favorite herbal tea. Add the bourbon, honey, and lemon slice. Stir well to combine and enjoy while piping hot.

Masala Chai

What is it?

The chai that we recognize in the West—made of black tea, hot milk, and a fragrant bouquet of spices—originally came from India. Chai can be made using any milk you like, including both dairy and non-dairy varieties.

Yield

This makes enough for 4 to 6 servings.

Special Ingredients and Equipment

Darjeeling tea, cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger root, whole cloves, whole green cardamom pods, black peppercorns, honey, mortar and pestle or spice grinder, saucepan, fine sieve

Ingredients

  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1½ inches fresh ginger root, unpeeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. whole cloves
  • 1 Tbsp. whole green cardamom pods
  • 2 tsp. whole black peppercorns
  • 4 heaping tsp. loose Darjeeling tea
  • 4 cups whole milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)
  • ¼ cup honey

Method

Coarsely grind the whole cloves, cardamom, and black peppercorns using either a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Add the spices to a saucepan and stir in the ground spices, cinnamon sticks, and loose Darjeeling tea. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Strain the spiced tea through a fine sieve and return to the saucepan. Whisk in the milk and honey over low heat. The chai is ready when it’s thoroughly warmed and just beginning to bubble around the edges.

Turmeric Tea

What is it?

Turmeric tea, which is also called golden milk, is known for its bright golden color and anti-inflammatory properties.

Yield

This makes enough for 2 to 4 servings.

Special Ingredients and Equipment

Turmeric, black peppercorns, fresh ginger root, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, coconut oil, honey, saucepan, fine sieve

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp. ground turmeric
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 inch of ginger root, unpeeled and thinly sliced
  • ½ tsp. dried nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. black peppercorns
  • 2 cups of whole milk (or the non-dairy milk of your choice)
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 Tbsp. coconut oil

Method

Simmer 2 cups of water and all of the spices in a saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Strain and return to the saucepan. Whisk in the milk, honey, and coconut oil and warm over medium-low heat. For a super smooth tea, blend with a hand blender until emulsified.

Categories
Lifestyle

Things To Watch For On Your Next Trip To The Nail Salon

As far as pleasures go, a quick pedicure is one that has always felt pretty guilt-free.
It has always been one of my favorite ways to pamper myself at the end of a pregnancy or after a few difficult months of work or parenting. I love bringing a book along and just chilling for a few minutes before I get back to the day in, day out of being a working mom.
But after developing an ingrown toenail after my last pamper session, I learned that my occasional pedicures weren’t as innocent as they seemed. In fact, there are all sorts of risks associated with getting pedicures, from irritation to infection and beyond.
HealthyWay
Do yourself (and your nails) a favor by doing your diligence before revisiting your favorite salon. Below are seven ways to do just that.

When you walk in, give the place a once over.

I get it, the massage chairs, heated foot baths, and tropical tones are alluring, but if you want to be sure you’ve picked the right salon, you have to walk in with a critical eye. Don’t so much as put your name down for a pedicure unless you’ve had a good look at the salon.
“It goes without saying that a salon should look clean—if it doesn’t, it probably isn’t, and you should go elsewhere,” says board certified dermatologist Robin Evans, MD. “Basins that your feet soak in should be cleaned in between clients. If you are not sure that this was done, ask the technician to clean it before you put your feet in.”
HealthyWay
Don’t be afraid to turn around and walk out if you find yourself questioning the cleanliness of a salon. Ignoring your gut isn’t worth the risk.

Understand cleaning and sanitation procedures.

There are many salons that are only going through the motions when it comes to keeping things clean, Evans says. She says that it’s common practice to place instruments in a container that appears to be a sanitation device, but it’s merely a storage container for the tools.
HealthyWay
And according to Evans, a little soap and water isn’t good enough.
“All metal tools that are used in a salon should … be cleaned in proper disinfectant solutions and then sterilized in an autoclave,” she says. “The type of autoclave really should be medical grade. For proper sterilization, the instruments should be placed in a clear packaged envelope that is sealed in the sterilization process.”
HealthyWay
This type of care is warranted. It’s fairly common for the nail technician to cause microscopic nicks on a client during a pedicure, and without proper cleaning, this could become a vehicle for the transmission of bacteria, yeast, and even viruses.
So, what are you looking for exactly? The Environmental Protection Agency has approved specific disinfectants, typically bright blue liquids stored in glass jars.
HealthyWay
Worried you won’t be able to tell if an instrument has been properly cleaned? Take Evans’ advice and bring your own. Showing up with nail clippers, cuticle nippers, and cuticle pushers might get you a few strange looks, but it could also save you from being exposed to unwanted bacteria.

Know which tools are single-serve only.

