Month: April 2018

Categories
Mom x Body Motherhood

Clogged Milk Ducts Suck; Here's How To Fix Them

Kelly Smith worked for years to get pregnant. When her twins finally arrived, she knew she would breastfeed them—but she had no idea how intense that would be. “I was an overproducer so even after feeding twins,” she explains, “my boobs would still be engorged.”
She faced a terrible cycle: She just wanted to empty her breasts, but if she pumped, it stimulated more milk production. So she basically had to ignore the engorgement, which led to chronically clogged milk ducts.
“I’d get hard walnut-sized nuts. In a regular breast, you’d think, Oh my God, I have cancer.” She’d spend the next 24 hours touching her boob and trying to massage out the clogged duct with her thumbs, an electric toothbrush, or a vibrator. An electric pump was too stimulating, so she used a hand pump in the shower, while the hot water worked to break up the clogged duct.
Kelly, of course, knows how lucky she was to be able to breastfeed her babies, but there was a downside to being chronically engorged for 14 months—other than the sheer discomfort and the many, many experiences with clogged milk ducts.
“You can’t talk about it because you’re an overproducer,” she explains. “Everyone is complaining about being an under-producer. Even my lactation consultant would say, ‘You should thank your lucky stars,’ and I’d think, No, I’m in horrible pain all the time.”
Your experience may not be this extreme, but clogged milk ducts are not uncommon. “50 percent of the women I work with develop this during their breastfeeding journey,” explains the L.A. Lactation Lady, Julie Matheney, international board-certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). “Some women are simply more prone to clogs because they have a higher fat content in their milk. The fat separates and clogs the duct more.”

What are clogged milk ducts?

“A milk-clogged duct is an obstruction in the ductal system of a lactating breast,” explains Rowan Smith, IBCLC, a doula based outside of Montreal. A clog can happen anywhere inside the breast—from deep inside, all the way to the nipple pore. When you get a clogged milk duct, it means that the milk has sat in the breast for too long.
And it’s not just milk—it’s milk fat that creates the obstruction. “A mother’s breast milk is like milk sitting in the fridge,” Matheney explains. “Cream rises to top. The fat floats so it can separate. The fat thickens and sits in the ducts and they clog.”
When it’s pushed through—which can really, really hurt!—it can look like a curd, a string, or a chunk.

Why is this happening to me?

In all cases, a clogged milk duct is caused by milk stasis, that is, milk sitting too long in your breast. Not enough milk is being removed, and when excess milk accumulates, it thickens and has a hard time coming out. Beyond that there are two main categories of problems:

Infant Causes of Clogged Milk Ducts

  • Your baby is not emptying your boob well enough. This can be due to prematurity (the baby is teeny tiny and can’t suck well) or immaturity (the baby hasn’t quite gotten the hang of the whole breastfeeding thing yet).
  • There is a latch problem. This is so, so, so common, and there are myriad reasons for it. Maybe there’s a tongue-tie restriction; maybe the baby has some nerve and muscle restriction from being cramped up for nine months. “Most moms are told they have a good latch,” says Rowan, “but if it doesn’t feel good, something is wrong.” Lactation consultants are Godsends when it comes to this stuff.
  • The baby is sleeping too long. Yes! There’s such a thing (early on)! This, too, lets your milk accumulate and can cause clogged milk ducts.

Maternal Causes of Clogged Milk Ducts

  • You may not be feeding enough. Maybe you’ve gone back to work and can only pump once or twice a day. Or perhaps you have meetings or errands that keep you away from the baby and off your breastfeeding routine. Basically, your poor boob isn’t getting enough opportunities to be drained.
  • Your sleeping position may be the problem. If you sleep on your stomach, your milk can’t flow properly and can cause a clogged milk duct. Try lying on your side instead.
  • Your bras are too tight. Give your boobs some room to breathe and for the milk to flow! If you can, visit a shop that specializes in nursing bras. It is well worth the expense. You’ll be living in these suckers for a few months (or years), and they should fit you properly.
  • You’re holding your breast too tight while you’re feeding. Your boob doesn’t need as much support as your baby’s head! Ease up on your grip and see if that helps ease the clogged milk ducts.
  • Your baby carrier might be the culprit. If it’s squishing your boobs, it’s preventing the flow of milk.

How I can prevent clogged milk ducts?

“The best way to prevent clogged milk ducts is to frequently empty the breast well,” says Matheney. If you’re committed to breastfeeding, this means your baby will pretty much glued to you: “In first few weeks, feed consistently around the clock,” Matheny advises. True, you probably won’t be able to get a single thing done, but it won’t last—before you know it, your baby will be eating food and walking and talking.
Establishing a good latch and proper supply is key to a successful breastfeeding experience, so for your own sanity, it’s wise to just give yourself over to it.
“Most women have enough milk at the beginning,” explains Rowan, “but your breasts need lots of stimulation. The books say eight to 12 times day, or every three to four hours—but it’s actually much more frequent.” When she teaches prenatal classes, Rowan asks soon-to-be parents to write down everything they ate or drank in the last 24 hours—including sucking on candy—to give them a sense of feeding frequency. Her students will say they ate between six and 35 times a day.
“Adults, like babies, get comfort from food. We’re grownups and expecting babies to conform to eight to 12 times a day! I hear so many moms say, ‘He can’t be hungry, he ate 30 minutes ago!’ Go ahead and feed. Not doing so can cause the milk to get clogged.”
If you have to go back to work during those prime breastfeeding months, pump as often as you can with a high-quality pump to prevent clogged milk ducts. Rowan also recommends a few minutes of breast massage and compression (essentially deep massage) before doing your regular pumping routine, followed by one or two minutes of hand expression.
“You can think of your breast like toothpaste tube—you don’t want to start squeezing or emptying it in the middle!” Matheney says. Start from the back of breast and move to the nipple, and then all the way around breast without missing any ducts. She also suggests familiarizing yourself with your boobs to figure out where the ducts are so you can do compression behind the lumps. “Squeeze the milk down to the nipple to encourage it to flow,” she explains.
A few other ways to keep your breasts free of clogged milk ducts:

  • Change up nursing positions.
  • Don’t wear bras as often—you’re taking them on and off so much, why not just let your breasts breathe? If you’re home alone with the baby, let ’em hang free.
  • Drink lots of water.
  • Rest as often as possible.

Help! How can I fix my clogged milk ducts?

Okay, so despite all your best efforts, you’ve got a clogged milk duct. We know it’s painful—so painful! But ignoring the problem only makes it worse and can lead to a real infection (see below), so it’s best to go at it aggressively now.
Here are a few things to try:

  • “Heat melts the fat, like butter in a pan,” says Matheney, so a hot shower or hot compress is always a good place to start. Massage the crap out of it while you’re in there.
  • Clogged milk ducts respond well to vibration, so pull out that vibrator or electric toothbrush to break up the fat.
  • If the clog is in the nipple—ouch, indeed!—this is called a milk blister or a bleb. It’s usually on the tip of the nipple and looks like a whitehead. Put olive oil or coconut oil on a cotton swab and make slow circular motions to break down the fat.
  • If you’re a chronic overproducer, some women find success supplementing with sunflower lecithin, which is a fat emulsifier that can thin the milk. Discuss with your doctor before starting any supplements.
  • Nurse a lot on the side that’s clogged—in fact, start on that side. Whatever you do, don’t ignore it, because it could turn into mastitis.
  • This is rather, uh, controversial but some women—like Kristen Bell—have their husbands suck out a particularly clogged duct. Seriously. That said, if your husband can get it out but your baby can’t, there might be a bigger problem (you think?): It could indicate an issue with your little one’s latch since the baby should be able to.

If You Have an Oversupply…

Moms’ boobs are magical because they generally produce exactly what your particular baby needs. But sometimes—like in Kelly’s situation—you have way more milk than you know what to do with.
Remember: The more you pump, the more you make, so even though it might be tempting to pump to “empty out”—or check on how much you’re producing—you’re only signaling to your body that it needs to produce more milk, which exacerbates the cycle.
If it’s coming out like water out of a fire hose, express a tiny bit before to soften the breast and slow the velocity of the milk, Rowan suggests.
Matheney recommends eliminating pumping completely to stop the signals to your body to keep producing so much. But Rowan says in extreme cases—particularly for women with chronic problems or ducts that are verging on mastitis—you can try pumping both breasts first thing in the morning (and not again) so they can really soften. Matheney also suggests drinking tea with peppermint leaves (which dries up supply), and placing cabbage leaves in your bra to decrease supply and regulate your output.

So can clogged milk ducts be a problem for moms with a low supply?

Totally. “It can happen to anyone who waits too long,” says Matheney. And in fact, volume doesn’t matter as much as how often you’re removing it. “Think of your breasts as different-sized Tupperware—they have different storage capacity.” If you have less storage, you may need to nurse more often. No matter how much milk you’re producing, you still run the risk of a clogged milk duct.

What’s the difference between clogged milk ducts and mastitis?

Mastitis is a full-fledged infection, and it feels like one. It’s usually caused by a milk duct that’s been clogged way too long. You can also get mastitis when bacteria from your baby’s mouth enters in through the pores of your nipple and infects the breast.
If you have the following symptoms, it’s really important to call your doctor because mastitis can get worse quite quickly:

  • Serious tenderness or warmth to the touch
  • Flu-like symptoms—you feel worn down, achy, and lethargic
  • Fever of 101° or higher for more than 24 hours
  • Breast swelling
  • Red wedge-like shape on breast
  • Continuous pain, even while breastfeeding

A dose of antibiotics will usually make you feel better within two days. If you don’t feel better during that time, get back in touch with your doctor to rule out a more serious infection.

Is there anything worse than mastitis?

Yes. If you ignore the clogged milk duct and it turns into an infection that you also ignore—or if you refuse to go on antibiotics—mastitis can turn into an abscess. Basically, the breast gets a pus-filled cyst, and the only intervention is to have it drained by a trained breast surgeon in order to get the bacteria and fluid out. It takes six to eight weeks to recover after the corrective operation, and sometimes the surgeon has to leave a drain in until all the fluid and pus comes out.
You might be able to breastfeed during this time, but often the other breast needs to do the bulk of the work, which is not much fun.

This sucks. I want to stop breastfeeding.

“When women say they want to stop feeding because of a clogged milk duct, I listen and empathize,” Rowan says. “If they stop that moment, though, it will likely develop into mastitis or an abscess. So I recommend we get through this hump and then we can discuss stopping. But first we have to deal with the problem.”
The moral of the story here is: If you think something is wrong, get it checked out ASAP. Women tolerate pain differently, so it’s sometimes hard to gauge the severity of the problem, but trust your gut on this one.
And be aggressive early on—a clogged milk duct is painful, but much less painful than it will be if it turns into something more serious.
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Categories
Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

Teflon Or Tefl-off? The Makeup Ingredient That's Causing A Serious Stir

When was the last time you read the ingredients label of your favorite cosmetic product?

For us, the answer is, “the last time my smartphone battery died and I didn’t have anything else to read on the subway besides the box that came with my eyeshadow.”
Unless you’re allergic to something specific, you’re likely in the same boat. Ingredient lists aren’t exactly compelling or easy to find, and if your makeup looks fab and you aren’t breaking out, you probably don’t have much of a reason to care.

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But recently, we’ve seen a rash (yes, that’s a pun) of articles warning about a certain toxic ingredient hiding in our favorite cosmetics. We know that the beauty industry isn’t always clean, so to speak, so we keep an open mind when we hear bad news about certain products, even when we really, really want to give those products the benefit of the doubt.
This week, we’ve seen numerous reports that several makeup brands contain Teflon, which has been said to cause serious side effects, including cancer. We decided to reach out to a few experts, do some research, and find out whether we need to worry. Short answer: It’s complicated.

Are cosmetics really full of Teflon, and if so…why?

According to those aforementioned reports, a number of popular cosmetics are loaded with Teflon, a chemical best known as the coating on non-stick pans (in fact, we’re pretty sure that’s the only thing people think of when they think about Teflon).

