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Health x Body Wellbeing

Your Guide To Natural Antihistamines: What To Know When Allergy Symptoms Arrive

When it comes to treating allergies, prescription and over-the-counter antihistamines can be a lifesaver. They can also have multiple side effects, including drowsiness.
For this reason, many people are opting for natural antihistamines. But how do they work? And are they really effective?
Most people know that antihistamines provide allergy relief—but many people aren’t sure what histamines are. In short, histamines are chemicals made by your body. When we encounter something we’re allergic to, our immune system sees it as a threat and tries to attack it. Things like pollen or dander aren’t really threats, but an overactive immune system might assume that they are.
When you encounter an allergen, your body’s mast cells (immune cells found in connective tissue) will release histamines. These histamines increase blood flow to certain parts of your body, causing inflammation. The result? Common allergic reactions are runny nose, dry and sore eyes, skin rashes, wheezing, and general discomfort.
Antihistamines prevent the histamines from affecting our body too badly. And while prescription and over-the-counter antihistamines are easily available at every drug store, many people experience problematic side effects and might want to look for an alternative in a natural antihistamine.
There are a variety of reasons that people want try natural supplements instead of using pharmaceutical antihistamines, says Ralph Esposito, a naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturalist. For one, natural antihistamines typically have very few side effects and seldom make you drowsy.
Esposito notes that many of his patients become tolerant of pharmaceutical antihistamines, meaning the effect gets weaker after a while. With natural antihistamines, this seldom happens, he says.
One downside of using natural antihistamines? They don’t always provide immediate relief. “Over-the-counter antihistamines often work much quicker than natural antihistamines,” Esposito says. “However, after about two weeks of use they are equally effective.”
There is very little research that directly compares the efficacy of natural antihistamines with pharmaceutical antihistamines. And of course, not every natural antihistamine works in the same way. Some are more effective than others, and some have been studied extensively, whereas others are not well researched. The potential side effects will differ from one natural antihistamine to the next.
It’s important to consider all the available research before you decide to take any supplement.
If you’re interested in trying natural antihistamines, read on!

Which supplements and ingredients are natural antihistamines?

Fortunately, nature provides us with multiple forms of natural antihistamines in vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Although many of these nutrients are found in food, Esposito says that taking natural antihistamines in capsule or pill form is the most effective way to treat allergies.

  • Quercetin

    An antioxidant found in apples and onions, quercetin is one of nature’s most celebrated natural antihistamines. Multiple studies have found that quercetin supresses histamines and soothes allergy-related inflammation and asthma. Esposito says it works by inhibiting the mast cells that trigger the histamine response in our bodies.
    “I have noticed some patients may be sensitive to quercetin, where their complaints may worsen for a day or two but these soon resolve,” Esposito says. “I advise starting with a low dose and then increasing it.”

  • Bromelain

    Bromelain, which is found in pineapple, is another well-known natural antihistamine. Two different scientific reviews—one specific to bromelain and another focusing on herbal medicines—have shown that bromelain is especially good at treating allergic rhinitis. (Allergic rhinitis is another term for hay fever, and it includes having a runny and stuffy nose caused by allergic reactions.) Bromelain also acts as a natural antihistamine by soothing respiratory distress and inflammation caused by allergies.

  • Vitamin C

    We’re all familiar with vitamin C, the immune-boosting nutrient found in citrus. Many people don’t know that it’s also a natural antihistamine. In one study, patients who were given 2 mg of vitamin C a day found that it treated their allergic rhinitis. Esposito advises using vitamin C in conjunction with other natural antihistamines.
    “Alone it may not help with allergies or as an antihistamine, but in combination with the aforementioned, yes it can help,” he says. Be careful not to overdose on vitamin C, he warns, as it can lead to diarrhea.

  • Stinging Nettle or Nettle Leaf

    Stinging nettle is a plant native to North America. It’s often considered a weed, but it has useful health properties and is commonly used as a natural antihistamine. It’s interesting to note, then, the plant actually contains histamines in itself.
    Using it as a natural antihistamine might seem counterintuitive, but in truth, histamines are sometimes an effective treatment for allergies. In one double-blind study, 58 percent of participants using freeze-dried stinging nettle found that it relieved their symptoms, and 69 percent found it better than the placebo. Another study found it is an effective treatment for allergic rhinitis.

  • N-Acetyl Cysteine or NAC

    NAC is an antioxidant derived by your body from cysteine, which is found in chicken and turkey, eggs, garlic, and yogurt. Although NAC doesn’t reduce your histamine levels, it helps to break up mucus, says Esposito. Since the overproduction of mucus is a side effect of being exposed to allergens, NAC could be useful for those struggling with allergies.

  • S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine (SAMe)

    SAMe occurs naturally in the body and is made by the body from amino acids found in food. People who have abnormal levels of SAMe may be prone to depression and liver problems. It is often used as a treatment for osteoarthritis, liver disease, and depression, but studies on its effectiveness are not conclusive.
    SAMe isn’t typically used for allergies, Esposito says, but he finds it to be helpful. “It’s in my tool box because it works on an enzyme called HNMT (histamine N-methyltransferase), which helps detox the body from histamine,” he explains.

  • Butterbur

    Butterbur, which is also effective at treating migraines, is another natural antihistamine. A shrub found in Europe, Asia, and North America, it was once used to treat the plague and asthma. Several studies have shown that butterbur extract can treat allergic rhinitis effectively. However, not much is known about the long-term effects of butterbur, and it could cause some side effects, such as headaches, itchy eyes, and dizziness.

Natural Antihistamines and Your Skin

There are natural alternatives to topical antihistamine creams too. If you have itchy skin or a rash because of allergens, Esposito recommends nettle leaf and quercetin as natural antihistamines that work from the inside out. That said, they won’t get to work immediately.
“For immediate relief I utilize a mix of aloe vera, calendula, and tea tree oil,” he says. “Although most natural therapies are best taken as supplements, I find calendula oil to be helpful topically to help reduce the histamine-like skin reactions.”

How can I include natural antihistamines in my diet?

If your symptoms are mild, certain dietary changes might help you. Amanda Frick, lead naturopathic doctor at Harvey Health, says this could help you take a preventive approach to allergies.
“You could add more citrus to your diet for increased vitamin C,” she says. “Bromelain is found in high amounts in pineapple. Quercetin is found in dark-colored fruits and vegetables like berries, cherries, apples, and wine and can be found in smaller amounts in leafy greens and onions.” Additionally, cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts contain NAC. Stinging nettle or nettle leaf is available in tea form, but Esposito believes you’d have to have about eight cups a day to treat moderate allergies.
A number of other vegetables and herbs can be used as natural antihistamines to treat allergic reactions. This includes ginger, which has been shown to prevent and treat allergic reactions; watercress, which inhibits histamines; and peaches, which slow down the inflammatory response of the mast cells.
Generally, though, these studies focused on concentrated amounts of those foods. This means you’d have to eat a lot of it before you notice an effect. Eating a bowl of pineapple isn’t going to make your hives disappear immediately. But when these foods form a part of a balanced diet, they can have a preventive effect, as Frick notes. However, as Esposito says, natural anthistamines in capsule or pill form are much more effective than food if you want to treat moderate or severe allergies.

What to Know Before You Take Natural Antihistamines

Natural antihistamines have fewer side effects than pharmaceutical antihistamines, say Frick and Esposito. However, just because something is natural doesn’t mean it is without risk. One such risk is that you might be allergic to some of the antihistamines. For example, bromelain should be avoided by those who are allergic to pineapple. As always, it’s important to use [linkbuilder id=”357″ text=”everything in moderation”].
“You should exercise caution with all supplements for cross reactivity with other herbs and prescriptions,” Frick suggests.
It’s very important to tell your physician if you’re taking supplements of any kind, even if they’re natural or available over the counter. Many people don’t think to tell their doctors if they’re taking supplements, but it’s important that they do so in the event that their supplements might interact with other medicine.
Although many natural antihistamines have been studied thoroughly, there’s a lack of evidence when it comes to others. “The truth is we often don’t know how to measure the risks and likelihood of having side effects with many of these herbal treatments,” says allergist and immunologist Clifford Bassett, MD. Bassett is the founder and medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York. He points out that although quercetin has been studied and found to be effective, some other herbal treatments were associated with a few short-lived side effects.
“We do know the likely benefit and risks of both over-the-counter and prescription allergy medicines, such as oral, ocular, and nasal antihistamines.” In other words, pharmaceutical antihistamines are more predictable than natural antihistamines.
Always exercise extra caution if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. It’s important to consult your doctor or midwife before taking any sort of supplement. At present, there are too few studies that test the effects of natural antihistamines on pregnant or breastfeeding women.
When it comes to dosing children, you should check with your pediatrician first, says Frick. “These natural ingredients are generally considered safe for pediatric use with adjusted dosing,” she says. Incorporating foods rich in quercetin and other antihistamines could be a good approach. Frick suggests adding dark-colored berries and vegetables in your child’s diet to prevent mild allergies.

Natural Antihistamines for Pets

Someone else who may benefit from natural antihistamines? Your pet.
According to integrative veterinarian Martin Goldstein, DVM, your cats and dogs can also benefit from the natural antihistamine effects of nettle and quercetin. Goldstein, popularly known as Dr. Marty, has 40 years of experience as a veterinarian and authored the book The Nature of Animal Healing.
“Other treatments for allergies would include high levels of omega-3 rich oils like fish or krill oil, and even coconut oil is favorable,” Dr. Marty says. “A supplement containing beta-sitosterol is one of my favorites, as it has a natural steroid-like effect again with no side effects,” he adds.
Dr. Marty advocates changing your pet’s diet to one that contains primarily fresh meats, reducing the grain and starch in their diet. He also recommends running blood tests to check for food allergies if possible. If your dog is prone to allergies, Dr. Marty suggests trying acupuncture.

Prevention is better than cure.

If you want to take a holistic approach to your health, dealing with allergies shouldn’t just include taking natural antihistamines when you’re struggling. Avoiding allergens whenever you can and maintaining good overall health is important.
“Whether the antihistamine is natural or not, you want to remove the obstacles to heal[ing], and that requires a complete holistic approach.” Esposito says. “My goal is not to have people on these herbs or medications their whole life, as benign as they may be, because our body has its own innate ability to heal.”
To prevent allergies, Esposito advises practicing good hygiene, avoiding allergens where possible, and taking care of your general health.
Other than consuming natural antihistamines, you might want to try other natural remedies for allergies. This can include clearing your stuffy nose with a neti pot, using a HEPA filter to reduce dust and mold spores in your home, and sipping anti-inflammatory peppermint tea.
Many essential oils can also be useful when it comes to treating and soothing allergic reactions. This is because they often ease inflammation. Eucalyptus oil, for example, has been shown to reduce nasal congestion. Studies have suggested that peppermint oil is a relaxant that soothes spasmodic coughing and an anti-inflammatory that can ease the symptoms of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma.
Lemon and tea tree oil can also be useful for people with allergies. You can use them in your home in a diffuser or to clean surfaces. Both lemon and tea tree oils kill allergens like mold and bacteria, which can help prevent allergic reactions. 
Allergies are always a struggle to deal with, and over-the-counter antihistamines aren’t for everyone. Fortunately, though, nature has given us many useful tools to help our bodies soothe themselves, enabling us to take a holistic approach to allergies. If the side effects of traditional antihistamines are bothering you, speak to your physician about trying a more natural alternative.

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Healthy Relationships Wellbeing

How To Get Over A Breakup According To The Experts

Going through a breakup can be incredibly tough. Never let anyone tell you that it isn’t! Change can be scary, especially if you were with your partner for a long while. But getting over your breakup and onto a fresh start is going to happen for you, we promise. Everyone heals from a breakup at their own rate, so don’t stress about getting over your ex on a timeline.
Settle on in and get a little breakup perspective. We’ve got the best tips for helping you [linkbuilder id=”5395″ text=”get over a breakup”], straight from the experts.

Breakup Brain

You’ve heard that being in love changes your brain, right? Heartbreak changes your brain, too. Going through an emotional breakup has an impact on very specific parts of your brain. Grief is no joke, and your brain chemistry is altered when you’re super bummed about loss.
Grief over a breakup increases activity in the cerebellum, posterior brainstem, posterior temporoparietal, and occipital brain regions. All of that is going on as activity in the anterior brainstem, thalamus, striatum, temporal cortex, insula, and dorsal and ventral anterior cingulate/prefrontal cortex decreases—pointing to physical and chemical relationships between sadness, grief, and depression.
Plus, studies show that the more sudden and recent the breakup (especially if you were not expecting it), the more impact the split can have on your brain. Experiences of rejection can actually feel like physical pain, meaning both your brain and body are involved in grieving and saying goodbye. No wonder you feel like a mess after a breakup! If you’re in that post-breakup fog, don’t worry—eventually things will settle back to normal.
If you’re living the post-breakup fog, it’s important to keep in mind that your breakup happened for a reason. Researchers at University of Utah found that the top three reasons couples break up are personality issues (they just don’t mesh), breach of trust, and a partner becoming distant.
So, whether you want to enjoy the single life or are looking forward to getting back out there so you can pursue a relationship with someone you trust and who wants to spend time with you, know that working through breakup grief is a form of self-care and an expression of self-respect.