If a salon is following proper sanitation practices, you should be okay using their metal tools. However, instruments like nail files and buffers can’t really be cleaned (in fact, anything non-metal should never be used on more than one client), and polish is used over and over again without any way to avoid sharing bacteria.
“I personally saw a technician in a salon nick me [while cutting my cuticles] and then polish. They … touched my blood [with the brush] and then dipped directly in the nail polish bottle for the next customer’s use,” Evans shares.
HealthyWay
The solution? Once again, Evans suggests bringing your own tools and polish. This is the surest way to be certain you won’t be sharing germs with another pedicure client.
Ann Phillips, a licensed master aesthetician in Park City, Utah, and founder of Zerenity Spa, couldn’t agree more. In fact, she believes that making the investment in your own set of tools is not only the safest choice, but also the most economical, since high quality pedicures can be pricey.
HealthyWay
“Sometimes, we all just need a quick, $10 manicure, but there are things you can do to ensure you are getting the best bang for even the cheapest buck,” she says. “A great way to get around spending a ton of money while making sure your skin won’t suffer later is to invest in your own set of tools. Bring them with you when you need a quick mani.”

Put these ingredients on your “never” list.

If you’re still set on getting a salon pedicure, you need to know what ingredients are in the products they will be using on your feet and nails.
For starts, Evans says any polishes, topcoats, and base coats with ingredients like formaldehyde, toluene, and phthalates, should be avoided altogether. For instance, exposure to formaldehyde is associated with health risks such as skin irritation and reactions in the eyes, nose, and throat. Additionally, it is believed that high exposure to this toxic chemical is associated with an increased risk of cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
HealthyWay
“These chemicals are toxic, potential allergens, and literature suggests possible carcinogenicity. Avoid them if at all possible,” Evans urges.
So, what’s the solution? Thankfully, there are many salons that are starting to understand the risks associated with products containing these ingredients and are beginning to offer other options. Check out a salon’s website for information on what products they use. You should be able to review the ingredients in the salon.
HealthyWay
Additionally, Phillips advises against allowing nail technicians to use plain squirt bottles filled with product as it is basically impossible to know for sure what is in these containers.
If you don’t have any luck there, look for providers of medical pedicures. These pedicures are held to a higher standard when it comes to sanitation procedures and product choices.

Do your skin a favor.

Making smart choices about your next pedicure isn’t just about avoiding bacteria and carcinogens: it’s about avoiding any products that could be hard on your skin. Do yourself a favor, and take Phillips’ advice on protecting your skin during a pedicure.
HealthyWay
“Have you ever noticed that, about a week after you get a manicure or pedicure, [that] the skin around your nails and your cuticles is even worse than when you went in? It’s the reason so many people are willing to drop bigger bucks at fancier spas—and a lot of it has to do with one ingredient: alcohol,” she says.
The key is to find a salon that picks products that don’t contain alcohol. You should be able to get a straight answer by simply asking before you make an appointment, according to Phillips, although she admits that the salons that avoid alcohol are probably going to have a higher price point.
HealthyWay
“Ask to take a peek at the ingredients, and ask your technician to avoid using anything with alcohol in it.”

Think twice before getting a gel manicure.

Gel manicures are known for lasting for up to two weeks after the service, and they have become incredibly popular for this reason. However, there are safety issues you should take into consideration before jumping on the bandwagon.
HealthyWay
Many salons use UV lamps to set the gel manicure. Although the exposure is fairly short, repeating this service time and time again can eventually cause damage to your skin, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
The good news is that there are precautions you can take. First of all, many salons are making the switch to LED lights, which are much gentler on the skin of your hands. If an LED light isn’t an option, make sure your hands are covered with fingerless gloves that have an ultravoilet protective factor.

Watch for signs of trouble after you leave.

As much as we all hope that following the guidelines listed above will keep you from facing infection or a reaction to a product, it is always a good idea to be on the lookout for the first signs of trouble after a mani or pedi.
HealthyWay
“I have treated many patients for infections which they contracted from their local nail salons – the infections can be painful, usually require treatment with oral antibiotics, may require drainage procedures, and could result in scarring or permanent damage to or loss of nails,” shares Evans.
Specifically, you want to watch for ingrown toenails, which will cause you pain and be swollen and tender to touch, according to Piedmont Healthcare. You should also keep an eye on your toenails, which will thicken and change color if you have a nail fungus. Infections can occur on your foot or legs and the first sign is redness and swelling. If any of these symptoms pop up, see your primary care physician right away.

