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Sweat

A Runner's Body Is Not the Physique You See In A Magazine

Image by skeeze from Pixabay

If you are ready to say goodbye to your backside (and I don’t mean in a good way), then start running. Seriously. Have you ever seen a runner with a really great perky butt? If you said yes, I can almost guarantee they are doing more than just running, or they are 10 years old.
Listen, I love running. I run several times a week, so don’t get your panties in a wad just yet. Running is a great addition to a healthy fitness routine.
Key word: addition. However, you will be very disappointed if you think running alone will get you your dream physique—unless your dream physique includes having a pancake butt.
A runner’s body is not that fit physique you see in Oxygen magazine. All you have to do is go to a marathon or a local 5K and look around. You will see overweight runners, skinny-fat runners and even a few running skeletons, but there will be very few runners with perky bottoms and a six-pack? Why? Because running doesn’t sculpt and tone muscle like people think.
Unfortunately, this isn’t something people talk about in Shape Magazine. The media shows happy, fit and tone women prancing along the beach in their skimpy running gear because it’s an easy sell. Does Nike choose marathon runners to model their running shoes? No, of course not. A marathon runner wouldn’t sell near the number of running shoes as a young fitness model. Fitness models work hard to sculpt their legs and glutes into the product-selling machines they need to be to bring people flocking to stores.
If you rely solely on running, here is what you are in for.

More Fat

Running is pretty safe, inexpensive and convenient. It’s also very efficient for losing weight, almost to a fault. This is why running is so popular, but running may cause you to lose what you want to keep and keep what you want to lose.
While running can help your weight may go down on the scale, what you may not realize is you could be losing valuable muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns throughout the day. This is good for your metabolism, but not good for a runner. A runner’s body is more concerned about going the distance and running as efficiently as possible.
Your body’s preferred fuel source for running is stored fat. That may sound like a good thing at first, until you realize what that really means. You can go much further on one pound of fat (fat provides 9 calories of energy per gram) versus one pound of muscle (muscle provides only 4 calories of energy per gram). As a result, your body will be more apt to store body fat since it’s your body’s preferred fuel source for that particular activity.
Runners, who work hard to be very fit, are always shocked when they get their body composition done because many times their body fat percentage is off the charts. While their weight may be within normal ranges, their body fat is normally too high and their muscle mass is too low for their body weight. This is what we call “skinny-fat.” A person can be skinny, but flabby—and that’s not what most people are shooting for when they beginning a running program. No! They want to get fit and look fit.

Less Muscle

Since your body is very smart, and will adapt to your exercise plan, your body makes other changes based on your activity. If your activity is primarily running, your body will do whatever it needs to do to be good at running. In addition to storing the best fuel source (fat), this also means your body will get rid of any unnecessary weight that would slow your body down. Since muscle isn’t as efficient as fat (and doesn’t provide as much energy per gram), muscle is the first thing to go. I’ve experienced this firsthand.

Soggy Bottom Girl

I’ve always lifted weights, but I had a season where I started increasing my cardio and decreasing my weight training. I didn’t do it on purpose. It was just a result of choices I made based on a busy time in my life. With less time in the day to train, I started choosing running and cardio over lifting to keep my weight in check. Though the cardio did keep my weight down, my booty started deflating like a tired old balloon. Before I knew it, my bottom looked like it belonged to an 80-year-old.
My thighs got flabby, my bottom got droopy, and my overall muscularity started shrinking. Sadly, the more muscle I lost, the more cellulite I saw too. Without muscle to firm up the body and give my skin the support it needed, my skin began to show wrinkling and sagging.  Even though I weighed less than I had over the previous years, I had lost muscle and gained fat. I was happy with my weight, but I was not happy about my shape at all. Something had to change.
I started to look at my workout schedule and I realized I hadn’t done weighted squats in a while. I had done a ton of air squats, but none with weight. This is also when I realized I was doing way more cardio and less weight training than I used to. I immediately started squatting, lunging and leg pressing my way to a fitter lower body—and I started getting results fast.
In addition to increasing my lower bodyweight training, I pumped up my protein and started adding sprints to my runs too. Sprints are a fantastic leg- and glute-sculpting cardiovascular exercise. Have you seen the women who sprint in the Olympics? OMG. If you haven’t, you have to google it. They don’t just win the gold for speed, they have award-winning bottoms, legs and abs too.
While I still run several times a week to manage my weight and health, I manage my shape with weights. I now make leg day a priority, hitting legs first thing every Monday. If I have to skip a day of weight training, I make sure it’s never a lower body workout that I’m missing.

10 Benefits of Running

  1. Improves your cardiovascular system
  2. Lowers your blood pressure
  3. Convenient and affordable
  4. Burns calories to support weight loss
  5. Helps release mood-enhancing hormones to fight depression
  6. Relieves stress
  7. Boosts confidence when you set, and reach, goals
  8. Helps smokers improve lung health and air capacity
  9. Gives you a way to support various causes
  10. Increases longevity because a healthy heart doesn’t work as hard than a heart of an inactive person

My Top 10 Butt Exercises

1. Back Squat The back squat is the mother of all glute exercises and should always be top on your exercise list. Back squats are traditional weighted squats performed inside a squat rack for safety purposes. To get the most bootiliciousness out of a back squat, it’s important to drive with your heels to engage the glutes and drop it like it’s hot (in other words, go deep).
It’s better to go deep than heavy, so try to do a safe challenging weight for 15–20 repetitions for three to four sets.
2. Straight-Leg Deadlifts Straight leg deadlifts, also called stiff-leg deadlifts or Romanian deadlift, are done with dumbbells or a barbell, and work the hamstrings, glutes and low back. The most common mistake I see with this exercise is people bend at the knee too much or they round their back. Keep your back straight through the entire movement.
Complete 15–20 repetitions for three to four sets.
3. 1-Leg Leg Press Single-leg leg presses will give you a killer glute workout that also works the quads along with the inner and outer thigh. This is definitely a must for any woman wanting nice shapely legs and glutes. Again, drive through your heels, keeping the pressure on your bottom. You will notice this gives your inner thigh a good workout too.
Try going as heavy as you can safely for 15–20 repetitions and three to four sets on each leg.
4. Walking Lunges This is my most loved and hated exercises. I’m not real fond of doing them, but I sure love the results. There is no other exercise, in my opinion, that works the butt like heavy walking lunges. I do weight walking lunges with 25 lb. dumbbells to really fire up the glutes.
Take 30 steps (15 per leg) using 15- to 20-pound dumbbells for three to four sets.
5. Curtsy Curtsies are similar to a One-Leg Romanian deadlift. This is a great glute exercise for someone who has knee problems because it is one of the few butt exercises that does not require you to bend much at the knee. You can do this exercise with or without weight.
I normally do 20–25 repetitions on each leg for three to four sets.
6. Stomps Stomp the ground with this bodyweight exercise my husband invented. You will find it really burns the butt and legs up. While you may feel it in your quads first, it’s only because your glutes can take more of a beating than you thighs (yes, your thighs will feel like they are on FIRE, but you’ll survive). The key to this exercise is keeping your weight on your heels and your heels on the ground.
Doing 10–15 repetitions for three sets is enough to wear you out.
7. Cook Hip Lift Cook hip lift is a great butt exercise for people who have low back limitations. Holding the one leg tightly to your chest takes the back extension out of the exercise, shifting all the pressure off your low back and on to your glutes.
Complete 15–20 repetitions on each leg for three sets with little to no rest.
8. Repeater Knee If you have ever done an aerobics class, you’ve probably done a knee repeater. It has been a staple in almost every step aerobics class ever taught.  While you may think the exercise is all about moving your knee back and forth, it’s actually the weight-bearing leg that’s doing all the real work. Don’t believe me, do 30–50 repetitions without taking your weight off that weight-bearing leg. If you don’t feel it in your bottom, then someone put some novocaine in your bottom!
This exercise is all about repetition, so do 20–25 repetitions on each leg for three sets with no rest.
9. Step Ups This is an exercise that can go from average to awesome in a jiffy when it’s done correctly. What will make this exercise over the top is working only one leg at a time and keeping the working leg on the bench the whole time. Hold a set of dumbbells and step up on the bench, driving your body up on the bench with your weight on your one heel. Do not return both feet to the ground between reps, and do not alternate legs. If you do, you will not get all the goody out of the booty.
Do 15–20 step ups on one leg, then repeat on the other leg. Take a quick rest after both legs are done and repeat for three to four sets.
10. Cable Hip Extension You don’t have to have a cable machine to do this exercise. You can even use an exercise resistance band to mimic the same action. Keep your body upright during this exercise, extending at the hip and maintaining a straight leg without bending over.
Complete 15–20 repetitions, keeping tension on the glutes throughout the entire set. Do both legs for three sets.

Categories
Sweat

Cinching It Up: Do Ab Belts Really Work?

Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want a smaller waist and a flatter stomach. Everyone wants nice abs. It’s funny. Even people who already have great abs still want even better ones. I guess that is why there are so many ab machines and gimmicks on the market.
I can honestly understand ab machines like the Ab Coaster and the Ab Roller. Those machines actually require a certain amount of work, but can you really get a six-pack by putting a special electronic belt around your waist?
You’ve probably seen the infomercials for ab belts claiming to strengthen, tone, and tighten your abs—no exercises required. When I Googled “ab belts,” I couldn’t believe the long list of companies in the business. Just to name a few, there’s the Slendertone, Shred Belt, Abtronic, and the Flex Belt.

How It Works

The ab belt uses electrical muscle stimulation, or EMS, to pass an electrical current through the body, causing your ab muscles to contract. Small electrodes inside the belt come in contact with your bare skin, sending the electrical pulses through your skin to do the work for you. You don’t have to do one crunch or sit up. You just simply slap that belt around your waist and turn up the electrical current until you get the desired level of contraction.
When I first heard of ab belts, they reminded me of the TENS unit (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation device) in physical therapy. But while the ab belt may seem very similar to a TENS unit I’ve used to treat back pain, they have different uses.
EMS stimulates muscles to contract, while TENS stimulates nerves. TENS units are typically used to treat chronic and acute pain. EMS is mainly used for muscle retraining and to help prevent muscle atrophy in bedridden patients.
How does it feel? Well, I personally think it feels pretty weird. If anyone says it’s relaxing, they either don’t have it up high enough, or they’re lying. Okay, maybe they really aren’t lying and they just like the weird prickly sensation of the electrical current going through their skin. It’s not painful, but I can’t say it’s completely comfortable, either—but neither is doing crunches!
How often do you use it? Different brands have different directions, but most recommend wearing the belt for 10 minutes to an hour every day. I’m guessing, like with any exercise, more is better. Just like doing 100 crunches is more effective than doing 10 crunches, using the ab belt for an hour is better than 10 minutes.