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Search for “Teflon in makeup,” and you’ll find dozens of results from apparently reputable sources claiming that the substance causes birth defects and cancer. It makes for a great eye-grabbing headline, and there’s a grain of truth to the rumors; however, the full story is more complex.
First, why is everyone talking about this? As far as we can tell, the issue went mainstream when the Environmental Working Group (EWG) published an article titled “Is Teflon In Your Cosmetics?” That piece looked at polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), used in various creams and anti-aging products for its sleek feel. Spoiler alert: PTFE is the same thing as Teflon.
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Essentially, cosmetics manufacturers use PTFE for the same reason that pan manufacturers use it; it gives products a slick feel that’s difficult to replicate with other substances. According to EWG’s online database, it’s found in various foundations, sunscreens, moisturizers, eye shadows, facial powders, and even mascaras. Brands that use PTFE include e.l.f., MAC Cosmetics, Olay, and many, many others.
Why is that a problem? We’ll let the EWG explain.
“Teflon is a brand name for PTFE, one of thousands of fluorinated chemicals known as PFASs or PFCs,” the piece says, “some of which have been linked to serious health effects including cancer, thyroid disease, and reduced effectiveness of childhood vaccines.”

We looked into those claims and found them to be accurate. The links in the statement above lead to government pages and scientific studies backing up the assertions; EWG did not provide the links, and to our knowledge, they weren’t necessarily referencing these specific studies in their original article.

Those sound like fairly serious side effects.

However, as you might have guessed, there’s a bit of a wrinkle here.
We reached out to the Personal Care Product Council, a national trade association representing cosmetics manufacturers. A representative forwarded us a statement from Linda Loretz, PhD, the council’s chief toxicologist, who adamantly refuted the findings of EWG.
“A recent report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) incorrectly focuses on the use of the ingredient polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE; trade name Teflon®) in cosmetics,” Loretz says in the statement. “PTFE is an ingredient used at low levels to improve the cosmetic feel of some products that are applied to the skin.”

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“However, the safety concerns raised by EWG are about a different material called PFOA (perfluoroocatanoic acid). PFOA was used in past years as a processing aid in the manufacture of PTFE. However, PFOA is no longer used to manufacture PTFE and, thus, would never be found in a cosmetic or personal care product.”
The Personal Care Product Council didn’t respond to requests for further comment, but to summarize their position: PTFE is only dangerous if made with PFOA. (Yeah, we’re getting a little tired of the acronyms, too.) The EWG’s database doesn’t list any cosmetic products that use PFOA.
Teflon has been used in products since the 1940s, and over the past several decades, it’s been studied fairly closely. The American Cancer Society notes that “Teflon itself is not suspected of causing cancer” while also noting that PFOA has been shown in laboratory tests to increase risks of certain liver, breast, and pancreatic cancers.
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We reached out to the FDA and asked whether they’ve studied this issue.
“Companies decide which tests are needed to most appropriately substantiate safety,” a spokesperson tells us via email. “However, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act does not require cosmetic companies to tell the FDA specific testing they have done or to share their safety data with the FDA. The FDA does not conduct safety assessments for every ingredient used in cosmetics, nor does the FDA have a list of ‘safe’ ingredients for use in cosmetics.”

The FDA typically only gets involved when an ingredient is creating a clear danger, and while they occasionally comment on specific ingredients, Teflon isn’t one of them.
“The FDA doesn’t have a specific position on the use of Teflon or related compounds, commonly known as perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), in cosmetics,” the representative says.

Still…it’s Teflon, right? That doesn’t seem like something you should put on your face.

You’ll have to decide for yourself whether you want to use products with PTFE, but we’re just trying to set the record straight regarding safety. The fact is that even though Teflon is, uh, Teflon, it’s not necessarily dangerous.
Toxicologist Mimi Huang, writing for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, noted that Teflon can be toxic in certain situations—for instance, when directly inhaled from an overheating pan—but it doesn’t seem to be dangerous under normal circumstances.

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Unless you’re a bird (for some reason, Huang wrote, our avian friends seem particularly susceptible to Teflon), you can ingest minimal amounts of PTFE, and it’ll pass harmlessly through your system. Hey, that’s why we use it on our pans; it doesn’t stick to things.
Huang notes that PFOA can be toxic, writing that, according to research, it might “interfere with hormonal balances as well as reproduction and fetal development.” Those are serious effects, and they deserve consideration, but remember, PFOA isn’t used in the production of PTFE—not when that PTFE is used in cosmetics, anyway.
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We’re going to have a really long talk with our non-stick pans when we get home, but let’s keep following the trail. We’re looking for a fairly definitive answer: Is our eyeliner a ticking time bomb?

Even EWG provides conflicting information about the dangers of Teflon.

EWG notes on their website that PTFE (or Teflon, if you want to be slick) isn’t suspected to be bioaccumulative, meaning that it doesn’t build up in human tissues over time, and it’s not suspected to be particularly harmful. However, they classify the substance as a moderate health concern, simply because it hasn’t been studied.

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We asked Fayne Fry, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, for another opinion. After all, before we started writing this piece, the most time we’d ever spent thinking about Teflon was when we were doing the dishes after a particularly eventful omelette attempt (don’t ask).
“Harmful effects of ingredients are determined by the dose of the chemical, not by the chemical itself,” she says. “500 milligrams of Tylenol (acetaminophen) will rid your headache, while 1400 milligrams of acetaminophen can [be fatal]. Water is good for you, but six liters at a time can [be fatal].”
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She says that Teflon is a stable compound, which means that it doesn’t really interact with other substances. Hey, that’s the reason that it’s popular, right? Currently, according to Fry, there’s no good reason to assume that PTFE is harmful, at least when used in cosmetics.

So, ultimately, our sources didn’t find PTFE to be a particularly worrisome cosmetics ingredient.

If you’d like to breathe a sigh of relief and hug your makeup bag, feel free to do so.
With that said, if you decide to use cosmetic products that don’t contain Teflon, we won’t call you paranoid. The EWG contends that federal cosmetic regulations are outdated and claims that the government should ask for more research before allowing substances like Teflon in makeup. They advise consumers to avoid products with PTFE and to contact their legislators to push for better regulations.

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“PFAS chemicals are often listed on product labels, so you should be wary of any ingredient with ‘fluoro’ in the name,” EWG researchers David Andrews and Carla Burns wrote.
The organization notes that 66 cosmetic products include the substance, so if you have any lingering concerns about PTFE, you should be able to avoid it easily with a bit of research. In fact, we’ll make it easier: This page on EWG’s site lists all products known to have PTFE.
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Cosmetics frequently include scary-sounding chemicals, and as we’ve shown here, expert sources often provide conflicting information. We do agree with the EWG that more research is always a good thing, but for the time being, we’ll let the Teflon warnings slide by.

Categories
Mom x Body Motherhood

"American Ninja Warrior" Competitor Lisa Eicher Talks About Down Syndrome, Adoptions, And Facing Difficult Challenges

Lisa Eicher doesn’t shy away from challenges. She’s competed twice on American Ninja Warrior, she’s a mother of four, and her family pets include a pig and and a three-legged dog (yes, really). Two of her children are adopted from Bulgaria, and they have Down syndrome.

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When Hurricane Harvey damaged the Eichers’ home in 2017, forcing an emergency evacuation, she greeted firefighters with a frank warning.

“I just told them, ‘We’ve got two kids with Down syndrome, a three-legged dog, and a pig, all of whom are going to be pretty freaked out,'” Eicher tells HealthyWay. “And they were just like, ‘You know, that sounds great. Bring them on.’ They made it so much less scary for everybody. It was crazy—but not too bad.”  

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As we learned, Eicher has a simple (but crucial) message: Instead of ignoring differences, celebrate them. Instead of shying away from challenges, face them head-on. She’s using her American Ninja Warrior appearances to spread that message to as many people as possible. And given what she’s accomplished, it’s hard not to feel inspired when she starts talking about her journey.
We caught up with Eicher to find how she stays motivated while training, why she decided to adopt, and what most people don’t understand about Down syndrome.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
HealthyWay: Are you guys back in Houston?
Lisa Eicher: Yes. We moved back into our house maybe a month ago. We’re still not totally done with repairs and other stuff, but we’re slowly getting there.
I’ve got some friends from the area. They ended up getting lucky—not much damage—but I take it that wasn’t the case for your house.
It was a lot of damage, yeah, but we’re back in there. All is well. Slowly but surely!
I wanted to speak to you about your children with Down syndrome. In pieces you’ve written online, I appreciated how you said that Down syndrome isn’t a negative, and that people aren’t necessarily being helpful by pretending that it doesn’t exist.
Yeah. With Ninja Warrior, our whole thing is: Ninjas don’t count chromosomes. For us, that really just means that being a ninja is more than competing on the show. It’s all about including everyone, no matter what.

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And that’s kind of our message, in general. It’s about inclusion and kindness, no matter what our differences are. I guess that with my adopted kids, who both have Down syndrome—I don’t think I would recognize the need for this type of advocacy if not for them. I’ve seen them … getting nasty looks, or kids—even adults—being mean to them. Stuff like that. The idea is to accept them as who they are.

They are different. I don’t need to pretend that Archie is the same as all the other 13-year-old boys in his school, because he’s not. He’s different, and that’s okay.

Sevy—our most recently adopted—she’s been with us for less than two years, and she’s very different. She’s non-verbal, and she has a lot of institution behaviors from being in orphanages and institutions for so long.

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Instead of trying to hide her differences or make her act like other kids, we just celebrate the fact that she’s different. I mean, she is. I’ll straight-out say she’s one of the strangest kids in the entire world. She’s a very strange child, but I love that. It’s something that we celebrate, her uniqueness.

Our message is not to say that they’re more alike than different or that they’re just like everyone else, because that’s not true. It’s okay to acknowledge those differences.
My mother was a special education teacher, and in my house there was never that taboo of talking about what the differences are. But then you get around people that aren’t used to Down syndrome or autism and they try to ignore the differences. I think, for them, it comes from a good place.
Totally. But it can be just so uncomfortable, because—well, for us, you can stare all you want. If you’re interested in my kids, that’s fine! Come up and ask questions and ask us all about them. It’s worse when people either run away or turn their heads.

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We’ve had lots of instances where we’re, say, at a playground, and Sevy will go over to the swings, and all the kids at the swingset leave. It’s very obvious. Or when the kids say, “Why is she talking like that?” or something, and the parents shush them.

I want to say, “No, it’s okay, I’d love to explain why she’s talking like that.” She is talking different, and we can acknowledge that. We’re not trying to hide it.
There’s no shame in those differences.
That’s kind of our whole thing. We had an incident recently where these teenaged girls were giving Sevy really nasty looks at a basketball game. They were older, about 15, so they should’ve known better.
We made this little video where Archie explains how to talk to him and his sister. He’s just like, “Say ‘Hi,’ ask ‘How are you doing?,’ Ask us our names.” That’s kind of our whole thing. It’s okay to engage with us.

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You have a different perspective on this, because you adopted these children knowing they have Down syndrome. Could you speak to that process?
Oh, yeah, for sure. I always knew from a really young age that I really wanted to adopt one day, ever since I was a kid. It was just in me. I knew that that would be part of my life.

My husband and I started dating when we were 15, and [when we were married] we’d already talked about stuff like that. We always said it would be a “one day” thing. We kinda pictured that we’d have a few kids biologically and sometime later we’d adopt.

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I also had a passion for working with people with special needs. When I was in elementary school, I was in a program where we left campus once a week to visit this school with severely disabled students. You had the option of going and volunteering in those classrooms, so I started doing that. That’s when my love for that whole world grew.

My husband and I babysat a boy with Down syndrome in high school, and then we coached this Special Olympics team. All of these things kept growing that passion, and then after Ace—our firstborn—turned 2, we started talking about adding one.
Had you made the decision to adopt a child with special needs by that point?
Well, we didn’t really know what adoption going to be like. Once we decided to adopt, I did some research, and I came [across] this organization called Reece’s Rainbow that is basically a Down syndrome adoption ministry.
So when I found that, I was like, “Oh my goodness, our two biggest passions are colliding.” I just knew that’s where we’d find our next child.