Working Through Breakup Grief Mentally

“When someone is grieving, he or she needs to balance mourning and living life” says Jennifer L. Taitz, PsyD, author of How To Be Single and Happy. “When we feel emotions profoundly, as hard as it may feel, [be] engaged rather than repeatedly reviewing what happened and worrying about the future, [which will] will make you feel so much worse.”
This means you need to take a hot minute to grieve—to feel the pain instead of ignoring it—without giving in to wallowing. Taitz suggests going to work as normal, going to the gym, and when breakup stress or thoughts creep up on you to “mark them as mental spam and try to do the things you normally do when you feel good and hopeful.”
We also suggest trying out some positive thinking exercises, especially during the first days, which can feel the worst. Positive thinking can be a powerful tool, and can even be beneficial to your health. Make a little time each day to focus on the good. Kimberly Hershenson, LMSW, suggests making a gratitude list each and every day. She says to write down 10 things you are grateful for. “Anything from your family, legs to walk on, or reality TV. Focusing on what is good in your life as opposed to what is going wrong with your life calms you down.”
Making this a daily habit helps you reflect, too, once you’ve made it through the worst of your breakup blues.
Hershenson also suggests reading something overtly positive every morning. “Starting your day with positivity helps you begin your day on a good foot.” We suggest finding a book of daily affirmations that you love and reading one (or more!) every day when you get up.
Meditation is also a great way to use your own mental power to find peace after a breakup. We’re big fans of meditation and its power to help you soothe your mind. Hershenson suggests meditation as well, and advises establishing a meditation practice, even if it’s just for five minutes a day. You can read all about how to get into your om with our beginner’s guide to meditation.
You don’t have to do all of this alone, by the way. After a breakup it can be incredibly helpful to lean on the support of your friends, family, and other members of your support system, like a trusted religious advisor or therapist.
Female empowerment coach Emi Valerio of She Commands says, “After a breakup, it is imperative you lean in for support from your close family and friends who are not judgmental but are supportive.” She says that the support you receive helps “feed your soul with peace and not disappointment.” Your support system can also help to keep you on track with your meditation practice and self-care routine.
We suggest getting into your own unique daily mental-health routine. Combine different approaches, like meditation, gratitude journaling, and reading affirmations, concocting a mix that supports your healing. Keep at it, too! Carving out a few minutes a day to focus on your mental healthcare can be helpful for getting through the worst bits of a breakup and beyond.

Working Through Breakup Grief Physically

You know when you’re feeling bummed out and all you want to do is put on a made-for-TV movie and eat your weight in popcorn? That’s because when people are upset, they’re more likely to make impulse decisions that give them a short-term benefit (like a sugar high) rather than a long term benefit (like a healthy diet). This could be why you want to eat all the carbs and avoid the gym after a breakup. Unfortunately for your impulse control, treating your body right can be one of the best ways to handle grief.
Getting your heart pumping can be good for your brain, not just your bod. Plus, exercising is a great way to focus on something that isn’t your breakup. Taitz says, “Exercise is a powerful way to increase resilience and profoundly helps people improve their mood.” She recommends you schedule your workouts, that way when you’re feeling more motivated to eat ice cream than exercise, you’ll be more likely to actually go.  “I am constantly prescribing exercise and it’s been a huge part of my wellness routine,” says Taitz.
Specifically, she recommends taking classes that incorporate barre work or high intensity interval training to keep your mind focused on the quick pace of your workout. This also keeps you from scrolling on your phone while on an elliptical. Intensely focusing on the right workout will actually give your mind a break from your grief.  
Even if you can’t make it to the barre every day, self-care is still important, and it shouldn’t be all baths and indulging in your favorite guilty pleasure reality TV shows. Hershenson says, “Doing something just for yourself every day is crucial to [addressing] mental stress.” She recommends a daily routine that includes activities like purposively reading the newspaper with your morning cup of tea (no matter how miserable you feel) and stretching for ten minutes before bed.
Taking that little bit of time to give back to yourself can be calming and help to reaffirm that you’re awesome, focused, and can make it through this post-breakup period.
Also, it probably won’t surprise you, but a diet of ice cream and wine isn’t going to do you any favors. Besides the empty calories and sugar crash, failing to truly nourish yourself is all around bad for your body and your brain.
We all know the link between depression and serotonin, right? Boosting your serotonin levels post breakup sounds like a great plan, but it can be hard to do without the help of a mental health professional. You could try to eat a bunch of serotonin rich foods (like plantains, kiwi, plums, and walnuts) but unfortunately that serotonin won’t make it to your brain. Instead you can boost your serotonin levels without drugs through exercise, bright light therapy, and eating small amounts of carbohydrates strategically throughout your day. Not all carbs are off limits in your post-breakup diet!

Why You (Usually) Shouldn’t Be Friends Post-Breakup

We know that staying friends with your ex may sound like the ideal situation. You spent so much time with them before the breakup, and depending on the situation, it can be tempting to want to spend time with them after calling it quits, too. But staying friends with your ex isn’t always the best choice, especially at first.
Although it is possible to be friends with an ex, we don’t suggest it straight out of a breakup. Valerio says, “There is probably a good reason why your ex is your ex,” and we agree. Even if the reason you broke up wasn’t extreme, it happened for a reason and it could be better in the long run to cut your losses and move on.
After the worst bit of your post-breakup blues are over and you find yourself considering a friendship with your ex, it’s good to have some perspective on the situation. Valerio gives this advice: “Understand that everyone comes into your life and serves their purpose. It is important for you to look back at your relationship and look at the lesson you have learned.”
You might have discovered what personality traits you need in a partner, what you can work on to be a better partner yourself, or even what life goals you didn’t know were important until big decisions had to be made. This can teach you so much about the qualities to look for in the people you surround yourself with—whether they’re romantic partners or platonic friends.
We strongly recommend not trying to become friends with an ex if you’re ultimately trying to get back together with them romantically. This takes a bit of self reflection and being really honest with yourself about your intentions. Taitz says that although every relationship is different, trying to be friends as an attempt to rekindle a romantic relationship isn’t the best choice. “That’s not accepting the current reality, and [puts] you at risk of prolonging your pain. You are stronger than you know,” she says.
It will feel better to mourn your ended relationship now rather than trying to get back together under less-than-transparent pretenses, which might lead to mourning all over again in a few months.
We also have to note that if your partner was abusive or your relationship was extremely emotionally draining, it’s probably best to cut that person out entirely or—in cases that necessitate contact, like shared custody or ongoing legal proceedings—to stick to a regimented plan and maintain safe boundaries with the help of professionals if needed.
The only time we can really condone staying friends with an ex is if your decision to break up was truly mutual. If the romance has faded away and you’re really just friends anyway, maintaining that relationship can work out. But, Hershenson warns, this may not be a forever solution. “It’s also important to discuss this situation with a new partner. They may not like how close you are with an ex.” She says from there you can decide how to proceed because things really will need to be considered and settled case by case.
No matter where you are in your post-breakup journey, we know that you’ll get through it. Focus on taking care of yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically, and you’ll be golden in no time. Don’t try to buckle down and do it alone, either. A good support system will help keep you focused on your potential as you make time for grieving. Then, they’ll be there to cheer you on when you’re over your ex and ready to put yourself out there—in whatever way feels right–again.
Still feeling lost? Grab your planner and pencil in the following activities to keep you on track with your post-breakup self-care:

Today

Finish any activities you’ve already committed to, then take a hot shower or follow your favorite face-washing regimen before bed.

Day 2

Wake up 15 minutes early and grab your journal. Write down 10 things you are grateful for. Spend any additional time you have reading the newspaper or a thought-stimulating article on your favorite site.

Day 3

Get your body moving with a yoga flow.

Day 4

Let yourself go, but just for today! Pencil in a couple of hours for binge watching rom-coms and munching on your favorite junk food.

Day 5

Set aside seven minutes for meditation.
Go grocery shopping for the rest of the week with fresh nutrition in mind.

Day 6

Prepare yourself a beautiful and nutritious lunch.
Order an inspirational read or pick one up from the library if you don’t already have something on hand.

Day 7

Wake up 15 minutes early and grab your journal. Revisit the things you’re grateful for. Write down 10 you haven’t journaled about before. Spend any additional time you have reading the newspaper, affirmations, or a few pages of an uplifting book.

Over the Weekend

Rearrange your other activities so you can sign up for a fitness class. Get out of the house and get your heart pumping.
Saturday or Sunday evening, make time for a release ceremony. In her Psychology Today piece “The Five Steps to Mindfully Releasing Anger,” Andrea Brandt, PhD, MFT, suggests you consciously make space to throw rocks or shake your limbs to release negative energy. Deepak Chopra outlines a ritual of release in which you take written stories of pain and “literally let them go.”
After journaling about painful parts of the relationship, breakup, or aftermath, burn the paper and scatter or flush the ashes, or tear the pages into bits and bury the pieces outside. Make time and a safe space for yourself to grieve or celebrate after the release.

Categories
Gym x Studio Sweat

Kettlebell Exercises: Are They The Missing Staple In Your Workout Routine?

Looking to switch things up at the gym or get into a sustainable, high-impact workout routine at home?
If yes, it’s time to rejoice, because you’re onto something amazing. Smaller than a squat rack, bench, or barbell, kettlebells can easily fit in any corner of your home. The space needed is minimal, and your one crucial piece of equipment is…well, a pair of kettlebells.
With just these two weights, you can get your heart pounding and muscles screaming. You’ll have the freedom to squeeze in a quick 20-minute session while your kiddos are taking their afternoon nap or to power through your workout outdoors while catching some rays. What could be better than getting your sweat on when and where you want?
Once predominantly popular among CrossFit athletes and Pavel Tsatsouline followers, kettlebells can now be found at nearly any gym or brought home for commute-free workouts. Whether you’re a powerlifting fiend or a mom looking for a workout you can do while the little ones play (or both!) kettlebells are an indispensable tool in your arsenal.
The kettlebell is a solid iron sphere with a handle attached to its top. Its unique shape creates an entirely different demand on the body when compared with traditional dumbbell and barbell exercises. Using kettlebells, an individual is able to “integrate curvilinear movements, centrifugal force, and momentum into a total body, circuit weight training type workout” according to an article published in the Journal of Fitness Research.
The dynamism of a kettlebell workout often entails multi-joint and multi-plane movements, meaning many kettlebell exercises will start with the weight on the floor and end with it above your head. Due to their vigorous nature, these workouts can improve strength, power, flexibility, balance, and even cardiorespiratory functioning.

Mastering the Fundamental Swing

Every kettlebell exercise is founded on the basic Russian swing, which involves projecting the weight to shoulder height. It’s considered the most powerful kettlebell movement because of its exemplification of total-body power and superior levels of cardiovascular training.
Although it looks simple, conquering a proper swing can take time—and perhaps additional guidance from a coach or certified personal trainer. In truth, this exercise is often performed incorrectly, which limits its efficacy and increases the chance of injury.

To perfect the movement, stand up straight with your feet positioned slightly wider than hip-distance apart. Holding the handle of the kettlebell with both hands, keep your palms facing in and your arms in front of your body. Maintain a slight bend of your knees and lower the weight as you drive your hips back.
This isn’t a squat! Instead, hinge at your hips—similar to what you would do during a Romanian deadlift. Hinge, hinge, hinge! Then, in one smooth motion, explode through your hips—contracting your glutes, driving your hips forward, and allowing the kettlebell to swing upward.
Throughout the entire exercise, keep your core engaged. All movement should come directly from your hips. You are neither squatting the weight nor are you using your arms to pull the weight up in a pseudo-upright row.

Building on the Basics

Here are some of our favorite kettlebell moves that you’ll be building on in no time:

Goblet Squat

Level: Beginner

Targets: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes, Back, Core

Rep + Set Scheme: 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 20 reps



Start in a firm stance, with your feet a few inches wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned out. Hold the kettlebell in front of your chest with both hands gripping the handle, keeping your elbows tucked against each side of your body. While maintaining a strong, straight trunk, start squatting down to the ground. Drive through your heels, pushing them into the ground. Focus on keeping your chest up as your hips move backward until your thighs are parallel to the floor—or lower. Continue to push through your heels as you contract your quadriceps and glutes to return to a standing position.

Deadlift

Level: Beginner

Targets: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes, Back, Core

Rep + Set Scheme: 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 15 reps



Stand with your feet positioned about shoulder-width apart and the kettlebell resting on the ground between your feet. Squat down to reach the kettlebell handle, grasping it with both hands. As you lower down, keep your core engaged, your back flat, and your hips moving backward. Holding the kettlebell with extended arms, contract your glutes to drive yourself up through the lift. As you rise up, squeeze your glutes and pull your shoulders back. Lower the kettlebell back to the ground to return to the starting position and prepare for the next rep.

Lunge Press

Level: Intermediate

Targets: Shoulders, Back, Arms, Core, Glutes, Quadriceps, Hamstrings

Rep + Set Scheme: 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 15 reps per leg



Start with your feet together, holding the kettlebell in your right hand directly above your right shoulder. Lunge forward with your right leg, straightening your arm and raising the kettlebell overhead. In a full lunge, your front thigh should be parallel to the ground. Using only this leg to push your body out of the lunge, return to standing while lowering the kettlebells down toward your shoulder. A wider stance will involve greater glute activation, while a narrower stance will involve greater quadricep activation. Perform 12 to 15 reps on one side before moving on to the left side.

Sumo High-Pull

Level: Intermediate

Targets: Back, Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes, Shoulders, Arms

Rep + Set Scheme: 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 15 reps



Stand with your feet significantly wider than shoulder-width apart, with the kettlebell resting between your feet. Your toes should be turned out slightly. As a good rule of thumb, your knees should track in the direction of your toes throughout the movement. Squat down to grasp the handle of the kettlebell with both hands. Keep your chest upright as you push your hips back. With a firm grip on the kettlebell, rise out of the squat. As your legs straighten, simultaneously raise your elbows and pull the kettlebell to your chest. Your legs should be driving the entire movement, with your upper body moving in synchronicity toward the end. Lower the kettlebell and squat the weight down to the ground, returning to your starting position.

Incline Row

Level: Intermediate

Targets: Back, Arms, Core

Rep + Set Scheme: 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 15 reps per arm


Begin in supported plank position on the edge of a chair or table, keeping your core engaged, quadriceps contracted, and glutes clenched throughout the entire movement. Keep your hips and shoulders square with the ground as you lift the kettlebell in one hand to begin your row. With speed and control, complete all your reps on one arm before alternating arms, maintaining a tight body throughout the entire set.

