healthy lifestyle Archives - Page 3 of 54

Looking for a Date for the Holidays? Tips for Meeting Someone IRL

Here’s a question for you: does having dating apps mean we’ve become fully evolved dating creatures now? We have endless options and algorithms tailored to our preferences…but we usually just end up with decision fatigue and a string of “likes” and messages that never end in real life romance. Hey, we’re not saying that dating apps don’t have their place, and don’t lead to a lot of relationships, but you might be feeling like you want to take a step back from all this high-tech evolution and see if maybe you can meet someone the old-fashioned way: in real life. Shocking, we know! But believe us, it still happens – and we have some tips for you to give it a try.

The Advantages of Looking for Love IRL – And Is It Still Possible?

There are a lot of reasons why some people just aren’t feeling the whole swipe culture. Some have become tired of sorting through endless profiles of people who don’t end up looking like their photos, are totally flaky, disappear after two messages, or are just looking to boost their ego with likes. Some people end up feeling rejected if they have trouble matching, and others get tired of strings of “Hey, what’s up?”-style messages that bore them to tears. And for others, dating apps aren’t appealing at all, maybe because of the above complaints, or maybe because the prospect of showing your whole city that you’re out there looking just feels…icky.

Whatever the reason you want to take a break from dating apps, if that’s how you feel, that’s what you should do. But if you’re thinking it’s totally impossible to meet someone any other way these days, that’s not really true. According to Amber Kelleher-Andrews, a relationship expert and the CEO of Kelleher International, “Statistically speaking, the number of successful people meeting someone special on dating apps is very similar to those meeting someone on their own. In fact, it is surprisingly close, with 54% saying they met a significant other on a dating app.”

And there could be some advantages to meeting your dates IRL. For example:

Online dating can create a “catalog” mentality –.This cataloging mentality often leads to people never really focusing on one person at a time, and can lead to dating FOMO, meaning you’ll always feel tempted to keep swiping. You’re probably not going to feel the same if you meet someone at a party or a museum – you’d never even consider dating everyone who walked past you in those situations!

You might feel more anxiety when dating in this catalog culture – You have endless choices presented to you when you head to your dating app of choice, but so do your prospective dates. You could end up feeling anxious and competitive as you race to snap up that match. Meeting someone in person might mean feeling like you can slow down and get to know just them.

You’ll see more of the real person- When you meet someone IRL, you can observe how they treat people around them, the tone they use when talking, and other important characteristics and potential red flags that might be missed on an app. All this before you even go on your first date!

You’ll have a more natural connection – Meeting someone in person means you’ll know right away if you’re genuinely attracted to them. You’ll also develop a more natural connection since you don’t have to craft every response to make yourself shine – the other person will already have a sense of the wonderfulness of you! That means even when the relationship does move to texting, you’ll be able to be yourself more, and let the relationship develop, since you already know you stand out from the crowd in their eyes.

You might feel less guarded or jaded – If you’ve been online dating for a while, you’ve probably been burned at least once, right? And that leads to a lot of people putting up walls around themselves. Going back to the old-fashioned way of meeting some could be the remedy for that. Not that you’ll never get burned when dating people IRL, but meeting someone organically might feel less like a competition and more like just two people who are interested in getting to know each other.

So, like we said, dating apps can be great, especially if you live somewhere where it’s hard to meet people, you want a lot of choices and are looking to date a lot of people to find the right one for you, or if you’re, say, living through a global pandemic. But it is possible to meet someone in real life if you want to give it a try.

Tips for Finding Love IRL

Ok, so it’s possible – but where and how should you start? In most cases, you’re probably not going to have love fall into your lap: dating IRL is not as easy as it is online, unfortunately. You could wait for the UPS driver of your dreams to come along – after all, they’ll already know a lot about you – but that’s probably not the best course of action. So what can you do to up your chances?

Put yourself out there, with one caveat

As we already said, you’ve got to get out there to meet people. Buuuuut…the one caveat is that you have to put yourself out there only in authentic ways. Don’t just head to places that you think will be filled with eligible singles – make sure they’re places you want to be and that align with your interests. Don’t head to a jazz club because you heard it was filled with cuties if you hate jazz. Don’t join a hiking club if you’d rather be inside watching movies, or don’t join a sports league if it gives you flashbacks of being tormented by gym class. Instead, explore your own interests and what makes you happy; show up where you want to be, radiate your true self, and you might just attract a bird of your feather.

Leverage your real social network

You know how a lot of people met before dating apps? Through friends and family! And that can still happen, especially as we come out of the pandemic. Now is a great time to expand your IRL social network, by planning group outings and encouraging friends to bring along other friends. You can also be more direct about it, and ask people you know to set you up with someone they know who’s also looking. Just make sure to be really clear about your expectations, standards, and requirements.