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My husband was, of course, on board, so we tried to find out which countries we’d qualify for and all of that. Bulgaria was the best fit for us, it seemed. At this point, we’re thinking about adopting a baby with DS, younger than Ace, who’s just 2 at the time. That was our only requirement—baby. We didn’t care whether it was a boy or girl, or whether they had heart defects or whatever, they just needed to be younger than Ace.
[Editorial note: Eicher mentions heart defects here because cardiovascular abnormalities are common among individuals with Down syndrome. According to the National Down Syndrome Society, about half of all infants with Down syndrome have some type of heart defect.]
Then, for some reason, the director of Reece’s Rainbow randomly sent me an email that said, “How about this little boy? He’s been waiting for a really long time.” I read his bio, and I saw that he was 7, and I was like, “Oh, no, no, no, that’s too old.” And then I clicked and saw his picture.
It was just an immediate reaction. 100 percent. That’s our son. My heart ached for each one of those children, but this feeling was very different. It was like an instant knowing.
How did people in your life react to your decision?
I think the hardest part was telling our families. Or mostly my family—I grew up in a very conservative and kinda cookie-cutter place. I had a great community, a great family, great friends, and all of that, but—well, it’s just that everybody does the same thing. This was pretty big, and I think it was outside of what anybody could understand. They couldn’t understand why we would do this.

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That was a huge challenge. And getting Archie home, that was a breeze, it was a very simple adoption. He had some typical behavior [issues] when he first came home, but otherwise, he fit seamlessly into the family. He and Ace were best friends right off the bat.
I read on your blog that Sevy was much more difficult.
Sevy—she had a more traumatic background. Archie does have a very traumatic past, but for one thing, we got him out [of the orphanage] when he was 7, and Sevy was close to 13 by the time she came home. She has a lot more behaviors that are indicative of a traumatic past and of being in an institution for so long.

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So, yeah, she has had more of a struggle with bonding, specifically to me, and she’s just a little bit more—she has to be on her own, in a sense. For 13 years, she kind of had to fight for everything, so we’re working really hard to reverse all of that damage. It’s been tough.
Yeah, I imagine so. I know that your daughter Ace was a big motivation for you on American Ninja Warrior. How did she compel you to get involved?
We’ve always watched American Ninja Warrior as a family, and—whoa, I guess it was a couple of seasons ago—I wasn’t in any kind of shape at all. I was probably more out of shape than I’d ever been in my life. I’d been an athlete previously, and Ace—I guess she knew that I had it in me. While we were watching, she just said, “Mom, you could do that.”

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And I mean, I literally laughed, but she kept being persistent about it. I just thought, “Why is she even keeping on about this? Obviously, I can’t do any of that stuff. I can’t even hang from a bar, let alone do a pull-up or any of the things that are necessary for that show.”

Then, I was watching Archie a couple of days later on the swings. He loves to swing, but he couldn’t pump. It took him a really long time to figure out how to pump his own legs, and he’d been working on it for years, literally. He finally got it this one day.
And it just hit me. Well, they have to work so hard for things that [are] simple, everyday things for us—pumping your legs on a swing, riding a scooter, or just pedaling a bike. I was like, “Maybe I can work for something that seems impossible. Even if I don’t get it, at least I can show them that I tried.”

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I started training about six months before the competition. I ended up being chosen for the show, and I competed in San Antonio last year, and then again in Dallas this year. It’s been a crazy, crazy experience, and right now, I’m still training. I’ll do it again next year.
Was there a challenge you weren’t expecting, either in the training or in the actual competition?
I think I underestimated the mental aspect of it. So much of it is mental strength. I was actually more prepared, mentally, for my first season than this most recent season. We were out of our house for six months, and I just wasn’t as focused.

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I actually did better last season than I did this season. I got off on an obstacle that I completed last season. I really think I just cracked under the pressure—I mean, it’s quite scary, standing up there under bright lights with the cameras right in your face. It’s a whole production.
I was going to ask you how you stayed motivated, both physically and mentally. American Ninja Warrior certainly isn’t easy.
It’s not. Again, my kids are my motivators, and I mean all four of them.
American Ninja Warrior has made my family so much stronger in all ways. My kids Sevy and Archie—you know, people with Down syndrome have low muscle tone in general—and they were both pretty physically weak before we started all of this.
That’s especially true for Archie, but he did his first pull-up the other day. He can hang from a bar forever, and the same with Sevy.

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They can hang from ropes or climb rock walls. It’s just become part of our life now. I think I’m kind of the glue for that. I mean, there are days where my friends are out at happy hour hanging out, and I’m training and I’m like, “I don’t want to do this.” But I just have to remember why I’m doing it. I have to remember the message that we’re trying to spread as a family. The bigger the platform, the more people that hear the message, so yeah—there’s a lot of motivation to keep going.
The “glue” thing kind of goes both ways. They’re inspiring to you, and you’re hoping to be that for them.
Right. Exactly. Exactly.
Do you have any advice for anyone who’s thinking about trying out for American Ninja Warrior?
My advice, for anyone who even feels like they have an interest in it, would be just to go for it. There are lots of ninja gyms and similar types of gyms popping up all over the place. It’s so much fun. It’s just such a fun way to train, and you see the progress so clearly.

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I couldn’t even hang from a bar when I started, and within a few weeks, I was doing five pull-ups in a row. You see the progress, and it feels really good to achieve these things.
So, yeah, just go and try it. Everybody who tries it out gets hooked.
What is something that a typical person could do differently when they’re interacting with people with Down syndrome?
I would say just to be aware of their differences. Many times speech is an issue, for instance. Be aware of the differences and their struggles. Don’t ignore those differences, but don’t let them be a deterrent from interacting.

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Don’t be afraid. There’s nothing scary about them. Yeah, they’re different—and we can all acknowledge that—but that’s a good thing.  

Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

What's The Best Birth Control? The One That Works For You; Here’s How To Find It

You know that you don’t want kids (or more kids) right now, or maybe ever. But you don’t want to have to worry about changing your lifestyle choices in order to avoid pregnancy. Instead you want the best birth control: something that is reliable at preventing pregnancy, doesn’t have nasty side effects, and fits in with your daily schedule.
Luckily, in 2018, you can have all those things.
For decades, birth control meant one option: the pill. Now, however, there are myriad choices. Women looking for the best birth control can chose low-hormone or even non-hormonal options. There are birth control options that you take daily, only use when needed, or get once and don’t have to think about again for years. You can even decide whether you want to have a monthly cycle or would prefer to skip your periods altogether.
All that choice is a wonderful thing because it allows you to find the best birth control for your body and lifestyle. Unfortunately, it can also be a bit overwhelming. Choosing the best birth control can mean doing a lot of research—and some soul searching—to decide what you really want.
HealthyWay spoke to women’s health experts about the advantages and disadvantages of the most common [linkbuilder id=”736″ text=”forms of birth control”], as well as what women should consider when trying to find the best birth control option for them. Here’s what they had to say:

What is the best birth control?

Finding the best birth control is individual to each woman, says GG Collins, MD, a fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a fertility specialist in Progyny’s provider network.
“There are benefits to each form of contraception, and matching the option that works best with your lifestyle and minimizes your side effects is the right choice,” she says.
Considering the effectiveness of the birth control, how long it is designed to last, and any side effects are all important when you’re trying to find the best birth control for you.
Here’s a breakdown of these factors for popular birth control options, arranged from most effective to least effective at preventing pregnancy.
As you consider what’s the best birth control for you, remember that most of these forms of birth control do not protect against sexually transmitted infections or diseases.

Copper IUD (ParaGard)

Effectiveness: Intrauterine devices (better known as IUDs) are the most effective form of birth control, preventing more than 99 percent of unwanted pregnancies. The copper IUD prevents pregnancy as soon as it is placed. It is also an extremely effective form of emergency contraception: If it is placed within five days of unprotected sex it will prevent pregnancy more than 99.9 percent of the time.
How It Works: All IUDs are t-shaped devices that sit in the uterus and disrupt how the sperm would normally get to an egg. With the sperm unable to reach the egg, pregnancy is unlikely to occur. The copper on ParaGard also provides an additional level of protection by creating an environment that is toxic to sperm and eggs.
This may be the best birth control for you if:

  • You want effective, long-lasting birth control. The copper IUD can prevent more than 99 percent of pregnancies for up to 12 years.
  • You do not want hormonal birth control. The copper IUD has no hormones, making it a popular choice for women who don’t want to disrupt their natural hormonal balance. “Many women choose the copper IUD because it does not have a hormonal component,” Collins says.
  • You’re breastfeeding. The copper IUD can be used by breastfeeding moms.
  • You need emergency contraception after having unprotected sex.
  • You might want to become pregnant in a few years. Fertility returns quickly after any type of IUD is removed.

This may not be the best birth control for you if:

  • Some women shy away from the copper IUD because it must be inserted by a physician. This can be uncomfortable, particularly for women who have not had children, Collins says.
  • Some women also experience ongoing cramping or irregular bleeding, and more intense periods, Collins says. “The main reason for discontinuation tends to be due to heavier and more painful periods that occasionally occur with the copper IUD,” she explains.

Hormonal IUD

Effectiveness: Like ParaGard, hormonal IUDs (sold under the brand names Mirena, Kyleena, Liletta, and Skyla) prevent more than 99 percent of unwanted pregnancies. However, they can take up to seven days to start working fully, so be sure to use a back-up form of birth control in the meantime.
How It Works: Hormonal IUDs thicken cervical mucus and disrupt sperm’s journey through the uterus, making it less likely that sperm will reach an egg. In addition, these IUDs release the hormone progestin, which prevents the ovaries from releasing an egg. Depending on the brand, hormonal IUDs can prevent pregnancy for up to six years.
This may be the best birth control for you if:

  • You want long-acting, effective birth control that you only need to think about once. “Once an IUD is in place, women don’t have to think about it,” says Jessica Grossman, MD, CEO of Medicines360. “It’s ‘set it and forget it’ contraception, a key benefit for women ages 20 to 40.”
  • You have heavy periods. Unlike copper IUDs, hormonal IUDs make periods lighter or can stop them all together. You’ll also likely experience fewer cramps.
  • You might want to become pregnant in a few years. Fertility returns quickly after any type of IUD is removed.

This may not be the best birth control for you if:

  • Having a period gives you peace of mind: “Some women like to have a monthly period for social or personal reasons, and many women with the hormonal IUD do not have regular periods,” Collins says. You might also experience irregular spotting.

Tubal Ligation

Effectiveness: Tubal ligation, also known as female sterilization or having your tubes tied, is 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy.
How It Works: During a surgical procedure, a doctor blocks or cuts the fallopian tubes, the pathway that an egg takes to get from the ovaries to the uterus. With the tubes blocked, sperm cannot reach the egg, so pregnancy can’t occur.
This may be the best birth control for you if:

  • You are sure you don’t want to become pregnant in the future. This is a permanent procedure.

This may not be the best birth control for you if:

  • You’re unsure about having kids, or you would like the option to have more kids in the future.
  • You don’t like the idea of surgery. Unlike many long-lasting birth control options that can be placed in an office, tubal ligation is a surgical procedure that requires some anesthesia (it can be done with general or local anesthesia).

Birth Control Implant

Effectiveness: The birth control implant is more than 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy. It is effective immediately if you get it within the first five days of your cycle. If not, use backup birth control (like condoms) for a week.
How It Works: The birth control implant is a rod the size of a matchstick that is implanted under the skin of your upper arm. It releases the hormone progestin, which stops an egg from being released, and also thickens the mucus around the cervix, making it harder for sperm to get into the uterus. The implant lasts for up to four years.
This may be the best birth control for you if:

  • You want to avoid estrogen. While most hormonal birth controls contain estrogen, the implant provides highly effective birth control without it, making it a popular choice for women who want fewer hormones, Collins says.
  • You want lighter periods or none at all. One third of women who use the implant stop getting a period within a year.

This may not be the best birth control for you if:

  • You’re squeamish. Inserting and removing the implant is normally an easy procedure, but it does involve cutting the skin open. Sometimes the implant can migrate a few centimeters, making removal more difficult, Collins says.
  • Most women don’t have many side effects with the implant, but some experience weight gain, cysts, or breast soreness.

The Birth Control Shot

Effectiveness: The birth control shot is 94 percent effective at preventing pregnancy with real-world use (which accounts for women who fudge a little on their shot schedules), but if you always get your shot on time, it is 99 percent effective.
How It Works: The shot contains progestin, which stops ovulation and thickens cervical mucus. You need to get the shot every three months.
This may be the best birth control for you if:

  • You want long-term effectiveness without an implant or IUD.
  • You don’t mind visiting the doctor. Although you need to go to the doctor every three months, getting the shot itself is quick, easy, and relatively non-invasive.

This may not be the best birth control for you if:

  • You forget appointments. You must make an appointment every three months to get your shot in order to reliably prevent pregnancy.
  • You want to get pregnant soon. Although you need the shot every three months to maintain peak effectiveness, there can be some delay in getting pregnant for up to 10 months after stopping this form of birth control.