Pros and Cons

I did find a study that showed positive results for strengthening muscles with the Slendertone, but the study showed no improvement when it came to actual body composition (body fat, muscle mass, and weight changes), which is what people expect.
The biggest con has to do with body fat. Excess body fat may actually prevent the electrical current from getting to the muscle and working properly. Slendertone’s studies were all tested on people with a body mass index under 30, which means they didn’t use it on any obese people in their study.
Many of the ab belts claim to burn calories and help you lose body fat, but this claim is just untrue. So, even if the electrical current reaches your muscles through excess body fat and tones your muscle, you will still need to diet and do some cardio if you want to actually see your stronger ab muscles.
Lastly, as far as cons go, the Food and Drug Administration has received reports of burns, bruising, and skin irritation from using the ab belts. In addition to some minor injuries, the ab belts can be very harmful to some people. Even quality ab belts can interfere with pacemakers and defibrillators, so most companies will warn people with internal electronic devices not use the ab belt.
Ironically, it seems the ab belt could be more beneficial for leaner fitter, people. While it may not decrease body fat or increase muscle size, studies did show an increase in muscle strength and tone. This strength increase would improve resting tone, which means your stomach muscles would do a better job of holding your stomach in nice and flat.

Fit or Flop?

While it could be beneficial for a small population, I personally believe you can get much better results with traditional exercise and diet. Everyone has abs, just like everyone has thigh muscles. You just might not see them under your body fat, and they might need a little firming up. Instead of buying an ab belt, you’d get a lot more for your money if you bought a gym membership.
Diet and cardio is the most effective plan of attack against belly fat. Add strength training to tone muscles and reshape the body. Put all three together (diet, cardio and strength training) and you can starts to approach the abs you see on the ab belt advertisements. Because chances are, the models didn’t get that body using the ab belt anyway!

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Sweat

10 Reasons Your Belly Looks Bigger Than It Actually Is

You’ve been doing crunches. A lot of them. Running for endless miles on the treadmill. Drinking green shakes. Yet, despite your efforts, your stomach is still looking bigger than ever, and it’s driving you crazy! It may not be your fault. Unknowingly, your daily habits and patterns, along with some food that you eat, can actually make your belly look bigger. Here are 10 reasons why your waist isn’t whittling away, even though the rest of you is.
1. Tight Hip Flexors
Ab exercises like crunches and sit-ups can shorten flexors, which can tilt your hips forward and make you look like you have a belly. Exercising your core with planks and Pilates-based moves is better because these work your abs without the strain on your hip flexors.
2. Chewing Sugar-Free Gum
There’s double trouble here in regards to your belly. When you swallow air while you chew gum, it becomes trapped in your stomach and small intestines and causes bloating. If the gum that you chew is sugarless (which your dentist recommends) your bloating increases because artificial sweeteners aren’t digested by your body.
3. Too Much Stress
When your stress levels are high, your body produces a hormone called cortisol. Studies have shown that this hormone trips your body to take fat from healthier areas, like your butt and hips, and move it to your abdomen. This is called visceral fat and it not only looks bad but is also pretty bad for you because it surrounds your vital organs.
4. Not Enough Sleep
Adults are supposed to sleep seven to nine hours every night. Not getting enough sleep increases the cortisol in your body and your blood sugar levels, giving you a double whammy. The cortisol makes you store fat in your belly, and the crazy sugar levels make you crave carbs and junk food, which wreak havoc on the size of your middle.
5. Too Much Fiber/Sugar
Kale, broccoli, cabbage, and legumes like lentils and peas contain a sugar called raffinose. Your body doesn’t have the ability to digest it properly, so bacteria take the lead and feast on them, which causes gas and bloating. This combined with fiber can make your belly look big and full.
6. Gluten Intolerance
About 15 percent of the population has celiac disease or gluten intolerance, and 99 percent of people go undiagnosed. Be aware when you eat foods containing gluten (bread, pasta, cereal), and take note of how your body reacts. Bloating, gas, diarrhea, and/or constipation are all signs that you may have a problem digesting the protein in grain.
7. Acid Reflux
In addition to your belly ballooning, do you often feel sick or nauseated after a normal meal? Do you burp a lot or feel burning in your belly or throat within an hour or so of eating? Acid reflux (or indigestion) may be to blame! Certain foods, like tomato sauce, orange juice, and fatty meats, can increase the acid in your belly and cause it to bloat and swell.
8. Constipation
The truth is…when you have more in your belly and intestines, it’s going to look bigger. So if you haven’t gone to the bathroom in days, you’ll feel it. Normal intestinal gas gets trapped behind slow-moving bowels and builds up, causing your belly to distend.
9. Dairy Intolerance
If you feel gassy and uncomfortable after eating ice cream or cheese, you may be lactose intolerant, which means your body doesn’t have the enzymes to break down lactose (the sugar found in dairy products). This can irritate your belly and cause gas to form, making your belly bloated.
10. Too Much Sodium
Eating foods that contain a lot of salt can cause your body to retain water and make your stomach look bigger. The sodium/potassium pumps in your body help regulate water retention. When they’re not in balance and you eat too much salt, it triggers your body to store water. About 90% of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet.

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Motherhood

4 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Having A Baby

While I was pregnant, I found out that women love to recount their birth experiences. It didn’t matter if it was a new mom I ran into at my doctor’s office or the grandmotherly cashier at the grocery store: Everyone had a birth story to share. I’d politely listen and promptly roll my eyes as soon as I got to the car.

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“I’m not going to be that person,” I thought smugly to myself.
Fast forward to about five weeks ago, when I went into labor with my son, who incidentally, is the most precious, perfect little gumdrop of a baby.
We’re smitten. But it also turns out that I’m totally, unapologetically that person.
I’ll tell my birth story to anyone who will listen.
How did I become one of them?
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Two reasons:
One, I’m really proud of myself. Do you know how hard it is to push something the size of a large football through a hole the size of a baseball?
Two, I want to share my experience with other pregnant women so that they know what to expect during the whole birth process, because I had no idea what to expect.
I really thought I was prepared. I took the baby class; I practiced my breathing exercises; I watched about a billion YouTube videos.
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Then I went into labor for real.
And all that preparation went right out the window.
So, if you’re expecting a baby, thinking about having a baby, or just curious about what having a baby is really like, here are the four things I wish someone had told me before it was time to bring my gumdrop into the world.

1. What Contractions Really Feel Like

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me, “Oh, you’ll know when you have a real contraction,” I’d have enough nickels to put in a sock and hit those people.

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I wanted to know exactly how contractions felt so I’d know exactly when I was in labor.
It turns out, all those women are right.
I had false contractions pretty regularly during my third trimester. These false contractions, called Braxton Hicks contractions, are usually painless. Your abdomen tightens until it’s hard as a brick, and then the contraction is over in about a minute.
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When real contractions began, it felt like the worst menstrual cramping of my life. Just when the pain started to take my breath away, the contraction would end, and I’d have a brief respite until the next one began.
My experience is pretty standard, according to doula Judith Nowlin, CEO and co-founder of the iBirth app.

“Women can use so many different words to describe the way contractions feel. Here are a few that are top of mind: pressure, hug, squeeze, radiating warmth, ‘like a migraine in my midsection.’ …Drawing the comparison to a menstrual cramp during a woman’s monthly cycle is the most common way to describe what a contraction feels like.”

2. Nothing can prepare you for the pain of labor…

I chose to give birth naturally because the thought of an epidural needle frightened me more than labor. I had a couple of friends who gave birth naturally. How hard could it be?
Insert the eye roll emoji here.
Some women, like those interviewed in renowned midwife Ina May Gaskin’s book Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, describe childbirth as a pleasurable experience.
That may be true for some women. For me, the pain of childbirth was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
Nowlin explains, “As labor progresses, when the contractions will be doing their most powerful work the dull menstrual cramp sensation can build ten-fold and transform into an all-encompassing full body experience that calls the mother’s complete attention.”

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Boy, that is an understatement.
I will keep the details of my own labor between myself, my doctor, and the 42 nurses in the delivery room. However, I will tell you that after my water broke, I begged for an epidural.
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After about five minutes of those contractions, I even used the code word that my husband and I agreed would only be used if I seriously couldn’t tolerate the pain.
Ultimately, I didn’t have an epidural because there wasn’t time. Doula Becks Armstrong gets it right when she says, “Nothing can prepare you properly for what it will actually feel like on the day as it can be very different [from your] expectation.”
 
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But Armstrong does recommend some tips and techniques to help prepare for the intensity of labor pain:

Doing yoga to learn both breathing and movement can be amazingly helpful. Even just understanding how to be in an uncomfortable position, looking forward to a spot on the wall, and breathing for 30 seconds can be really beneficial. Learning about mindfulness and how to allow your thoughts to come in and out of your head while you focus your attention on different parts of your body and breathing slowly and deeply is also great training.

3. …or the post-delivery pain.

Again, I will spare you the details of my labor, but I will tell you that I had a pretty standard stage two tear. I was all amped up on adrenaline following the birth, so I thought I felt great. I was up and walking around about 40 minutes after my son was born.
The next morning? Not so much.

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Things were very sore. I walked like a cowboy who’d ridden his horse for two weeks straight. Luckily, your nurses will take care of you. They’ll provide cold compresses, pain medication, and a shoulder to (literally) cry on as they help you to the bathroom.
I met one veteran mom in my OB-GYN’s office who told me to stick some pads soaked with witch hazel and aloe in the freezer and use those for pain relief when I got home from the hospital.
I didn’t catch this woman’s name, but she is a genius and a saint. Those homemade compresses felt great. The witch hazel and aloe helped soothe incision pain and sped up the healing process.

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The good news is that postpartum pain shouldn’t last too long. After about a week, I was able to take a short walk around the block without pain. My stitches completely dissolved at week three postpartum.
Recovering from a cesarean section is a little bit different and typically takes much longer than recovering from a vaginal birth.
New mom Dora Smith-Cook, who recently gave birth via C-section, says that “recovering from an unexpected (for me) surgery just added to stress and frustration to life. Taking things slow and allowing myself to heal took a lot of effort, when all I wanted to do was focus completely on my baby.”

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After she was home, Smith-Cook focused on healing. “I had to hold off on physical activity, make myself rest for at least one of baby’s naps, and hand off the household chores to my husband.”’

4. How Much Anxiety I’d Have About Caring for an Infant

After delivery, mom and baby get totally pampered. Nurses lavish you with attention, and friends and family drop by with presents and well wishes. And then a mere 48 hours later, you’re shuttled out of the hospital and expected to drive an impossibly small baby home, where you are responsible for keeping him or her alive.
Forever.
It’s pretty anxiety-inducing.