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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

Super Simple Tricks That Will Make You Instantly Happier (And Give Your Brain A Boost)

It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for many people the holidays can be full of stress. Between the pressure to meet expectations, the shorter, darker days, and colder weather, it can sometimes be hard to feel happy this time of year.
Still, finding ways to be happy is important. It’s no secret that experiencing happiness makes us feel better overall. However, there are also scientifically proven benefits to feeling joy.
Happiness has been linked to better overall health and can even give you an immune boost that helps keep the common cold at bay (and that’s something to be happy about this time of year).  
Fortunately, boosting your happiness doesn’t have to be an elusive pursuit. There are quick and easy ways that you can increase your happiness during the day whether you are at work, home, or school.
The next time you’re feeling a little down, give these moves a try. You’re sure to be smiling before long.

Put on your favorite song.

Everyone loves bopping around to their favorite song, and it’s not just because music is associated with good times and celebration. Listening to music has been scientifically shown to release dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter that is also released when we are in love. When you put on your favorite song, your brain can’t help but release chemicals that make you feel better.
If you’re feeling down, take five minutes to listen to music. If you can move around and sing along that’s great, but if you’re in the office or somewhere else that requires subtlely just pop in your headphones and get an instant boost of happiness.

Take a deep breath.

Your mom’s advice from when you were little still holds true today. If you’re feeling flustered or overwhelmed (which detracts from your happiness), take a deep breath. Harvard studies have shown that taking a deep breath can lower your stress, which is a great way to boost happiness. For a quick pick-me-up, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, drawing the breath deep into your belly. For an added benefit, close your eyes and think of something you’re thankful for with each breath.

Call a friend (or even just think about them).

There’s lot’s of research that shows that having friendships is good for overall health, particularly as we age. Some studies also show that the actual support of our friends isn’t as important to our well-being as the feeling that we can count on our friends to be there if we need them.
If you need a boost, call a friend to say “hi,” but make sure not to fall into the trap of complaining about whatever is stressing you out. Instead, take a moment to tell them a highlight of your day or to say that you appreciate them.
There are many other ways to boost your happiness, from doing yoga poses or jumping jacks to get your blood moving to writing down things that you are grateful for.
Instead of scrolling through Facebook or checking the news the next time you’re feeling sad or stressed, take a moment to interrupt those feelings by giving yourself a boost of joy. It’s the ultimate self-care this season.

Categories
Wellbeing

Essential Elements: Items That Will Support You In Meditation And Mindfulness

If you’ve decided to turn to meditation to help ease some of the stress of everyday life, you’re not alone. In fact, you’ve probably been hearing the buzzword more and more over the past few years, and those who engage in the practice will tout its benefits with enthusiasm. However, it can seem difficult for a beginner to commit without feeling awkwardly self-aware.
The good news? Taking up meditation and becoming more mindful doesn’t require banging a gong or buying an expensive white linen outfit. In fact, there are plenty of simple ways you can incorporate these practices into your home and everyday life.

Meditation Pillow

Sure, you can meditate anywhere while sitting on anything, but having a comfy surface will definitely help you get more into it. When you’re trying to forget about your surroundings, the discomfort of a hard, cold floor can easily make you all the more aware of what’s going on outside your mind and body, especially when it comes to noticing all the negatives.

A good cushion is essential when it comes to beginning a meditation practice, and this square cushion filled with plush, organic cotton will give you the support and comfort you need. Participate in HealthyWay’s December 2017 Presence Over Presents challenge and you could even win one for yourself (or a friend)! Though it’s perfect on its own (whether you’re sitting or kneeling) you can also use it in tandem with a round cushion for even better control over your posture.

Lumo Lift Posture Coach

Speaking of posture, most of us are pretty unaware of how seriously our slouching can affect us. From rounding our shoulders in while sitting to keeping our necks down while constantly looking at our phones, many of us know it’s something we should try to improve, but it’s usually an effort that gets put on the backburner pretty easily.

The solution? Lumo Lift, the wearable posture-correcting device that vibrates when you slouch. The magnetic device is worn underneath your shirt, directly below the collarbone, so it won’t affect your mobility throughout the day. You simply start the day by letting the device track your best posture, and it’ll give you a light buzz whenever it’s less than perfect.

Diffuser & Essential Oils

Essential oils can be a great addition to your home for a number of reasons, from creating your own DIY beauty and cleaning products to replacing candles that are packed with artificial fragrances and potentially toxic ingredients. In fact, incorporating essential oils into your meditation practice can help you feel more relaxed, tuned into yourself, and ready to find your center.

Though the easiest way to diffuse essential oils is by rubbing a drop or two between your wrists, on your neck, or in your hair (also known as self-diffusing), using a diffuser takes the art of essential oils up a notch. Because diffusers use water vapor to disperse the oils, you can really create a calming ambiance throughout the entire room that’ll help you stay grounded and centered. This kit, which is specially created to promote peace and quiet, provides a great selection of oils for any beginner.