The Birth Control Ring

Effectiveness: The ring is 91 percent effective. Because it must be inserted and removed, effectiveness depends upon your ability to put it in and take it out on time, as well as storing the ring properly (out of sunlight and sometimes in the refrigerator). Some antibiotics and other medications can also make the ring less effective.
How It Works: The small, flexible ring is inserted into the vagina for three weeks at a time, and then removed for a week. It releases the hormones estrogen and progestin, which thicken cervical mucus and stop an egg from being released each month.
This may be the best birth control for you if:
You don’t want to think about birth control daily. “Many women like this form of contraception if they would like a longer-acting form of contraception but do not want a long acting device placed like the IUD or implant,” Collins says.
You have other health concerns. The ring can help control acne, PMS, and cysts. It can also help you avoid bone thinning and iron deficiency.
This may not be the best birth control for you if:

  • You’re not okay inserting it. “The ring placement requires you to be comfortable putting the ring in and removing it from the vagina,” Collins says.
  • You’re forgetful. The effectiveness of the ring depends on you remembering to put it in and take it out on time.
  • You’re on other medications. Since some medications can decrease the effectiveness of the ring, talk to your doctor about how your medications might interact with it.

Birth Control Pill
Effectiveness: The original form of hormonal birth control is 91 percent effective with typical use. For optimal effectiveness the pill must be taken at the exact same time every day. Medications and antibiotics can also reduce the effectiveness of the pill.
How It Works: The birth control pill stops ovulation. There are many brand names, but two main types of birth control pills:

  • Combination pills contain estrogen and progestin that stop ovulation and thicken cervical mucus.
  • “Mini pills” contain only progestin. They thicken the cervical mucus and stop ovulation, but not as consistently as combination pills. Because of this, mini pills are only about 87 percent effective at preventing pregnancy.

This may be the best birth control for you if:

  • You’re looking for a simple solution. “The birth control pill tends to be a very popular option for most women due to its ease of use,” Collins says. Because it doesn’t have to be inserted or removed by a doctor, some women feel this is an easier birth control solution.
  • You’re addressing other health issues. “Some women start the pill for contraception, but also use it to establish regular periods, to reduce acne, and potentially to reduce ovarian cysts,” Collins says.
  • You need to avoid estrogen. The mini pill is a good option for breastfeeding moms, women over 40, women with gastrointestinal issues, and people who have had negative side effects on birth controls containing estrogen in the past, Collins says.

This may not be the best birth control for you if:

  • Your schedule is unpredictable. Taking the pill at the same time each day is essential for effectiveness.
  • You have other health concerns. “Due to primarily the side effects of the estrogen found in birth control pills, there are both absolute contraindications (meaning you should never take these medications) and relative contraindications (meaning speak to your physician before taking and decide if the benefits outweigh the risks),” Collins says. For example, women who have blood clots, impaired liver function, breast cancer, undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, or who are smokers over the age of 35 should never take a combination pill.

The Birth Control Patch

Effectiveness: The patch is 91 percent effective with real-world use. Some antibiotics and medication reduce its effectiveness. It can also fall off occasionally. In addition, the user must remember when to apply and remove the patch for it to be most effective.
How It Works: The patch contains estrogen and progestin that are released into the skin. A new patch is applied once a week for three weeks, then taken off for one week.
This may be the best birth control for you if:

  • You want something you can apply yourself but don’t want to take a daily pill.

This may not be the best birth control for you if:

  • You’re sensitive to estrogen. “The estrogen levels in women using the transdermal patch are higher than with most birth control pills,” Collins explains. In fact, the FDA now requires the patch to have a warning, since it exposes women to 60 percent more estrogen than the pill does.
  • You weigh over 198 pounds, in which case the patch may not prevent pregnancy.

Fertility Awareness

Effectiveness: Fertility awareness methods—also known as natural family planning and the rhythm method—are between 76 and 88 percent effective.
How It Works: There are a variety of fertility awareness methods, but all share a common idea: You monitor your monthly cycles (using a chart or app) in order to know when you are most fertile. During that time you either avoid intercourse or use a backup birth control method like condoms, a diaphragm, or a sponge.
This may be the best birth control for you if:

  • You want to avoid hormones or implants. Fertility awareness relies on your intimate understanding of your body, without any additional prevention methods.
  • It wouldn’t be a huge issue if you got pregnant. Since fertility awareness methods are less reliable, they’re best for people who wouldn’t be upset if they became pregnant.
  • You have a solid understanding of how your cycles work. “If you wish to pursue the natural family planning method, it would be worthwhile to consult with a reproductive endocrinologist to grasp a strong foundation in the menstrual cycle,” Collins says.

This may not be the best birth control for you if:

  • You absolutely do not want to be pregnant. No matter how well you track your cycles, there is always room for error with this method, Collins says. “Natural family planning is the least effective form of contraception as [menstrual cycles often] vary and the peak fertility time periods may shift each month,” she explains.
  • You have irregular cycles. That makes it even harder to regularly track your fertile window.

Condoms and Withdrawal

Effectiveness: Effectiveness ranges from 78 percent (for withdrawal, also known as pulling out) to 79 percent (for female condoms) to 85 percent (for male condoms).
How It Works: These are options that you are likely to use in the heat of the moment. Male condoms prevent pregnancy (and STIs) by preventing sperm from entering the vagina. Using the withdrawal method, a man does not ejaculate in the vagina, reducing the risk that sperm will meet with an egg and result in pregnancy.
Male condoms and withdrawal alone aren’t the best birth control since they are often ignored in the heat of the moment. “Condoms and the withdrawal method are the least effective forms of contraception as they are often forgotten at the time of intercourse,” Collins says.
Condoms are effective at preventing many STIs, and should be used even by people who are on other forms of birth control. “All patients, regardless of what contraception they are using, should consider the use of a condom from the beginning to protect against sexually transmitted infections,” Collins says.

How to Find the Best Birth Control for You

In addition to considering the information above, it’s a smart idea to book an appointment with your doctor to discuss what the best birth control for you is given your health history, lifestyle, and future reproductive plans.
“Each woman should have a discussion with either their gynecologist or their reproductive endocrinologist about their concerns and desires to match the best form of contraception with what would work best for her lifestyle,” Collins says.
When you’re talking to your doctor, consider these questions:
Do you plan to have children in the future? When?
This question can help you identify how long you would like your birth control to last.
Do you have other health concerns?
Sometimes a birth control method isn’t a good choice for women with certain health conditions. If you’re a smoker, have physical or mental health conditions, or have painful periods, these factors need to be part of your discussion with your doctor about the best birth control given your needs. You want one that is safe to use with your condition or can even help alleviate it, Collins says. In addition, it’s important to talk about any other medications that you’re currently taking, since some medications can affect the reliability of birth control.
If you’re particularly concerned about uterine cancer (perhaps due to a family history), the patch, pill, ring, and shot can offer some protection. The patch, pill, and ring can also help protect you from ovarian cancer.
Have you experienced positive or negative side effects from birth control in the past?
Think about your experiences with past birth control options. Have you gained weight on the pill, for example, or had your acne clear up? Perhaps you enjoyed not getting a regular period when you had an IUD. Think about what has worked well for you in the past (and what hasn’t), and discuss both good and bad side effects with your doctor.
What does your sex life look like?
Considering your sex life is a huge part of finding the best birth control for you. For example, if you have multiple partners, no matter what birth control method you use, you’ll also want to use a birth control method that prevents STIs, like male condoms, Collins says. If you rarely have sex, you might be more comfortable relying on as-needed methods, whereas if you are frequently sexually active, you might want a birth control form that you don’t need to think about in the moment.
If you try something new but suspect it might not be the best birth control for you, try to give it six months before changing, Collins recommends. Of course, if your symptoms are severe (like chest pain or shortness of breath) stop the birth control immediately and call your doctor.
Finding the best birth control for you can be an intensive process, but Grossman says it is important: “Knowing which method best suits your lifestyle is important to your overall health and well-being, and ultimately, for avoiding unintended pregnancy.”
[related article_ids=21584,1000990]

Categories
Life x Culture Lifestyle

How To Stay Healthy When You Work In An Office

In my previous life as a sales manager, I worked out of a small cubicle in a windowless warehouse office.
Sterling Cooper, it was not.
We worked straight from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and just like my personal hero Dolly Parton sang, it really was all taking and no giving. We didn’t even have a break room, which was totally fine because we didn’t get a lunch break anyway. Even if we did, most of us worked through lunch—as 62 percent of American office workers do, my coworkers would snarf down midday meals between meetings and phone calls.
But I drew the line at sad desk lunch, so I just wouldn’t eat at all. I’m pretty sure my crash office diet resulted in what I can only assume was acute pancreatitis or a stomach ulcer (I can’t be sure because my job didn’t offer insurance, so I never saw a doctor. For the record, I don’t recommend self-diagnosing.).
Take it from me, ladies: Your health is more important than your work inbox.
My own wake-up call came when I read an article that said sitting is the new smoking. Gross, right?
The minute I saw that, I decided to make a change in my work life and my health life. I set reminders to drink water and move around every hour. And yes, I even started eating lunch at my desk for the sake of my health.
Now I work from home, but it’s just as easy to forgo your health in a home office. I recently noticed I was slacking in the workday health department, so I talked to Dianna Leyton, a marketing manager in Richmond, Virginia, who has also decided to make her work health a priority (all while slaying at her 9-5 job).
Here are her favorite tips for staying healthy and strong when you work in an office:

Get better sleep at night.

“If you stay up all night before a workday, you’re going to be exhausted all day long,” says Leyton. “Get a good night’s sleep, and you’ll start your day feeling fresh and energized for the day ahead.”
Leyton admits she has a hard time winding down before bedtime; to tire herself out, she makes sure to log a good workout in the evening, so she’s ready when bedtime rolls around. But if you like working out in the morning, you can still get a good night’s rest. Try to stay away from all your devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime (do-not-disturb mode can still let important and emergency calls through) and ready your mind and body for sleep with a calming bedtime yoga flow.

Practice self-care.

“Self-care during the workday is important. Sometimes I eat lunch at my desk so I can go get a mani-pedi during my lunch break or take a walk in the park,” says Leyton. “When I do something for myself during the workday, I feel better all day long.”
See? Leyton turned sad desk lunch into a rewarding experience by using her lunch break to treat herself to something fun. Think about some of your favorite relaxing activities, and figure out how to incorporate them into your workday. Simple acts of self-care can have a positive impact on the choices you make throughout the day and can even result in greater productivity at work and at home.

Get a work spouse.

“I started doing the Whole30 program with a co-worker so that we hold each other accountable over our eating habits,” says Leyton. “It makes it easier when you have someone else passing on the free Friday donuts!”
It’s true, having an accountability buddy at work can help you stay on track with diet and exercise in the office, but having a work bestie is also great for your overall work performance and mental health, according to a recent Gallup poll.
Not sure how to turn Susan in payroll into your new bff? It’s just like dating; at first, finding out which co-workers you’re most compatible with might be a little awkward, but over time, you’ll be able to forge real friendships that have lasting benefits for your health.

Take the longest route to the printer.

“I know getting your steps in sounds a little trite, but I really do try to count my steps during the workday,” says Leyton. “I take walks during lunch, and I try to take the least direct route to meetings and the copy room to maximize my step count. I just make sure to give myself extra time, so I’m not late!”
Wearing a step counter can open your eyes to how many steps you’re actually taking at work. You might be shocked to find that even though you are exhausted when 5 p.m. rolls around, you only took a thousand steps!
To increase your step count during the day, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk around the printer while you’re waiting for that 90-page document to print. Set a reminder to get up and walk to the break room (for water!) every hour. You’ll be surprised at how many more steps you’re getting in every day when you’re making a conscious effort.

Shop online. Yes, really.

Okay, so this last tip comes from yours truly. You’re welcome.
A study conducted by Brent Coker at the University of Melbourne found that workplace internet leisure browsing (WILB)—like shopping the latest Amazon deals or scrolling social media—can actually increase your productivity at work.
Bless you, Dr. Coker.
So, if you’ve been plugging away at a project for several hours, it’s okay to take a break and scroll through that cute guy from the gym’s Instagram. Just make sure you don’t accidentally deep like one of his pics!

Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

Got A Big Medical Bill? Here’s What To Know About Crowdfunding In Healthcare

Everything was going well for Angie Ebba, a 37-year-old woman in Washington, until she got sick and needed to turn to crowdfunding to pay her bills. She took medical leave from her job to get “poked, prodded, zapped, run through multiple types of machines, passed from doctor to specialist to naturopath, given supplements and medications, and turned into a walking (or depending on the day, sometimes not walking) medical experiment.” Her medical team just could not figure out the cause of her health issues.
Then, she lost her job—and that’s when the real trouble started. The cost of all that poking, prodding, and zapping had really racked up, and the bills were starting to come in. How could she come up with all of the money she needed while still trying to manage her health and find long-term solutions? It was completely overwhelming.
“I kept getting bills in the mail and I thought, ‘I can’t pay these, they’re going to go to collections.’ I had insurance, but the costs of copays, deductibles, and all of that stuff, especially when you’re so sick and they’re trying to figure out why, can really add up. In attempt to alleviate some of that stress, I turned to GoFundMe,” she says.
She had seen friends on social media use crowdfunding to pay for emergencies, but she had never imagined she’d be the one [linkbuilder id=”3261″ text=”asking for help”] online.
“I am not one to ask for money,” she wrote on her GoFundMe crowdfunding page. “I’d much rather raise money for someone else. But today, as much as I hate to do so, I am asking for your help. I have 16 bills totaling close to $3,000, with more coming in each week.”
[related article_ids=21501,21657]
When it comes to crowdfunding in healthcare, Ebba’s not alone. From 2010 to 2016, crowdfunding campaigners on GoFundMe raised about $930 million for healthcare costs. YouCaring, a crowdfunding platform dedicated to personal, medical, and charitable causes, has raised more than $1 billion—a significant portion of which was for healthcare costs, says Camelia Gendreau, head of integrated communications at the company. GoFundMe and YouCaring are just two of dozens of crowdfunding sites that people are turning to when they need help paying their medical bills.
“Crowdfunding in healthcare is on the rise, unfortunately,” says Gendreau. “Medical fundraisers make up about half the total fundraisers on our website. We’re here because too many Americans are slipping through the cracks, and they need financial support from friends and family.”

Why do people crowdfund their medical costs?

Scroll through your Facebook feed on any given day and you’re bound to see a friend asking for donations for their medical bills. Why are so many people crowdfunding the costs of their healthcare? One of the biggest reasons is the fact that medical treatments cost a lot more than people expect, even if they have insurance, says Gendreau.
“Almost half of Americans can’t afford a $400 emergency expense,” she says. “In 2016, the U.S. spent about $10,000 per person on healthcare. When you take those stats and compare them to the fact that around 60 percent of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. are caused by medical expenses, it paints a dire picture of healthcare in America. Crowdfunding is a last resort.”
But economics are only half the reason for the ubiquity of crowdfunding in healthcare. Prior to widespread use of the internet, people may have held pancake breakfasts, yard sales, and other local events to raise money for a neighbor’s medical expenses. But as people started moving their in-person communities to the digital space, much of that effort has gone online to crowdfunding platforms.
“[In previous generations,] you could always ask to borrow some money from a neighbor, or get emergency childcare. But as we’re all pursuing economic opportunities and moving away from our homes, our networks have become more widely distributed and it’s harder to tap into them in person. Crowdfunding allows people to recreate these social support networks in an online environment,” says Gendreau.
Not only do distant friends and relatives offer financial support, they also send words of encouragement—helping the person in need feel less alone during a tumultuous time.

Benefits of Crowdfunding for Healthcare

The most obvious benefit of crowdfunding in healthcare is the increased likelihood that someone will wind up with the money they need to pay their medical bills. The donations can make a big difference in keeping someone afloat. But there are a number of other positives to crowdfunding as well.
Ebba said asking for money online connected her to loved ones in a way that lifted her spirits when she was dealing with her medical issues. People reached out to send well wishes, offered rides to doctors’ appointments, and even dropped dinner off on her front porch.
“Creating the campaign and asking for help was incredibly difficult at first, but then it became very liberating when I saw I had people in my life who wanted to support me and care for me,” she says. “Of course, the monetary donations were helpful, but the people who reached out and offered support created a sense of community. That act of vulnerability turned out to be really beautiful.”
The emotional support Ebba felt through her fundraiser is common among those crowdfunding in healthcare, says Gendreau.
“The primary non-monetary benefit of crowdfunding in healthcare is getting people to rally around your cause. Most people start fundraisers on YouCaring because they have a financial need, but the most positive comments we get from successful fundraisers are around the social aspect and the emotional support they received,” she says. “They often turn around and donate to people in similar situations, and share their own inspiring stories that give people a breath of fresh air and some hope during a hopeless time.”

The Pitfalls of Crowdfunding in Healthcare

Crowdfunding isn’t all free money and cheerful words from afar. Raising money for medical bills online does come with some potential downsides people should consider before creating a crowdfunding campaign.
American culture is fiercely independent (we’re built on that whole “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” philosophy). As such, you have to swallow a lot of pride to start asking for help from the people around you.
“It was awful and hard to ask for help at first,” admits Ebba. “So much of our general sense of self-worth is tied about in our ability to take care of ourselves.”
Crowdfunding in healthcare also requires people to give up privacy and talk publicly about their personal medical issues. These stories are what inspire donors to open up their wallets. Crowdfunders who don’t explain in detail why they need money may not see much success, says Gendreau.
“Not everyone is comfortable opening up and telling their stories. Some people are so crippled by their fear of opening up that they start crowdfunding campaigns with very cursory descriptions that don’t let donors into their lives. Those fundraisers don’t usually do very well, so that’s a downside,” she says.
That running total of donations you see on crowdfunding campaigns might not actually be the amount that ends up in the beneficiaries’ pockets, either. While YouCaring has never required fundraisers to pay a portion of proceeds back to the company, GoFundMe only recently made its personal campaigns free for users (prior to that, it took 5 percent of donations). Other platforms still charge fees for crowdfunding in healthcare, and beneficiaries can almost always expect to lose a portion of donations to cover payment processing.
Beneficiaries of crowdfunding may face tax implications, as well.
“We advise everyone who starts a fundraiser on YouCaring to consult with a tax advisor to ensure they have all information they need before they start receiving money,” says Gendreau. “Typically these donations are considered non-taxable gifts, but we’re not tax experts and we like to refer people to professionals in taxes and accounting.”

How to Create a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign for Medical Bills

The success of crowdfunding in healthcare can be all over the board. You might see someone exceed their goal of raising $300,000 to cover the medical costs of managing multiple sclerosis, while another crowdfunder seeking $2,500 for an X-ray might not receive a single dollar. What makes a medical crowdfunding campaign successful?
First and foremost, you need to tell a compelling story. Giving vague reasons about your need for a large sum might make potential donors think twice about sending money to your campaign. You should share why you’re trying to raise money. Be as specific as possible about where the funds will go, whether it’s to help pay for medical equipment, transportation to healthcare appointments, or an invasive surgery, says Gendreau.
Crowdfunding in healthcare also sees the most success when the goals feel achievable to donors.
“If you think the total you’ll need might be closer to $100,000, that number could seem daunting to the community, so we recommend starting with $50,000,” she says. “If you hit that goal, it’s really easy to up the goal to $100,000, and it’s a good opportunity to give donors an update and thank them for their support.”
Speaking of updates, those are critical to success when crowdfunding. Letting people know how you’re doing—for better or for worse—helps build a community focused on your needs.
“Honesty makes a great update, plain and simple,” advises Gendreau. “Positive updates are really empowering and helpful to donors. But if you aren’t having a good day and the reality is that chemotherapy has made you really nauseous and you’re struggling, it’s important to say what you feel in the moment to rally support. Let the community know how they can help.”
Sharing your crowdfunding campaign on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, helps build awareness and could ultimately lead to more donations.
“Social media was the only way that I promoted my crowdfunding campaign. Friends would then share the campaign with their friends,” says Ebba. “Social media gets a bad rap from a lot of people, but for people with disabilities and chronically ill folks, it can be a lifeline to humanity.”
Like many crowdfunding platforms, YouCaring gives fundraisers the chance to be featured on its site. This extra exposure can help increase the chances of hitting your goal.
“We use an algorithm that takes into account geography, fundraising goals, and other diverse factors to choose campaigns to feature. Once you’ve raised more than half your goal, you increase your chances of being featured on the homepage,” says Gendreau.
Finding a way to give back to donors demonstrates gratitude for people’s generosity, and encourages them to make repeat donations. You don’t have to spend money on special gifts and products, though. Ebba gave back to donors by publishing an original poem every time her crowdfunding campaign allowed her to pay a medical bill.
“I didn’t want to ask for money without giving something back in return, but I didn’t have a whole lot to give. Writing a poem related to whatever bill I paid off or the procedures that had taken place inspired some people to donate. It also helped me feel better,” says Ebba.
Not a poet? There are dozens of other ways to show your appreciation, says Gendreau.
“Thank donors with emails, notes, cards, or however you see fit. Posting a video of yourself thanking donors also works well. If you find a beautiful, meaningful way to thank donors, they’ll really appreciate it,” she says.
Finally, when thinking about what success means for crowdfunding in healthcare, remember that it’s not only about the money. Even though Ebba raised less than 25 percent of her crowdfunding goal, she is grateful for the campaign for other reasons.
“Crowdfunding was a success in that it helped financially, but beyond that, it made me realize the vast support network I had. It became easier to reach out for smaller things, like a ride to an appointment,” she says.
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Categories
Fitness Advice x Motivation Sweat

Looking For The Best Workout Apps To Jump-Start Your Fitness Journey?

Although technology isn’t an essential part of exercising, the best workout apps can help you maintain your motivation as you’re making long-term lifestyle changes. That’s crucial, because changing your daily routine can be incredibly difficult.

We decided to evaluate a few of the most popular workout apps available for iOS and Android devices. Here’s what you need to know before using a fitness app to improve your workout habits—and a few app recommendations for different types of fitness goals.

Why Goals Matter When Choosing a Workout App

Before we start running through best workout apps, we’ve got to make an important point: Unless you set clear, attainable goals, you probably won’t have much success, regardless of which fitness app you download.
Adopting a new workout routine is a major lifestyle change, and lifestyle changes require goal setting. We’re not making that up—hundreds of studies have shown that goal setting increases motivation and improves chances of success. That’s crucial, because you need motivation to establish a routine.
If you’re able to establish a healthy habit (for instance, going to the gym every day) your brain changes its structure to adjust for the new habit. That process starts with setting clear, achievable goals, and workout apps can help along the way.
If you need more proof, ask someone who’s been through an intense, long-term fitness journey.

“I think when anyone is trying to make a change, we get overwhelmed with the possibilities of how much change we want to make, as opposed to taking one simple step,” Danni Allen tells HealthyWay.

Allen, who was the winner of 2013’s Biggest Loser and is currently a marketing director for Planet Fitness in Chicago, shares that “The one thing I wish someone would’ve helped me out with in the beginning is it really does start with making one decision and one step. Everyone wants to make a lot of changes [at once], but when you start with one, and then you add another—before you know it you’re reaching new goals that you never even planned for.”
We swear we didn’t tell her to say that.

With that said, we’d recommend taking a few moments to set some goals. Whether you’re trying to work out more often, manage your diet, or push your strength-training regimen to the next level, setting your goals will help you identify the features that are important to your journey.

Evaluating the Most Popular Workout Apps

Taking all of that into consideration, we looked at a few of the most popular fitness apps. While there’s no perfect option for everyone, these apps have some innovative features that could help you stay motivated. Plus, they’re free—at first.

Fitbit — Best All-Around Workout App for Changing Fitness Habits

Fitbit, of course, produces the most popular step-tracking devices on the market, but their software is just as much of a draw as their hardware.
The Fitbit app allows you to track a variety of workouts, log meals, and engage in challenges with other Fitbit users from around the world. The challenges are especially fun and effective. Research shows that competition is often a better motivator than praise, and Fitbit actively encourages you to issue a challenge to a friend or coworker.