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Armstrong tells me I’m not alone:

I think women are bombarded with so much information on what they should and shouldn’t be doing that it can get overwhelming—leading to anxiety. There are a number of things that they can do to help if they are feeling anxious (or finding it difficult to sleep, overwhelmingly tired or teary or their muscles are becoming really tight) … Anxiety often manifests in the inability to breathe deeply (and can lead to panic attacks) so finding even 5 minutes to stop and do some deep breathing can really help with your anxiety. Talking with friends, going for a walk in trees and even watching a funny movie can help with anxiety and [its] effects.

I was afraid to leave my baby alone for five minutes, even with my husband or mother, but Armstrong says, “Having a little time away from your baby can sometimes help, though it needs to be with someone they trust as otherwise it can increase the anxiety.”

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I thought I’d just be able to wing it when I went into labor. I mean, who needs to learn how to breathe, am I right?
But Armstrong says, “Understanding what happens in [labor] is important so doing classes at the hospital to really understand what the different interventions are and when they may be used is important, but actually talking about the bad birth stories (all pregnant women hear them) and finding out what they could do to prevent them from happening to them I think is almost more useful. Instead of worrying that something bad will happen they can focus on prevention.”

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Lifestyle

These Are The Shower Habits That You Need To Ditch

Showering is—and should be—a daily habit for most of us, and everyone has their own routine. Some people can’t live without washing their hair each day while others chose to skip a day or two, and the differences continue on from there.
However, did you know that some of the most common shower habits might not actually be that healthy? Believe it or not, some of the things you do every day while taking a shower could be affecting you in ways you’ve never thought of.
Check out this list to see if your shower habits are doing you more harm than good.

1. Washing Your Face

Without a doubt, it’s easier and less messy to wash your face when you’re already in the shower. However, despite the convenience, it’s actually not good for your face. The water that you shower in will typically be much hotter than what you’d wash with at the sink, and the high temperature can make your skin dry out very quickly.

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Those with skin conditions such as acne or rosacea may also find that washing their face with hot water can cause excessive redness and irritation—it could even burst a blood vessel in your face if you wash too aggressively. Use a gentle cleanser and avoid washing your face in the shower, particularly if you have acne-prone skin or rosacea.

2. Not Washing Your Feet

You might be thinking that your feet make contact with plenty of water while you’re in the shower, so there’s no real reason to actually bend down and give them a proper wash. You’d be wrong, though.
Even if you’re not prone to smelly feet, think about how sweaty your feet can get throughout the day. Not only that, but if you’re known to walk around the house or outdoors without socks or shoes, you never know what you might be picking up along the way.

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There’s no excuse for just letting the soap suds run down to your toes anymore—imagine what you’re bringing into your bed every night without giving those feet a good wash.
 

3. Not Washing or Replacing Your Loofah Regularly

Be honest, how long has the same loofah been hanging in your shower? Months? YEARS? As it turns out, that can be terrible for your health. This video demonstrates why:

Consider treating yourself to a new sponge or loofah the next time you’re out, or create a cute and convenient place to hang the one you have for air drying.

4. Using a Soap Dish

Yes, that built-in soap dish is there forever, but using it for its intended purpose actually isn’t that good of an idea. The majority of people don’t use bars of soap these days but, for those who do, be aware that leaving a bar of soap in one spot could be encouraging bacteria to grow on it—bacteria that you’re then going to spread over your entire body the next time you lather up.
Gross.

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If you have reasons for resisting the switch to liquid body wash, try finding a wire soap dish or one that has holes in the bottom so any remaining water can drain away once you’re out of the shower.

5. Using Scented Soaps

Yes, those soaps that make your bathroom smell like a tropical rainforest or a freshly-made vanilla cupcake do transport you to a place of olfactory luxury while sudsing up, but those very fragrances could be doing a number on your skin at the same time.

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Anyone who notices their skin seems particularly irritated after a shower should look to their soap as the first culprit. Fragrances can irritate sensitive skin very easily, so it’s best to use something unscented to keep your skin in the best shape. Plus, you won’t have to worry about the scent of your soap mixing with the scent of your perfume to create “questionable” smells.

6. Showering in Hard Water

Some people may not even know how to tell if their water is considered hard, but figuring it out and taking steps to adjust it could save your hair and skin from a lot of damage.


Hard water is defined by its high concentration of minerals like magnesium and calcium, which can end up making your skin break out or cause a layer of buildup on your hair. Those with dyed hair may even find that hard water strips the color out of their strands, or at least causes their tint to fade a little quicker.

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If you’re unable to add a water softener to your shower, try incorporating a clarifying shampoo into your routine to remove any buildup caused by those pesky minerals.

7. Avoiding Cold Showers

Most people wouldn’t even dream of standing in cold water for more than a second, let alone taking an entire shower in water that’s anything less than steaming hot.
Still, cold water showers can actually be really beneficial for your skin and hair, and you only need 30 seconds under a cold stream to see a difference. A quick blast of cold water is said to improve your immune function, [linkbuilder id=”3967″ text=”increase your metabolism”], and increase the amount of stress you can tolerate.

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In addition to speeding up your metabolism, a study done in 2009 suggests that regularly taking a cold shower could even help you lose weight over time.

8. Using Old Razors

For most of us, old razors aren’t something we thoughtfully replace on a regular basis. Instead, they just sit in the shower until we finally cave and get a new one. Razors, whether you’re buying replacement heads or the kind that are entirely disposable, are surprisingly expensive—so why throw one out after a certain period of time if it still seems to work?

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Well, just because a razor is shaving off your unwanted hairs doesn’t mean it’s doing so effectively. If you notice that your skin gets red and inflamed after you shave, it’s because the blades are dull and it’s time for a replacement.

9. Leaving Your Razor in the Shower

Remember how leaving your wet bar of soap in your dingy old soap dish makes it a breeding ground for bacteria? The same thing goes for your razor. There are plenty of nooks and crannies in your razor that make perfect spots for bacteria to hide, and the problem will only get worse when the razor is sitting in a warm, wet environment.

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If you don’t actually want to store your razor outside of the shower, at least make sure that you hang it up when you’re done using it so it can air dry.

10. Over Exfoliating

Giving your skin a gentle scrub every now and then is a good idea, but doing so every day could actually be causing damage. For anyone who doesn’t know, your skin actually exfoliates itself by renewing every 27 days or so.

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Anyone who chooses to exfoliate their skin every day is aggressively going after fresh skin cells, which can make your skin red and irritated as a result. It’s best to let some dead cells build up on the surface of your skin before reaching for your favorite scrub so that, you know, there’s actually something there worth exfoliating.

11. Washing Your Hair Daily

If you notice that your hair always looks damaged and feels dry no matter what you do, it’s likely that your shower water is too hot and you’re washing your hair way too often. Unless you’re someone who likes to work out every single day, you really only need to wash your hair a few times a week at most—and those with curly or extremely coarse hair should try to cut that down to once a week.

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For anyone who says that their hair is too oily to go without a daily wash, it could be the daily washing that’s causing that greasy sheen. Washing too often dries out your scalp, which makes it produce more oil to compensate. If you want to start shampooing less often, try using dry shampoo on your roots every other day. One of our favorites is Living Proof Dry Shampoo.

12. Skipping Your Shower Post-Workout

If you like to work out late at night or in the morning before you head off to work, you may decide that you’re too tired or pressed for time to squeeze a shower in. However, working up a sweat can leave bacteria on your skin that will get trapped against you if you choose not to rinse it off afterwards.
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This could lead to a skin infection or, at the very least, some minor irritation or redness. Not to mention that you’d be going to bed or heading to work a sweaty, stinky mess.

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Remember, just because you can’t smell you doesn’t mean others can’t smell you. At very least, take some time to wipe that sweat off with a clean washcloth or hand towel, or, better yet, just change your clothes. Throw some body wipes in your gym bag for a quick refresh on-the-go.

13. Reusing Dirty Towels

The logic seems solid: If you only use your towel when your body’s clean, how could your towel possibly get dirty?
This isn’t exactly the case, though. Yes, it’s alright to use your towel two to three times before you finally give it a wash, but that’s only if you hang it up to air dry after every single use. Just like your loofah, dead skin cells can cling to your towel and, when you don’t let it dry properly, there’s a big risk for bacterial growth.

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Using the same towel for a week or more at a time could mean putting yourself at risk for bacterial skin infections—plus, they can eventually start to smell pretty bad.

14. Rubbing Towels on Your Skin and Hair

We can guess with relative confidence that you reach for your towel right after getting done with your shower, but there are a couple of different ways that people towel off.
Some choose to just wrap their towel around themselves and wait to air dry while doing other things—putting in contacts, applying moisturizer, brushing their teeth—while others immediately start to wipe that water away.

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As it turns out, rubbing a towel against your skin isn’t the best thing for it, and dermatologists actually recommend that you use a patting motion to dry your skin. For anyone with long hair who likes to wrap their towel around their head like a cocoon, know that doing so could be damaging your locks, as well. Instead, use a microfiber hair turban and a wet brush to protect your hair from damage.

15. Skipping the Moisturizer

It can be pretty tempting to go lounge around after you’ve gotten out of the shower, and it’s easy to get sucked into things like reading a book or watching television before you finally start to get ready. However, you’re doing your skin a disservice if you don’t apply some moisturizer right when you get out of the shower.

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Moisturizer is absorbed just a little bit better when your skin is nice and warm, and you’ll also want to replenish any moisture your skin lost from being in that hot water. Also, just like you shouldn’t be rubbing a towel on your body, don’t scour your face when drying it, either.

16. Bathing in a Dirty Tub

Alright, so a bath definitely isn’t the same as a shower, but we have a reminder for those of you out there that take them.
Clean your bathtub every once in a while!
It’s a chore that few like doing, but it’s an important one. If you’re going to be sitting in a tub full of water for any period of time, you want to make sure that there’s nothing mixing in with your soak that you haven’t added intentionally.

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This is especially true if you share a bathroom with other people—you might like your roommates, but you don’t really know what they could’ve tracked into the tub.

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Lifestyle Wellbeing

Don't Butter Your Burns (And 7 Other Medical Misconceptions)

In the practice of bloodletting, doctors drained patients’ blood in hopes that it would help them stave off illness. It was a dubious practice that was used to treat everyone from medieval peasants to George Washington, and suffice it to say, usually did little to help affected patients.
Thankfully, bloodletting has gone out of style, and most doctors and citizens are as well-informed about proper medical care as they’ve been at any point in history.
However, a number of misconceptions about what to do in medical emergencies or first aid situations still swirl around in the American consciousness. Put grease on a burn? Peroxide on an open cut? If someone has a seizure, should you be reaching for your wallet?
HealthyWay spoke to some experts who specialize in training professionals and average citizens in first aid and emergency medical services (EMS). They offered up some advice on what to do, what not to do, and a few hard and fast rules about facing medical emergencies.

