by | | Curated Content
January 8th 2024
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Choosing between them can be tough, especially if you’re short on time or just starting out. Spoiler: The better option depends on your goals and preferences.
Whether you want a toned physique or a strong core, this guide will help you find the fitness approach that fits you best.
Pilates body vs. gym body
Pilates and traditional gym workouts offer unique approaches to fitness goals, targeting different areas and providing distinct benefits.
Pilates
Pilates prioritizes toning, core strength, flexibility, and mental alignment. It primarily engages the deep abdominal muscles, obliques, lower back, and pelvic floor, focusing on controlled movements and core strength.
These exercises enhance core stability, posture, body awareness, and a strong mind-body connection. Pilates also improves cardiorespiratory fitness. Plus, it’s low-impact, perfect for beginner peeps not used to strenuous exercises, and you can do it at home!
Gym workouts
Gym workouts offer versatility in targeting various muscle groups and excel in muscle growth. Weightlifting, for instance, emphasizes specific muscles, like biceps, triceps, quadriceps, and pectorals, depending on the exercises.
You can also do cardio at the gym, like running or HIIT, to enhance heart health and stamina. Cardio also helps boost metabolism, helping you burn more calories overall.
So basically, choosing between a Pilates body and a gym body ultimately hinges on your fitness goals and preferences.
6 ways Pilates tones better than weights
Pilates is oh-so graceful and precise. Undoubtedly, it’s an efficient way to tone the body. Here are seven ways that Pilates excels in the toning department, often surpassing traditional weightlifting.
1. Body weight
One of Pilates’ standout features is its cunning use of body weight as resistance. This approach turns your physique into the primary tool for building strength and toning muscles, offering an effective full-body workout without equipment. However, you can add a ball or a band if you fancy.
By employing controlled movements and engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously, Pilates ensures that every part of your body is put to work, contributing to a comprehensive and balanced fitness regimen.
2. Core strength
Pilates is an epic way to develop a rock-solid core. Through controlled movements and precise exercises, it engages the deep abdominal muscles, obliques, and lower back like no other. The result? A powerhouse core that looks great enhances stability and supports good posture.
It also promotes functional strength, making the movements you practice in Pilates highly applicable to everyday activities, making chores like carrying groceries a breeze.
3. Flexibility
Pilates sculpts that bod and is your ticket to becoming a real-life rubber band! The controlled and intentional stretching in Pilates takes your flexibility to new heights, leaving traditional weightlifting in the dust.
Pilates doesn’t just stop at a basic stretch. Oh no! With its dynamic stretching exercises, it’s like giving your joints a VIP ticket to the mobility party. Your muscles get a front-row seat as they elongate, your flexibility soars, and suddenly, you’re moving in ways you never thought possible.
4. Breathing
Pilates isn’t about striking perfect poses. It also harnesses super-duper breathing techniques to give your muscles a fresh oxygen cocktail for a show-stopping performance.
When you do a Pilates sesh, you’re inhaling and exhaling deeply with purpose. With every breath, you’ll feel your abdomen lift and pull in, sculpting your posture and helping you stand tall.
5. Inner thighs
Pilates doesn’t believe in heavy lifting. It’s more delicate as it targets those tricky inner thigh muscles. The endgame? Thighs that aren’t just toned but also strong and beautifully sculpted.
6. Fluid muscles
Pilates was originally designed to help train injury-prone dancers. So you can expect your muscles to become more long and lean like a dancer’s, not bulky like a bodybuilder’s.
Takeaway
Pilates physique or gym bod? Pilates offers a holistic approach, enhancing core strength, flexibility, and muscle endurance, all while using body weight resistance. The gym offers versatility, allowing you to target and grow specific muscle groups with weights and machines.
Each has its unique charms, so choose which makes you excited to break a sweat. And if it’s hard to decide, you can always do both!
Read the full article here:
https://greatist.com/health/pilates-body-vs-gym-body
by | | Curated Content
January 8th 2024
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If you’re in the market for a new brush, look no further than bamboo, boo. Made from sustainable bamboo wood, bamboo brushes are great for all hair types. Hair’s what to know.
What is bamboo brushing, anyway?
You don’t have to be Marcia Brady to love brushing your hair to silky, smooth perfection. If you want to upgrade your everyday brush without forking over a fortune, a bamboo brush might be the inexpensive yet luxurious-feeling option you need.
Bonus: You can use these brushes on wet or dry hair, no prob. Plus, they’re pretty dang sustainable. Bamboo can be composted at the end of its lifespan.
Bamboo brush benefits
Here’s a rundown of the seven best benefits of bamboo brushes.
1. Antibacterial properties
According to a 2022 review on Japanese bamboo, the material grows so quickly in nature due to its natural antibacterial properties. Using a bamboo brush can help prevent the scalp from being vulnerable to bacterial infections like Staphylococcus, Cutibacterium, or Lawsonella.