Even if you’re not a competitive person, the simple daily step goals can be compelling.
“If I don’t hit my 10,000 steps in a day, I don’t care how cold it is, I go for a walk,” Allen tells HealthyWay. “I know I need to do that to keep myself accountable.”
That accountability is a powerful motivator, provided that you’re into the idea of tracking steps. Otherwise, you’ll quickly notice that the Fitbit app isn’t exactly versatile. While you can use the app to track non-cardio workouts, it’s not really designed for that purpose, and to get any sort of guided workouts, you’ll have to pay extra for Fitbit Coach ($39.99 per year). Also, while you don’t have to buy an actual Fitbit watch to use its fitness app, you’ll miss out on some of the app’s best features (such as the heart rate monitor) if you forgo the tracker.
Those issues aside, Fitbit offers one of the cleanest total fitness apps available. If you’re considering a step tracker, this app might be good enough to push you over the edge—and that’s certainly how it’s designed.

Price

Free, although you’ll probably want to buy a fitness tracker.

Recommended if…

You enjoy setting daily step goals, you’re looking for a total-health app, and you’ve got friends with Fitbits.
[link-button href=”https://fave.co/2I7R5XV”] Download On iTunes [/link-button]
[link-button href=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fitbit.FitbitMobile”] Download On Google Play [/link-button]
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MyFitnessPal — Best App for Counting Calories

Perennially one of the most popular total fitness apps, MyFitnessPal is more focused on diet than exercise. It keeps an ongoing calorie count, and you can use its built-in calculator to set an attainable daily caloric goal (although it’s best to speak with a physician or dietitian before making significant changes to your diet). You can scan barcodes to easily log foods or choose from thousands of options in the app’s database.
Logging workouts in MyFitnessPal is easy, if a bit simplistic. You can choose from a number of activities, then enter the time you spent exercising. The app updates your goal to reflect the burned calories.

That’s pretty much it, but if you’re counting calories, you’ll appreciate the app’s detailed nutritional breakdowns and not-so-detailed calorie counter. Hey, simple goals are generally better. And if you’re just trying to lose or gain weight, MyFitnessPal gets the job done and doesn’t pack on unnecessary extras. It also has a large online community, which can be quite helpful if you’re struggling to stay motivated.

Price

Free. For more detailed statistics—and to get rid of ads—you’ll need to pay $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year.  

Recommended if…

You’re trying to manage your weight or track nutrition. MyFitnessPal is intuitive and easy to use, but it won’t guide your workouts or drive you toward exercise goals, so you’ll probably need to complement it with a separate workout app.
[link-button href=”https://fave.co/2AjDb1a”] Download On iTunes [/link-button]
[link-button href=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myfitnesspal.android&hl=en”] Download On Google Play [/link-button]

MapMyFitness — Best Workout App for Tracking Outdoor Exercises

One of the first GPS workout tracking apps, MapMyFitness remains one of the simplest (and one of the best). It allows you to track mileage for runs, walks, bike rides, hikes, and anything else outdoors.
Log in online and you’ll be able to view your past workouts along with information about speed, pace, elevation, and calories burned. There’s also a great MapMyFitness community, so if you’re looking for a running buddy, here’s a good place to start.
If you spend most of your exercise at the gym, however, MapMyFitness falls flat. You can manually enter workouts, but other apps offer a much better set of tools designed for that purpose.

Price

Free. Premium subscriptions unlock additional features, including unlimited mapped routes, for $5.99 per month or $29.99 per year.

Recommended if…

You set single-workout goals, you’re a cardio addict, and you need a simple, no-frills way to track your outdoor workouts.
[link-button href=”https://fave.co/2I7zuiN”] Download On iTunes [/link-button]
[link-button href=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mapmyfitness.android2&hl=en”] Download On Google Play [/link-button]

Strava — Best Workout App for Getting Competitive

Strava is another cardio app, but if you’re competitive, it’s an absolute must-download. It sets itself apart from other GPS workout apps with its “Segments” feature, which records the fastest times for set routes. You can race yourself to try to beat your best time, or you can take on the sizable Strava community to become Queen or King of the Mountain (QOM or KOM for short).
This fitness app also offers virtual clubs, so you can find like-minded cyclists or runners near you. Strava records data from your Fitbit, Garmin watch, or just about any other well-known smartwatch, but if you’re not wearing a tracker, you’ll still get to see some fairly detailed statistics about each workout.
As with Map My Fitness, Strava’s biggest drawback is that it’s designed specifically for outdoor exercise. But that’s not much of a drawback if you love nothing more than hitting the trails, and the premium features are well worth the expense.

Price

Free. You can pay $7.99/month or $59.99/year for a premium membership, which gives you access to more detailed statistics and more powerful fitness tracking tools.

Recommended if…

You prefer exercising outdoors and you’re motivated by competition.
[link-button href=”https://fave.co/2I3F7OQ”] Download On iTunes [/link-button]
[link-button href=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.strava&hl=en”] Download On Google Play [/link-button]

Sworkit — Best Workout App for Finding New Exercises

Sworkit offers a variety of video-guided workout plans that take users through stretches, bodyweight exercises, yoga, and more. You tell the app whether you want to get stronger or leaner, choose an amount of time for your workout, then follow a playlist of videos (in the free version, your options are limited and you don’t get access to full training plans). Premium Sworkit members can also consult with personal trainers.
Although Sworkit is a bit simplistic for dedicated gym rats, it’s a good app for getting in five minutes of exercise on your work breaks. The videos are clean, simple, and easy to follow, and it’s oddly addictive.

Price

Free, but to really get the most from the app, you’ll have to pay for the premium version. That costs $29.99 for three months, $79.99 for a year, or $297 for lifetime access.

Recommended if…

You enjoy variety in your workouts or you want access to guided bodyweight exercises that you can perform anywhere.
[link-button href=”https://fave.co/2I7So9h”] Download On iTunes [/link-button]
[link-button href=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sworkitapp.sworkit.com&hl=en”] Download On Google Play [/link-button]

Keelo – Best Workout App for Punishing, High Intensity Workouts

Keelo is another workout guidance app, but it’s slightly more robust (and dare we say challenging) than Sworkit. It uses the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) approach to deliver big results—and demanding, difficult workouts. If you’re a CrossFitter, you’ll know what you’re getting into.
One significant disadvantage: Keelo is only available in the Apple Store, so Android users are out of luck for the time being. We also wouldn’t recommend this app for beginners; if you’re taking on high-intensity workouts, you should know what you’re doing or have guidance from a personal trainer.

Price

Free, but upgrading to the premium version will cost $11.99 per month, $29.99 per three months, or $69.99 per year.

Recommended if…

You’re motivated by achievement and you love overcoming difficult workouts.
[link-button href=”https://fave.co/2I4wrYr”] Download On iTunes [/link-button]

Charity Miles – Best App if You’re Motivated by Giving Back

Make each movement count with Charity Miles. This altruistic app functions like a pedometer or cycling meter, enabling its users to track their total distance traveled with start and stop functions. The more you walk, run, or cycle, the more money the apps’ sponsors (such as Johnson & Johnson) will donate to the charity of your choice.
That’s right, Charity Miles has more than 30 charities—from the ASPCA to the Wounded Warrior Project—for its users to choose from. After each sweat session, you’re able to see your total distance traveled and how much money you’ve earned for the charity of your choice.
The app also offers a Team feature, through which you can combine your distance with your friends and family to see how much money you can earn as a collective. For an added boost of motivation, the Charity Miles app includes a podcast that offers insights on overcoming adversity and other topics that many current users find encouraging to listen to during their workouts.  

Price

Free

Recommended if…

You enjoy running, walking, or cycling and you’re looking for a way to make a difference in the lives of others while taking strides to benefit your personal health.  
[link-button href=”https://fave.co/2I1Q6Z9″] Download On iTunes [/link-button]
[link-button href=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.charitymilescm.android”] Download On Google Play [/link-button]

What the Best Workout Apps Can (and Can’t) Do

So which workout app is the right one for you? And should you even use your smartphone while exercising? That really depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.
“I think with the way modern tech has helped us advance, [apps] can only help you get to your goals quicker or understand them better,” Allen says. “They allow you to explore and find more opportunities to be successful instead of just following something you heard from a friend or a fellow fitness fanatic. It opens up that many more opportunities.”
But even the best workout app isn’t a replacement for a personal trainer. A workout app can’t study your form, warn about nutritional deficiencies, or tell you to slow down when you’re overexerting yourself. Those are important considerations to keep in mind.

Take fitness apps’ suggestions with a grain of salt, especially if you’re trying to manage your weight. If you’re making major lifestyle changes, speak with your doctor or dietitian to be sure that you’re pursuing a healthy course of action.

Otherwise, have fun—the best workout apps can really enhance your training, even if they can’t quite do everything for you.  

Categories
Fresh Fashion Lifestyle

Dressing For Love: 7 Date Night Outfits For Every Occasion

Maybe it’s not quite love at first sight, but you both swiped right and decided to meet up Friday night. You’re going out to that swanky Italian place that just opened up downtown—it’s bound to be an interesting experience and could lead to something more. You’re buzzing with excitement over the possibilities.
But you take a look a look at your closet and dread sets in: What are you supposed to wear to impress your date?
You probably want something flattering (that doesn’t look like you tried too hard). You’re looking for something that’s sexy yet comfortable and that won’t reveal when you’ve had a few ravioli too many. You hope to find the perfect balance between trendy and classic. And of course, the date night outfit has to come in that perfect shade to complement your baby blues. But where do you begin putting together a look?
HealthyWay’s got you covered. We’ve put together a guide to help you find the perfect date night outfits for every occasion, whether you’ll be slurping spaghetti, bouncing around the best cocktail bars in the city, or doing something a little more adventurous. (Trust us: You can find love at the indoor rock climbing gym.)
Here’s what to wear on your next date.

Date Night Outfits for When You’re Dressing for Love

Dressing for love is an art, rather than a science. There are no hard and fast rules for choosing a date night outfit that will make your sweetheart swoon. More than anything, you want to create a look that’s true to who you are.
If the date night outfit makes you feel amazing about yourself, you’re golden. Confidence is the most beautiful quality in a partner. Do you love mixing and matching prints? Throw on your splashiest skirt and strut with pride. Maybe you’re more of a minimalist who feels gorgeous in classic cuts. Go for a monochrome look that accentuates your silhouette.
Beyond dressing authentically, however, there are other factors to consider. What’s the weather forecast? What’s the planned activity? What’s the vibe of the venue? You want to find a date outfit that will keep you comfortable, whether you’re hiking on a chilly spring day or standing for a few hours as your favorite band jams on stage. It’s always a good idea to grab a sweater (doesn’t every restaurant have a draft?), wear shoes that don’t pinch (at least not too much!), and make sure your accessories don’t get in the way.
One last tip: Always try sitting down in your date night outfit before you go out. It could shift in ways you wouldn’t expect, and you may want to make a quick swap to something that hits you in all the right places, whether you wind up sitting or standing.

First Date at a Casual Pizza Joint

Nothing takes the edge off a first date quite like agreeing to go somewhere friendly and chill. But what’s the right date night outfit for a casual dinner? Try that classic early 2000s favorite: jeans and a nice top.
Madewell’s curvy high-rise skinny jeans in black sea hug the body in all the right places. They come in dozens of sizes, including inseams specifically for short, tall, and “taller” women. The raw hems and hand-ripped knees will show that you’re on point with 2018 fashion trends.
A sheer top elevates the overall look into a flirty ensemble. BB Dakota’s lacy short-sleeve crew neck top or Free People’s v-neck muscle tank would look sharp with high-waisted skinnies—and offer enough wiggle room for you to nervously scarf down too much pepperoni if it comes to that.
Date night outfits don’t always require heels. Keep it casual with a pair of cute flats, like sustainable footwear brand Rothy’s black flats with a pointed toe, which are made from recycled bottles, or Sam Edelman’s on-trend woven mule.
The lace top should be the most eye-catching element of your casual date night outfit. Simplify your accessories with some gold bangles, like these recycled brass stacking cuffs from SOKO, handmade by Kenyan artisans. Stash your keys, phone, wallet, and lipstick in a chic black bag, like this eco-friendly clutch from Matt & Nat.