1. Butter is for bread. Toothpaste is for teeth. Neither are for burns.

Robb Rehberg is the director of first aid training and program development at the National Safety Council (NSC), an organization that eliminates preventable death through education and advocacy. He meets with a wide range of Americans to train them about proper emergency medical procedures and is very familiar with the inaccurate treatments that are still rattling around out there.

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Rehberg asserts that one of the most common misconceptions he’s encountered involve treatment of burns. Over time, some folks have believed that a bit of butter can help sooth a burn, but that’s just not true. Explains Rehberg on treating burned skin with some Land O’ Lakes: “We’re not trying to cook people. Not quite sure where butter came from, but I’ve heard it before. We certainly don’t want to put butter on a burn.”
The truth is this: Not only is butter not an effective burn treatment, but it can actually make the situation worse.
The first thing that must happen after a burn is cooling of the skin, but Rehberg says butter—or other home treatments—will not be helpful: “The skin has been burned and it needs to cool itself. Butter or any ointment is clogging up pores where heat dissipation occurs. We are hindering the body’s ability to cool itself.”
[pullquote align=”center”]“Most minor burns will heal on their own and can [be] treated by running cool water over them.”
—Andrew Berger[/pullquote]
First aid expert Andrew Berger, who is the owner and training site coordinator at Healthline First Aid, also warns against butter or other believed fixes for a burn, saying that it “can actually make the burn worse by slowing the release of heat from the skin.” Indeed, if butter is a no-go, why do some think that burns need to be treated like a piece of toast?
Berger calls butter an “old folk remedy.” An Australian medical report makes mention of an 18th century document from the Prussian Surgeon General that reads more like a recipe than an emergency procedure, saying that burns should be “painted over with grease or butter, or powdered with flour, starch or powdered charcoal to alleviate the pain.”
Rehberg also says that toothpaste is a common household burn remedy, mostly because it usually feels cool to the skin, but that the “cooling” is just a chemical reaction that is actually irritating the skin, the last thing you want to do to a sensitive burn area.
The best burn fix? A simple running of cool water for about 20 minutes. Berger explains: “Keeping in mind that there are several types of burns and several degrees of burns. Most minor burns will heal on their own and can [be] treated by running cool water over them.”
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According to Rehberg, you could also treat the affected area with a burn-specific ointment or aloe vera gel. These substances will actually help cool the burn rather than gunk it up like a stack of pancakes at IHOP.

2. If you’re cleaning a wound, keep the peroxide away.

Another common misconception Rehberg hears from students he teaches at the NSC is the use of peroxide on a wound.

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“Every medicine cabinet has peroxide. It’s not the best thing for an open wound,” states Rehberg about the all-too-familiar brown bottle of searing pain. While it may help sterilize a cut, the age-old favorite of teachers and moms could do plenty of damage as well. “You might be killing bacteria, but you’re also killing healthy skin cells,” explains Rehberg. Such an act could hamper the wound’s ability to heal or leave a more noticeable scar.
The best remedy for cuts and wounds of a manageable size is a simple one: soap and water. Berger claims you don’t need to get too complicated when treating a wound: “People always think you need ointments … for cuts and scrapes. Just wash it with antibacterial soap, it’s the best thing to clean a wound.” A deliberate wash in the sink followed by an appropriately-sized bandage will be more than enough medical attention to allow your body to do what it does best: heal itself.
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This is all assuming, of course, that the cut is of a manageable size and won’t need stitches. In every true medical emergency, you should dial 911 for assistance. Or, if your injury isn’t quite so perilous, call your primary care physician for tips on how to handle a less severe medical situation

3. Don’t tip your head back for a bloody nose.

Nosebleeds are one of the most common minor injuries. Sometimes, they are a side effect of another injury, and other times, they just spontaneously show up. Because they happen frequently, nearly everyone seems to know the treatment. However, as you will see in the video below, the traditional nosebleed remedy is also one of the most common medical misconceptions.

4. The truth about frostbite and hot water.

There’s a belief that if any skin or limbs fall victim to frostbite, the affected area should be heated up as quickly as possible with hot water. However, this isn’t exactly what medical professionals recommend.
[pullquote align=”center”]“You may actually be causing more damage.”
—Robb Rehberg[/pullquote]
First of all, cold limbs don’t necessarily mean frostbite. Berger reveals that the term “is often used too broadly for skin exposed to cold. The first stage of frostbite is frostnip, which doesn’t cause permanent skin damage and should not be treated with hot water.”
There’s no need to get the tea kettle whistling for a case of frostnip. Instead, says Berger, “it can be treated by gently rewarming the area with mild to warm water.”

When it comes to true frostbite, Rehberg says there is no better treatment than contacting the professionals: “If we’re in a situation where we have frostbite and we are close to medical help, we just want to make sure we activate the EMS system.” In certain frostbite cases, a form of reheating the body will include the use of very warm water—“about 110 degrees”—but that this practice is reserved for those with proper training to avoid further injury.
One of the dangers of treating frostbite on your own in the wild is the risk of the affected parts refreezing if subjected to the elements again: “You may actually be causing more damage,” warns Rehberg. For emergencies, there is a practice called wet-rapid rewarming that Rehberg states is “reserved for controlled environments like in a medical facility or advanced courses like wilderness first aid.”

5. Don’t heat up that sprained ankle.

Sprains and small fractures can run the gamut from inconvenience to serious hinderance. How they are treated can have a major influence on how quickly they heal.

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One misconception is to add heat to a sprained area. That’s the wrong move, according to Rehberg, who gives an easy rhyme for sprain treatment: “Ice is nice, hot is not.”
Also, patients should follow the proper protocol when it comes to icing: just about 10 minutes at a time. Rehberg advises that people with a sprain should “not ice continuously,” adding that folks should avoid the inclination to “go big or go home.” When it comes to ice on a sprain, more is not always better.
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RICE—rest, ice, compression, elevation—is usually the go-to guideline for muscle soreness and injury. However, the doctor that coined RICE, Gabe Mirkin, actually rescinded this acronym, writing that after years of recommendation by coaches, “now it appears that both Ice and complete Rest may delay healing, instead of helping.”
Mirkin, as well as a few studies, realized that while ice does keep inflammation down and numbs a bit of the pain, it also prevents that inflammation from fulfilling its original intent: healing. Long-term icing can be detrimental to the healing process by limiting the amount of muscle repairing cells that can access the site of the injury. Mirkin recommends something similar to Rehberg’s suggestion: It’s okay to ice an injury for 10 minutes once or twice with a waiting period between applications. However, icing should be avoided after this. Mirkin points out that there’s no benefit to applying ice six hours after the injury occurs.

6. If you witness someone faint or have a seizure, don’t worry about their tongue.

There’s an old belief that someone could “swallow their tongue” while passed out. Even Rehberg is familiar with this unique concern, saying he remembers being a kid and hearing rumors of someone passing away because they swallowed their tongue.

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“That’s not what happens” asserts Rehberg, “what happens is that the soft tissue in our airway can close off if we’re not responsive.” In the event of an unresponsive individual, Rehberg says the first thing he teaches his students is “how to open the airway very easily by tilting their head and lifting their chin.” By positioning the head in this way, you can prevent the threat of suffocation.
Similarly, it was a long-held belief that someone experiencing a seizure could bite their tongue off, so people were advised to give those in a seizure state a wooden spoon or even a wallet to bite down on.
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You might see where this is going: Rehberg advice is to “never put anything in the mouth of someone having a seizure.” The best protocol is to let the seizure pass, then assist with any injuries—putting your hands near the mouth of a seizure victim could be harmful to them, or as Berger says, “it’s a really good way to lose a finger.”

7. Don’t throw up poison until you’ve talked to the pros.

The swallowing of poison is an absolute emergency situation. And though many think that inducing vomiting will expunge the poison from the body, there are certain situations where that might not be the right move.

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Bergen states: “Inducing vomiting is not recommended for certain substances which can cause more damage on the way back up. The most important steps to take are call 911 and contact the Poison Control Center.”
Rehberg points out that poison control—which is a hotline that can be reached 24/7 at 1-800-222-1222—may advise you to take other action depending on what kind of substance was swallowed. In the case of acidic toxins, explains Rehberg, “it may better to ingest something like milk to absorb some of it,” though he mentions that isn’t the only remedy that Poison Control recommends. Contacting Poison Control is critical in these situations because every substance could involve dramatically different symptoms and treatments.

8. “Grandpa’s Cough Medicine” has little application in emergency situations.

Over the course of human history, there have been a number of remedies or medical treatments that include drinking beverages that today are only found behind the bar.
A Johnson’s First Aid Manual from 1909 suggests that a sip of brandy could help “encourage circulation” in the case of a victim who has recently recovered from artificial respiration. It was long believed that such substances were stimulants, and, as a result, were recommended for a variety of medical professionals for use in certain situations.
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Such usage has declined significantly over time.
Berger says he’s heard of stories of a little brandy to ease various pains, but in general it’s “not something I could recommend to anyone.” He says many people have the image of a dashing doctor taking a bottle of hooch from the bar to clean a wound, but dismisses such things as “very Hollywood.”

The biggest takeaway is that when it comes to any medical situation, you should first and foremost defer to the professionals.

That means, say, your primary care doctor or poison control—and 911 in emergency situations.
It is also extremely useful to get trained by professionals: CPR and first aid training classes are available in big cities and small towns from coast to coast. Large organizations like the NSC will often offer classes; you can find classes at local offices like Healthline First Aid, too. Berger stresses that while knowing what do with burns and sprains is beneficial, “learning proper CPR and how to use an AED [automated external defibrillator] is even more important, considering most cardiac emergencies happen at home.”

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Wellbeing

Symptoms Of Vitamin D Deficiency That Most People Ignore

What does vitamin D deficiency look like? In its most extreme form, prolonged and severe vitamin D deficiency during childhood, known as rickets, can delay growth and lead to visible skeletal deformities.
Today, rickets is relatively rare, but that doesn’t mean that vitamin D deficiency is—more than 40 percent of Americans are deficient. The potential health consequences of this epidemic are serious, as vitamin D deficiency is linked to osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, high blood pressure, and poor pregnancy outcomes.

D-ficient? Odds are you don’t know.

