As an experienced health editor, I know firsthand the beauty benefits of healthy living. My speed dial reads like a who's who of the health world; dermatologists, dietitians and fitness experts are my closest collaborators. I'm known to wear workout clothes to the office and tap away at my laptop while pedaling on a stationary bike. (Ask my coworkers.)
Though 'mental illness' is a widely used term that encompasses a large variety of disorders, from depression and bipolar disorder to panic attacks and post-traumatic stress syndrome, millions of Americans struggle with their mental health each and every year. In fact, the National Alliance of Mental Illness estimates that one in five adults (that's 4.8 million people or 18.5 percent of the population) battles a mental illness each year.
See the glass half full, find the silver lining, look on the bright side...there are endless platitudes and clichés that are so regularly recited, they don't seem to carry much meaning. This seems especially true on the days when metaphorical rain pours down on your metaphorical parade, or when a storm cloud seems to be hovering over your head for days on end. But taking a closer look at optimism reveals these everyday turn of phrases actually have the right idea in mind. When put into routine practice, positive thinking can change your whole life for the better...and in more ways than one.
Thankfully, the one size fits all concept of what's beautiful is changing. But if you follow the trends, you know that new fad diets are constantly popping up to "revolutionize" the weight-loss game. From Oprah selling Weight Watchers to Kim Kardashian's post-pregnancy Atkins regimen to everyone at SoulCycle talking about Whole 30, it can be hard to understand the difference between every fad diet -- let alone know where to turn yourself. According to data from U.S. News & World Report, some of these diets are more likely to change your lifestyle, and others may just leave you with a house full of expensive groceries. Ahead, we break down all you need to know about the most popular diets out there. No matter how tempting it can be to overhaul your life to keep up with the hottest diet trend, remember the real best diet is whatever works for you -- and that makes you feel like your best self in the long term.
When we hear the word meditation, it's hard not to picture some hippie dippie type in a cross-legged posture, spending two hours a day trying not to scratch her nose. Maybe that's our cynicism talking; maybe it's the fact that we read "Eat, Pray, Love" one too many times. Whatever the reason, meditation often seems totally out of reach for us normal, busy people.
Even if you try to eat as healthy as possible, unless you do all of your shopping at a farmer's market and have a butcher and a dairy farmer you trust and rely on, chances are you're eating packaged foods to round out your meals. Unfortunately, there are a ton of ingredients in packaged foods to help make them look appealing, taste better, and withstand travel and shelf life. While the FDA has approved the foods on this list as "safe," some of them may make you think twice before you eat them again.
The Beatles made it popular in the '60s and celebs like Oprah and Gwyneth Paltrow do it on the regular, but practicing meditation has some serious physical, emotional and spiritual benefits in addition to upping your hipster cred. Luckily, you don't have to travel to India or have your own television network to practice meditation.
Sure, cutting out McDonald's will help clear up your complexion, eating omega-3-packed fish will strengthen your hair and exercising an hour a week will help with cellulite -- but seriously, who has the time or energy for all that?
Practitioners of the Chinese art of feng shui believe that the placement and state of objects in a space affect the energy, fortune and health of the people around them.
If you're a coffee lover, you know exactly how you like your morning cups to be made (black; cream and sugar; cappuccino-style, etc.), and you're obsessive to the point of being fanatical about your java. I hate to say it, but as a fellow person dependent on coffee, that's so boring. At this point even using almond milk instead of cream is kind of basic.
Most new moms stick to abdomen-obscuring outfits in the weeks following their deliveries, but for celebs like Chrissy Teigen, crop tops and cutoffs will do. Just weeks after giving birth to daughter Luna, the model mom hit dinner with hubby John Legend in black short-shorts and celebrated her first Mother's Day clad in a belly-baring top that made many of us wonder how she bounced back so quickly.
Everyone wants to be liked. From the day we start school to the day we enter the workforce, we yearn for approval. Even the most cynical types secretly care about how they are received. If you don't believe that, science backs it up. Psychologist Abraham Maslow points out that humans are social creatures; we need each other to survive. As a result, the need to feel love and belonging are programmed into our DNA.
A massage is supposed to be one of life's simplest and most relaxing pleasures. But put nakedness, body oil and strangers in a dim room, and something's bound to go wrong eventually. Scroll through to read all about the painful rubdowns, reflexology gone wrong and not-so-happy endings that have us cringing. May these embarrassing massage moments serve as cautionary tales for the next time you book your bodywork.
So you drank too much. We've all been there (plenty of times). Welcome to the hell otherwise known as a hangover. Whether you're suffering from a throbbing headache, an upset stomach or an all-around feeling that you'd be better off dead, you need a hangover cure stat. But how far are you willing to go to feel better?
Did you hit the snooze button a few times this morning? If you sleepwalk through your mornings or your head bobs come 3pm, you've got company. In a 2013 survey conducted by the Better Sleep Council, 48 percent of Americans admitted they don't get enough sleep. And when it comes to coping with extreme fatigue, many of us simply reach for that (umpteenth) cup of coffee.
It's a common scenario: You're at the nail salon waiting for your pedi to dry, when you flip open a magazine to find a deluge of stories like "My Flip Flops Almost Killed Me," and "Here's How Diet Coke Ruined My Life."
Sometimes that 3 o'clock feeling starts way before the usual afternoon slump -- and sometimes it lasts longer than quitting time. A good night's sleep is a great weapon against that sluggish feeling, but sometimes it's not enough. Pesky energy zappers are hiding in your everyday routine.
You might say a smile is a person's best asset. It conveys happiness, confidence and warmth, and, studies show, it makes us more attractive. The key to a pretty smile, of course, is a gorgeous set of pearly whites.