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Luxe Date With Your Long-Term Partner

We tend to settle in and get cozy when we’re in a long-term relationship. But your partner wants to splurge on a five-course meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and you’ve got to dress the part. What’s the best date night outfit to wear when you want to dazzle your partner (who has already seen you in everything)?
This is the perfect time to try something bold and eye catching, like a jumpsuit. Yumi Kim’s known for its rompers and jumpsuits. The brand’s silk floral romper radiates the right amount of romance for a summer date night outfit. A long-sleeve midi dress in a pretty floral print is a smart alternative to wear when the weather’s cooler, and the draped wrap style will hang nicely on a variety of body shapes. If prints aren’t your thing, check out this solid black jumpsuit from Amour Vert. The sustainably made garment features hypoallergenic silk that can be worn year round and is colored with only nontoxic dyes.
Choosing the right shoe is critical when wearing a jumpsuit. A heel gives you a lift that will turn heads. Sam Edelman’s ankle strap block-heel pump in nude creates lean lines and elongates your legs. Or we love these block heel sandals from ABLE, which employs women living in poverty around the world. The store only offers cruelty-free items, so you’ll feel good knowing no animals were harmed in the making of your heels.
Tie your hair back in a low bun or flirty braid and wear an understated yet elegant necklace like the Cascade Lariat from ABLE to show off your neckline. Stash all your essentials in a statement-making crossbody bag, such as this mini chain saddle bag or a sleek modern clutch from Urban Originals. The overall date night outfit will look both sexy and sophisticated—perfect for wowing your long-term sweetheart.

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Rock Concert With Someone You’re Getting to Know

It’s been a few months and you’re really enjoying spending time with this person. You noticed their favorite band is playing a live show in a couple weeks and you scored tickets! This occasion calls for a date night outfit with an edgy rocker vibe that will make you the star of the show.
Let’s work from the top down. A muscle tank with graphic vintage elements is a nice throwback to the rocker look from the 1970s, especially if you knot the bottom. This sequin tank from Express has elongated arm holes that will play peekaboo with colorful a lacy bralette (this one from Amazon comes in a ton of colors). Alternatively, create a rocker chic look with this distressed tank from Alternative Apparel and this classic collar necklace from Nisolo. For a more eclectic vibe, add a layered-look necklace and a stack of rings to finish off your look.
Keep the ’70s vibes flowing with high-waisted wide leg jeans from sustainable fashion giant Reformation, which cleans a thousand gallons of water for every pair sold. Lucky Brand offers a pair of tomboy-style jeans with a similar cool factor. If your concert date is outside during warmer months you might opt for a cool pair of cut-offs like this one from AGOLDE.
A date night outfit for a rock concert demands a shoe that’s both stylish and comfortable (you’ll be standing for a few hours). ASOS has the perfect pair of studded sandals with a chunky block heel for comfort and stability. But if any sort of heel will stifle your dancing, choose a metallic sneaker instead for a date night look that’s both fun and funky. These shiny sneakers from Veja are perfect for grooving all night, and they’re made from eco-friendly materials.
You’ll want to keep your hands free to hold a drink and shoot pics of the band, so try to take advantage of your pockets to hold your lipstick, phone, and wallet. If you have to carry a bag with this date night outfit, choose a small shoulder bag that features fun details. Urban Originals vegan leather embossed shoulder bag should do the trick.

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Indoor Rock Climbing on a Third Date

Active dates are one of the best ways to get to know your new beau a little better. If you’re heading to the indoor rock climbing gym, you’ll need to find a date outfit that allows for ample range of motion but won’t hide your figure or compromise your style.
Sustainable activewear brand ADAY’s leggings are stretchy, sweat-wicking, and supportive. These leggings will move with your body as you climb to the top of the rock wall, and they have a handy pocket for your phone and keys. Outdoor Voice’s Slashback Crop Top will keep you dry and supported even as you work up a sweat. Throw on a cool bomber jacket, slip into some fun slides or sneakers, grab a cute gym-friendly bag, and you’ll be ready to go.
For makeup, you’ll want to keep it more natural, but tarte offers a great gym essentials kit for a natural but active-date-ready look.
Socks are usually an afterthought for date night outfits, but you’ll need to pick a nice thin pair to slide on with your rock climbing shoes. Bombas offers a four-pack of no show socks in neutral colors with the classic bumblebee logo, and they’re a great conversation starter while you’re gearing up to climb: For every pair sold, the brand gives a pair of socks (one of the most requested items at homeless shelters) to someone in need. If you thought your heart could only be worn on your sleeve, think again!

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Going on a Hike With Your Crush

A friend that you’ve been crushing on for a while has invited you to take a hike. You’re both friendly and familiar, but you’re trying to take things to the next level. What should you wear?
Layers are your best friend here: You’ll want to bundle up to fight off the chill of the morning with the ability to strip off heavier garments as you warm up on the hike. Think leggings, tank top, sweatshirt, and maybe a hat and scarf, depending on the weather.
Outdoor Voice’s Hi-Rise 7/8 Legging are a great pick for a hiking date legging. The sweat-wicking fabric, four-way stretch, and universally flattering fit that sculpts, lifts, and tones make them perfect for exploring the great outdoors. On top, start with this strappy two-in-one tank from lululemon, then layer on something that offers some protection, like Athleta’s sustainably-made Vitamin Sea Jacket. This jacket offers UPF 50+ coverage and is made from post-consumer plastic bottles, meaning it’s not only doing good for you—it’s helping the environment as well.
Finally, if the weather necessitates additional layers, add a vest for a date outfit that’s fit for the forest. This lightweight water-resistant packable down vest is a great choice that can be rolled up, packed neatly into the included carrying bag, and stored in your backpack if you get too warm. Toss your hair into a ponytail, throw on your favorite baseball cap, and get ready to hit the trail (hopefully hand-in-hand with your hiking buddy!).

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Date Night Outfits for Formal Events

Every once in awhile, you’ll get an invite to go somewhere truly extravagant, like a charity gala, the opera, or the ballet. You’ll need a date night outfit that will turn heads as soon as you walk in the door.
You can’t go wrong with a little black dress, but try to find one that has some attitude and isn’t too short. This body-con midi dress from Nordstrom has a faux wrap look with ruching at the sides that accentuates the body-con fit and is flattering for your waistline. With this look, you can really dress it up with glam statement jewelry like these Miguel Ases handmade earrings, which are very lightweight and comfortable. Polish off this sleek look with a dramatic smokey eye using Kat Von D’s Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette.
For a head-turning color in a silhouette that will wow, go for Reformation’s Callalily dress. With a deep v-neck, an open back, and a high slit, you’ll be turning heads in this date night outfit.
If you’re looking for a truly stunning date night outfit for a formal event, Monsoon’s embellished maxi dress exudes old-school Hollywood glamour. The intricate beadwork is handmade not only to give each dress a unique look, but also to help sustain traditional craftsmanship techniques in Asia.
Carry everything you need in an acrylic clutch that brings an element of surprise to an otherwise classic look. This Cult Gaia clutch has a mod appeal. If you’re looking for something a little more traditional, Gigi New York offers a variety of clutches that can be used both for day and evening, like this Stella Fold-Over Clutch which has a conveniently detachable crossbody strap.
Sexy stilettos are a must for fancy date night outfits. Check Beyond Skin for high-end, cruelty-free footwear designs, like these t-strap stiletto heels. Or try Sam Edelman’s Ariella Ankle Strap Sandal for a moderately priced, versatile go-to.

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Date Night Outfits for When You Just Want to Netflix and Chill

Date night doesn’t always mean going out: Sometimes snuggling up with your SO on the couch in front of a few flicks can be more romantic than anything else. A chill night is no excuse to look frumpy, though.
Date night outfits for movies at home should create an alluring look that allows you to sprawl out and snuggle up comfortably. The silk sleep set from Everlane is a casual date night outfit with a cute cut your guy will love. Conversely, you could slip on these cropped joggers from Anthropologie and a super soft but stylish sweatshirt from Athleta.
And when it comes to Netflix and chill, what you wear underneath matters just as much as what’s on top. Choose a matching bra and panty set that makes you feel like a goddess. The Secret Life of Hummingbirds lingerie collection from Naja gives you a variety of flattering styles, all of which are made by single mothers or women heads of households. If supporting other women isn’t sexy, we’re not sure what is.

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Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

Calcium Deficiency Can Cause These Conditions; Here’s How To Make Sure You’re Getting The Amount Your Body Needs

When you were a kid you were probably told to drink your milk with every meal in order to grow strong and healthy bones. While each glass won’t equate to an inch in height, it’s true that dairy is a great source of calcium, an essential mineral. That said, in America, 6 percent of the population say they’re vegan, up from just 1 percent in 2014, and whether you’re #plantpowered or still drink milk daily,  it’s important to make sure that you’re getting enough calcium.
Chances are that you might not have given much thought to your calcium intake until recently. However, calcium deficiency doesn’t just affect adults, but also infants and children, so you’ll want to know the signs to ensure that no one in the family is suffering from the condition.
Luckily, with a bit of extra planning, it’s entirely possible to get enough calcium either by eating dairy and meat or as part of a plant-based diet. Luckily, eating an array of foods can help you avoid calcium deficiency, so there’s no need to put all your stock in dairy if you’re looking to boost your calcium intake.
Here is everything you should know about calcium deficiency, from the signs and symptoms to how to get more calcium into your diet.

What is calcium’s role within the body?

Calcium is an essential mineral that keeps your body functioning well. Most people know that calcium is associated with bones and teeth. In fact, 99 percent of the calcium that you consume is used to keep your [linkbuilder id=”6657″ text=”bones and teeth strong”] and healthy according to Vanessa Rissetto, a registered dietician and nutritionist in Hoboken, New Jersey, and former senior dietitian at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
Calcium is also needed to help your muscles move and ensure your nerves can carry messages according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additionally, calcium helps your blood move through your body and clot, and is important for the release of hormones and enzymes that control a range of bodily functions from digestion to menstruation. With so many important functions controlled by calcium, it’s critical to make sure that you don’t suffer from calcium deficiency.

How much calcium is enough to avoid calcium deficiency?

Each day we naturally lose calcium when we shed nails, skin, or hair, use the bathroom, or sweat, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Although calcium is always leaving our body, it’s impossible for our bodies to make more calcium. Because of this, we need to make sure we’re getting enough calcium in our diets so that we don’t develop a deficiency.
So, how much calcium should you be getting? It depends on how old you are. Here are the recommended daily intakes from the NIH:

  • Infants younger than 6 months need 200 milligrams of calcium each day, which can come from breast milk or infant formulas. Unlike any other age group in the U.S., nearly 100 percent of infants get the calcium intake they need, whether they’re breastfed or on formula, which means unless you have a preterm infant or baby with other special dietary needs, you shouldn’t have to worry about your infant’s calcium intake.
  • Infants 7 to 12 months need 260 milligrams of calcium each day. Since yogurt can be introduced into a baby’s diet once they’re over 6 months old, a 4-ounce serving of plain, low-fat yogurt (207.5 mg according to the NIH) and a cup of kale baby food (90.5 mg) would exceed an older baby’s need by 38 grams while diversifying their diet.
  • Kids ages 1 to 3 need 700 milligrams of calcium each day. According to the NIH, a slice of white bread, a half cup of cottage cheese, a cup of calcium-fortified orange juice, and a cup of whole milk would exceed a toddler’s daily need by 66 mg.
  • Kids ages 4 to 8, adults ages 19 to 50, and men over 50 need 1,000 milligrams of calcium each day. A cup of black-eyed peas, 24 almonds, a cup of frozen, boiled collards, a quarter block of tofu, plus the cup of orange juice mentioned above (all plant based!) would exceed a child or adult’s need by 149 mg. Of course dairy, fish, or meat sources of calcium can be swapped in, too.
  • Kids and teens ages 9 to 18 need 1,300 milligrams of calcium each day. Adding a cup of trail mix (nuts, seeds, and chocolate chips—which contains approximately 159 mg of calcium) to the selections listed above will ensure they consume 8 mg over their recommended daily value.
  • Women over 50 and all people over 70 need 1,200 milligrams of calcium each day, meaning people in these age ranges can aim to consume the same amount of calcium-rich foods we’ve recommended for kids, teens, and adults of other ages.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women do not need to consume additional calcium, but according to Rissetto it is especially important to make sure you are getting the recommended daily dose if you are pregnant or nursing.
“If a pregnant woman has low levels of calcium, the fetus will draw calcium from the maternal bones in order to get the amounts that it needs,” she says. This can cause the mother’s bones to demineralize more rapidly. In addition to weakening the bones, this can also release lead into the bloodstream, which can potentially harm mom and baby, Rissetto says. To avoid this, she recommends that all pregnant women take a calcium supplement. Note that most prenatal vitamins contain between 200 and 300 mg of calcium (but be sure to check the label!).