Give your heart to a cause

Yes, volunteering should be done out of the goodness of your heart, but there’s no rule that says you can’t get something out of it, as well. In fact, there are many documented personal benefits to volunteering – and hey, you never know who you might end up volunteering next to. Just remember to choose something that’s important to you, and not just something that you think will have the most dating prospects. Again, you want your interests to align right from the start.

Relearn the art of chatting

The British have a great phrase for talking to someone who’s caught your eye: chatting someone up. We might have all collectively forgotten how to “chat” with strangers over the last few years, but now it’s time to revisit that fine art. Remember that connecting takes effort, whether online or offline, and you have to be willing sometimes to just talk to someone, even if it’s just to get your connecting with humans juices flowing.

Dating experts will sometimes recommend that you challenge yourself to talk to one new person every day, and not with the intention of meeting your soulmate. Rather, this exercise is meant to sharpen your skills for connecting…and maybe even doing a little networking. As Erica Cramer, a licensed clinical social worker with Cobb Psychotherapy in New York City says, “It doesn’t have to be a prospective match, but they could know someone, and once you get yourself talking, it’s a great exercise in learning to ask the right questions and when to be a great listener.”

And if it is someone you’re attracted to? Don’t let the opportunity pass you by, even if it’s just making a cute comment about a snack in their grocery cart or asking someone what drink they recommend at a bar.

Change up your routine

Similar to the above, where we suggested putting yourself out there and doing new things that you love, doing this will also give you the opportunity to be around people you wouldn’t normally be around. The odds aren’t in your favor of meeting someone new if you never go somewhere new! If you’re looking for new experiences, including meeting new people, it’s a good idea to say “yes” to as many things as possible.

But changing things up doesn’t have to be a big life change, or even joining a bunch of new clubs. It could even mean taking new routes to places you go every day, or going to the other coffee shop. And remember, rejection in real life can sting a little more than rejection online, so be prepared with some positive self-talk if someone doesn’t flirt back or says no when you ask them out. Try to tell yourself, “At least I tried, and I won’t wonder what might have been!” You’ll only get better and better at chatting and connecting as you practice.

Put out some signals

Open to meeting new people? You’ve gotta look like it, and act approachable. Having your head constantly down, looking at your phone, or always having your earphones in sends the signal that you don’t want to be bothered (and if that’s the case, then by all means, do your thing). But if you are in the mood to connect, don’t let opportunity pass you by by putting out the wrong signals. In addition, when you’re saying “yes” as we suggested above to going to parties and group outings, talking to only your friends is going to put out signals that you’re not interested in others, so try to mingle when you can.

On a final note, we’ll remind everyone who’s trying to get out there and do this crazy thing called dating to have fun! That’s why we’re doing it, after all, right? Sure, it can start to feel like a job, but that’s only if you go into it focused solely on the outcome – and after all, as all the songs tell us, “You can’t hurry love”. Try to enjoy the process, with all its ups and downs, and remember that even the weirdest and worst dates make for some great times talking and laughing with friends. Let us know if you’re trying to meet someone IRL, and how it’s going – we want to hear all of your adventures in dating!

Co-written by Joanna Bowling

‘Tis the Season for Giving: How Seniors Can Give Back by Volunteering

Well, spooky season is over, and it’s time to turn those pumpkins into pie. And before you know it, you’ll be battling the crowds in the shops, or more likely these days, firing up your credit cards online and watching packages pile up at your front door for the coming gift-giving season. But as the year glides towards its end, and our thoughts turn towards thanks, family, and giving, let’s not forget that giving isn’t only about prettily wrapped presents. One way to get into the spirit of the season is by volunteering your time – and not just at this time of year, but all year round. You’ll be doing good for others, and good for yourself! Find out how you can get started, and why you should.

Volunteering Is Good for Others and for You!

There’s no doubt that whatever organization you choose to give your time to will benefit from the work you do for them. But you’ll also benefit from getting out there and doing good! Consider this: did you know that studies show that volunteering for altruistic reasons is associated with a longer life, and a lower risk of dying? In fact, depending on the study, volunteering is associated with anywhere from a 20-60% reduction in death rates. To put that into perspective, the change to clean drinking water in the early 20th century (due to technological advances) caused a drop in death rates of only 15-20%.

So why is giving back so good for you? Some of the reasons include that volunteering is:

Great for your social life – Isolation isn’t good for anyone, but it’s especially bad for older adults. In fact, being/feeling isolated puts you at greater risk of developing a serious illness or dying. Volunteering gets you out and about among people, making connections, even if it’s for a few hours a week (or even virtual!)

A mood booster – Following on the idea of feeling isolated, older adults can be susceptible to depression if they feel like they’re lacking connection. Volunteering, though, can help stave off the blues: one study even found that 70% of elderly people who were experiencing five or more symptoms of depression saw a decrease in those symptoms after their first year of volunteering.