Push-Up

Level: Intermediate and Advanced

Targets: Chest, Arms, Shoulders, Back, Core

Rep + Set Scheme: 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 15 reps



Move into a push-up position with one hand gripping the handle of the kettlebell. The handle should be positioned so that your palm faces in as you hold the handle. Imagine a plank hold, keeping your core engaged, quadriceps contracted, and glutes clenched. Lower your body until your chest is at handle height, then push back up to the starting position. Alternate arms as you move through your sets.

Turkish Get-Up

Level: Intermediate and Advanced

Targets: Abs, Arms, Back

Rep + Set Scheme: 3 to 5 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side


Lie down on your back with your legs outstretched in front of you. Holding a kettlebell, extend your left arm straight up toward the ceiling. Bend the left knee and start to rise up. While engaging your core, prop your body up with your right arm. Keeping your right arm strong and the kettlebell overhead, kneel on one knee then stand all the way up. Next, carefully lower your body back down to the starting position, keeping the kettlebell overhead as you recline. Perform 10 to 12 reps on one side before moving to the other.

Military Press

Level: Advanced

Targets: Shoulders, Arms, Back, Core

Rep + Set Scheme: 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 15 reps



Start in a strong stance with the kettlebell in one hand. With your elbows bent, bring the kettlebell to shoulder height. The “bell” should be resting against the back of your hand and forearm in what is called the “rack” position, which we’ll use again below!
Engage your core, squeeze your glutes, and press the kettlebell overhead. Lean forward slightly at the waist to ensure the kettlebell winds up behind your head as your arm extends fully. Your palm should now be facing forward. Lower the kettlebell back down to shoulder height and repeat.

Clean + Press

Level: Advanced

Targets: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes, Back, Shoulders, Core

Rep + Set Scheme: 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 20 reps



Stand with your feet positioned about shoulder-width apart and the kettlebell resting on the ground between your feet. Squat down to grasp the handle of the kettlebell with one hand. Rise to a standing position, with the weight hanging between your legs and your knees slightly bent. With your core engaged, begin to swing upward.
Remember the foundational kettlebell swing here, but keep the weight close to your body rather than pressing it out and away. As you rise, thrust your hips, shrug your shoulders, and pull the “bell” up to your shoulder into the “rack” position you learned earlier, so it rests on the back of your hand and forearm. From here, extend your arm and press the weight overhead. Carefully lower the weight and return it to the starting position (hanging between your legs). If you’re ready for even more of a challenge, try this with a kettlebell in each hand!

Push-Up + Row

Level: Advanced

Targets: Chest, Arms, Shoulders, Back, Core

Rep + Set Scheme: 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 10 reps per arm



Begin in the push-up position, as described above. Lower your body until your chest is at handle height. Once you push up into the top position, lift the kettlebell to perform a row. Keep your hips and shoulders square with the ground and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Lower the kettlebell to the ground and perform the next push-up and row combination.

Why kettlebell?

The benefits of kettlebell training are vast and supported by ample research. Given the total-body nature of these exercises, a wide range of muscles are simultaneously called to action. As a result, kettlebell workouts’ benefits extend far beyond isolated improvements. Although many individuals think of kettlebell routines as cardiovascular exercise, a great deal of research reveals a remarkable influence on strength and power as well. For this reason, kettlebell workouts have quickly become a popular cross-training method for competitive bodybuilders, powerlifters, and Olympic weightlifters.
According to another study sponsored by the American Council of Exercise (ACE) at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse, individuals who trained with kettlebells experienced a 70 percent increase in core strength and a 13.8 percent boost in aerobic capacity.
Participants’ dynamic balance, VO2 max, and grip strength also showed significant improvements by the end of their eight-week training period, which means their kettlebell routines improved their ability to balance while in motion and use oxygen during exercise and may even have decreased their risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack—all of which are associated with grip strength.
As this study’s particular grouping of benefits suggests, kettlebells combine the perks of resistance training and cardio. But instead of spending one hour hitting the weights and another half hour on the treadmill, it’s possible to experience similar benefits with just 20 to 30 minutes of kettlebell hustle.
An individual’s heart rate is elevated quickly, and when combining their aerobic (cardiorespiratory) and anaerobic (strength) efforts, it’s possible to burn roughly 20 calories a minute while kettlebell training. To put this into perspective, ACE compares the expenditure to running at 6-minute mile pace or cross-country skiing uphill. That means kettlebells can give you the most bang for your buck when you’re crunched on time.
One more advantage of the kettlebell is its ability to decrease the training load while still helping you make substantial headway in terms of your strength and conditioning goals. This reduces the wear and tear on the body without inhibiting forward progress.
For example, one study found that the kettlebell swing engages the low back extensors at 50 percent of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), and the gluteal muscles at 80 percent of MVC—both of which are adequate for increasing strength. As T-Nation explains, the body doesn’t know the difference between 90 pounds on your shoulders and 45-pound kettlebells in each hand.
A key difference between traditional weights and kettlebells is the kettlebells’ ability to leverage tension as a result of their specific shape and design. Although they may be lighter in weight, the cumulative tension placed on the body while engaging kettlebells is far greater. This allows for the generation of greater force output and superior control, both of which are essential for strength gains.
This is one reason why kettlebells are often touted as being “better” than dumbbells. While a dumbbell allows for slight “cheating”—often as a result of swinging or moving out of the most effective range of motion—a kettlebell maintains constant tension and stimulation throughout an entire movement. If inappropriate swinging occurs during an exercise, the kettlebell will hit the body—alerting you to an issue with form. Proper kettlebell technique ensures that tension and stimulation are emphasized even in exercise positions that are often neglected in traditional dumbbell movements.
Kettlebells are also offset and unbalanced, while the weight of a dumbbell is evenly distributed throughout its length. The offset weight of a kettlebell makes it far more functional and applicable to everyday tasks. Using kettlebells, your strength is not simply improved but can be increased in a way that’s relevant to balancing one crying child and a few bags of groceries. Hello, motherhood. The perfect balance of a dumbbell, however, does not have the same effect. Perhaps you’ve experienced this type of existential dilemma as you struggle to move a load of boxes, thinking about how strong that bicep curl felt just a few days earlier. Kettlebell training can help you overcome that!
Overall, incorporating the kettlebell’s two-pronged approach, which touts strength training and conditioning, helps build both cardiovascular and muscular endurance—all while recruiting a plethora of muscles to increase mobility and balance. Think about it: Balancing a weight overhead as you stand up from a lying position requires quite the motor skill.

Safety First: Own Your Bell

Unfortunately, technical errors are common when training with kettlebells—especially for beginners. These errors can drastically increase the chances of injury considering how vigorous and forceful many of the movements are. Writing for StrongFirst, a website and company founded by the renowned Tsatsouline, Matt Kingstone, owner of King Cobra Fit, explains the key concept of “owning a bell.”
While it’s necessary to use a weight that’s challenging enough for a decent workout (ladies, drop the 5 pounders), it’s also important not to reach for a kettlebell that’s heavier than what you’re ready for. Knowing the proper weight and “owning” the kettlebell is dependent on three key concepts: control, confidence, and competence. If you can move through a workout while maintaining all three Cs, you may be ready to reach for a heavier weight.
Being in control of the kettlebell is the most important thing you can do to prioritize your safety. Demonstrating control means there’s a complete absence of wobbling during the exercise, the movement can be done with equal proficiency on both the left and right side, and there is no difference between concentric (contracting or shortening) action and eccentric (lengthening) action. The movement must look and feel fluid.
You can determine if you have any weak spots in a variety of ways.
First, add a pause or press in each position of the movement. If there’s a problem with stabilizing the bell, you’ll notice yourself losing tension or balance. Second, video yourself working out. Although it may feel awkward at first, this can highlight your performance—good or bad. Kingstone explains that this tends to take the subjectivity out of the exercise. Instead, you may notice yourself rushing through transitions or dropping your chest and hips a bit too low in your swing. A third option is to incorporate what’s called a bonus drill. Try performing the movement in the bottom-up position. It could be a final factor in forcing you to properly brace throughout the entire movement. Recognize your weaknesses and work on them until they become your strengths.
During your training, you must maintain a level of self-assurance and self-efficacy. Applying this to “owning” a kettlebell means you can perform the movement without any worry or concerns, you can demonstrate the exercise at any time, and the movement (again) appears smooth. Confidence will come with sufficient practice and patience. Notice if you feel better in your current session than you did during the one before, and use this as a boost. Acknowledge the fact that you are improving.
During your workout, there shouldn’t be an ounce of doubt. The exercises you’re performing should eventually become reflexive, as if your body has memorized the kettlebell’s path. If you feel hesitant when thinking about increasing the weight, don’t do it. Wait until your answer to a weightier bell is a resounding Yes.
Competency is the third and final pillar. If you’re competent with a kettlebell, you are:

  1. Symmetrical: You don’t have to compensate or sacrifice control in one muscle to complete the movement as a whole.
  2. Knowledgeable and articulate: You can communicate effectively about the movement with your coach, team, or galpal next door and can talk others through the exercise.

Establishing competence is the point at which fine-tuning and attention to detail come into play, according to Kingstone. The “little things” become major areas of mastery. It’s important to understand, though, that you will achieve new levels of competency with particular movements as you graduate to heavier kettlebells. In this way, competency is an ever-changing state that’s continuously building on itself.

Let’s get you going!

When looking for your own kettlebell, think about which movements you are most interested in learning. Kettlebells USA defines ballistic movements as explosive lifts such as swings, cleans, snatches, and tosses. Conversely, grinding movements are defined as Turkish get-ups, overhead presses, windmills, squats, and lunges.
For ballistic movements, “an average, active women should start with a kettlebell between 8 kg (18 lb) and 12 kg (26 lb). An athletic woman should start with a kettlebell between 12 kg (26 lb) and 16 kg (35 lb).”
During grinding movements, you should be able to easily press the weight overhead 8 to 10 times to ensure control. “An average, active women should start with a kettlebell between 6 kg (13 lb) and 8 kg (18 lb). An athletic woman should start with a kettlebell between 8 kg (18 lb) and 12 kg (26 lb).”
If you’re ready to order your first kettlebell, Onnit and Rogue Fitness have great collections. You’re sure to find one perfectly suited for your needs and goals!

[link-button href=https://www.healthyway.com/t/kettlebell-series/“]Check out HealthyWay’s Kettlebell Series here.[/link-button]

 

Categories
Healthy Pregnancy Motherhood

Gestational Diabetes: Important Information Every Mom-To-Be Should Know

Twenty-six weeks into my pregnancy, my OB informed me that I might have gestational diabetes. I was shocked. Other than my age—I was 35—I had zero risk factors. I exercised regularly. In fact, I had once been a dancer and yoga teacher. I was fit and healthy. I figured it was all a big mistake. I’d do the glucose tolerance test and all would be fine.
Sometime between 24 and 28 weeks, most healthcare providers recommend pregnant women be screened for gestational diabetes. The glucose challenge test is relatively painless: You drink a syrupy sweet drink and wait an hour. Your blood and urine levels are tested, and if they fall within a certain range, you’re fine.
If they spike outside that range, however, you go for a follow-up glucose tolerance test. This test, which is slightly more involved, necessitates fasting overnight (no fun). The following morning, having forgone breakfast, I went in to have my blood and urine tested. Then I consumed an even sweeter drink, and my levels were tested every hour for the next three hours—all while I continued to fast. (Bring a good book and a few podcasts. You’ll be starving.)
When the test came back positive for gestational diabetes, I panicked. Was my baby okay? Had I done something wrong? Was it all those croissants I’d eaten in the first trimester? What should I do now?
There was no need to panic. My baby was fine. I was fine. I had a mild case, which meant I didn’t have to take insulin. But even if I had, it’s an entirely manageable and relatively common condition, as anywhere from 2 to 10 percent of pregnant women experience gestational diabetes. The trick is learning to test your blood sugar at regular intervals, sticking to a balanced diet, and prioritizing exercise.
Beyond that, we’ve got all the details you need to know to manage gestational diabetes or put your mind at ease if you think you might be at risk.

What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is not the same as type 1 or type 2 diabetes. It is a condition that develops during pregnancy, almost always ends with the birth of the baby, and has nothing to do with whether you have type 1 or type 2. Typically diagnosed between weeks 24 and 28, gestational diabetes causes high blood sugar levels that affect how your cells break down sugar or glucose. If managed well, gestational diabetes isn’t a problem, but it can be dangerous for mother and baby if the condition is not addressed.
Although gestational diabetes has little to do with types 1 or 2, “[Doctors] sometimes diagnose type 2 diabetes or type 1 diabetes during pregnancy that had previously been missed,” according Rebecca Weiss, MD, an endocrinologist at Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills, California. “This can be apparent based on a woman’s blood sugar control during pregnancy.”

Am I at risk?

“Gestational diabetes is caused by hormones produced by the placenta that increase insulin resistance in the mother,” explains Weiss. “The main causative hormones are growth hormone, placental lactogen, corticotropin releasing hormone, and progesterone. These hormones increase the body’s insulin resistance, leading to higher sugars, and in some cases, gestational diabetes.” Weiss explains that this is why all women are screened because even thin, healthy, fit women can develop the condition.
No one really knows how what causes gestational diabetes, but there are some risk factors:

  • Age—if you are over 25
  • Overweight or obese pre-pregnancy 
  • Excessive weight gain during pregnancy
  • A history of diabetes in your family
  • Hypertension or preeclampsia in this pregnancy

There is also an increased risk for expecting women in certain ethnic groups, including African American women, Latinas, South and East Asian women, and Native American women.
A woman can lessen her risk of developing gestational diabetes by adopting healthy eating and exercise habits before and during pregnancy, explains Julie Peacock, RDN, a registered dietician nutritionist and integrative whole-health wellness counselor in New York City.
“Before getting pregnant, talk to your doctor to establish if you have any risk factors—family history, overweight, history of polycystic ovarian syndrome, and history of irregular blood sugars.” You can then target your food and exercise plan to specifically watch carbohydrate intake and get the recommended amount of exercise daily.
Peacock emphasizes, however, that this holds true for all women, pregnant or not. “The goal is always to move your body frequently and load up on whole foods while decreasing or eliminating processed foods and foods high in sugar, salt, and [linkbuilder id=”5310″ text=”artificial ingredients”].”
“The saying ‘eating for two’ is not accurate at all,” adds Weiss. “Pregnant women actually only require about 250 extra calories a day during pregnancy. I always recommend to pregnant patients to maintain a healthy diet and to continue to exercise as they did prior to pregnancy.”