2. Eco-friendly and biodegradable
If the brushes’ bristles are also made from bamboo or boar bristles, you can compost the entire brush when it degrades, keeping it safely out of your local landfill. Bamboo is also a very sustainable material to grow. In a 2022 review, experts say using materials like bamboo and rattan can help mitigate climate change and preserve the environment.
3. Gentle on the scalp and hair
Tender-headed? While plastic bristles can yank or break your hair, bamboo bristles are much gentler on your precious strands. The bamboo should go through your strands without much of a struggle.
4. Oil distributing
Although all brushes technically help redistribute oil from the scalp to the ends of the hair, bamboo bristles (as well as boar bristles) may be particularly nourishing. Since the bristles aren’t stiff on your hair, you can brush as many times as you want without damaging it. Instead, it should be silkier and more conditioned.
5. Anti-frizz
Ever ran a plastic brush through dry hair and immediately looked like Ms. Frizzle? A bamboo brush can help with that. Wood-like bamboo insulates rather than conducts (like plastic), which means electricity won’t flow through your precious strands.
6. Vegan
Bamboo is vegan! While boar hair brushes are effective, bamboo brushes are better for the enviornment and aren’t derived from animals.
7. Affordable
Unlike many salon-grade or boar hair brushes, bamboo brushes tend to be pretty affordable.
How to use a bamboo brush
You can use a bamboo brush just like any other brush. Here are some tips:
- Start with wet or dry hair.
- If you have longer hair or major tangles near the ends, grab sections of your hair and tackle this portion of your hair.
- Once the tangles are tamed, slowly start brushing from your scalp to the ends of your hair. Using short and light brush strokes will prevent any damage.
- Enjoy your new silky strands! Repeat as desired.
- Clean your bamboo brush at least once a week. Remove all the hair from the bristles, clean with soapy water, and allow your brush to air dry. It’s a good idea to place it in sunlight or dry it with a towel so the wood doesn’t remain overly moist, which can degrade it faster.
Where to buy a bamboo brush
Bamboo brushes can range anywhere from under $10 to hundreds of dollars. You don’t need to splurge, though – for the most part, you can find a quality brush for under $30.
You can buy them online or at retailers like:
- Ulta
- Target
- Whole Foods
- Sally’s or other beauty supply stores
Pro tip: Check ingredients to find brushes made from pure bamboo.
Takeaway
Bamboo hairbrushes are a sustainable alternative to plastic brushes. They also contain anti-static and antibacterial properties for frizz-free shine and a healthy scalp.
They can be used on wet or dry hair and picked up at several retailers, from Amazon to Target to Whole Foods.
Read the full article here:
https://greatist.com/health/bamboo-brush-benefits
by | | Curated Content
January 8th 2024
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Wellness Mama Blog | Simple Answers for Healthier Families
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I’m talking with Sara Banta today, a Stanford graduate and a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Sara is an expert in nutrition and different health supplements all while being a busy mom of three. She’s the perfect example of how I always say to be your own primary healthcare provider. Not only did …
Continue reading 725: Top Reasons for Unexplained Weight Gain (& How to Fix It) With Sara Banta…
Read the full article here:
725: Top Reasons for Unexplained Weight Gain (& How to Fix It) With Sara Banta
by | | Curated Content
January 8th 2024
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From viral sensations to never-ending news feeds, the rapid evolution of technology has fueled a continuous cycle of polarizing opinions and perpetual stress. We are seeing significant increases in mental health disorders, especially in youth, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are solutions and actionable steps we can take to foster a healthier relationship with social media and our use of technology.
In today’s episode, I talk with Cal Newport, Jim Kwik, Tobias Rose-Stockwell, and Laurie Santos about the myth that social media can make you happier and why it’s actually a source of anxiety.
Cal Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and writes about the impact of technological innovations on our culture. Newport is the author of six books, including Digital Minimalism and Deep Work. As we dive into the topic of social media, Cal shares his expertise on how it’s impacting public health and culture in ways much greater than you might expect.
Jim Kwik is an internationally acclaimed authority in the realm of brain optimization, memory improvement, and accelerated learning. With more than 30 years of experience, Jim has dedicated his life to helping people tap into their brain’s full potential. After overcoming learning challenges from a childhood brain injury, Jim embarked on a journey with the mission to leave no brain behind, and, through his teachings, Jim inspires others to unlock their inner genius, empowering them to live a life of greater power, productivity, and purpose.
Tobias Rose-Stockwell is a writer, designer, and media researcher whose work has been featured in major outlets such as The Atlantic, WIRED, NPR, the BBC, CNN, and many others. His research has been cited in the adoption of key interventions to reduce toxicity and polarization within leading tech platforms. He previously led humanitarian projects in Southeast Asia focused on civil war reconstruction efforts, work for which he was honored with an award from the 14th Dalai Lama. He lives in New York with his cat Waffles.