Good for your brain – Cognitive function is a big concern for a lot of older adults, but volunteering helps you to stay active, and stimulates your brain as you face new challenges, learn new skills, and converse with new people. All of this can mean better brain health as you age.

Physically engaging – According to some studies, less than a third of people over 65 are physically active – and that can be seriously bad for their health. Getting out of your house and volunteering (especially if it’s something that actually requires you to get out and move, like working at a community garden or working for a local election), can ensure you get your steps in, and get your blood pumping (to keep that heart healthy!)

Sounds good, right? The combination of knowing you’re giving back to your community and knowing you’re doing something that will improve your own life might be making you feel pretty motivated right now! So what are some ways that seniors can give their time?

Ideas for Ways to Give Back

Check out the following ideas for volunteering, and remember that there are both large national and local organizations that you can look into:

Work with children

If you’re missing your grandchildren, are still waiting for some, or just like to be around the littles in general, consider doing some volunteer work with children. There are lots of ways to do this, including:

Becoming a mentor at a local youth community center

Tutoring online (a great choice for those with mobility issues)

Getting involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization

Giving your time at a hospital – Many hospitals rely on volunteers to tutor patients, read stories, monitor playrooms, and assist families with whatever they may need during a child’s stay

Provide some hunger relief

Times have been tough for a lot of people, and organizations serving those who are food insecure are more in need of help than ever. If you’d like to help provide some relief, consider:

Starting a food drive in your community – You can also consider running a community fridge that puts free food right onto neighborhood streets

Volunteering for a local food pantry or shelter

Serving other seniors through Meals-on-Wheels

Doing some gardening at a community garden that provides food banks with produce

Drop some knowledge

If there’s something that you’ve been interested in for a long time, or there’s a hobby you want to spend more time with now that you’re retired, consider volunteering as a docent or a tour guide. Local colleges, museums, or other organizations often offer programs to train docents or tour guides, and you could end up educating others at botanical gardens, museums, historical sites, conservation groups, or even some seriously niche places, if that’s your thing.

Get outside

National parks are great places to visit, but are also great places to volunteer. If you want something more flexible, or have limited time, you can volunteer at one-time events at a park near you, or you can look into more long-term positions. And get this: if you give 250 volunteer hours, you’ll get a volunteer pass that gets you into all national parks for free!

Talk to the animals

Are you an animal lover? Local animal shelters, rescues, and humane societies are always in need of volunteers to care for animals, organize fundraising events, perform administrative tasks, or even help to rescue pets in the wake of floods, fires, and other natural disasters. If you want to do something more low-key, you could even consider taking in animals as a foster pet parent. Already have a pet who you think is a star? You could get them certified as a therapy animal and bring them into children’s hospitals, nursing homes, or hospice care.

Do some taxes!

Have years of doing taxes made you something of an expert (or are you a retired accountant)? There are a lot of people who aren’t so confident, and could certainly use some help. Check out local community centers that might offer this service, or talk to local businesses that might need some help.

Get political

Are you passionate about politics? Well, get out there and make your voice heard, and not just by voting! You can:

Canvass for a local politician who you believe in (and get some exercise while you’re at it)
Attend a phone bank

Circulate a petition

Organize a rally

Register people to vote

Work the polls on election day

Some of the above will get you moving, and all of them will get you connecting with other people!

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Volunteer Experience

Hopefully some of the above ideas speak to you! If you’re still not sure where to begin, consider the following tips for getting the most out of your volunteer experience:

Think about why you want to volunteer – What are your motivations? Thinking about this can help to steer you in the right direction.

Focus on your passions and talents – Think about what moves you, as well as what you’re good at and what you have to offer.

Look locally – All of the above are great ideas for how to get involved, and there are large organizations you can get involved with, but don’t forget to do a little research into the best local organizations to get involved with that allow you to work with children, animals, or whatever you’re most interested in.

Understand what will be required of you – Look at the specific qualifications for each possible organization, and what they expect of their volunteers, and make sure you will be a good fit for them and vice versa.

Don’t over-commit – Volunteering is great, but spreading yourself too thin is not. Remember that as fun as volunteering can be, it’s still work.

Bring a friend – You should go into a volunteer experience hoping to meet new people and make new connections, but it never hurts to bring someone along – most organizations need all the help they can get!

This is the time of year when we give thanks for what we have, and maybe also want to show our gratitude and spread the love by giving back to those around us. Volunteering is a great way to do that, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s also great for your body and mind, right? So think about getting out there and giving back, not just at this time of year, but all year round – you never know whose life you will touch, or how your own life will be touched. And don’t forget to tell us about your adventures in volunteering – we want to hear from you!