According to the Vitamin D Council, symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can be subtle—or even nonexistent—in the early stages. You might experience some tiredness and general aches and pains, but these symptoms are easy to dismiss because there are many things that cause them.
Aches and pains? You can easily chalk them up to the aftereffects of your last workout—or simply not being 20 anymore. Tiredness? That could be because you aren’t getting enough quality sleep.

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Lindsay Obermeyer, MS, RDN, CLT, a Portland, Oregon–based registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Your Time Nutrition, said she personally experienced chronic joint pain, had labs done, and discovered that her vitamin D was 29 ng/dL (nanograms per deciliter), which is considered deficient by some standards. She started taking a daily dose of vitamin D3, and her joint pain was gone within a week.
[pullquote align=”center”]I had two different clients with the same symptoms, had them tested for vitamin D, both were less than 30, both had relief from joint pain after supplementing. It’s a very common problem up here in the Northwest.[/pullquote]
It can sometimes be hard to tell when you’re in need of more vitamin D. Here are 15 signs that will help you know if you’re vitamin D deficient.

1. Muscle Weakness

You should be aware that muscle weakness can present as generalized body fatigue. If you’re experiencing a more general fatigue around your body, muscle weakness issues in specific areas may stay hidden and go unnoticed for months.

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As vitamin D deficiency worsens, symptoms become stronger and harder to ignore. General aches and pains may become muscle and bone (musculoskeletal) pain, and tiredness may progress to muscle weakness. Still, it’s easy to search for answers in the wrong direction.

2. Bone Pain

In a study of 150 patients referred to a clinic in Minnesota for persistent, general musculoskeletal pain, 93 percent had vitamin D levels equal to or below 20 ng/mL, a level considered deficient by most experts.
As an adult, your bones are no longer growing, but new bone tissue constantly replaces the old. Severe vitamin D deficiency interferes with that replacement, leading to the softening of bones known as osteomalacia (or “adult rickets”), which causes pain and increases of osteoporosis.

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Shunning the sun and avoiding dairy can leave you with a vitamin D deficiency that might lead to bone pain. This can be difficult to distinguish from muscle or joint pain, but it generally manifests itself as a deep, aching pain that isn’t isolated in an exact area.


There are some indicators that can help differentiate bone pain from muscle pain. Muscle pain is usually centralized to one point and is exaggerated by movement or physical activity. Bone pain, on the other hand, is broader and deeper.

3. Constant Respiratory Problems

Studies show that vitamin D may help defend against respiratory illness, and this is especially true in children. If your child has severe asthma, you may want to increase their vitamin D intake.
Constant respiratory problems may present in different ways. Someone suffering from these issues may feel easily winded after a task they’d normally be fine handling. Or it may be as seemingly obvious as struggling to catch a breath for an extended period.

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Breathing issues need to be addressed by a medical professional quickly because they can lead to other issues. Often, a person suffering constant respiratory problems will also suffer from an anxiety disorder, like panic attacks. The inability to take a full breath may quickly spiral into a panic that your life is in immediate danger.

4. Sweaty Head

Years ago, doctors used to ask new mothers if their newborns’ heads were sweating more than normal. This can be a very early sign that a baby is vitamin D deficient. If you’re breastfeeding, it may be helpful to consume more foods that are rich in vitamin D or include some vitamin D drops in your regimen to make sure your baby is getting a sufficient amount.
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Foods that contain higher concentrations of vitamin D include fatty fish (such as tuna), orange juice, soy milk, and some cereals. You’ll also want to stock up on dairy products, such as cheese, that are enriched with vitamin D.

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Don’t be fooled into thinking that head sweating from a lack of vitamin D only affects infants. If you find sweat pouring from your forehead in situations that wouldn’t normally cause you to perspire, then you may want to talk to a healthcare professional.

5. Depression

As it turns out, the sun is vital to keeping a smile on your face. Vitamin D is often referred to as the sunshine vitamin because it is activated in your skin by sunlight. If you live in a place that sees less sunlight than global averages, the lack of light could literally kill your mood.
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According to the Vitamin D Council, this essential nutrient helps your brain’s neurotransmitters produce serotonin, which affects our feelings of happiness. Studies have linked low levels of vitamin D with episodes of depression.
In Alaska and other locales with significantly less sunlight for months out of the year, depression due to lack of sun exposure is treated as a very serious medical issue. Residents are encouraged to purchase light boxes—devices that emit therapeutic light that will help them maintain vitamin D levels during dark winter months.

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It’s important that light therapy be used to deal with depression caused by vitamin D deficiencies because the two can become seriously intertwined.
There are many different types of light boxes that can improve your health. The Sperti Vitamin D Light Box is “the only recognized ultraviolet light box for vitamin D production,” and the NatureBright SunTouch Plus Light and Ion Therapy Lamp, a bestseller on Amazon, “balances your [linkbuilder id=”6517″ text=”body clock”], leaving you feeling rested, refreshed, and nourished all over.” Each type has the potential to improve your health, but if you’re in need of light therapy, choose one based on what you hope to get out of it.

6. Infertility

Research suggests that vitamin D deficiency may play a role in the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a leading cause of female infertility. One common symptom of PCOS is acanthosis nigricans, which results in dark, velvety skin patches.

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“In the fertility world in the Northwest we like to get a baseline on all of our patients and we see many who are deficient,” said Seattle-area registered dietitian nutritionist Judy Simon MS, RDN, CD, CHES, of Mind Body Nutrition.
“One young woman in her early twenties had visible acanthosis nigricans around her neck and on her chest. She had PCOS and pre-diabetes. After six weeks of Vitamin D supplementation the acanthosis was practically gone and she was feeling much less fatigued.”

7. Chronic Infections

Vitamin D is known to have an effect on over 2,000 genes in the [linkbuilder id=”6518″ text=”human body”], so it’s no surprise that the strength of your body’s immune system is also tied to how much vitamin D you are taking in.
When there’s a healthy amount of vitamin D being processed by your body, your immune system is resilient and able to fight off infections and disease. However, a lack of vitamin D can be devastating to your overall health and leave you vulnerable to constant attacks and health problems or scares.

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Vitamin D supplements are sold everywhere, but make sure your doctor helps you select the best option for you based on your health needs.

8. Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular diseases are heart conditions that may include damaged blood vessels or frequent blood clotting, among other issues. Articles published by the National Institutes of Health have shown that deficiencies in vitamin D can lead to congestive heart failure.
Some cardiovascular disease-related symptoms that are easier to spot are dizziness, heavy bloating (particularly in the legs), respiratory issues, and chest pain. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you should contact your doctor immediately.

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If you want to make sure you’re on the right path, home tests are available to check for a lack of vitamin D. These tests will screen your blood and possibly show you if you need to make some changes in your supplementation routine.

9. Psoriasis

Psoriasis may present itself as a scaly rash on your scalp or other parts of your body. Often it can be agitated by stress (unfortunately, finding out you have psoriasis tends to cause stress too). Although psoriasis is not always connected to a lack of vitamin D, the vitamin is sometimes used during treatment. The Mayo Clinic claims that if you have a lack of vitamin D, it will be harder for your body to defend itself against psoriasis.
There is no cure for psoriasis, but it is controllable with treatment. Besides reducing stress and getting your vitamin D, there are other methods for dealing with troubles caused by psoriasis.

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For example, specially medicated shampoos can be prescribed to keep your scaly rashes at bay. Depending on the severity of your condition, there are also ointments, oils, and other treatments that could help reduce your psoriasis-related discomfort.

10. Chronic Pain

If you experience chronic, widespread pain throughout your body, it could be due in part to a lack of vitamin D. This connection was only recently discovered. In 2010, researchers began looking into the link between chronic pain and a lack of vitamin D.
Studies have now shown that low vitamin D levels increase a person’s chances of having chronic pain; supplements can sometimes help relieve it. So, if you’re in pain, talk to your physician about the best way to boost your vitamin D intake.

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If you want to try a preliminary test for determining if what you’re experiencing is the same thing as chronic pain, doctors have a recommendation: Press against the area of your chest known as your breastbone (also called your sternum). If you feel a sharp pain when you press down on that area, it’s likely that you’re experiencing chronic pain related to vitamin D deficiency.

11. Tiredness

Vitamin D is one of the vitamins your body needs to create energy, and without it, you can end up feeling tired most of the day. This will make it hard for you to get around or even get to work. Without much energy, you may start changing your daily behavior in negative ways, which in turn may impair your overall health.

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Continued tiredness can contribute to other symptoms caused by low amounts of vitamin D in the body. If you’re tired, you’re less likely to exercise or go outside. Avoiding activity or sunshine can amplify the effects of a vitamin D deficiency. If you fall into a routine that involves avoiding strenuous activity or sunlight, you’re much more susceptible to issues like depression or mood swings.
Listen to what your body is telling you. Something might be seriously off if you notice that you just don’t have the drive to stay active anymore. You should consult your doctor if you have constant feelings of tiredness that last longer than a few days.

12. Hypertension

Harvard University conducted review of health studies across numerous cohorts that associated increased risk of multiple health outcomes including cardiovascular disease and hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure) with vitamin D deficiency.
Another study, published in Circulation in 2015, considered the viability of vitamin D supplementation as a treatment for patients with hypertension and prehypertension.

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It’s important to note that high blood pressure can significantly increase your risks for serious health issues such as heart attacks and strokes.
But don’t panic if you think or know you’re suffering from hypertension. It’s a common health issue that affects more than 3 million people in the U.S. every year. It can be identified without any blood or medical tests but will require an official diagnosis from your doctor, at which point appropriate treatment can be prescribed.
If you do suffer from anxiety, you may want to consider purchasing vitamin D supplements and adding them to your daily routine for that reason. Vitamin D has been proven to have positive effects similar to antidepressants and may reduce your overall blood pressure.

13. Crankiness

As we mentioned in relation to depression, vitamin D affects the levels of serotonin in your brain, which is what affects your mood. If you’re feeling cranky, it might be because you’re not producing enough serotonin. Vitamin D will help your moods stay balanced by ensuring your brain is working with the materials it needs to stay energized and focused.

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If you notice mood swings that seem out of the ordinary, visit your doctor for a simple blood test. They will be able to identify what’s going on, and if a lack of vitamin D is the issue, they’ll help you make a plan to get better.
The solution may be as simple as getting out in sunlight more often or eating foods that are rich in vitamin D. For people who can’t handle too much direct exposure to the sun, supplements are readily available, so consider reaching for some before going off on anyone or getting too frustrated with yourself!

14. Chronic Kidney Disease

Kidneys help remove waste from your blood. When they’re not functioning correctly, your bloodstream can fill up with waste, seriously damaging your health. Doctors have recently connected kidney health to cardiovascular disease. They’ve also discovered how important vitamin D can be to your kidneys’ health.