Laurie Santos is a Professor of Psychology and the Head of Silliman College at Yale University, as well as the host of the critically acclaimed podcast The Happiness Lab. After observing a disturbing level of unhappiness and anxiety among her students, she began teaching a course entitled “Psychology and the Good Life,” which quickly became the most popular course in Yale’s history and has also reached almost 2 million people from all over the world online. Although she’s now best known as a “happiness expert,” Santos’s research explores the much broader question of “What makes the human mind unique?” and often includes comparing the cognitive capacities of non-human animals to humans.
This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health and Pique.
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Full-length episodes of these interviews can be found here:
Cal Newport
Jim Kwik
Tobias Rose-Stockwell
Laurie Santos
Read the full article here:
How To Reduce Loneliness, Depression, And Distraction By Adapting Our Relationship To Social Media
by | | Curated Content
January 7th 2024
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Chapped lips (aka cheilitis) are the pits. But fear not! In this guide, we’ve compiled seven terrific tips that can transform your lips from chapped to smooth. Pucker up!
What causes chapped lips?
One of the leading causes of those pesky chapped lips is a lack of moisture. Whether you’re not drinking enough water or the dry, cold weather is playing moisture bandit, your lips suffer the consequences. Indoor heating and air conditioning also contribute to this moisture-sapping effect.
And here’s the twist — licking your lips, while it might seem like a quick fix, can worsen matters. Saliva evaporates quickly, leaving your lips even drier. Even some lip balms could be a sneaky culprit. Some lip products and toothpaste pack irritating ingredients that lead to chapping.
As if that weren’t enough drama, there’s more: Sunburn can turn your lips into parched territory, and certain medications, like acne treatments or diuretics, can have the unfortunate side effect of causing dry lips.
1. Stay hydrated
Stay well-hydrated for plump, supple lips. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), men should aim for 101 fluid ounces (13 cups) daily, while women should target 74 fluid ounces (9 cups). Increased hydration is crucial during exercise or hot weather, helping maintain lip moisture and overall health. So grab that water bottle and sip your way to luscious lips.
2. Lip balm love
Lip balm to the rescue! This trusty sidekick swoops in to save the day by creating a protective fortress on your lips. Think of it as a force field against the elements — wind, cold, and everything in between.
But not just any lip balm, oh no. Choosing a high-quality, non-irritating lip balm packed with nourishing ingredients would be best.
Look for soothing and moisturizing ingredients, like:
By locking in moisture, lip balm shields your lips and ensures they stay irresistibly smooth and hydrated.
3. Exfoliate gently
Sometimes, your lips need a little TLC. Enter gentle exfoliation, your lips’ best friend, in the quest for soft, kissable perfection.
By delicately sloughing away dead skin cells, you reveal the fresh, new layer beneath. This leaves your lips smoother and allows lip balms and treatments to work their magic more effectively.
4. Humidify your space
If your lips feel stressed due to indoor heating or air conditioning, it’s time to bring in the big guns — a humidifier.
This nifty device adds moisture to the air, creating a comfortable oasis for your lips. Say goodbye to the desert-like atmosphere that’s been drying out your pout! With a humidifier in place, your lips can finally relax and bask in the hydration they so desperately crave.
5. Sun protection
Sunscreen isn’t just reserved for your skin — give your lips a piece of the sun-blocking action too! Don’t overlook the importance of SPF in your lip care routine. Using a lip balm infused with sun protection is your secret weapon against those sneaky UV rays, the culprits behind dryness and sunburn. And remember, it doesn’t take blinding sunshine to cause harm.
So, before you venture into the great outdoors, make it a ritual to swipe on that SPF-infused lip balm.
6. Hydrating masks
Who doesn’t love a good spa day? Well, your lips sure do! Treat them to a pampering session with hydrating lip masks designed explicitly for your pout. With nourishing ingredients and a touch of luxury, lip masks deeply hydrate and rejuvenate your lips, leaving them softer, plumper, and oh-so-kissable.
7. Diet matters
Your diet plays a crucial role in your lip’s well-being. It’s not just about satisfying your taste buds; it’s about nourishing your lips from the inside out. What you put into your body can significantly influence the health and appearance of your lips.
Opt for foods rich in essential vitamins, particularly antioxidant vitamin E, which promotes a healthy pout. Load your plate with vitamin E-rich foods like almonds, sunflower seeds, spinach, and avocados.
Takeaway
Chapped lips are no match for these tried-and-true tips. From staying hydrated to using lip balm religiously and embracing a lip-loving diet, you’ve got the tools to keep your lips soft, smooth, and selfie-ready.
Read the full article here:
https://greatist.com/health/how-to-get-rid-of-chapped-lips