Co-written by Joanna Bowling

Working Out Really Works for Women

They say there are no miracle cures or one-size-fits-all solutions, right? But the closest thing we have when it comes to feeling healthy and balanced might just be exercise. What else can lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels, help prevent heart disease and diabetes, reduce mortality, AND even boost mood and cognitive function? Not too shabby.

And get this: while everyone gets these benefits from exercise, it turns out that women might get even more out of their workouts. Why? It’s all about the hormones (and the health risks women specifically face), baby, so read on to find out why working out really works for women.

The Specific Benefits of Exercise for Women

Like we said, working out is seriously beneficial for everyone (and we mean everyone!), but it does have a few added bonuses for women. So what are they?

Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease

Why do we list this as a specific benefit for women? Well, did you know that, according to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States? It killed 314,186 women in 2020, meaning it caused 1 in every 5 female deaths. Those numbers are astounding – but there is something we can all do! Yep, you guessed it: get more exercise.

Just check out these stats provided by research into exercise and cardiovascular disease:

Lack of exercise leads to 6% of coronary heart disease occurrences worldwide
90% of heart disease is preventable through a healthier diet, regular exercise, and not smoking
In one study, higher levels of physical activity were associated with a 21% reduction in coronary heart disease (CHD) events for men – but a 29% reduction of CHD events in women
In another study, people who engaged in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity leisure activity per week had a 14% lower risk of coronary heart disease than those who reported no exercise

Keeps those mood swings in check

If you’re someone who gets a period, or who once got a period, you know that all of those shifting levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone cause more than changes in your fertility levels. They can cause some wicked mood swings: as estrogen levels drop, before and during their period or leading up to menopause, women lose a natural source of the “feel good” brain chemical called serotonin. This can mean moodiness, or even depression and anxiety attacks can strike.

But the good news is that exercise causes endorphins, another “feel good” chemical, to be released into the brain. This can help to counteract that lack of serotonin, and leave you feeling happier and more relaxed after a workout.

And what if your estrogen levels are permanently reduced, after you’ve gone through menopause? You can still get a boost from a good workout! In fact, in one study of women who were dealing with postmenopausal anxiety and depression, the group of participants who exercised showed an 18 to 22% improvement in symptoms, while those who did not exercise showed no improvement.

Helps your fertility, your pregnancy, and your baby

Trying to get pregnant? Maintaining a healthy weight is a great way to boost your fertility. In fact, being overweight can actually alter hormone levels that affect the menstrual cycle and egg quality, so it can be easier for women who are at a healthy weight to conceive.

And once you do get pregnant? Exercise can help reduce all of those fun little things that come along with being pregnant, like constipation, bloating, backaches, and swelling, in addition to helping with moods, as pointed out above. It also helps you sleep better – and you’re going to need that sleep!

Not only that, but research has shown mothers who exercise during pregnancy are less likely to have overweight children, and babies born to active mothers also develop better motor skills.

Strengthens those bones

xray of bones — *Doing strengthening workouts actually improves bone density by about 1% per year.*

Women are far more susceptible than men to bone problems like osteoporosis and the increased risk of bone fracture that comes with it. In fact, 8 out of 10 people in the US with osteoporosis are women; not only that, but 50% of women over 50 with the disease will break a bone at some point. And if that break happens to a hip, as it often does, it can lead to immobility and even premature death.

So in comes exercise – specifically strength training or other kinds of weight-bearing exercise – to save the day! Weight-bearing workouts, in particular, build skeletal strength, stimulating bone-cell activity. They also stress the body, strengthening bones to prevent further injury. Doing strengthening workouts actually improves bone density by about 1% per year, which might not sound like a lot, but think of it this way: if you’ve been working out for 10 years, you’ll have increased your bone density by 10%!

Decreases your risk of breast cancer

We may be done with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but we shouldn’t forget that almost 300,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer this year. But you know what we’re going to say: yes, studies show that being more active can actually reduce your chances of developing breast cancer.

According to the research, women who move more seem to have an approximately 13% lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer than women who do the lowest amounts of physical activity. And women who do large amounts of vigorous exercise seem to have around 17% lower risk of premenopausal breast cancer and around 10% lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer than women who do low levels of vigorous physical activity.

Not only that, but studies also show that for breast cancer survivors, regular exercise is associated with fewer treatment side-effects, enhanced quality of life, and could even reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and death.

So what’s the story? Are you getting your recommended dose of vitamin exercise? It can feel hard to fit it into your busy lifestyle, but with all of the benefits listed above, as well as all of the other great things exercise can do for your body and mind, it might be time to get motivated. And no one is talking about perfection, or even crazy short-term results: your health is all about the long game! Try to find something you enjoy, enlist a friend, get a trainer, whatever works for you – we want all you women out there to be feeling good and living long, healthy lives, and getting moving will hopefully get you there.