How do I know whether I have gestational diabetes?

There are no symptoms of gestational diabetes, so unlike other conditions during pregnancy, it is virtually impossible to tell without a test. After testing, your OB will be the one to deliver the news.

Will gestational diabetes affect my baby?

If your gestational diabetes is well managed, you baby will be totally fine. It’s when gestational diabetes is mismanaged—or not treated at all—that the baby might face one or more of the following risks.

Increased Birth Weight

According to the Mayo Clinic, an excess of glucose in mom’s bloodstream may prompt baby’s pancreas to make too much insulin. This can make the baby grow too big to be birthed vaginally, and will necessitate a C-section.

Pre-Term Birth

If a baby seems to be growing too big, your doctor might induce before the your due date to ensure a safe delivery.

Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)

Occasionally, babies of moms with gestational diabetes develop low blood sugar shortly after birth because their insulin production is too elevated. In extreme cases, this can cause seizures in the baby, which may necessitate intravenous glucose solution treatment to help the baby’s blood sugar level return to normal.

Type 2 Diabetes

The baby could be at a slightly greater risk of developing diabetes later in life.

Will this affect me after my baby is born?

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that there is a very, very small chance that it could.  “Ninety percent of the time, gestational diabetes goes away after birth,” explains Peacock. “But if a woman had gestational diabetes, she is at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes.”
It’s very important to continue eating and exercising healthfully throughout the pregnancy and after delivery. Stick to the same dietary guidelines you followed during pregnancy (eat whole foods and limit processed and refined foods), maintain a healthy weight, and be sure to get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily.

Tips for Managing Gestational Diabetes: You are what you eat.

“What a woman eats is just as important as how much and when she eats,” explains Peacock. “Keeping her blood sugar levels stable is the goal.”

Key Foods to Incorporate Into Your Diet:

  • An abundance of vegetables—leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower
  • Protein-rich foods—hormone-free meats, beans, and legumes (black beans, split peas, lentils, etc.), eggs, and pregnancy-safe fish
  • Fiber-rich complex carbohydrates—oats, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, and brown rice
  • Dairy—milk, cheese, and plain yogurt are good sources of protein and can be a healthy part of any diet

What to Avoid:

  • Soda, juices, and candy
  • Most coffee drinks and purchased smoothies
  • Donuts and baked goods
  • Deep-fried foods
  • Flavored water, milk shakes, certain nut milks

“These foods are high in refined sugar and/or flour,” Peacock explains. “When you order these foods at a restaurant or buy them at the store, they contain more sugar, fat, and sodium than what you would make at home.” That said, this isn’t advice that only goes for diabetics—this is Peacock’s advice for anyone trying to eat in a healthful way.

Two Tips to Keep in Mind:

  1. Protein with each meal can help keep blood sugar levels stable.
  2. When you have a carbohydrate source, make sure it’s a whole food. This will ensure that it’s fiber rich, and therefore healthier. Eat the apple instead of drinking an apple juice.

A Typical Menu

For a lot of women, the most challenging aspect of gestational diabetes is developing different eating habits and sticking to them. If you’re used to inhaling a bowl of sugary cereal before running out the door, you’ll have to make some major amendments to your diet.
Here are some basic guidelines:

  • Someone with diabetes can have two to four carbohydrate servings with each meal and one to two per snack.
  • One serving is equal to one piece of bread, one small apple, half a banana, ¾ cup berries, one cup of milk or yogurt, ⅓ cup beans, or ⅓ to ½ cup rice, pasta, or cooked grain.

Looking for inspiration? Try the following sample menu on for size.

For Breakfast

Prepare and enjoy a small portion of a cooked grain like oats along with an egg or high protein yogurt to help the body absorb the carbohydrates more efficiently. Opt for natural, no-sugar-added peanut or almond butter on whole grain toast.

For Lunch and Dinner

The bulk of these meals should be leafy greens. Add 4 ounces of chicken (or another protein) and 1 cup of a cooked grain, a piece of fruit, or a roasted root vegetable like sweet potatoes, beets, or squash.

Snacks

Enjoy two to four snacks a day, keeping in mind the goal of spacing them out evenly, every two to three hours, to keep your blood sugar levels from spiking or falling. Having a snack before bed also helps keep levels from plummeting overnight. Examples of good snacks include:

  • A hardboiled egg, a few whole grain crackers, and a handful of carrots
  • ¾ cup blueberries and 6 ounces of Greek yogurt
  • One rice cake with ½ avocado, mashed
  • Two slices of cheese, a few crackers, and 1 cup of raw vegetables
  • A pear and a handful of almonds

Move your body.

“Regular exercise helps the body use insulin better and can lower blood sugar,” Peacock explains. She suggests that women get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. “Think of moderate exercise as the kind that leaves you slightly out of breath, with a faster heart rate, and makes you sweat.”
If you’re unsure about what kind of exercise to pursue, Peacock advises continuing to do what you did before you were pregnant. A few good options include brisk walking, stationary cycling, swimming, and yoga. Consult with your doctor about what forms of exercise are appropriate for you.
Since it does affect blood sugar levels, eating a snack or meal one to two hours before exercise is important. A snack could be half a banana and a scoop of almond butter, or a plain rice cake and spoonful of hummus or smashed avocado.
Remember to always have a form of quickly accessible sugar with you when you exercise, such as glucose tablets or hard candy just in case you experience a blood sugar low.

Don’t give up carbs—really.

Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches, and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables, and dairy products. Though trendy diets often treat carbohydrates as something to avoid, Peacock says they are one of the basic food groups and are important to a healthy life. Carbohydrates are macronutrients, meaning they are one of the three main sources of energy for the body. In fact, they are the body’s main source of energy and provide imperative fuel for the central nervous system and energy for working muscles.
When thinking about carbs, remember that they’re classified as either simple or complex. The difference between the two types is their chemical structure and how quickly the sugar they break down into is absorbed and digested. “Generally speaking, simple carbs are digested and absorbed more quickly and easily than complex carbs,” Peacock explains. “Simple carbs are found in candy, soda, and syrups. These foods are made with processed and refined sugars and do not have vitamins, minerals, or fiber. They are considered ‘empty calories’ and can lead to weight gain and uncontrolled blood sugars. Complex carbohydrates include beans, peas, lentils, nuts, potatoes, root vegetables, corn, whole-grain breads, grains, and cereals.”
Carbs affect blood sugar levels, and when blood sugar levels are too high, they’re harmful to both the woman and the growing fetus. To help manage blood sugar levels, it is important to monitor carbohydrates in terms of how many, what type, and how often you’re consuming them.
When too many carbs are eaten at once, the blood sugar levels in a woman with gestational diabetes will get too high. To keep blood sugar levels in check:

  • Avoid eating too many carbohydrates at one time.
  • Choose complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber and low on the glycemic index .
  • Avoid skipping meals.
  • Combine carbohydrates with protein or healthy fats to help slow down digestion.
  • Eat a protein-rich breakfast that includes fibrous carbohydrates.

“Although it’s easy to look at carbs as the villain here,” Peacock says, “they’re important for energy and foods with carbs have nutrients that are necessary for a healthy pregnancy, so it’s important to learn how to incorporate them smartly as opposed to avoiding them altogether.”

Categories
Food Philosophies Nosh

A Closer Look At The Ketogenic Diet: The Pros And Cons Of A High Fat, Low Carb Way Of Eating

If thinking about the ketogenic diet brings to mind the low carb diet craze of the late ’90s and early aughts, you’re not alone. The popularity of the ketogenic diet and its many offshoots has ebbed and flowed over the 50 years since its introduction.
While some health professionals warn against the use of a ketogenic diet to support weight loss, others firmly believe that this eating plan is a stand-alone solution to chronic health issues associated with obesity and high sugar levels. But did you know that the ketogenic diet has its roots in a field of medicine entirely unrelated to weight loss—or that it’s still being used for its original purpose to this day?

Where did the ketogenic diet come from?

The ketogenic diet’s origin story surprisingly begins thousands of years ago in ancient India and Greece, where it had nothing to do with weight loss. Physicians began observing that fasting diets had a positive effect on patients suffering from epilepsy for reasons that were unclear at the time. Fast-forward to America in the 1920s, when several doctors noticed a reduction in epileptic seizures when their young patients were put on a low carbohydrate diet that entailed the strict exclusion of starches and sugars.
In 1921, endocrinologist Rollin Turner Woodyatt discovered ketone bodies, a series of three water-soluble compounds that were made by the liver of patients who ate high fat diets but extremely restricted carbohydrates. In 1924, he introduced the ketogenic diet as we know it today.

The Ketogenic Diet’s Role in Epilepsy Management

The ketogenic diet is still used as a means to treat epilepsy in children who have a resistance to anti-seizure medications or other epilepsy treatments. Annie Tsang, a registered dietician based in Vancouver, British Columbia, explains that in addition to epilepsy treatment, the ketogenic diet is also being studied for its effect on other chronic health issues, which she says could potentially affect the treatment and management of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, type 2 diabetes, autism, cardiovascular disease, and multiple sclerosis.

The Ketogenic Diet as a Weight Loss Method

The ketogenic diet clearly has a lot to offer in terms of epilepsy treatment, but how exactly does it come into play for those looking to lose weight or prevent long-term health issues related to obesity?

The Science Behind Ketosis

To understand the ketogenic diet, we have to unpack some basic scientific truths. A good starting place? Understanding that when we consume carbohydrates (and we love carbohydrates—the mean daily carbohydrate intake for Americans sits at just under 50 percent of overall caloric consumption), our livers automatically convert them into glucose. Glucose moves throughout the body via the blood stream, where it becomes blood glucose that can be used for fuel.
A ketogenic diet entails an intentional divergence from the typical body’s reliance on glucose for energy. The term “ketogenic” refers specifically to the ketones your liver produces when it’s starved of sugar and carbohydrates. But what exactly are ketones?
When your body has low levels of glucose, it turns to burning fat for energy instead of relying on blood sugar. This process results in the generation of ketones, an organic compound produced by the liver when fats are broken down to serve as a non-glucose form of fuel for the body. Specifically, ketones are produced and used as fuel when you fast or eat a diet very low in carbohydrates and high in fat.
When following a ketogenic diet, the goal is to use the ketones generated as fat breaks down as your primary source of energy instead of glucose—thus the keto diet’s fat-burning claim to fame. Still, it’s important to note that merely eating a ketogenic diet isn’t a guarantor that you will lose weight, and keeping calorie consumption within a healthy range is still imperative as with any other dietary regimen.

What about protein?

The ketogenic diet has become synonymous with low carbohydrate and high fat intake, but where does protein come into play? Including adequate amounts of protein in your diet is imperative to good health since the human body is incapable of making nine out of the eighteen essential amino acids it requires on its own. When the ketogenic diet is marketed as a weight loss tool, emphasis is often placed on consuming high levels of protein and fat, which is an inaccurate interpretation of a true ketogenic diet.

The Keto Flu Blues

When too much protein is consumed on a ketogenic diet the body begins to convert protein into glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis. As with carbohydrates, gluconeogenesis can lead to spikes in blood sugar levels and a reduction of ketones that can be used as a source of energy for your body. When you first begin the ketogenic diet, you may experience unpleasant symptoms that have come to be associated with a phenomenon known as the keto flu.

Symptoms of Keto Flu

The keto flu is the name for a group of symptoms that can occur when you’re just starting out with the ketogenic diet or when you’re moving back and forth between consuming smaller and larger amounts of protein. The keto flu most often occurs in people who are just beginning their switch to a low carbohydrate diet, although for some individuals the effects can last up to five weeks. Common symptoms can include tiredness, headaches, irritability, stomach upset, sugar cravings, difficulty sleeping, and even bad breath.

How to Work Through the Keto Flu

Amy Berger, MS, certified nutrition specialist, nutritional therapy practitioner, and author of The Alzheimer’s Antidote stresses how normal symptoms of the keto flu actually are. She says:

When people are brand new to this way of eating, if they’re transitioning to it from a high carb diet, they might experience what we call the keto flu, or the low carb flu—headaches, dizziness, nausea, light-headedness, etc. This is normal and to be expected. The worst of it should pass in a couple of days, and people can help ease this transition by being sure to get plenty of salt/sodium, and maybe extra magnesium and potassium (especially if they have leg cramps). The dramatic decrease in carbohydrates is a bit of a shock to the body, and the rapid change in blood glucose and insulin levels changes the way the kidneys hold on to electrolytes. People on a very low carb diet, especially at the beginning, really need to be sure to get enough salt.

[related article_ids=20585]
Berger also adds that there may be a decrease in stamina for individuals who are athletes or who work out regularly. “For athletes or people who work out a lot, they should expect to have a decrease in athletic performance (power, stamina, strength), but this is temporary. As the body adjusts over the course of weeks and months, their usual level of performance will come back, and it often then surpasses where it was. But they should be prepared to have a slight decline at first.”
During this time of transition, it’s especially important to listen to your body and give yourself plenty of rest as you get used to a new way of eating.