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As you get older your kidneys are not as efficient at processing vitamin D. Be sure to eat some vitamin D–rich foods or take a supplement. If you do take a supplement, also consider taking vitamin K2 to activate the right proteins in the digestion process. Ensuring that your kidneys are working properly to process vitamin D is just as important as getting your proper nutrients.

15. Reduced Endurance

If you’re an athlete and you’re seeing your endurance decrease for no apparent reason, it might be because you have low vitamin D levels. Experts in athletic circles now realize that vitamin D is crucial to energy levels, especially when it comes to endurance. Even active people who get outside every day can experience these issues, despite getting more than the recommended amount of sunlight per day (20 to 30 minutes).

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Fortunately, if vitamin D deficiency is causing your issues, your endurance should return to normal when you get your vitamin D levels back to normal. Remember: You don’t always need to opt for pills to get your proper dose of vitamin D. Try a supplement in powder or liquid form to mix with your smoothies or protein shakes.

A Side Effect of Modern Life?

For many of us, work means days spent at a desk and leisure means binge-watching the latest Netflix series or catching up on social media. That’s a lot of indoor time, but even when we are outdoors we’re likely to double down on sun protection to prevent premature aging and skin cancer.

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Dairy products are fortified with vitamin D, but milk sales are in decline, as more people avoid dairy due to restrictive diets, milk allergies, or lactose intolerance.

What’s your risk?

Although 4 in 10 Americans may be deficient in vitamin D, some people have a higher risk. As mentioned, if you spend a lot of time indoors and protect your skin with clothing or sunscreen when you are outdoors (as you should), your risk increases. Living in northern climates—where winters are longer, colder and darker—amplifies this risk. But a few other risk factors might surprise you:

1. Dark skin. The darker your skin, the more sun it takes to make vitamin D.

2. Body mass index (BMI) over 30. Vitamin D can become “sequestered” in excess body fat instead of making its way to the bloodstream.

3. Past gastric bypass surgery.

Why It Matters

Linke says that bringing vitamin D levels back to the normal range has been a “game changer” for many of her clients who have autoimmune conditions. She cites another client—a woman in her late twenties—whose vitamin D was a 4.

Her rheumatoid arthritis was very bad, she couldn’t walk down stairs unassisted, couldn’t walk without holding on to walls, couldn’t fit into her shoes so she wore flip flops.

Within 10 days of starting vitamin D, along with magnesium (magnesium deficiency can interfere with vitamin D metabolism) and dietary changes, she was able to wear regular shoes and walk without assistance.
As with all health-related issues, talk with your doctor or another medical professional if you are seeing any signs or symptoms that concern you. Deficiency is simple to test for and simple to treat. If in doubt, talk to your healthcare provider.

Categories
Lifestyle

Hairstyle Mistakes That Age You

We’ve all met the nice lady with the hairstyle that hasn’t changed since 1985. Though perhaps it was cute for its time, it’s not exactly a youthful look.
Turns out dated hairstyles aren’t the only way to add a couple years to your appearance. Whether you’re trying to cover emerging grays, experimenting with home coloring, or testing out a trendy style, read on to see if it’s keeping you young or adding a decade to your look.

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To figure out the most flattering hair tips for any age, we spoke to Glennis McCarthy, a regular jill-of-all-trades. Seriously, she’s a comedian, voice over artist, licensed manicurist, hairstylist, and is now pursuing an advanced degree on all things hair. Also, she’s really cool and nice. Just an additional fun fact.
McCarthy spills all the beans about how to keep your look as young as possible while still being daring with your hair.

Using the Wrong Color for Gray Hair

Grays can happen at almost any age. And if you want them covered, McCarthy recommends choosing a hair color carefully. For a home coloring session, make sure your product of choice says it’s “formulated for grays.” If it’s not meant for grays, you won’t get the color saturation you’re looking for, according to McCarthy.

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Why does [linkbuilder id=”3983″ text=”gray hair”] need special hair color? Well, the hair is typically more coarse than the rest of your hair. Plus it’s much lighter, so the product needs to be extra strong to penetrate the grays and give you the coverage you want, according to Real Simple. The magazine even recommends using two types of hair color—your regular color and one that’s a shade darker. This ensures that the stubborn grays suck up all the color and give you the natural look you’re after.
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If you have a lot of grays, you may want to go to a pro for the best results. In a salon, your hair will be pre-treated with a peroxide solution. This softens up the hair and makes it more susceptible to the coloring product, according to Real Simple. Then the stylist can use a customized concoction to give you the perfect color.

Not Matching Your Hair Color to Your Skin Tone

Maybe you saw a picture of Christina Hendricks in a magazine and thought, “That’s the exact red I’ve always wanted!” But before you run out to get copper locks, make sure your ideal hair color matches your skin tone.

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Sure, that red looks lovely on Hendricks, but if you have a different skin tone, it might be a poor fit. Having a hair color that doesn’t match your skin tone can be unflattering and actually make you look a little older.
McCarthy says you can figure out your skin tone by looking at the veins in your hands. “If they’re a blueish tint, [your skin tone is] cool. If it’s a greenish tint, that’s warm,” she says. Then, pick a hair color that compliments your tone.
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“For warm, try strawberry blonde, red, brown, or black. For cool, try ash blonde, brown, or black with blue or violet undertones.” You can have any hair color you like, just make sure it works with the warmth or coolness of your complexion.

Not Knowing Your Hair Type

If you’re thinking about coloring your hair at home, you need to get familiar with your natural tresses. That means you should learn a little about hair levels and tones before you pull out the coloring kit.
The “level” of your hair refers to how light or dark it is. Level one is pitch black, and level 10 is platinum blonde. The “tone” of your hair refers to the amount of underlying pigment in the hair. Tones have letters (or numbers) assigned to them that vary by company. Tones usually range from a very cool ash-violet to a very warm gold-beige.
It’s important to remember that people can have the the same level with vastly different tones. It’s good to know your natural level and tone so you can figure out the best way to get your ideal color.

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“If you think you’re a level one when really you’re a level four, the color is going to come out wrong,” McCarthy says. Also, if you’re a level one and you want to go to level 10, McCarthy recommends leaving that to the professionals.
“I don’t recommend bleaching your hair at home,” she says. Home bleach often leads to weird colors, drying, and sometimes chunks of your hair falling out.
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Know your natural level so you’ll have a more realistic idea of a hair color you can achieve. And when your hair color looks good, you look younger.

Keeping the Wrong Part

When’s the last time you parted your hair differently? It’s probably been a while. And though the part in your hair is one of the easiest hairstyle changes to make, it’s the one we make the least often.

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InStyle recommended keeping a side or off-center part for the most flattering look. They find a center part to be harsh, and though celebs like Kim Kardashian can pull it off, it might not look so good on someone who didn’t spend hours perfectly contouring their face. Any style that feels overly strict or harsh tends to be aging.
Now, if you love your center part, you probably have a great face for it. But, if you haven’t experimented with a new part for a while, it might be time to switch it up.
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Being Scared of Bangs

If you’re worried about lines on your forehead, the easiest way to instantly erase a few years is to get bangs! Bangs always look youthful, and, though they can be a little annoying to maintain, they’ll hide lots of wrinkles.

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Now, feel free to leave your forehead lines out for the world to see (we all have them!), but if you’re insecure about your brow lines, bangs are a super easy solution. There are lots of bang options out there, so for the most flattering look, pick bangs that best fit the shape of your face.
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InStyle recommends thick, gently arched bangs for round faces and side swept bangs for a heart-shaped face. If you’ve got an oval face, the magazine said to get whatever bangs you want—all styles work for the oval shape.

Keeping a Hair Style That Hasn’t Changed

Remember the lady with the 1985 hairstyle? Well, nothing ages you more than keeping your hairstyle the same for years on end. It automatically makes you look like you’ve lived through a bygone decade, and people will start doing the math on your actual age.

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Now, if you’re into any kind of retro look and you want that Farrah Fawcett style, go for it! But if your hair hasn’t changed in the time that four Presidents have come and gone, then it’s time to try something new.
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A new look doesn’t have to be drastic. Even just a trim, parting your hair differently, or wearing it curly instead of straight will freshen up your overall appearance. Plus, it’s exciting to try something new. And remember, if you don’t like the change, you can return to your classic style whenever you want.

Trying to Look Too Young

Desperately trying to look super young is a surefire way to look older. That doesn’t mean you can’t try youthful looks, but you don’t need to go overboard. Basically, if you’re over 30, don’t feel obligated to make yourself look like an 18-year-old Instagram star.

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Remember butterfly hair clips? For those of you that don’t remember that trend, butterfly clips were popular with middle school and high school students for about six months in the late ‘90s. Anyway, I vividly remember watching a soap opera during that time and seeing an over 40-year-old woman wearing a full head of butterfly clips. The woman was gorgeous, but by trying to look 15, she looked like a desperate 50.

McCarthy insists that this doesn’t mean you have to go with “mom appropriate” hairstyles as soon as you’re over 25. Just make sure that you choose a hairstyle because you love it, not because you think it’s “what the kids are into these days.”

Lacking Confidence

This is really the biggest mistake of all, because you can do whatever you want with your hair as long as you have the courage to rock it out. “Confidence and joy go a long way in making you appear more youthful than any hair color or style ever will,” says McCarthy.

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So if you’re 80 and you want hot pink hair—do it! I definitely don’t want anyone to think that there are rules once you become a “woman of a certain age.” If you want to break all the rules laid out in this article—go right ahead! Confidence makes any hairstyle look amazing.
And just like we’ve all met the lady who’s hair hasn’t changed since ‘85, we’ve also met the grandma rocking a platinum bob who looks better than anyone 40 years younger. So there really aren’t any rules. Just have fun with your hair, and you’ll look beautiful.

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Categories
Nosh

12 Popular Foods That Are Complete And Total Frauds

Cooking using all-natural foods is a wonderful way to know what you’re eating, but it’s also a great way to spend a lot of money. Not everyone has the financial resources or time required to craft a 100 percent farm-to-table menu at home, meaning most of us opt for something a little easier with relative frequency.

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But it might be time to rethink our eating options, especially considering that these 12 foods are notorious frauds.
Portions of this article were updated on Oct. 23, 2018.

1. Red Velvet Cake

Everyone loves red velvet cake. What’s not to love? There’s cake, there’s cream cheese, usually there are some sprinkles on top, and it’s delicious. #treatyoself. The thing is, we also love red velvet cake because the taste is comforting and decadent, even though the color indicates something, well, unnatural is probably going on.