Co-written by Joanna Bowling

Should You Ditch Fast Fashion This Shopping Season?

Get ready, get set, SHOP! That’s what this time of year can feel like, right? We’re bombarded with ads for sales, and everywhere we look there’s temptation to buy. But it’s not just this time of year that companies are competing for our attention and our dollars. Have you noticed, for example, that when it comes to the fashion industry, trend cycles are speeding up, and we’re constantly being shown new, cheap items that we can purchase – and then dispose of next season?

This phenomenon of super cheap, lower quality, high turnaround clothing is known as “fast fashion,” and many are arguing that it’s not just changing the way we consume, but also having a big impact on the environment, among other issues. So if you’re looking to gift some clothes, shoes, or accessories this holiday season (or are looking for those perfect party clothes for yourself), should you steer clear of the fast fashion behemoth?

Fast Fashion by the Numbers

So what exactly do we mean by fast fashion? It’s not really a category of clothing, rather it’s a business model, one that relies on mass-producing cheaply made, and cheaply priced, “of-the-moment” items based on ideas from fashion shows or celebrity culture. These items aren’t built to last: it’s expected that consumers will often only use them for a season, and then hopefully move on to the next trend.

Generally, companies that produce fast fashion use cheap materials and cheap labor to churn out clothing collections at a rapid pace – it can often feel like brick-and-mortar stores have new items arriving overnight, and online shops have pages and pages of new items to scroll through every minute.

While we can argue that one of the big problems with fast fashion is how it has changed our brains as consumers, two of the main issues that many experts are more concerned about are the “cheap materials” and “cheap labor” that go into keeping the fast fashion industry churning out items. But before we look more closely at those major issues, let’s get an overview of what’s going on in this multi-billion industry with some eye-opening statistics:

Since the year 2000, clothing sales have doubled from 100 to 200 billion units a year.
In the same time period, the average number of times an item was worn decreased by 36% overall.
It is estimated that around the world, around 107 billion units of apparel and 14.5 billion pairs of shoes were purchased in 2016.
Garments given up after a short period of time and thrown out (by both consumers and retailers), instead of recycled, combine to produce a massive amount of financial waste, estimated at around $500 billion every year.
We discard 92 million tons of clothing-related waste each year, which breaks down to a garbage truck of clothing either being incinerated or sent to a landfill every second, and is enough to fill one and a half Empire State Buildings every day.
In the 1950s, if a woman wanted to purchase a ready-made dress, she could spend about $9 (or $72 in today’s dollars) to order an item from a Sears catalog. Today, a shopper could walk into Forever 21 and buy a simple dress for about $12.
Some fast fashion chains, like Fashion Nova, say that they launch around 600 to 900 new styles every week.
People tend to prioritize ease of purchase and price of an item over sustainability, according to a 2018 report that surveyed nearly 700 shoppers ages 18 to 37.
“One in three young women, the biggest segment of consumers, consider garments worn once or twice to be old,” according to The Guardian.
The fashion industry churns out a staggering 80 billion garments a year – that’s over 10 for every person on earth.

Those dizzying numbers show the cycle of how fast fashion is creating our consumer demand and feeding it, with some serious consequences. So let’s take a look at some of those consequences.

The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion

It’s amazing to think that, according to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee in 2019, “Clothing production is the third biggest manufacturing industry after the automotive and technology industries. Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined.”

And, while the insane amount of clothing that is thrown away and ends up incinerated or in landfills that we pointed out above is a huge problem, that’s just the beginning. Some of the major environmental concerns about fast fashion include:

The materials used

So many fast fashion items are made with synthetic fabrics like polyester. The problem with these fabrics? The microfibers from synthetic fabrics get released into our waterways, and then into our rivers, lakes, and oceans every time they are washed in domestic washing machines. The small size of the microfibers means they are easily consumed by fish and other wildlife. And the fashion industry accounts for 20 to 35% of microplastic flows into the ocean!

Not only that, but nearly 70 million barrels of oil are used each year to make the world’s polyester fiber, and it takes more than 200 years to decompose. But the cotton used by this industry is not really all that much of a better alternative: over one quarter of the world’s pesticides are being used to grow conventional cotton.

The impact on water supplies

Speaking of affecting water, fast fashion also impacts our water supplies in other ways. Not only does the fast fashion industry consume 1.5 trillion tons of water per year, but the dyeing of textiles in the production of apparel is known to be the second biggest polluter of water worldwide, second only to agriculture. Developing countries often bear the burden of this impact, and end up with carcinogens or other toxins (like lead, mercury, and arsenic) in their water supplies.