The Ketogenic Diet and Weight Loss

Due to the popularity of dieting methods in general, it would be easy to brush off the ketogenic diet as merely another fad diet with few actual success stories. The ketogenic diet has, however, proven itself incredibly effective when it comes to weight loss. An study published in Nutrition & Metabolism in 2004 notes that adherence to the ketogenic had a noticeable effect on immediate weight loss in male and female participants, with male participants achieving a marginally greater weight loss than female participants. Another study indicated that weight loss is achieved at a faster speed when subjects adhere to a ketogenic diet as opposed to those who ate low calorie, low fat, and high carbohydrate diets.

How to Adhere to a Ketogenic Diet and When to Expect Results

It’s crucial when undertaking a ketogenic diet that you follow strict nutritional guidelines. Namely, it’s important to restrict your carbohydrate intake to 20 grams or fewer each day and to consume plenty of water. It takes between two and seven days for your body to enter a state of ketosis in which it’s using ketones instead of glucose for energy. Ultimately, the weight loss caused by this transition will be dependent on your gender, age, current weight, and level of exercise.

What can you eat on the ketogenic diet?

By now you know that the ketogenic diet limits carbs, includes plenty of fat, and involves moderate protein intake. So what does that mean in terms of the foods you’re allowed to eat?

Get ready to enjoy the following:

  • Healthy fats and oils such as olive oil, nut oils, avocado oil, coconut oil, other cold pressed oils, avocados, butter, and ghee
  • Nuts such as macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, and pecans
  • Fatty fish such as salmon, trout, tuna, snapper, and halibut (check to make sure these are Ocean Wise–friendly options)
  • Meat such as beef, veal, poultry (aim to eat dark meat as it contains a larger proportion of fat to protein), pork, organ meats, lamb, and goat
  • Non-starchy vegetables such as leafy greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, onions, asparagus, bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, cauliflower, and celery
  • Fruits such as cranberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, raspberries, and blueberries

Beginning a new diet can be daunting as it’s easy to think of a long list of what you can’t eat instead of what you can. Berger offers this advice to anyone thinking about transitioning to the ketogenic diet:

If someone is feeling down or scared about going without what are probably some of their favorite foods, I would say to focus on all the things they can have, rather than on the things they’re eliminating. Think about delicious steaks, pork chops, cheese, bacon and eggs, lots of beautiful and delicious roasted vegetables, nuts, berries…there are so many amazing foods that are perfect for this way of eating that it helps to think about that, rather than pining for the things you should stay away from.

Foods to Avoid While Adhering to a Ketogenic Diet

While carbohydrates are clearly the enemy of the ketogenic diet, there are many foods that contain loads of carbohydrates even though it might not be obvious.

Watch out for and avoid the following:

  • Grains and grain products of any type (including bread, pasta, and rice)
  • Legumes
  • Artificial sweeteners
  • Overly processed foods
  • Low- and zero-carb convenience foods
  • Dairy products
  • Alcohol
  • Tropical fruits (which tend to be high in sugar)
  • Fruit juices and soda
  • Potatoes

If this sounds like a challenge, remember there are literally hundreds of websites and cookbooks that are completely dedicated to providing amazing recipes that are low in carbohydrate but loaded with flavor!

How to Know if a Ketogenic Diet is Right for Your Needs

As with any change in dietary habits, it’s important to consult with a professional before making any drastic decisions. While the ketogenic diet has been proven effective when it comes to short-term weight loss, Tsang recommends considering a more well-rounded approach to dieting:

As all macronutrients are important for our health, we generally recommend a more balanced diet to help with weight loss. While a high protein diet might be a preferred recommendation, every individual’s need is different—there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to our body, our diet, and our metabolism. This is why it is always important to seek a registered dietitian to discuss your personal nutritional goals.

It’s tempting to consider the ketogenic diet if you’re looking to lose pounds in a hurry, but it’s also wise to consider the long-term sustainability of a diet that restricts an entire macronutrient group so drastically. As Tsang says, “There could be other methods that help lose weight a little quicker but I always suggest slow, steady weight loss as this will give you a higher chance of maintaining the weight.”
Looking for some ketogenic breakfast inspiration? This Southwestern egg yolk scramble comes together in under 10 minutes and makes a great breakfast or late-night dinner when you don’t feel like cooking an multi-dish meal.

Southwestern Egg Yolk Scramble

Serves: 1

Nutrients: 13.5 grams of carbohydrates, 11.5 grams of protein, 39.8 grams of fat, 440 calories

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp. butter, salted
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 Tbsp. water
  • Pinch of chili powder
  • 1 cup of baby spinach, torn or cut into small pieces
  • 1 oz fresh salsa
  • ½ avocado, diced

Special Equipment:

  • Skillet
  • Spatula

Method:

  1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, water, and chili powder. The water will help create fluffy scrambled eggs by steaming the yolks as they cook.
  3. Scramble the eggs by carefully pushing the yolks into the center of the skillet as they cook. Stir in the baby spinach during the last 30 seconds of cooking.
  4. Top the scrambled egg yolks with the fresh salsa and diced avocado. Enjoy!
Categories
Healthy Pregnancy Motherhood

Foods To Avoid During Pregnancy

Coffee. Cheese. Cold cuts. The list of foods to avoid during pregnancy seems to go on and on, and it can seem like all our favorites are suddenly off the table just when we’re feeling like we could really use some comfort food.
But how many of the foods that one woman in your moms-to-be Facebook group swears you need to trash are legitimate no-nos, and how many foods do pregnant women end up avoiding due to wives’ tales and bad science? Do you really need to clean out your entire fridge and start over?
You’ve got just nine months of pregnancy (give or take), so let’s dive in and get some answers!

What’s off the menu?

You’ve already said Bye bye cute little two-door car, hello mom van. And you’re sharing your body with a growing human. So what else do you have to change?
Let’s start with the good news, shall we? “Truly, the list of foods that are big no-nos is pretty short,” says Anita Somani, MD, an OB-GYN with Comprehensive Women’s Care at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
The following foods should be avoided—that is, completely cut out of your diet—when pregnant, according to Somani:

  1. Alcohol

    2. Studies on how much alcohol will hurt a growing fetus send moms-to-be mixed signals, but the official stance of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) leaves nothing up to interpretation.
    The official ACOG statement warns, “Even moderate alcohol use during pregnancy can cause lifelong problems with a child’s learning and behavior. Any amount is risky for women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. All types of alcohol are harmful, including beer and wine.”
    Drinking alcohol during pregnancy has been linked to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in infants, a condition that leads to problems with brain development, lower-than-average height and weight, smaller-than-normal head size, and abnormal facial features. Conflicting headlines and studies aside, ACOG’s ruling notes, “Birth defects related to alcohol are 100 percent preventable by not drinking during pregnancy.”

  2. Raw Meat, Raw Fish, Deli Meat, and Unpasteurized Cheese

    3. Pregnant women are 13 times more likely to contract listeriosis, a food-borne illness caused by the listeria bacterium. According to ACOG, the disease can cause miscarriage, preterm labor, and stillbirth, as well as neonatal listeriosis and possible neonatal death.
    Your favorite cold cuts, raw meats, and unpasteurized cheeses all make the list of foods with a high risk of listeria contamination—hence the suggestion that you steer clear. It’s also recommended you keep track of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food recalls, as some fresh produce has been linked to listeriosis outbreaks in recent years. You can visit the FDA’s site regularly or sign up for recall warnings to be sent right in your email inbox.

  3. Fish That Are High in Mercury

    4. Mackerel, swordfish, marlin, ahi tuna, shark, tilefish, and orange roughy make the list of no-nos from the FDA, as mercury is considered a neurotoxin that can harm unborn babies.


According to the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to mercury in the womb can “adversely affect unborn infants’ growing brains and nervous systems.” Because they’re still developing, a fetus’ systems are also more vulnerable to the effects of mercury than an adult’s would be.

Stay the course or buckle in for change?

So, if there aren’t that many foods you really need to avoid during pregnancy, you can just keep on eating the way you did when you were eating for one, right? Not so fast. Step away from the junk food aisle for a second and listen up.
The biggest dietary changes you should commit to aren’t necessarily in types of foods at all, Somani says, but in how much (or how little) a woman should be consuming during the nine-plus months she’s carrying her baby. A woman’s pre-pregnancy weight can affect her own health, so it only stands to reason that it can affect her pregnancy, from increasing her chances of developing gestational diabetes to upping her risk of preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related blood pressure disorder.
Your OB-GYN will likely ask you to hop on the scale early on, not only to record your weight for monitoring purposes, but to determine your nutrition plan for the entirety of your pregnancy. They may start talking goal weight gain…or even weight loss.
“If someone is overweight, we encourage them to lose at least 10 percent of their body weight to improve fertility, decrease the risk of diabetes and hypertension and stillbirth,” Somani says. “If someone is underweight, we encourage them to gain weight or eat more calories during pregnancy to decrease growth restriction in the fetus.”
If your pre-pregnancy weight was within healthy limits, you’re ahead of the game. “There is less risk of neural tube defects and growth issues,” Somani says.
For women in this boat, the big diet changes will depend on pre-pregnancy proclivities. If you drank alcohol, lunched on sushi or beef tartare, dined on unpasteurized cheese, or spent a lot of time bellying up to the deli for sliced cold cuts, get ready to give things up.
Otherwise, ACOG recommends moms-to-be eat a well-balanced diet that consists of protein, carbohydrates, and fats, says Yves-Richard Dole, MD, an OB-GYN at Mercy in Baltimore. In general, a mom with a body mass index (BMI) that’s considered “normal” should shoot for weight gain of about 25 to 35 pounds over the course of the pregnancy, he adds.

Controlled Cravings

Although some foods are strictly off the menu, there are others that pregnant women are told to avoid when possible but don’t have to eliminate entirely.
Seafood, for example, may be on the must-avoid list when it’s served raw or if it’s high in mercury, but ACOG has recently loosened up its rulings on grabbing your dinner from the sea. These days, the group allows for moms-to-be to eat two to three servings (8 to 12 ounces) a week of a long list of fish, including fresh-water trout, catfish, cod, and even clams and shrimp. Other fish, such as albacore tuna or monkfish, get the thumbs up if they’re limited to 6 ounces per week.
You may even want to work fish into your diet if you aren’t otherwise eating it, Somani says—at least the “good” kinds.
“Fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids … should be eaten in pregnancy,” she notes, because those omega-3s are good for babies’ development. You may even notice they’re one of the nutrients in a variety of prenatal vitamins.
Likewise, avoiding unpasteurized cheeses doesn’t mean all cheeses make the “foods to avoid during pregnancy” list. Soft cheeses, such as feta, brie, and queso fresco, are sometimes pasteurized—you just need to check the packaging. Hard cheeses, such as cheddar, gouda, and parmesan, are almost always pasteurized, and semi-soft cheeses, like mozzarella, are typically in the clear as well.
And while your BFF may have been told no coffee or other caffeinated beverages during her pregnancy, many doctors allow for a little morning pick-me-up once you’re in your second trimester.
“Most experts state that consuming fewer than 200 mg of caffeine (one 12-ounce cup of coffee) a day during pregnancy is safe,” Somani says.
Also allowed in limited doses? Giving in to your cravings. While “eating for two” is a dangerous myth that can result in too much weight gain, Dole says there’s no reason you can’t have a family member or partner supply you with a steady stock of the foods your body is crying out for.
“Ice cream, chocolate, and french fries are common cravings that can be indulged in moderation,” he says.
On the other hand, if you’re craving dirt, chalk, sand, toothpaste, or other non-edibles, you may be struggling with a pregnancy-related condition called pica. Skip the sampling and call your healthcare provider, Dole warns.
Moms-to-be have long been warned against consuming peanuts during pregnancy, but you may find your OB-GYN giving you the all-clear to pop a can of Planters and chow down. While nut allergies have tripled in recent years, a study published in JAMA Pediatrics suggests the risk of your child developing a peanut allergy dips if you eat nuts while they’re in utero. Even better: The more peanuts and tree nuts a (non-allergic) mom ate, the lower her child’s risk, according to the study’s findings.
“Peanuts have been discouraged in the past, but now we are encouraging them to reduce the risk of nut allergies in the fetus,” Somani explains.

Good Eating

So you know what not to eat during pregnancy. You know what to eat only sometimes during pregnancy. What about all the foods you should be eating throughout your nine months?
Aside from eating a balanced diet, are there any specific foods you should be piling onto your plate? Absolutely, experts say.
If you aren’t already doing so, pregnancy is the time to hike your folic acid intake to help your fetus develop and grow. Studies have found that folate deficiency is not only very common in women of childbearing age, but it has been associated with abnormalities like anemia and peripheral neuropathy in moms-to-be and congenital abnormalities in fetuses.
The good news: Foods such as spinach, strawberries, and citrus fruits are rich in folates, Somani says, and they are “critical to preventing neural tube defects.” It’s suggested that women increase their folic acid intake to somewhere between 400 and 800 micrograms per day during pregnancy, although your OB-GYN will be able to nail down just how much you should be ingesting via food sources as opposed to vitamins and supplements.
Calcium is another nutrient that can’t be ignored during pregnancy, whether it’s consumed via the “safe” cheeses, slugging down glasses of milk to fight that pregnancy heartburn, or eating (moderate amounts of) ice cream.
Doctors still recommend taking a prenatal vitamin starting as early as possible. If you’re not pregnant yet but think it’s time to start trying to conceive, your doctor may even suggest you start with prenatal vitamins now.
“The critical period of neural tube development is in the first trimester—often before a woman recognizes she is pregnant, and that’s where preconception folic acid is so important,” Somani points out.

Keep it going.