Incense Holder & Incense

If essential oils don’t sound like your thing, you can always give incense a try. Though incense sticks also use different fragrances to help you relax, they tend to give off a more powerful aroma, and certain scents can be used to help you achieve more focus and clarity while meditating or trying to be more aware and mindful.

This pack of incense sticks comes in a variety of scents made with real essential oils including soothing lavender, musky and sweet opium, and spicy and woodsy sandalwood. Made with simple, sustainable materials, they’ll be the perfect addition to your practice, especially when coupled with this incense holder designed to look like calming, rippled water.

Hanging Planter

What better way to make your space feel more earthy and natural than by bringing the outdoors in? Having plants in your home isn’t just about looks, though—studies suggest that their presence can actually increase productivity, improve focus, boost air quality, and even make you happy.

Once you figure out which plants will be best for your space, give them a pretty place to call home with this hand-knotted hanging planter. The simple design and cool color palate give off a chill feel that’ll make it the perfect touch in any room.

Himalayan Salt Lamp

Himalayan salt lamps that are so on-trend right now, and it might be easy to think the attention is all hype. While claims that the negative ions released by the heated salt can improve your circulation,  sleep, serotonin production, and asthma and allergies symptoms aren’t yet supported by peer-reviewed studies, University of Minnesota’s resource on taking charge of your health by creating a healing environment suggests that “Light can be defined many ways, specifically by type, source, and color. Almost all interior environments need to use artificial light sources, but they are many and varied. Select the light sources and types of light that you find most healing.”

A paper published by Vanderebilt University’s Department of Psychology dives deeper into the principles of color therapy, which may help you understand just why you’re so attracted to these beautiful glowing lamps. To add exactly the right lighting to your next meditation session, you’ll want this simple little lamp in your corner. You can even experiment with different colored lightbulbs to facilitate the experience you’re seeking each time you sit down to meditate.

Textured Wall Hanging

Many people choose to decorate their homes with colorful, elaborate paintings and intricate pictures, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, such bold designs can become pretty overwhelming over time, and that won’t do much to help you cultivate the type of calming, relaxing space you’re after.

This textured wall hanging is not only visually stunning, but it’s the perfect minimalistic addition to the art in your home. Because of the different materials and thick tassels, it invites a quick and easy mindfulness practice. Take a minute each day to run your fingers over it and notice all the details.

Tapestry

If you want artwork that has a bit more color in your home, a tapestry is the perfect option. They can provide a perfect focal point for any room, giving you a spot to center on during meditation, or just something detailed to look at when you need to slow down.

No matter what kind of tapestry you’re looking for, it’s pretty much guaranteed that Society6 will have one you’ll love. Try a traditional mandala, which is a symbol of the universe, a serene mountain landscape, or a fun quote to inspire you each and every day.

One Line A Day Journal

There are some people who love to keep a daily journal or diary, but if you’re like us, it’s an idea that can seem difficult to keep up with. Instead of trying to write page after page about each and every day, why not keep track of the day’s events with a few simple lines to help you remember the highlights?

The One Line A Day journal will help you keep track of each day’s highs and lows and any thoughts you may have about what’s happened in the last 24 hours. As you fill out the journal, you can revisit thoughts, feelings, and events from previous weeks to see how you’ve grown over time and become more aware of different patterns in your life.

Meditation Singing Bowl Set

During exercises like yoga or meditation, or even just while trying to relax, many of us turn to music to help enhance the experience. But, have you ever thought about making your own music as part of your practice?

Singing bowls are used around the world to promote a more relaxed state while doing yoga or meditating. They typically involve using a bronze bowl and wooden striker. This bowl fits into the palm of your hand so you can easily use it while you sit and meditate. The set also comes with a decorative cushion, so it can be beautifully displayed when it’s not in use.

Tabletop Fountain

Water can be one of the most soothing elements, whether it’s enjoyed while taking a hot bath to relieve muscle pain or opening the windows to let in the calming sound of rain. Whether you’re meditating or just trying to relax, incorporating the sound of rain or a running creek can add a little extra ambiance, but using a sound machine might not help you achieve that goal.

This three-tier fountain incorporates real running water and tea candles to help set the mood for your meditation session. Complete with river stones and a dark basin for the entire set to sit in, you can bring the outdoors in with this beautiful display.

Canopy

Creating a relaxing home is something that everyone tries to achieve, but it’s not the easiest task. Whether it’s because you live in a smaller apartment, have young kids, or just find yourself without much time to decorate, home may be the place you come to lay your head down, but your relaxation might not go much further than that.

Turn any corner in your home into a cozy nook with this gauze canopy. Hang it over a mountain of floor pillows to create a quiet, calming space that we bet you’ll find yourself curling up in all the time. It is also perfect for draping over your bed to create your own little haven.