The waste produced

We already pointed out a few statistics on the waste that the fast fashion industry produces, but it’s worth saying it again. After all, 3 out of 5 fast fashion items will end up in a landfill! And the industry isn’t doing much to help: less than 11% of brands are implementing recycling strategies for their items.

The carbon emissions

How much of an impact on global emissions could some tee shirts and dresses have? An eye-popping amount. In fact, the fashion industry is responsible for a full 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. Everything along the fast fashion industry supply chain contributes, including things like pumping water to irrigate crops (like cotton), the harvesting machinery, general transport of items, and the use of oil-based pesticides. And just think about this: the production of polyester textiles alone emits about 706 million tons of greenhouse gasses a year.

All of the above obviously has a huge impact on people, but fast fashion is also problematic for people in other ways, so let’s look at the human impact of fast fashion.

The Human Impact of Fast Fashion

All of those clothes need to be produced, right? And while it’s easy to think that they’re being mass-produced by machines, that just isn’t true. Workers need to toil to churn out the never ending supply of clothing offered by fast fashion brands, and they are often doing so in inhumane conditions.

Consider this: there are approximately 40 million garment workers in the world today (or up to 80 million in the whole supply chain), many of whom do not have rights or protections. They are some of the lowest paid workers in the world. In fact, only 2% of them earn a living wage – two percent!

And roughly 85% of all garment workers are women. Women especially are being exploited, and often pay a terrible price for their work. Remember the building collapse in the Rana Plaza clothing manufacturing complex in Dhaka in 2013? Over 1,100 workers were killed and over 2,500 injured, most of whom were women.

Why It’s So Hard to Quit Fast Fashion, and What We Can Do

These are some extremely dire facts and figures, we know, and all of it can feel overwhelming. It can be hard to take it all in, and hard to actually feel like things can change. And we’ve become very accustomed to fast fashion since its meteoric rise in the early 2000s, as we’ve gone more towards being a culture of disposable commodities. As we pointed out earlier, the fast fashion industry has very cleverly latched onto a cycle of creating an insatiable demand for newness and consumption, and feeding that desire.

And think about this: what else has had a meteoric rise since the early 2000s? Social media. The target audience of fast fashion often lives their lives online, and are very aware of what it means to be “seen” in a variety of senses. Many feel pressure to look not only constantly on trend, but also “new.” In fact, according to a 2017 survey commissioned by the London sustainability firm Hubbub, 41% of 18- to 25-year-olds feel pressured to wear a different outfit every time they go out.

So yeah, we like shopping, we like endless novelty, and we like being able to express ourselves through fashion the way that people with more money and influence can – and we’re often willing to overlook the problems with the fast fashion industry that allows us to do this. But if you’re interested in reducing your reliance on this industry, consider:

Being aware – The first step towards knowing how your shopping habits affect the world is being aware of the practices of the companies you buy from. They are often not very transparent, unfortunately, but that’s probably a sign that there’s a lot they need to change. If a company doesn’t meet your expectations, vote with your dollars and shop elsewhere.

Buy less – Sometimes easier said than done! But try to move towards buying what you need, and mix and match the pieces you have to create new styles. It’s ok to love the clothes you have, and to mend them if needed!

Shop secondhand – One of the best ways to reduce your clothing footprint is to get thrifting! You’ll be giving clothes that might otherwise be tossed out a new life, AND you’ll be getting some unique pieces that will really help you show off your style.

Buy sustainable – Look for brands or small companies that use sustainable materials and a sustainable supply chain to make their clothing. The bonus is that these clothes tend to be higher quality and last longer, so everyone wins.

Donate – Don’t throw out your old clothes! Find places and people you can donate to, whether it’s an effort to help out people in your own neighborhood, or a thrift store. Just make sure you know what the shop does with clothing they can’t sell – many thrift stores don’t recycle, and your clothing will just end up getting scrapped anyway.

There’s often a surprising amount we don’t know about the things we buy. But, hey, they say that knowing is half the battle! And while one person can’t change a whole culture – like the culture of fast fashion – overnight, we can be more aware of the impact of our choices, and try to hold companies accountable for their practices. And it can be fun to support that person designing sustainable clothes, or head out for a day of thrifting (our especial favorite!), so there are ways to enjoy expressing yourself with your style that maybe feel a little less, well, fraught. So let us know: how do you feel about fast fashion? And are people starting to feel over it, and ready for a more sustainable model? And what’s better: trying to force fast fashion brands to change their ways, or working to get rid of the whole industry and culture altogether? We want to hear from you!

Co-written by Joanna Bowling

Gaining Weight? How to Fire Up Your Metabolism After 50

Middle-age spread crept up on you, huh? Feeling like your metabolism has just slooooowed down now that you’ve over 50? While there have been some findings that suggest our metabolism doesn’t change as much as we thought it did in mid-life, there’s no doubt that a lot of people pack on the pounds as the years go by, whatever the reason. That means you might be looking for ways to ignite your metabolism, so you don’t feel like your weight is spiraling out of control as you age – and there are ways to do it! Check out the following foods you can incorporate into your diet, as well as actions you can take, that could help get your metabolism fired up again, no matter your age.