Once baby arrives, the diet pressure is off…sort of. Of course, nourishing, well-balanced meals are a part of being a healthy mom who can juggle motherhood and everything else life throws at you. If you’re formula feeding, you can re-introduce all of the forbidden foods, provided you’re not sharing them with baby!
If you’ve opted to breastfeed, on the other hand, you will still need to abide by some of your pregnancy dietary restrictions, Dole says. “Eating well-balanced meals ensures an adequate milk supply, and it prevents mom from becoming chronically fatigued from nutritional deficiencies,” he notes. “Continuing prenatal vitamins is recommended to ensure an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals.”
Caffeine can pass through breast milk, so Dole suggests keeping your coffee intake to a minimum, and mercury is still a risk, so seafood rules remain the same during breastfeeding as they were in pregnancy. Your child’s pediatrician may also have other recommendations for your diet based on any health issues baby is exhibiting (such as allergic reactions).
But even breastfeeding moms get a break from the pregnancy-centric eating plan. The good news for breastfeeding moms?
“Cravings for sushi, deli meats and sandwiches, and that favorite glass of wine can now be satisfied,” Dole says. And breastfeeding can help the body burn anywhere from 300 to 500 calories a day, so it may help you shed some baby weight if that’s one of your postpartum goals.
Moms who are breastfeeding do still need to be wary of how much alcohol they consume and when, Dole warns. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends against mixing breastfeeding and alcohol, but its guidelines note that if a woman does choose to imbibe, she should do so “after she has nursed or expressed milk rather than before, and allow at least 2 hours per drink before the next breastfeeding or pumping session.”
The AAP also warns against excessive drinking, as “there are concerns about long-term, repeated exposures of infants to alcohol via mother’s milk,” and “chronic consumption of alcohol may also reduce milk production.”

Categories
Life x Culture Lifestyle

How To Find Your Passion And Live Your Best Life Every Day

Ever feel like you spend your work days going through the motions, but not feeling emotionally invested in your tasks? You’re not alone—only about a third of American employees feel engaged or enthusiastic about their work according to a recent Gallup poll. Even if your job is comfortable, you probably fantasize about finding something more fulfilling to do from 9 to 5. But before you can pursue that dream, you need to figure out what you’re even passionate about—which is a big challenge on its own.
Portland-based personal branding and career coach Robin Cangie has some first-hand advice about how to find your passion. Before building her coaching business—a career she thrives in—she spent more than 10 years feeling less than satisfied in software marketing jobs.
“While there were things I liked—I had the chance to be creative and opportunities to write—it wasn’t authentic. It always felt like I was serving someone else, and I just wasn’t that interested in business-to-business software marketing,” she recalls.
However, the jobs did help her discover what she was actually passionate about: coaching others. She noticed that colleagues needed a bit of help building credibility with the public and the media, so she led coaching workshops to give them more confidence. Not only did she enjoy coaching others, she also discovered she was good at it—and eventually turned that passion into a business she devotes herself to full time.
“It sparked something in me I had never felt in a job before,” she says. “It was rewarding and valuable.”
Through her personal journey, as well as the journeys of her clients, she has developed some strategies that can help anyone discover their true calling. From learning the difference between a hobby and a passion to building a personal brand based on the things you love, here’s how to find your passion—and live it every day.

Learning the True Meaning

From an early age, you may have been encouraged to “do what you love.” But is “doing what you love” at work the only way to live your passion? Not necessarily, according to Cangie.
“Passion manifests itself in all kinds of ways,” she tells HealthyWay. “We tend to talk about it a lot in terms of career, but that’s a bit misguided. I like to think of passion as your life’s work. If you can find a career that leverages your passion, that’s great, but if you can’t or don’t want to do that, you’re not a failure.”
Passion can mean different things to different people, depending on where they are in life. For some, it might mean raising a family or giving back to the community. For others, it’s about pursuing a lucrative career or developing skills in the creative arts.
Cangie says when thinking about how to find your passion, you should consider pursuits that bring joy, connect you to a higher sense of purpose, and fill a need in society. But also be open to finding your passion in areas you wouldn’t expect.
“We tend to treat finding your passion like finding a perfect pair of jeans—try on enough of them, and eventually one will fit. But we’ve got it backward. We don’t find our passion so much as our passion finds us. It’s about doing good work and staying open to opportunities that arise from that, and it’s good news for those of us who don’t know what we want.”

Life’s Biggest Challenge

Many of us fall into one of two camps: We either have so many things we love that we don’t know how to narrow it down to one true calling, or we have no idea where to begin looking for our passion. Why is it so difficult to discover your passion?
“There are lots of reasons why people struggle with this, and a lot of it has to do with our society. We set expectations that everyone should find a passion before they graduate college, then go to a corporate setting and do it for someone else. It sets you up for disappointment, especially as you start your first jobs and don’t immediately find that one passion out there for you,” Cangie shares.
Figuring out what makes your heart sing can be overwhelming at first. To help you get started, Cangie suggests asking yourself a few questions:

  • What do I really want?
  • What am I good at?
  • How can I best serve others?
  • How can I meet my financial needs?

You could plot your potential passions on a Venn diagram (like this example from Cangie) to explore the ways in which they overlap. An idea that intersects two or more circles will serve as a starting point for pursuing and getting to know what you’re truly passionate about.

Could your hobby be more?

Hobbies give us the opportunity to pursue things we love or explore things that interest us. But are hobbies the same as passions?
“Hobbies can be a great outlet for pursuing passions, but they’re not necessarily the passions themselves,” says Cangie.
Wait, what? If I love photography, and spend my weekends shooting beautiful images of my neighborhood, wouldn’t that also be my passion?
“It’s a matter of [the] degree to which it’s fulfilling to you and serves others,” Cangie explains. “The difference between a hobby and a passion is that passion connects to a higher purpose and the outside world in some way. I love crafting, but I do it for me. But one of my passions—telling stories—brings me joy and provides a service to the world. That’s the difference.”
Don’t write off your hobbies as you work to find your passion. Instead, explore the bigger picture of what they bring to you and the world, and work to transform those realizations into a deeper understanding of your life’s purpose.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Sometimes your passion is right under your nose. It was for Cangie—she was already offering career and leadership coaching to colleagues at her company when she realized that’s what she absolutely loved to do. But how can you shine a light on something that’s hidden in plain sight?
“Start paying attention to things that bring you joy,” says Cangie. “Joy is a fertile ground for finding your passion. No matter what situation you’re in, there’s always an opportunity to feel joy and that allows passions to come in.”
You could also think about a time in your life when you felt you did your best work, she adds. A key moment of pride, like the time you threw an amazing event or produced an insightful report, might offer clues that point to what you’re passionate about.
“Think about what it was tapping into within you,” Cangie says.
However, finding your passion isn’t just about focusing on the positive. Your frustrations might also hint at a problem you’d be passionate about solving. For Cangie, her passion for coaching was tucked inside her frustration that the people she worked with struggled to see their own value.
“The people I was coaching at work couldn’t see how awesome they were. Through discussions with them, I helped them find a story that felt empowering, allowed them to reclaim their sense of agency, and see their own brilliance,” says Cangie.
In short: “Stop chasing your passion, and instead seek opportunities to do what brings you joy and follow your frustrations,” she says.

A Word on Advice 

You look around and it seems like everyone has already found their passion. Your best friend is a successful wedding photographer who looks forward to every shoot; your mom is a nurse who feels fulfilled healing others; your sister, who recently gave birth to her second child, thrives as a mother and embodies it as her true calling. Should you ask them for advice on how to find your passion?
“Getting a really clear picture about what you are good at is difficult to do on your own. So, ask friends and family, ask a manager, ask a colleague, or even a good career coach—there are lots of people who can help you find what you’re really great at,” says Cangie.
An outside perspective gives you the chance to talk about things that are meaningful to you and dive into the deeper reasons that energize those feelings of purpose. For example, when one of Cangie’s clients told her she excelled at project management, the discussion led to a breakthrough realization about what she’s passionate about.
“We discovered that project management was a label that didn’t fully capture what she was really great at. Her real talent was getting groups of people together from different functions to achieve a common vision,” shares Cangie.
Keep in mind that everyone pursues a different path to their passion. While your loved ones who have it all figured out might be able to explain how they got there, only you can forge your own journey toward deep personal fulfillment.

Building Your Brand

Branding isn’t just for businesses—it’s a useful tool that can help you focus on your passion.
“Personal brands are a kind of story you tell about yourself. It changes over time as you do,” says Cangie.
A strong personal brand can unite all of your passions under one umbrella. While coaching and storytelling serve as the foundation for Cangie’s personal brand, she also ties in another passion: her cats. They even inspired a recent Medium post she wrote about what cats have taught her about building a business. Including this quirky passion in her personal brand has helped Cangie honor something that’s truly important to her heart and has allowed her to spark meaningful connections with others.
“Having multiple things you’re passionate about, whether or not it has to do with your job, helps build credibility as you try new things. It shows you’re a whole person, and can help integrate what you love into your life, even if you’re just starting to find your passions,” she shares.
Embrace the unusual side of yourself. If you have a passion for collecting sneakers, creating collages, birdwatching, or anything else that grounds and connects you, but feels random—harness your enthusiasm and tell others about it.

Face Your Fears

Once you figure out your passion, pursuing it takes guts. If you decide to change careers, you may have to leave the security of a high-paying job. If you decide to dedicate your nights and weekends to writing a book, learning a foreign language, or designing costumes for a community play, there’s always the risk of failure. How can you overcome this fear?
“No one bats a thousand, no one is perfect, and everyone has setbacks. And when you find yourself in the midst of a failure moment, it’s painful—but know that it is normal,” Cangie advises.
If things aren’t going to according to your plan, give yourself a little space to process the situation. Then, when you’re ready, journal about the lessons learned from the experience and develop a new plan that prioritizes moving forward with grace.
“Think about how this will fit into the larger story of your life. Six months from now, how will you look back and see the crucial thing you just learned that helped you move forward? The failure then turns from a crappy thing into a necessary thing that gets you where you’re going next.”
The most important thing is to pick yourself up and keep trying.
“You have to persist anyway. It’s not that the people who are successful haven’t failed—they’re successful because they persisted in spite of their failures and consistently showed up until it paid off,” says Cangie.

Take the plunge.

So, you’ve found your passion and have an idea of how it fits into your life. How do you move to the next stage, and actually take the plunge?
“Look at the situation right now and think about where you can start living your passion. You might not be able to make major changes right away, and that’s OK. Start every day by looking for opportunities in front of you to put these things into play,” says Cangie.
For example, let’s say you love writing and you’re passionate about making it part of your job, but your current position doesn’t require much writing. Don’t sit around waiting for a writing assignment. Instead, get creative and look for ways you can start doing it right now.
“Maybe you can do a side project with the marketing team to write emails, or write a guest blog about your role, or maybe ask a friend at another company if they need a volunteer writer,” Cangie says.
Taking immediate steps toward your passion, even if they’re just small projects at first, makes the pursuit more achievable, and will allow you to pick up key skills along the way.
“Looking at your life as it is right now takes you out of this overwhelming idea that you have to make all these major changes to pursue a passion. It’s OK … not being sure where everything leads to next … that’s liberating. Just start where you are, and create more joy and purpose there,” she says.

Let it light up your daily life.

Living a passionate life requires effort that goes beyond the Monday to Friday hustle. Living your passion means identifying with your mission without reservation and finding ways to do it and live it every day—a feat that demands more energy and stamina than you might expect. It means pushing through when you’re tired, or when you’ve recently failed, or even when you think you can’t achieve anything more.
“When I am having a bad day, I ask myself: ‘Do I still want this?’ As long as the answer is yes, I know I can keep going,” says Cangie.
Just as you should reflect on moments of failure, you should also celebrate your successes. Being realistic about the negative and especially the positive will motivate you to keep living your passion, says Cangie.
“If you’re in the thick of it, you can forget how far you’ve come. When this happens to me, I pause and ask myself, ‘What do I have more of in my life right now that I wanted back then?’. The reminders of my progress help keep me going.”
It’s not going to be easy, says Cangie, but it will be worth it. Nothing nourishes you in quite the same way as finding and living your passion—so don’t hesitate to let it define, inform, and inspire you.

Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

Panic Attack Symptoms To Keep In Mind (Even If You Haven’t Been Diagnosed With Anxiety)

You’re going about your daily routine, just like any other day when all of a sudden, it hits you: A wave of dread envelops your body. A sense of impending doom that you can’t escape or pinpoint. You can’t breathe. Your chest hurts. Your heart feels like it’s beating out of your chest. You break into a sweat. You feel numb and dizzy, like you’re just about to faint. And the worst part is you have no idea why, or what is making you feel this way.
Are you having a heart attack? Are you dying? And then, just as quickly as it came on, the feeling dissipates. The world hasn’t ended. Things come back into focus. So what the hell just happened?
Odds are, you had a panic attack.
Panic attacks can come on at any time, very often for no discernible reason and without warning. And while they affect people of both genders, women are more prone to panic attacks than men.
Suffering from panic attacks can become an isolating experience, while the causes of attacks can be confusing to pinpoint. Because of this, panic attacks are often mistaken for other anxiety disorders, but it’s important to note there are distinct differences between the two and that, if left untreated, panic attacks can lead to panic disorder, a more serious and debilitating condition.

So what is a panic attack exactly?

While having a panic attack may feel like you’re dying (with symptoms including, but not limited to, difficulty breathing, pounding heartbeat, chest pains, and dizziness), it is something else entirely. It’s actually a chemical reaction caused when the bloodstream is flooded by adrenaline. This signals to the body that a threat is imminent and triggers a fight or flight response. The result is an overwhelming feeling of discomfort and often terror.
According to Gerard Lawson, President of the American Counseling Association, what primarily distinguishes panic attacks from generalized anxiety disorder and phobias is that “Anxiety disorders do not typically have the profound experience of panic with them and present more as worry and preoccupation. Specific phobias will have a have an identifiable trigger, which is not the case with panic attacks.”
He adds that it’s also important to distinguish panic attacks from PTSD. “Post-traumatic stress disorder will have similar features, but a professional counselor will be certain to assess for a trauma history, which may better explain the symptoms of PTSD and not panic.”
It should be noted, however, that PTSD, panic attacks, and panic disorder aren’t mutually exclusive. Those who suffer from PTSD have much higher rates of panic attacks than the general public, which is just one of the reasons why it’s important to reach out to a healthcare professional to help determine the root cause of any recurrent panic or anxiety you’re experiencing.