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Red velvet cake is really just chocolate cake with some food coloring (some people use beet juice for a natural coloring effect). During the Great Depression, a Texas company began selling food coloring and flavoring extracts that were purported to cut down on the costs of cooking. One recipe that Adams Extracts brought to life was the red velvet cake.
The story is mentioned in the 2014 New York Times article titled “Red Velvet Cake: A Classic, Not a Gimmick.” It goes like this:

After Congress passed the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act in 1938, shoring up regulations for food coloring, Mr. Adams [the company’s founder] figured he could sell a lot more extracts and dyes, and a red cake would be just the way to do it. Sometime in the 1940s, the company tricked out a mahogany cake [popular at the Waldorf Astoria where Adams and his wife enjoyed it] recipe with food coloring, printed it on cards and began plans to merchandise it alongside bottles of vanilla, red dye and artificial butter flavoring, which was popular when butter was rationed during World War II.

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Today, red-velvet themed products from pancakes to candles are available all over, and it’s still a favorite, even if it really is just dyed chocolate cake. Want to make your own? You can find a red velvet cake recipe here.

2. Wasabi

If you go out for some sushi, you know you’re going to mix that fiery hot green wasabi in with some soy sauce (or just smear a dollop of it on top of every single bite of California roll, if you’re a real heat seeker). The catch is, real wasabi is incredibly expensive and the stuff we’re typically served at our local sushi joint isn’t actually wasabi.

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The Daily Meal states, “The wasabi you’ve most likely had differs quite a bit from the real thing. Wasabi roots are difficult to grow, and a pound can cost up to $100, so a substitute is often made by combining mustard, horseradish, and food coloring to give it its iconic light green hue.”
The biggest difference is that, as with almost all culinary cost-cutting methods, the flavor of the product is compromised. Real wasabi has more of a pleasurable kick at the end, whereas the cheaper concoction will give you that runny-nose burn. That said, most of us will happily endure a little short-term pain over the alternatives: a long-term loss of money we’d have to spend on the real thing, or sushi without that signature spiciness we know (isn’t real) and love.
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If you’re set on trying the real thing, here are a few ways to make your own genuine wasabi-flavored condiments at home.

3. Crab Meat

Hold on tight for this one, because if you don’t already know about this, then what you’re about to read will essentially do what Supersize Me did for the McDonald’s chicken nugget.

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In Japanese, those iconic crab sticks (pictured above) are called surimi, which actually means “ground meat”—and they’re essentially the oceanic version of the hot dog.
HuffPost explains, “Surimi is made of different kinds of fish, which are ground together [and pulverized] into a paste. According to SF Gate, manufacturers add starch, artificial flavors, sodium and sometimes MSG.” Then, of course, it is dyed with orange food coloring to give it that authentic, crab-like look.
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Unless you’re averse to food colorings, this might not seem like a big issue. And while it’s not as bad for most consumers as eating an actual hot dog, the HuffPost article points out that, “Because starch is often made from wheat, imitation crab meat is not gluten free. True crab meat, on the other hand, is safe for the gluten-averse.”
“On most nutritional counts,” it goes on to note, “this processed seafood pales in comparison to the real thing.”
In our opinion, it’s best not to ingest imitation anything, so try to go for the salmon, tuna, or yellowtail when eating sushi—or opt for vegetarian and vegan options like mushroom rolls and delicious inarizushi. Also, we are not listing a recipe for making your own fake crab meat because doing that at home could be…disastrous.

4. White Chocolate

White chocolate is hit or miss with most people (our favorites, though, include white chocolate Crunch bars and Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme). The funny thing about white chocolate, of course, is the fact that it’s hardly chocolate at all.

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As described in this Greatist article, “Real chocolate contains three must-have components: chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and cocoa solids (often in addition to other ingredients). But the white kind lacks chocolate liquor and cocoa solids—which means it’s also missing flavanols, the antioxidants that give the authentic stuff nutritional benefits.”
So, not only does white chocolate lack much of what makes chocolate chocolate, it is void of the few healthy components that come with chocolate, too. In 2004, the FDA got involved and mandated a law that required white chocolate to have a minimum of at least 20 percent cocoa butter and no more than 55 percent sugar or other sweeteners.
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That way companies couldn’t basically put sugar on a stick and call it white chocolate. In case you’re curious, here’s a recipe for making white chocolate—not sure why you’d want to though!

5. Pomegranate Juice

You should probably be a little cautious about anything labeled “juice” or “fruit drink.” It is worth checking the ingredient list since more often than not, you’ll find some oddities in there—along with an insanely high dose of sugar.

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That said—we know that pomegranates are incredibly healthy and do amazing things for your heart and cholesterol levels, but the problem with buying the “juice” version is that you might not be getting that healthful beverage you were after. Unfortunately, it’s not just off-brand companies trying to claim their products offer you the benefits of the pomegranate; magnate corporation Coca-Cola was actually sued by Pom Wonderful because they were putting out a drink and calling it “Blueberry-Pomegranate Juice.”
Yet, as discussed in this article from The New York Times, “the blend, sold under Coca-Cola’s Minute Maid brand, is made almost entirely from apple and grape juice. [The juice] is made up of 99.4 percent apple and grape juices, 0.3 percent pomegranate juice, 0.2 percent blueberry juice and 0.1 percent raspberry juice.”
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The lesson here is to check your labels, or, to be extra safe, make your own juice. Interested? Learn how to seed and juice a pomegranate here.

6. Breakfast Syrup

Unless you’re putting the tap into a tree and getting the maple syrup yourself, it’s tough to say exactly what you’re eating when you drizzle Aunt Jemima (or any other) syrup over your waffles. Most likely, unless it’s labeled as 100 percent pure, authentic maple syrup, it’s probably a mixture of corn syrup, cane syrup, and a slew of natural and/or artificial ingredients and sweeteners.

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Some people take this blasphemy very serious, so much so that there was a law being pushed forward that would make it illegal to sell fake maple syrup. The Huffington Post reported that “legislation would make the sale of fraudulent maple syrup a felony offense with up to a five-year maximum penalty. Currently, it is only a misdemeanor. The MAPLE (Maple Agriculture Protection and Law Enforcement ) Act aims to protect the producers of maple syrup.”
While it’s best to go with a natural fruit topping for your favorite breakfast items, we know that is not going to always happen. The next time you’re at the store, it might be worth spending the extra couple dollars to get something authentic rather than a jug of artificial (and clawing) sweetness.
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Since maple syrup is all natural, here is a link to buy your own tap kit. Note that it does not come with a flannel shirt or wool beanie.

7. Bacon Bits

Bacon is one heck of a trendy culinary pick right now. And it’s earned its stripes—it is delicious. You can put bacon on just about anything and it will increase the flavor and texture while boding well for foodie photos. However, you have to be careful when eating it because while some products may be called bacon, there’s a possibility that they’re something else.

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Enter bacon bits. Shockingly enough, those little nibs of goodness are actually vegetarian! Greatist explains what they’re made from: “Lacking any animal products, these crispy bites are made of artificially flavored textured soy flour and other ingredients including caramel color, maltodextrin, yeast extract, and flavor enhancers called disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.”
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So technically, if you’re vegetarian or even vegan, you could eat these little toppers, but we warn you, it may not be the best idea. If you’re really craving some bacon, you could always buy an actual package, cook it, and then refrigerate the leftovers for use when needed.

8. Supermarket Sourdough

Sourdough bread is a classic baked good that has a long history and a tanginess that’s won it a place in the hearts (and stomachs) of many a carb connoisseur. Unfortunately, if you’re grabbing your sourdough off a grocery store shelf, it might not be sourdough at all.

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Matt Bowler, founder of Bowler Organics, explains: “Sourdough bread and pasta set themselves apart from quick-rise products, and even some ‘sourdough’-labeled products because of the presence of lactobacillus, a type of bacteria which naturally produces lactic acid during the fermentation process.”
“Some of the more prevalent ‘sourdough’ products will leverage acid as an ingredient added to the dough rather than allowing the lactobacilli to work their magic.”
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Even if you’ve been satisfied with the flavor of your go-to faux sourdough, you’re missing out on some other key benefits of genuine sourdough, according to Bowler.
“Quick-rise breads utilizing commercial yeast products—whose rise-time may be less than two to three hours—essentially cheat the process during which those nutrients and enzymes are unlocked. This results in fewer readily-available nutrients our bodies can use.”
On the contrary, “fermentation with sourdough cultures, which tends to last between six and 36 hours, ensures active microbial colonies are working to break down grains and allow the finished product to be much easier for our bodies to process.”
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Plus, all the lactobacillus in real sourdough starters means it’s full of probiotics, right? Not so fast! “Sourdough bread is not a probiotic product due to the high temperatures reached while baking,” says Bowler. “Enzymes are effectively deactivated between temperatures of 120 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit.”
That doesn’t mean sourdough isn’t great for your gut. Here are Bowler’s tips for buying bread that’s the real deal:

  • Always look at the ingredients label first. Yeast should never be listed as an ingredient for naturally-leavened, true sourdough bread.
  • No acids should be listed as an ingredient in a genuine loaf of sourdough. Sourdough is very simple and consists of only base two ingredients: water and flour. Salt is added during the process to facilitate fermentation and influence flavor. So, generally speaking, you should look for a basic loaf of sourdough to contain only flour, water, and salt.
  • Other grains can be added while still allowing the bread to be classified as sourdough.

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To find out if the sourdough bread at your grocery store is legit, “check the labeling, and if you have questions or suspicions, don’t be afraid to ask the bakers about the fermentation process,” Bowler says. “Ask how old their sourdough starter, or ‘mother,’ is and if they proof their dough at room temp or in the fridge, or both. A quick-fermented sourdough loaf will typically undergo between two and four hours of bulk fermentation and an additional two to 24-plus hours of during final fermentation. Cold-fermentation is usually performed during the final stage and will dramatically increase the sour flavor of the dough.”
Once you get your hands on a legit loaf, Bowler—who’s been nurturing his first sourdough starter, affectionately named “Josh,” for a year—has the following advice: “When experiencing sourdough products, I really enjoy tasting them plain first. No butter, cheese, honey, et cetera. There is a depth of flavor achieved by simple fermentation which sets legit sourdough apart from all other types of bread.”
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“What’s more,” he says for the bakers out there, “your favorite style of bread can most likely be made with sourdough by substituting commercial yeast with some sourdough starter as an ingredient and modifying the process to account for longer fermentation and rise times.”

9. High Fiber Options

Fiber is an important part of any diet, and according to “High In Fiber: Everything You Need To Know About A High Fiber Diet,” a previous piece by HealthyWay, it’s essential to the health of our gut microbiomes. So rather than reaching for a slice of red velvet cake or even a bottle of real pomegranate juice when we need a little something sweet and tangy, we ought to opt for a high-fiber snack, right?