Why is vitamin D important to help avoid calcium deficiency?

In order to make sure that your body is getting enough calcium you need to get enough vitamin D as well. This is important because your body needs vitamin D in order to properly absorb calcium into your bones.
“Vitamin D helps to put calcium into the correct location, the bones, rather than the blood vessels and the arteries,” says Prudence Hall, MD, author of the book Radiant Again & Forever.  
Vitamin D is most readily found in sunlight, according to the NIH. When ultraviolet rays from sunlight hit your skin, they trigger vitamin D synthesis. This releases vitamin D into your system, which in turn helps with the absorption of calcium. However, wearing sunblock can affect the production of vitamin D, since even an SPF 8 reduces vitamin D production by 95 percent. This can make it harder to absorb calcium. It can also be difficult to get enough vitamin D during the darker winter months.
Because of this, many people need to turn to food or supplements to get additional vitamin D. Vitamin D is found in fish including tuna, salmon, and mackerel. Other foods including milk, orange juice, and cereals are fortified with vitamin D. However the most foolproof way to make sure that you’re getting enough vitamin D to avoid calcium deficiency is to take a vitamin D supplement.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that all breastfed infants receive a vitamin D supplement. While infant formula is fortified with vitamin D, breast milk does not contain the vitamin, meaning breastfed babies benefit from supplementation.
Note that scientists are learning that vitamin D isn’t the only vitamin that is essential to preventing calcium deficiency. Researchers are beginning to look more closely at how vitamin K affects calcium absorption and bone strength. It is believed that vitamin K can help keep calcium in the bones and out of the blood. People who are concerned about calcium deficiency should consider supplementing their diets with vitamins D and K, Hall says.

What are the signs of calcium deficiency?

It can be hard to tell if you’re not getting enough calcium from your diet. That’s because rather than showing symptoms, your body will begin pulling calcium stores from your bones in order to perform essential functions and compensate for the calcium deficiency according to the NIH.
Over time you may begin noticing that your nails and teeth appear more brittle or weakened, Rissetto says. That can be an early warning sign that something is wrong.
“Healthy nails and teeth aren’t necessarily a sign of sufficient calcium intake, but they are an indicator,” she says.
Over time, the symptoms of calcium deficiency can become more alarming. Numbness in your hands and feet, tingling in your fingers, and abnormal heartbeat can all be signs of calcium deficiency according to the NIH. Depression, muscle cramps, and memory loss can also be signs of calcium deficiency, Rissetto says.
Since calcium deficiency can be hard to detect until it becomes severe, Rissetto suggests talking to your doctor if you are experiencing any of the symptoms of calcium deficiency. Oftentimes people wait until they break a bone to discuss calcium deficiency, but by that point the calcium deficiency is already severe. She also notes that people who are concerned about their vitamin D levels should talk to their doctors, since that can directly contribute to calcium deficiency.

It is possible to get too much calcium?

Getting enough calcium is important in order to avoid the symptoms above, but getting too much calcium can cause negative health effects ranging from constipation to kidney stones. Additionally, studies referenced in a Harvard School of Public Health resource point to high milk, lactose, and calcium consumption being related to ovarian cancer and advanced and fatal prostate cancer. The ovarian and prostate cancer section of the resource concludes, “Clearly, although more research is needed, we cannot be confident that high milk or calcium intake is safe.”
Most children and adults under 50 should not consume more than 2,500 milligrams of calcium each day. Adults over 50 shouldn’t eat more than 2,000 milligrams of calcium in a day.

Who is most at risk for calcium deficiency?

Most Americans get enough calcium from their diets and do not need to supplement in order to avoid calcium deficiency according to the NIH. However, some groups are at a higher risk and should closely monitor their calcium intake and consider whether they need to take a supplement. These include:

Postmenopausal Women

Women who have gone through menopause absorb calcium less effectively. “Postmenopausal women are at greatest risk for calcium deficiency due to the acceleration of bone breakdown after 30 and the decrease in estrogen levels after menopause,” Rissetto says.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the decrease in the ability to absorb calcium begins at menopause and continues with age, so older women should be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of calcium deficiency.

Vegetarians and Vegans

People who eat a plant-based diet are at increased risk because they do not eat dairy, which is the main source of calcium in most people’s diets. These people should take care to eat foods that fit with their lifestyle and are rich in calcium.

Amenorrheic Women

Women who do not get a regular period are more at risk for calcium deficiency. One cause of amenorrhea (not getting a period) is insufficient diet, and women who are not eating enough are more likely to experience calcium deficiency. Women should work with the doctors to find and treat the underlying cause of their amenorrhea to ensure they are getting enough of the essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients their bodies need.

Pregnant Women

Pregnant women need to get enough calcium to support their bone health and that of their growing baby. “The fetus requires its bony structure to be made of calcium, which it takes from the mother,” Hall explains. That can leave mothers at a greater risk for calcium deficiency.

What foods can help me avoid calcium deficiency?

Calcium is most readily associated with dairy, but there are plenty of other foods that are rich in calcium, including vegetarian and vegan options.
“Americans [typically] get adequate calcium in their diets, because calcium is found abundantly in leafy greens, seeds, sardines, beans and lentils, cheeses, and almonds,” Hall says.  
The National Osteoporosis Foundation maintains a list of calcium-rich foods. Incorporating these foods into each meals can help you avoid calcium deficiency.

  • Milk: One cup of milk contains about 300 milligrams of calcium, making this a great source of the mineral.
  • Collard Greens: Although most people think of dairy when they think about calcium, a cup of collard greens packs 360 milligrams of calcium, more than a similarly sized serving of dairy. This and other dark, leafy vegetables are great sources of calcium for vegetarians and vegans who want to avoid calcium deficiency.
  • Fortified Beverages: Many beverages including almond milk and orange juice have calcium added. A cup of these drinks can give you 300 milligrams of calcium, the same amount as a glass of milk.

Beans, lentils and broccoli are also great non-dairy calcium sources, Rissetto says.

What other conditions are associated with calcium deficiency?

Since calcium affects many of your bodily functions, calcium deficiency is associated with medical conditions that can be caused or made worse by not getting enough calcium in your diet. These include:

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis occurs when the body loses too much bone, or makes too little, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Over time the bones develop a porous or honeycomb structure, and can break quite easily. The condition is very common in older adults, affecting half of women over 50 and a quarter of men over 50.
Since calcium is important to strong bones, it can help prevent osteoporosis by keeping bones from weakening. Scientific studies like this one published in the journal Public Health Nutrition have concluded that getting the recommended dose of calcium (and vitamin D) is a safe and effective way to gain some protection against osteoporosis. However, since there are many diseases and conditions (including hormonal changes) that can contribute to osteoporosis, avoiding calcium deficiency does not guarantee that you will not get the disease.  

Hypocalcemia

Hypocalcemia occurs when there is a calcium deficiency in the blood. The symptoms of hypocalcemia include muscle cramps or spasms, tingling in the fingers or toes, irritability, and mood changes.
Although hypocalcemia is characterized by a calcium deficiency, it is most often caused by an underlying thyroid condition in which the thyroid does not produce enough of a hormone that helps to regulate calcium levels. The development of hypocalcemia is most often associated with thyroid surgery and autoimmune disease. However, since the condition causes calcium deficiency, treatment includes supplementing with calcium and vitamin D.

Neonatal Hypocalcemia

Neonatal hypocalcemia occurs when infants experience a calcium deficiency during the first week of life. A baby with calcium deficiency might have trouble feeding, be jittery, or have seizures. Babies who are born premature, have a low birth weight, or whose mothers had diabetes during pregnancy are most at risk for this form of calcium deficiency.  Luckily, the condition is easily treated by giving babies a calcium supplement.
If you’re eating a well-balanced diet, even if it is vegetarian or vegan, you are likely getting enough calcium. However, calcium deficiency can be a serious condition that affects your health and quality of life, and it can exacerbate certain serious health conditions, meaning it’s important for women of all ages to know the signs and symptoms of deficiency.

Categories
No Gym Required Sweat

Depressed By Debris: What Happened When I Went Plogging For The First Time

It’s not uncommon to see gray and dreary skies for days on end during the winter months and on into early spring, especially if you reside in the Midwest. After a week filled with cold, rainy weather, a Sunday with clear skies and temperatures in the high 40s left me feeling more motivated than ever to head outdoors and stretch my legs.
Since my partner and I were both feeling stir crazy, tired of Entourage reruns (sorry, Vince), and eager to breathe fresh air, we chose to start our rain-free Sunday with a light jog around the track at the middle school directly across the street from our home.
It was only 35 degrees at this point, but we were determined to take advantage of our day off. Before we left our house, I decided that this would be a great opportunity for me to try plogging for the first time. In case you aren’t familiar, plogging is a Swedish trend that combines physical exercise in the form of running or jogging with picking up litter in the surrounding area.
I wore one sanitary glove and one winter glove (because 35 degrees is ice cold to my native Texan bones) and brought a small trash bag with us so that I could pick up garbage around the middle school track and soccer fields during our jog.
The amount of plastic products, duct tape, and cigarette butts that I noticed only a few paces into our workout was eye opening. Despite the fact that our route was less than a mile round trip, my small trash bag was almost completely full as we neared the end.
plogging 1
I tried to pick up as much litter as I possibly could, but I’m certain that I missed some along the way, including one Styrofoam cup that had been thrown behind a fence with a No Trespassing sign.
One of the most disheartening realizations of my first plogging experience was the fact that there were trash cans distributed throughout the school property in convenient locations near the track, soccer fields, and parking lot—yet some people had still made the conscious decision to throw their garbage on the grass instead of taking a few extra steps to ensure their waste made it to the trash receptacle or recycling bin.
After about 20 minutes of plogging, my partner and I returned home with a heavy trash bag and even heavier hearts.
As the day warmed up, we decided to take our dog to a local park for plogging round two. This was about a two-mile journey round trip. My boyfriend held our dog’s leash while I jogged along beside them and picked up trash along the path leading to and from the park and within the park itself. Without prompting, my partner began plogging with me, which warmed my heart.
During our second plogging adventure, we saw at least seven different people and I couldn’t help but wonder how much cleaner the park and surrounding area would be if everyone who used the space took responsibility for the litter they brought into the area or made the effort to pick up and dispose of just one piece of trash before leaving the park.
As we made our way back home, I was relieved by how light this trash bag felt in comparison to our morning plog at the middle school and how clean the park had been overall. My sense of relief came too soon, however, and as we neared our home my boyfriend spotted a full string of broken Christmas lights in some tall grass along the side of the road. It’s currently late March, so seeing those sitting there definitely caught our attention and the rubbish-filled reality of the day sank in yet again.
plogging 2
Although we went to two different locations in our suburban area, they did share one major similarity. Both locations had public containers for trash and recycling—yet there was still waste on the ground in the form of plastic products, cigarette butts, candy wrappers, duct tape, and more.
From an environmental perspective, this experience was a bit discouraging considering the amount of waste I discovered in such a short amount of time. With that being said, my first plogging experience did have some positive aspects.
First and foremost, I was able to give back to my local community by making these shared spaces more sanitary both for myself and others by properly disposing of waste. Secondly, this was a surprisingly wonderful workout! Not only was I reaping the cardio benefits from jogging, but I was also feeling that leg and booty burn from frequently squatting down to pick up garbage.
Once we returned home, I documented my trash collections and disposed of the waste and recycling appropriately. I also washed my hands twice (for those of you who, like me, are concerned about germs and bacteria).
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment and pride after plogging and will make a continued effort to pick up litter during my future after-work jogs and weekend hiking adventures. Later in the evening, my partner commented that my actions had motivated him to pick up trash at the park, sharing that it felt good to give back to the natural world we’re able to enjoy.
We can’t be 100 percent eco-friendly at all times (and I certainly don’t claim to be), but I would encourage you to go plogging for yourself and see how much trash you collect along the way.
If you don’t have time to plog, I challenge you to start small—pick up that receipt in the parking lot out outside of your office building instead of walking past and rinse or recycle that empty water bottle in the bush at your local playground instead of kicking it like a soccer ball. Who knows, your effort just might motivate someone else to start their own plogging adventure.
You’ve seen my plogging pics, now I’d love to see yours. Share your plogging pile with me by tagging @itsthehealthyway on Instagram.