The Difference Between Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder

Panic attacks and panic disorder are two closely linked conditions, but their relationship is often misunderstood. The easiest way to explain the difference between the two is that those who suffer from isolated panic attacks don’t have panic disorder, but those who have panic disorder suffer from repeat panic attacks.
Repeat panic attacks can cause a snowball effect, and if left unchecked, the sufferer can experience a vicious cycle of constantly worrying about the onset of the next attack. This constantly anxious and exhausting mental state can eventually give way to panic disorder.
When panic attacks lead to panic disorder, it causes many chronic sufferers to withdrawal from normal activities. Lawson says panic disorder can best be described as “a vicious cycle of feeling panic, and then crippling anxiety over whether and when the next one will occur… The very experience of the panic attack causes people to begin to think about not engaging in the activity that caused the panic.”
Lawson adds that early prevention is the key to prevent isolated attacks from developing into panic disorder. “Even if you do not have a panic disorder, if you have had more than one panic attack, it is important to reach out to a professional counselor for assistance. Counseling can help, [but] without treatment, the isolated attacks can begin to develop into a full-blown disorder.”

What are the symptoms of a panic attack?

According to psychologist Anna Prudovski, clinical director of Turning Point Psychological Services, the primary symptoms of a panic attack include “racing heart, shaking, shortness of breathing, sweating, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, and feelings of unreality. Often there’s a fear of dying or a fear of going crazy or losing control.”
The Anxiety and Depression Center of America says other reported symptoms include “feelings of choking, chills or heat sensations, and numbness or tingling.”
Contributing to a U.S. News and World Report piece on panic attacks, Todd Farchione, research assistant professor at the Boston University Center for Anxiety & Related Disorders, said that all these symptoms “are tied to an evolutionarily sound response to protect the individual. It’s really designed to get that person to either fight or flight; it’s primarily to escape.”
So approximately how long does a panic attack last? Normally about 20 to 30 minutes, but it can feel like a lifetime for the sufferer, so it’s no wonder that these symptoms can be extremely alarming and disconcerting to the person who’s experiencing them—necessitating both professional help and personal support.

What triggers a panic attack?

One of the most frustrating aspects of panic attacks is that determining an exact cause is often difficult. But there are a variety of causes and conditions that may contribute to occurrences.
While anyone can experience panic attacks (and panic disorder), certain groups may have a higher risk factor than others, including those who suffer from agoraphobia, alcoholism, and bipolar disorder. Experiences of childhood trauma and abuse—particularly emotional abuse—are also linked to an increased likelihood of an individual developing various anxiety and panic disorders in adulthood.
Research suggests that panic attacks can also be hereditary. According to a 2011 study from The Journal of Korean Medical Science, “Linkage studies have implicated several chromosomal regions. …In addition, an anxious temperament and anxiety-related personality traits may represent intermediate phenotypes that predispose to panic disorder.”
Many people who experience panic attacks recall encountering them early in adolescence. And, as mentioned before, women tend to experience them more than men.
In fact, according to “Gender Differences in Panic Disorder,” a 2004 study published in Psychiatric Times, panic disorder is actually more than twice as prevalent among women as it is in men. Younger participants (those ages 15 to 24) had more occurrences than those ages 35 to 44, which suggests that age may also be a factor in the severity of panic attack symptoms.
Major life transitions are another potential trigger for panic attacks, including milestones like college graduation, getting married, or having a baby. Panic attacks are also associated with divorce or loss of a loved one and can even occur as a result of being overwhelmed by overcommitting or taking on too many responsibilities.
Those with sensitivities to certain medications or oversensitivity to external stimuli also may be at greater risk. Self-care is of utmost importance for panic attack sufferers since smoking, drug use, lack of sleep, and caffeine intake can all contribute to an increase in incidents.

Treatment and Prevention

The first step in treating panic attacks and preventing recurrence, according to Prudovski, is getting properly diagnosed by a healthcare professional. Once you’ve been properly diagnosed, the next step is seeking care from a psychologist or mental health professional. She says, “In many instances, panic attacks are related to another anxiety disorder, such as social anxiety, phobia, OCD, etc. In those cases, you may be diagnosed either with one of the anxiety disorders, or a panic disorder, or both. Correct differential diagnosis is crucial for treatment.”
While not every instance of a panic attack can be avoided, therapy (either cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, or both) can prove beneficial. Certain medications (including antidepressants and anxiety medications) can also be helpful, but as noted by Lawson “because the onset is unpredictable, they are usually after the fact, trying to manage the physical symptoms.”
Prudovski says that in addition to breathing, relaxation, and grounding techniques, exposure therapy can also be helpful, and when used in concert with cognitive behavioral therapy “is very effective and has a high rate of success.”
One reason so many mental health professionals are fond of exposure therapy for panic attacks and panic disorder is that it helps to lessen the power panic attacks hold over the sufferer. So how does it work? By inducing the symptoms of an attack in the confines of a safe environment, the shock and hold they have can be addressed and lessened.
For example, by inducing one of the most common panic attack symptoms, hyperventilation (through rigorous exercise), a therapist can then show the patient breathing techniques that can help slow and control their oxygen intake so the patient can be better prepared at the onset of another attack.
According to Jill Howell, Board Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, and author of Color, Draw. Collage: Create Your Way to a Less Stressful Life, “One of the best tips that I tell my patients to use when they are feeling panicked is a mindfulness trick to bring them back to the here and now. I ask them to name everything that is around them out loud. To describe in detail everything that is on the wall, the floor, the counters. Naming colors, textures. Describing everything helps them to become more centered and focused which in turn distracts them from the feeling of panic.”

Potential Health Risks for Panic Attack Sufferers

There’s another very important reason to go visit your doctor if you believe you’re suffering from panic attack symptoms—you could be mistaking them for other potentially life-threatening conditions.
According to Lawson, “Some medical disorders, particularly cardiac or respiratory issues, can masquerade as panic disorders because the physical sensation is similar.”
Other illnesses that might be confused with panic attacks include mitral valve prolapse, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, and even medication withdrawal. This makes it all the more important to check with your doctor if these symptoms keep recurring, as all the aforementioned conditions require proper medical diagnosis and supervision, and can even be fatal if left untreated.
And while many people think panic attacks are benign, research suggests the symptoms might not only feel like a heart attack—they could actually be linked to heart disease. In a piece for Harvard Health Publishing, psychiatrist Christopher Celano, MD, says that instances of panic and anxiety disorders are higher among those who have coronary heart disease and heart failure. Additionally, panic and anxiety disorders are also linked to other health issues including irritable bowel syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, and asthma.

When it comes to panic attacks, knowledge is power.

While those who experience panic attacks may feel that relief is unachievable, sufferers should know that there is hope that their condition can improve or even be eliminated. Proper diagnosis and treatment can help an individual suffering from panic attacks manage their symptoms or even stop experiencing them entirely.
If you suffer from panic attacks or are a caregiver for someone who does, seek advice from a doctor or mental health professional to learn techniques and tools that can help those who suffer from panic attacks and disorders live a healthier, happier life.
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Categories
No Gym Required Sweat

May The Course Be With You: Half-Marathon Training For Beginners

Even though I look like Phoebe Buffay when I run, I enjoy lacing up my sneaks and going for a run to clear my head.
Still, I wouldn’t call myself a runner.
I’ve only done a couple of 5ks, and I don’t stick to any kind of running schedule.
I got out of the habit when I found out I was pregnant. It’s totally okay to run or jog while pregnant, but I chose to go for brisk walks instead, because you can eat and walk at the same time. It’s a lot harder to eat frozen yogurt when you’re running.
But now that my little nugget is a few months old, I’m ready to start running again. To motivate myself, I signed up for a (gasp) half-marathon.
That’s right, I voluntarily signed up to run 13.1 miles, the distance of a half-marathon.
According to Scott Bush of Running USA, 60 percent of all half-marathon finishers in 2016 were women.
There’s a reason 1.14 million women chose to run in a half-marathon in that year alone. If you’ve run a couple of 5k or 10k races and are ready to try a longer distance, then trying to go for 7 to 10 more miles isn’t a huge stretch.
Still, to say I’m nervous about running a half-marathon is an understatement. I can hazard a guess that half-marathon training does not involve eating frozen yogurt during training sessions.
To help reach my goal of running a half-marathon in Spring 2018, I knew I’d need professional help, so I went straight to the pros for answers.
Ready to run your first half-marathon with me?
Here’s what you need to know about training for your first half-marathon.

Get the right gear first.

You can probably run a half-marathon in your 10-year-old sneakers that you’ve had since college…but why would you want to?
Having the right gear before you train can really set the tone for how your half-marathon training will go.
“Get fitted for running shoes,” says Robin Nemanick, a runner and coach with more than 80 marathons under her belt. “Have your gait analyzed at your local running store—a store geared specifically for runners and triathletes. These folks live and breathe the sport and will help you get fitted properly. Spend the $150 for the shoes; it’s well worth it.”
Vanessa Law, an amateur marathoner and co-founder of the Healthy Life Project from Jacksonville, Florida, agrees that the right gear can make or break a race: “Run-specific clothing is key for comfort and to keep from chafing.”
Law says her favorite brands of running clothes are lululemon and Athleta, but you can find the brand that’s best for you by trying a few different styles during your training.

Don’t dive in head-first.

Excited about your first day of half-marathon training?
That’s great!
Keep your enthusiasm, but don’t expect to go for a full 13-mile run on your first day of training.
It’s important to acclimate your body to long-distance running gradually, building your speed and distance over time to prevent injury.
“Preparation for any athletic event requires proper planning,” says Elin Kanchev, creator of the 4 Seasons Training Method and a personal trainer based in Washington, DC. “If the outcome is running a half-marathon, then let’s see where we are and how much time would it take us to get there. That might be 16 weeks, more or less, depending on [your fitness level. It] all really comes down to being honest with yourself about what you need to do in order to achieve your goal.”
That’s why sticking to a training schedule is so important.
Trainer Joe Pepe says, “For first-time racers, I recommend a two-days-on, one-day-off approach. Your legs are going to be new to running this much and you need to recover to make any type of progress in your training. On those off days you should focus on flexibility and mobility work.”
One great way to work on your mobility is through strength training on off days from running.
Kanchev says, “Strength training is highly important as it helps the body to create stronger musculature and bone systems that improve overall well being and … enhances performance, utilization of muscles, improves metabolism, and helps prevent injury, which is the most important aspect. When done properly [strength training] also helps with range of motion, mobility, and form.”
Two days on, one day off seems totally doable. But how many weeks will it take to work up to 13.1 miles?
Adam Burleson, a marathoner who also started the Run for Holland 5k to benefit Down syndrome research, tells HealthyWay, “I personally recommend finding a 10- or 12-week plan. You want to work on getting the mileage up per week without injury. You cannot train if you’re hurt, but you also have to understand that there will be some ‘growing pains’ in the process.”
If you’re looking for a half-marathon training plan to get you started, Hal Higdon has several free 12-week training guides online, based on your current running levels.
You can also download a free printable training log to keep yourself on track.

Don’t feel like you have to run the entire time.

But wait, isn’t the point of a half-marathon to run the whole thing?
No!
The whole point of running a half-marathon, says Nemanick, is to “just enjoy yourself. Unless you are qualifying for the Olympics, running is a great sport to take stress away, so enjoy your race!”
If running 13.1 miles seems daunting, know that you don’t have to run the entire thing. It’s totally okay to walk portions, and it’s okay to incorporate this run/walk method into your half-marathon training as well.
Jeff Galloway, Olympian and creator of the Run/Walk/Run method of training, tells HealthyWay, “You cannot go too slowly or walk too much. You’ll get the same endurance even if you walk the entire distance.”
That sounds good to me!
If you’re going to train using the run/walk method, Galloway suggests these training strategies based on pace per mile:

  • 9 minutes per mile: Run 2 minutes/walk 30 seconds or run 90 seconds/walk 30 seconds.
  • 10 minutes per mile: Run 90 seconds/walk 30 seconds or run 60 seconds/walk 20 seconds or 30 seconds.
  • 11–12 minutes per mile: Run 60 seconds/walk 30 seconds or run 40 seconds/walk 20 seconds or run 30 seconds/walk 30 seconds.
  • 13–14 minutes per mile: Run 30 seconds/walk 30 seconds or run 20 seconds/walk 20 seconds or run 15 seconds/walk 15 seconds.
  • 15 minutes per mile: Run 15 seconds/walk 30 seconds.
  • 16–17 minutes per mile: Run 10 seconds/walk 30 seconds.

“The best preparation [for the run/walk/run method],” says Galloway, “is to gradually increase a slow long run/walk, every 14 days, to 14 miles—two weeks before the half-marathon. If you start to huff and puff [during the race], walk for 2 to 3 minutes and start back with a more gentle strategy of run/walk/run.”
Between long runs, Galloway recommends taking a short 30-minute run every other day to maintain your training. These short runs could be combined with stretching or strength-training exercises.  