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Registered dietitian Rachel Fine says this isn’t so cut and dry: “When it comes to packaged foods claiming to be high in fiber, it’s important to examine more than just the number on the label.”
She goes on to say that “plant-based, minimally processed foods are going to be your ideal source for naturally occurring intact fibers—such as beans, veggies, whole fruits, and whole grains. These foods offer significantly more nutrition per bite, and there is sufficient research supporting the wide array of health benefits behind intact naturally-occurring fibers.”
“Highly processed foods,” she says, pointing to ice cream treats, high fiber protein bars, and high fiber powders, “contain processed fibers, which are created in a lab from isolated starches. The research behind these fibers remains limited.”
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She also stresses that “processed fibers lack additional nutrients and bioactive substances found in naturally occurring high fiber foods.”
Want a high fiber option that doesn’t contain isolated starches that hail from a lab? Rachel urges you to “compare a grain salad to a highly processed packaged food that is not usually high in fiber, e.g., cakes or brownies. Bottom line: If you’re trying to increase the fiber from your diet, do it from whole food sources.
Need some recipes to get you going? Check out the links in this piece on pulses.

10. Bottled Teas

Tea. It just sounds healthy. But odds are, if you’re reaching for sweetened flavored iced teas to quench your thirst, you’re actually sipping on what the FDA calls a sugar-sweetened beverage, or SSB, which in many cases includes sugar as the second ingredient (after water), along with preservatives and other unidentified natural flavors.

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According to a resource from the State of Rhode Island Department of health, “the calories in sugar sweetened beverages can contribute to weight gain and provide little to no nutritional value. …Those extra calories can lead to other health risks including obesity, tooth decay, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.”
Not exactly what you had in mind when you decided on tea rather than soda.
Zoe Kissam, herbalist and marketing manager of innovation at Traditional Medicinals—the most popular seller of wellness teas in the U.S.—says, “Quality matters when you are buying tea. While there currently isn’t an FDA standard definition for products labeled as ‘tea,’ our products fall into the dietary supplement and food categories, which are both highly regulated. In addition to our teas being formulated by herbalists, they also use medicinal grade herbs whenever possible, which simply means that our products deliver on their intended health benefits.”
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Of course, this isn’t necessarily what you’re getting when you grab a bottle of tea on the run.
Kissam’s advice: “If you are trying to make healthy decisions, it really doesn’t matter if you are purchasing brewed/steeped at home or bottled iced teas. The best thing to do is read the labels so you know what you are getting. There are options for healthy and clean products in most categories—you just have to be conscious about what you are buying.”
Want to ensure you’re consuming the highest-quality iced tea (rather than an SSB)? Kissam says, “We have a range of teas that work really well as iced teas, including Hibiscus, Raspberry Leaf, Green Tea Matcha, Nettle, Stress Ease, and Roasted Dandelion Root.”
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Traditional Medicinals even has a recipe for roasted dandelion iced “coffee” that Kissam says is one of her favorites—it’s pictured above.

11. Sugar-Free Snacks

Registered dietician Paige Penick says, “One of the things that drives me nuts is when labels say ‘sugar free’ on the front, because it’s very misleading.”
Working to cut added sugar out of our diets isn’t the problem. Penick says “sugar-free” packaging is deceptive because companies “usually make up for the lack of actual sugar by adding in something artificial, which may or may not give people—to put it nicely—gastrointestinal discomfort. There are more pleasant and healthful ways to address your sugar cravings.”

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The Vermont Department of Public Health hosts a simple and informative resource that can help consumers identify different types of sweeteners in their foods. It also points out that:

There are two types of sweeteners found in food and beverages: sugars and sugar substitutes. Sugars provide calories, or energy, for our bodies and increase blood glucose, as well as overall calorie intake. All carbohydrate-containing foods, such as breads, fruits, vegetables, milk, and yogurt, increase blood sugar, even if they do not have added sugars.

Depending on your nutritional needs and goals, some sugar-free snacks might be right for you, but you may also want to explore options that contain no added sweeteners—sugar or otherwise.

12. Oatmeal

Oatmeal can be an extremely satisfying (and quick) breakfast option. And even if you’re a fan of steel cut or overnight oats, let’s be honest, almost everyone has their favorite flavor of single-serve instant oatmeal, too.

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Registered dietitian nutritionist Kelsey Peoples says, “Instant oats come in a massive range of flavors now and often have little bits of fruit like raisins, apples, peaches, and dates.” So what’s the controversy?
“You may want to double check the ingredient list, as those little fruit chunks aren’t always what you’d think. One titan of the oatmeal industry has both Peaches and Cream and Strawberry and Cream [flavors] that use dehydrated apples with coloring and fruit flavoring—but no actual pieces of the fruit listed in the title.”
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The cream? Well, she says that refers to “a ‘creaming agent’ made up of maltodextrin, plant oils, corn syrup solids, whey, and casein.” Looks like it might be best to add your own fresh or dried fruit and cream to plain instant, steel cut, or rolled oats after all.

Categories
Wellbeing

8 Remarkable Body Features That You Probably Don't Have

The human body is pretty incredible.
But some bodies are, shall we say, more incredible than others. Your genetics can give you a superpower—even if it’s a really, really dumb superpower. You’d want to know about something like that, right?
Sure you would. There’s nothing cooler than having a useless ability. We’re talking about stuff like…

1. Some people really don’t need to sleep very much.

If you’re lucky enough to have a specific variant of the BHLHE41 gene, you might be genetically resistant to the effects of sleep deprivation.

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To put this another way, you can sleep less than most people while still enjoying all of the benefits of a full night’s rest.
People with this condition are called familial natural short sleepers (FNSS), and they get about two hours less sleep per night than the average person (so six hours instead of eight).
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Many famous people, including Margaret Thatcher, are believed to have “suffered” from this unusual condition.

2. Tibetans are actually genetically mutated for high altitudes.

Tibetan sherpas are renowned for their ability to survive at high altitudes. They’re very aware of what it takes to survive on an elevation like that of Mount Everest—but recent research suggests that they’ve gotten a bit of a hand from evolution.

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Researchers tested 50 Tibetans, along with 40 Han Chinese (Tibetans split off from the lineage of the Han Chinese some 2,750 years ago).
They found that 34 of the Tibetans had different genes from the Han Chinese. What’s more, one of those genes “codes for a protein involved in responding to falling oxygen levels and is associated with improved athletic performance in endurance athletes,” according to The Guardian.
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One of the most amazing parts of the story is that the mutation appears to have become commonplace less than 3,000 years after the populations diverged. That makes this one of the fastest evolutionary mutations ever recorded in humans.

3. Some people have a second row of eyelashes.

Many people consider long, full eyelashes to be quite desirable, but who knew that there’s actually a defect that could cause this? Watch the video below to find out more about distichiasis—and which famous figure had the defect.

4. The palmaris longus is a fascinating evolutionary remnant.

You can find out whether you have this tendon by pressing your thumb and pinky together and looking at your wrist. If you see a big tendon sticking out, congratulations—that’s your palmaris longus.

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Apart from being an awesome band name, the palmaris longus has no real significance. It’s thought to be a remnant of a tendon that we used to climb trees earlier in our evolution.
If you’ve got this structure, there’s some good news: If you ever need a wrist tendon graft, that’s the tendon they’ll use. It doesn’t affect grip strength in any noticeable way, so it’s a purely pointless part of your body. Still, about 14 percent of people don’t have it, although that percentage varies greatly depending on your lineage.

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The preauricular sinus may be another vestigial feature from evolution. This is a tiny hole on your ear; some believe that it’s a remnant of gills, and one study makes a fairly convincing case.

5. You might be able to see more colors than most people (but probably not).

Your eye probably has three cones, which are structures that allow the eye to collect information about color and transmit it to the brain.

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If you’re colorblind, you’ve only got two cones, and as a result, you see fewer differences between certain similar colors.
But some people are born with more. Tetrachromats have four cones in their eyes, allowing them to see 100 million distinct colors. Could you be one of them? Test how well you see color with this quiz:

Scientists have trouble tracking down tetrachromats, since these people rarely realize that they’re different. As a result, they may never “train” their eyes to look for the additional colors, which prevents them from seeing them (vision is kind of complicated). However, Popular Science was able to track down Concetta Antico, an artist who’s believed to be tetrachromatic.
So, what’s it like to have this gift?
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byk_L2GBhRQ/
“It’s shocking to me how little color people are seeing,” she said. “You might see dark green but I’ll see violet, turquoise, blue. It’s like a mosaic of color.”

6. One of the most eye-popping abnormalities is globe luxation.

Literally. Globe luxation is a rare condition in which your eyes can pop out of your head.
There’s no real advantage to this (although you can probably do a really, really good impression of the trucker from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. It’s mostly just a party trick that could possibly damage your eyes if you’re not careful.
It’s not all fun and games, however. One study notes that common causes of the disease include “thyroid eye disease, shallow orbit, and floppy eyelid syndrome.”
After you’re done snickering at the magnificent English phrase that is “floppy eyelid syndrome,” we’ll sadly inform you that globe luxation can also be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. With that in mind, if you’ve got this condition, you should probably see your doctor.

7. Perfect pitch certainly isn’t common, and there’s debate over whether it’s a natural gift.

Perfect pitch is the ability to identify and differentiate musical notes based on specific frequencies. In other words, you could hear a C# and correctly identify it as a C#.

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If you’re not a musician, you might expect this to be a pretty common ability, but it’s incredibly rare. Fewer than 1 in 10,000 people has perfect pitch, and there’s been significant scientific debate as to whether it’s a natural ability.
For a long time, researchers believed that humans were either born with perfect pitch or they had to develop it at a very young age. Past a certain point, if you don’t have it, you won’t pick it up.
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But recent research indicates that adults may be able to develop perfect pitch. That means that with enough training and perseverance, you, too, can immediately identify the key of your favorite Justin Bieber song.

8. You almost certainly don’t have an outie belly button.

You’re either an “innie” or an “outie,” and unless you heard differently, you probably assumed that it was about a 50/50 mix. That’s not quite the case; one study found that only 4 percent of adults have an outie. That percentage is significantly higher in children (for reasons that we’ll get into in a moment).

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You might have also assumed that the shape and size of your belly button was dependent on how your doctor cut your umbilical cord, but this isn’t really the case. Most outies are caused by an umbilical hernia.
Basically, your inner parts push through your outer parts, but it’s not such a big deal—after all, your umbilical cord is kind of the best possible place for a hernia to occur.
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Even so, doctors might eventually decide to close larger umbilical hernias. Most of these hernias close on their own by the time a child turns 5.