Aging and Weight Gain

When it comes to aging and weight gain, the statistics are pretty depressing. While not everyone will pack on the pounds as the years go by, most people will find it hard to lose or even maintain their weight as they age. In fact, according to a review by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, most of us will gain 1 to 2 pounds a year. Why? There are a few reasons:

Age-related muscle loss – Yes, you actually lose muscle as you age: in fact, the amount of lean muscle we have begins to decline by 3 to 8% per decade after age 30, a process called sarcopenia. And you’ve probably heard that muscle burns more calories than fat, so if you’re losing muscles and eating the same amount of calories…well, you can guess the rest.
Lifestyle changes – As you’ve gone through your busy middle-age, you might have gotten out of the habit of finding time to exercise, or might have gotten a little lax with your dietary habits, and that can all add up.

Normal hormonal changes – For women, menopause causes a significant drop in estrogen that encourages extra pounds to settle around the belly. And for men, a significant drop in testosterone beginning around age 40 can make the body less effective at burning calories, since testosterone helps regulate fat distribution and muscle strength and mass. We also stop producing as much growth hormone as we age, which makes it harder to build and maintain muscle.

Metabolic changes – As we pointed out above, recent studies have shown that the relationship between aging and metabolism is more complicated than we thought, but it is pretty clear that less muscle mass and being less active with age can wreak havoc on our metabolism as we get older.

So how do we fight the battle of the bulge? We can’t change the fact that our hormones shift, but we can try to fire up our metabolism by dealing with those two other issues: our bodies and our lifestyles.

Foods That Fire You Up

What you eat is obviously related to your weight in a calories in, calories out kind of way, but in addition to eating in a moderate way, there are also simple foods that you can incorporate into your diet that studies suggest can boost your metabolism. These include:

Chili peppers – Research suggests that the capsaicinoids (CAPs) found in both chili peppers and pepper extracts could play a role in enhanced metabolism. According to a Bioscience Reports study, capsaicin (the most common capsaicinoid) has been found to support metabolic health, especially when it comes to weight loss in people who are obese.

Ginger – In some studies, ginger has been shown to enhance thermogenesis (calorie burning). It is also filled with antioxidants whose anti-inflammatory properties could help with weight loss.
Oats (and other whole grains) – Studies show that substituting whole grains for refined ones could help increase your resting metabolic rate. And oats specifically are a good option because they are a great source of resistant starch, or starch that escapes from digestion in the small intestines of healthy people. Once it reaches the colon, this resistant starch acts like a food source for the good bacteria that live in your gut, improving your ratio of “good” to “bad” gut bacteria – and a healthy gut helps support energy metabolism.
Dark chocolate – Yes, chocolate – but make sure it’s dark – the darker the better – and make sure you eat it in moderation, since it is a caloric food. But says Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT, “According to results of a study published in Molecules in 2018, people who had a daily consumption of 2 grams of dark chocolate containing 70% cocoa, for 6 months experienced better aspects of glucose metabolism versus people who had 2 grams of chocolate milk for the same amount of time.”
Protein – Foods high in protein also have a high thermic effect, which means it’s much more difficult for your body to break down into its usable parts. In other words, when you eat protein, you use more calories just during the digestion phase than when you’re eating other things.

Omega-3 – Fish oil can reduce inflammation and cortisol, which in turn helps with fat metabolism and muscle gain.

Sounds like we’re all in for some tasty ways to fire things up. With winter approaching, we’re already thinking about a fiery chili laced with dark chocolate… But while we’re dreaming of things to eat that can boost your metabolism, let’s also think about other ways to do it, including some that might surprise you.

Surprising Other Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Boosting your metabolism is not just about what you eat. There are other ways to fire it up, so you burn more calories even when resting. Consider these lifestyle changes you can make:

Drink More Water

dumbbells on a rack in a gym — *Weight training 2-3 times a week can help boost your metabolism.*

Let’s start with a super easy – and probably surprising – one: drink more water to increase your metabolism! Studies have shown that drinking half a liter (500ml) of water can increase resting metabolism by up to 30%, but only for an hour at a time. How? When we drink, our body goes through a state called thermogenesis to heat the water to body temperature. Using energy to create heat like this requires burning calories, which can in turn boost metabolism. And while the effect only lasts for an hour, you can take advantage of this thermogenesis multiple times a day. So make sure you’ve got your water bottle with you at all times!