Race Day Essentials

Races start early, so you’ll want to make sure you have everything you need ready to go the night before.
“Make sure to wake up eat, go to the bathroom (trust me on that one), and still have enough time to get there with time to spare,” says Pepe. “You should be enjoying this event, not rushing around and feeling anxious.”
He adds, “Eat some carbs but don’t go crazy; you don’t want a heavy meal in your stomach before you run a long race.”
In addition to a healthy breakfast, Galloway says, “During long runs and the race, consume the following every 2 miles: 2 to 4 oz of water and 30 to 40 calories of sugar (Life Savers, gummies, etc.)” to keep your energy up for the miles ahead.
Thinking about testing your new running skirt on the day of your half-marathon?
Think again. The day of a race isn’t the time to try out new running gear, no matter how cute it is.
Make sure you break in running gear at least a month before the half-marathon you plan to run, says Nemanick. “Being uncomfortable [on race day] isn’t fun.”
The biggest race day essential?
Your motivation.
Nemanick says the hardest mile is always the first mile, but adds, “The best advice I give myself is to run the mile I’m in.”
It is tempting to think about bringing your phone or fitness tracker along, but when you feel like you’ve been running for hours only to realize you’ve still got 10 miles to go, it can be disheartening.
“Don’t focus on how much further you have to go,” Nemanick advises. “Remember to rely on your training. That hard work will pay off during the race.”
Instead, says Pepe, think about why you’re running the race in the first place and let that be your motivation. “I remind myself at every mile marker [why I’m running] to reignite my engine. It also helps to have that music that makes you feel like a superhero!”

You got your race bling. Now what?

“Just enjoy yourself,” says Nemanick. “Unless you are qualifying for the Olympics, running is a great sport to take stress away, so enjoy your race bling!”
But after the party, how can you keep up your half-marathon training between races?
“First things first, take a week off,” says Pepe.
After that week off, though, Burleson says to get back into half-marathon training: “So many runners make the mistake of taking a ‘break from running’ that always becomes too long and always is hard to come back from. Just take that one week then get back out on the road and put in some miles.”
You already have all the motivation you need to get out and lace up those sneakers after your first half-marathon, says Pepe.
“Keep that finishing time nearby, keep your split per mile nearby, and look at it often. Remember those numbers, and that will drive you to go out and perfect your craft and run an even better race!”

How to Choose the Half-Marathon That’s Right for You

Burleson has three criteria when choosing a half-marathon to run:

Price

“Some of these $100+ half-marathons are just too expensive,” says Burleson. Unless the post-race perks are really cool or the race is in a location that can’t be beat, you don’t need to spend a ton of money on entry fees. Look for local half-marathons that are still loads of fun but a lot less pricey.

Elevation

“Trying to find a race that doesn’t beat you down with loads of elevation will help boost your confidence late in the race,” says Burleson. This is especially true if you’re training in low-elevation areas. For example, I’m training in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, which is mostly below sea level. I will choose a half-marathon with a similar elevation … You won’t find me racing in the Rockies anytime soon!

Location

“If possible, find a race that has a cool after party or at least some good eats and drinks around the post-race,” Burleson advises. This isn’t too hard these days. Check race websites for post-race parties and events before you pay the entry fee.
As for me, I’m signing up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh half-marathon in 2018.
Check out this cool list of fun half-marathons, pick out a chic pair of running shoes, and hit the pavement with me as I train for my first half-marathon in 2018.

Categories
Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

According To Dermatologists, These Are The Best Face Washes For Every Skin Type

We live in a wonderful time for skincare. In the ‘50s, American women relied on mere bar soap and cold cream to keep their faces clean. Today, there’s a never-ending list of facial cleansers to choose from. From gels, creams, and cleansers to powders, clays, and bars, the products available to us include dramatically different ingredients, and all their manufacturers make pretty big claims. So of these many options, which is the best face wash?
To navigate this maze of facial products, we turned to the experts to get the DL on the best face wash for every skin type. 
So, if you’ve been dying to know which ingredients help dry skin, we’ve got the answer. If you’re worried about an oily complexion or acne breakouts, we’ve got doctor-approved products to help you out. Even if you just want the simplest method to clean your face, we’ve got all-natural products to suit your skin.
Find out the dermatologists’ top suggestions for every skin type, and soon you’ll be out of the skincare maze enjoying the best face wash ever.

Best Face Wash for Dry Skin

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

Multiple dermatologists recommend CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser for dry skin. Margarita Lolis, MD, says, “The ingredients are simple and all serve to attract water and keep it within the skin.”
She adds that people with dry skin should look carefully at the ingredients in their cleanser. You want to add moisture, so look for things like glycerin, cholesterol, and petrolatum. Glycerin is a fat-based ingredient that softens skin, while cholesterol and petrolatum help the skin absorb moisture. If your face is irritated, find a cream with potassium phosphate, a soothing agent.
CeraVe has all these ingredients plus a healthy dose of purified water for extra moisture, so it does an excellent job of cleaning the skin without drying it out. Though the brand may not be fancy, it’s fairly easy to find, often costs less than $10, and keeps your skin beautifully hydrated.

Best All-Natural Face Wash For Dry Skin

Beauty Aura 100% Pure Grapeseed Oil

Not everyone wants to use synthetic ingredients like potassium phosphate on their skin. While those chemical-sounding compounds aren’t harmful, we totally understand if you’d rather take a simpler, more natural approach.
It turns out that there’s an incredibly good face wash for dry skin that you might have in your kitchen. Lolis recommends 100 percent grapeseed oil. If washing your face with oil sounds counterproductive, it’s actually a great way to keep your skin moisturized. “Grapeseed oil is fantastic,” says Lolis. “It’s a lighter oil that is absorbed into the skin and won’t clog pores.”
You won’t need to worry about sudden breakouts after using the oil. It’s light enough to carry the dirt away and wash away clean. When using oil to clean your face, start with a small amount. A little goes a long way!
When choosing a grapeseed oil, make sure you get one that’s completely pure. Oils of all types often get mixed with cheaper oils to bring the price down. For example, Forbes reported that 80 percent of olive oil isn’t really the high-quality, extra virgin oil it claims to be! To avoid slathering mystery oil on your skin, invest in a product like Beauty Aura’s 100% Grapeseed Oil. It’s completely pure, cold pressed, and made in the U.S.

Best Face Wash For Oily Skin

SkinCeuticals LHA Cleansing Gel

For oily skin, Jennifer T. Haley, MD, FAAD, recommends finding a wash that contains salicylic acid. The acid helps clear up oily skin and reduce inflammation around breakouts. Her top choice is SkinCeuticals LHA Cleansing Gel. It doesn’t have any irritating fragrances and contains salicylic and glycolic acid to clean your pores and gently clear away excess oil.
Reviewers rave that the gel prevents breakouts and keeps their skin incredibly clear. The only downside is the cleanser is a bit of a financial investment. But if you have very oily skin that’s prone to breakouts and room to splurge, the SkinCeuticals gel is well worth it.

Best Affordable Face Wash For Oily Skin

Herbivore Bamboo Charcoal Cleansing Bar Soap

If you don’t have $50 around for face wash, we totally get it. Instead, you could try this affordable, natural alternative. Rhonda Klein, MD, MPH, suggests Herbivore Bamboo Charcoal Cleansing Bar Soap for oily skin.
The bar is made from all-natural ingredients like activated bamboo charcoal, tea tree oil, and bergamot essential oil. The bamboo charcoal lifts away dirt and sucks up excess oils on the skin. Tea tree oil is naturally antimicrobial, so it fights infections that can cause acne and other blemishes. After everything is clean, the bergamot oil comes in to balance the amount of oils on the skin, leaving your face perfectly moisturized.
The best part is that one bar costs less than $15. And this isn’t like regular soap—the bamboo charcoal bar will last you quite a long time and definitely give you your money’s worth.

Best Face Wash For Aging Skin

PCA Skin Facial Wash and Glytone Mild Cream Cleanser

All the dermatologists we consulted agreed that the best face wash for aging skin has to include either lactic or glycolic acid.
“This will help remove ‘dead layers’ of adherent skin cells to allow for improved penetration of moisturizer,” says Haley. She prefers the PCA Skin Facial Wash because the lactic acid gently removes dirt and dead skin but allows your skin to maintain its pH balance.
Alan J. Parks, MD, prefers the Glytone Mild Cream Cleanser. “This cleanser utilizes glycolic acid for exfoliation and helps even out the skin tone and reduce the signs of aging. This particular face wash is creamy, so it’s great for dry skin.”
Though glycolic acid is good for oily and dry skin, it’s a little more harsh than lactic acid. It’s still perfectly safe to use, but if you’re concerned about aging and have sensitive skin, you may want to go with a lactic acid variety.

Easiest Face Wash

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water

Some people love to have a whole routine when it comes to cleansing their face at night. Others just want to wash off the dirt and get to bed as quickly as possible. If you want the fastest, easiest face wash, you have to go with micellar water.
Maral K. Skelsey, MD, loves micellar water for its cleansing and hydrating qualities. Plus, it works so fast! You just pour some onto a cotton ball, rub it all over your face, and that’s it. You don’t even have to rinse. It’s tough enough to take off dirt, grease, and eye makeup.
So, what are these “micelles” that make the water so magical? Skelsey says, “Micelles are clusters of molecules whose center is attracted to oil while the outside attracts water. When you put micellar water on a cotton pad, the water-loving side of the micelles are drawn to the cotton. The oil and dirt on the skin is lifted off by the other end of the micelle.”
Basically, it’s water that can selectively remove dirt. Regular water can’t make that happen.
Now, soap does remove dirt in a way similar to micelles, but it also leaves a drying residue that can be terrible for your skin. Micellar water leaves no residue. In fact, you can let it sit and absorb into your skin for an extra moisturizing effect.

Best Face Wash For Acne

Replenix Acne Solutions Wash  

For recurring acne, Klein suggests using a wash with benzoyl peroxide. She prefers Replenix Acne Solutions Wash since it contains a hefty 10 percent dose of benzoyl peroxide. The Replenix reviews on Amazon are incredible with over 1,200 satisfied face-washers singing its praises.
It works because benzoyl peroxide kills the bacteria that causes acne. Now, you may need to use this wash for a few weeks to see results, but once the acne is gone, it stays away! Some solutions with peroxide are drying, but the Replenix wash is specially formulated to keep your skin hydrated.

Best Natural Face Wash For Acne

Mother Dirt Cleanser

Now, benzoyl peroxide does sound pretty harsh, so we get it if you’d rather take a more natural approach to your acne issues. You might want to try this new approach to face wash—Mother Dirt. This cleanser is completely natural and full of plant-based ingredients all put together to keep your skin clean. But what makes it different is its approach to bacteria.
Though some bacteria can cause acne, your face is also home to good bacteria that keep your skin healthy and protected. Most washes kill off all the bacteria, leaving you without the good stuff. Mother Dirt is designed to get off all the dirt and oil, but leave your skin’s good bacteria unharmed.
The wash is hypoallergenic, gentle, and works well on sensitive skin. If you have acne and are tired of using potentially drying acids, Mother Dirt might be the face wash of your dreams.

Best Face Wash For Sensitive Skin

La-Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser

When you have really sensitive skin, a good face wash is nearly impossible to find. Everything is either too harsh and irritating or doesn’t leave your skin feeling clean! Thankfully, Klein recommends La-Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser. It’s a mouthful, but it works wonders!
Though the solution is incredibly gentle, it’s tough enough to remove dirt, oil, and even waterproof makeup. The glycerin in the wash gives it extra hydrating power and the thermal spring water feels soothing on the skin.
Anything I’ve ever tried by La-Roche Posay has been amazing, so between that brand and a dermatologist recommendation, this wash is a definite winner.

Best Travel Face Wash

Honest Beauty Refreshingly Clean Powder Cleanser

How many times have you gone on vacation and realized you didn’t bring a face wash? If you’re me, it’s every single time. Even if you do remember, it’s always a pain to pour your solution into those three-ounce travel bottles. Instead of going through that hassle, you can use Honest Beauty’s individually wrapped powder cleanser.  
Klein identifies this powder cleanser as an “essential.” Made from aspen bark, this cleanser is great for cleaning away excess oil without drying the skin. Just open your packet of cleanser, pour it in your hand, and add a little water. Rub your hands together until you get a foamy lather, then wash your face like normal.
This face wash is not only great for a deep clean while you’re traveling, but it also feels a little like a magic trick. Just add water and ta da! The tiny packet turns into an amazing face wash.

Best Face Wash For Irritated Skin

A-Derma Oat Milk Soothing Foam Gel  

Whether your skin is generally on the sensitive side or gets irritated during certain seasons, Sonam Yadav, MBBS, who runs New Dehli’s Juverne dermatology clinic, recommends A-Derma Oat Milk Soothing Foam Gel. “It has soothing oat extracts and also works fabulously for patients on isotretinoin and other drying acne medication[s].”
It contains Rhealba Oat Milk, which is used for its soothing and protective qualities. If you’re suffering from irritation, this wash will help you heal without causing extra aggravation. Plus, it’s paraben free and leaves your skin feeling soothed and soft.

Best Facial Cleansing Brush

Philips PureRadiance Cleansing System  

Though Haley has her preferred face washes, she says “I always recommend using an ultrasonic, gentle cleansing brush with a cleanser for two full minutes to enhance exfoliation and improve penetration of active ingredients.”  Haley insists that the brush is the real key to the best skin tone possible.
The Philips PureRadiance Cleansing System uses a brush that rotates and vibrates to get to your skin at every angle. The company claims that it’s ten times more effective than cleaning by hand, yet gentle enough that it doesn’t damage the skin. It even comes with a one minute timer (be sure to run it twice if you’re committed to following Haley’s advice) so you don’t shortchange your face wash.
If you have extremely sensitive skin, this may not be the best option, but for all other skin types, a cleansing brush is the best way to get some deep exfoliation without harming your skin. Pair it with one of the face washes above and your face will be cleaner and smoother than ever.
Of course, if you have your own favorite face wash, there’s no need to switch it up. But if you’re in the market for something new that actually works, follow the advice of the experts. These dermatologists’ entire lives are devoted to skincare, so if they recommend a product, you know it’s legit.