Build muscle

You were expecting this one, right? But here’s something that might surprise you: if you just lose weight, you could actually end up slowing down your metabolism. What you need to do is also gain lean muscle, also called body recompositioning. And yes, to build muscle you should be doing weight training 2-3 times a week, while eating enough protein to support muscle growth. And if you’re over 50 and a little wary of heavy weights? You can still get a good strength training workout with resistance bands, or even just using your body weight.

Get NEAT-er

No, we don’t mean you need to do more tidying up – or, actually we do! NEAT stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, which simply means the calories you burn during your non-workout hours. NEAT plays a big role in your metabolism – in fact, research suggests that it could be responsible for up to 30% of your total daily calorie burn. So yes, we do want you to get up off the couch and move around more, even if it’s just to tidy up while listening to music, instead of watching TV. Try to target at least 1-2 sedentary habits a week, replacing them with more active ones (like taking a walk while you talk on the phone)

Focus on the hormones you have some control over

As we pointed out above, there are some inevitable hormonal changes that happen as you age. But there are certain other hormones that can be problematic for your waistline that you can do at least something about: cortisol (the stress hormone) and leptin (one of the hunger hormones). Doing calming, mind-body activities can actually help to regulate these hormones, so you might want to consider getting your “om” on!

Get your zzz’s

Getting enough sleep is so important for so many reasons, including keeping your metabolism fired and your weight in check. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Lipid Research, restricting sleep for just several days alters how we metabolize fats and changes how satisfied we are by a meal. So make sure you’re getting around 7-9 hours a night!

There’s a lot we can’t control about getting older (hello, reading glasses), and it can often feel like your weight is one of them. And yes, while our bodies do change and our hormones do fluctuate as we age, you don’t necessarily have to go down without a fight. You can find ways to boost your metabolism and maintain a healthy weight – or even lose weight – over 50, you just need to incorporate the above eating and lifestyle changes. And let us know how your weight is changing as you age, and what you’re doing about it!

Co-written by Joanna Bowling

Halloween Nutrition Doesn’t Have To Be Scary: Alternative Healthy Treats for Halloween

Boo! It’s that time of year again, when store shelves are stacked with delicious chocolate and sugary candy, staring you right in the face every time you walk through the doors. You’ve been good all year, and have avoided the candy section, but there’s no escaping it now, since every section seems to be the candy section these days. Halloween is synonymous with binging on candy, chocolate, and other goodies, but we have some solutions for keeping the cravings and temptations at bay. Whether you’re the trick-or-treater or the candy giver, make smarter choices this Halloween with these helpful hints.

Halloween Candy Facts

Before we talk about how to make healthier choices during the Halloween season, here are some staggering facts about the holiday we’ve become sweet on:

The average American child eats between 3,500 and 7,000 calories worth of Halloween candy.
According to the American Chemical Society, a 180-pound person would be poisoned if they consumed 262 fun-sized candy bars.
Children would have to play for two days straight to burn off the calories in the average amount of candy collected on Halloween.
Americans purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy each year for Halloween. 3.3 million of those pounds are Skittles and 3 million are Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Candy corn is the least healthy Halloween candy. Just 15 small pieces have 110 calories and 22 grams of sugar.

Scary, right? While some amount of indulging is of course OK occasionally, going overboard is never a good idea. So how can you healthy-up this sugarfest fright night in a realistic way?

Healthier Halloween

You don’t want to be “that” house in the neighborhood that hands out toothbrushes. And you also don’t want to find an apple in your basket after a long night of trick-or-treating. So what can you hand out if you’re trying to stay away from unhealthy candy? And what treats can you keep an eye out for while you’re sifting through your haul?

Sugar-free gum is a great option. A lot of kids see gum as a novelty; it’s also not a very common Halloween handout, so this might be a welcome treat.
Balloons can really blow up your Halloween festivities. If your neighborhood goes all out and makes Halloween a community event, consider setting up a balloon station and handing out balloons. You can get a helium tank from a party store and hand out balloons to passersby. Your house could become the most popular stop in town!
Glow sticks can light up kids’ night. Chances are the sun will be down while kids are trick-or-treating, so they can use glow sticks to be more visible while walking around, making them both fun and practical.
Go with something savory. Halloween-themed snack packs are festive, healthier alternatives to candy. Everyday snacks, such as Cheez-Its or Pirate’s Booty, get a fun Halloween makeover every October, making them a great option for your giveaway.
Downsize! Choose fun-sized, miniature candy bars. You can still get a taste of the good stuff, but with a fraction of the calories and sugar.

If you’re in charge of purchasing treats to hand out for Halloween, know that you have options that won’t make the little ones groan. You’ll be keeping the fun in Halloween, while teaching little ones about moderation and healthy choices. All you need to do is think outside the box, and you can find a unique, fun, healthier alternative to traditional candy to hand out this year!