John D Mcghee: July 2015

Tuesday, 28 July 2015

The Easiest Dinner Party You'll Ever Throw

Yup, you'll still be able to say you made everything.

Dinner parties always seem like a great idea in theory...until you realize that you have to plan the menu. And grocery shop. And, you know, cook everything. Pretty soon, the whole thing's turned into a giant headache.

That's one of the reasons why we heart Chef'd, a company that sends pre-portioned amounts of the ingredients you need to make a delicious meal right to your door. All you need to have on-hand are kitchen staples like olive oil and sheet pans. Oh, and did we mention that all of the dishes come from chefs and brands you know and love (ahem, like us)?

Women's Health has four great recipes available right now: chicken en papillote with spring vegetables, chicken lettuce wraps, chicken spinach salad with goat cheese, and halibut tacos with grapefruit salsa. Here's how the chicken en papillote, pictured above, looked when it arrived at our office (minus the galvanized metal tray—that's ours!):

And here are what the other meals look like:

Chicken Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese:

Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

Halibut Tacos with Grapefruit Salsa:

Ingredients to serve four people range from $35-$57 (although if you want to make one of these meals on a random weeknight, you can also order dinner for two for $26-$35). You'll also get super easy instructions for how to make the meal with your order (each of our dishes take 40 minutes max to make). Chef'd even gives you suggested wine and beer pairings, so there is literally zero guesswork.

So...when's the party?

Saturday, 25 July 2015

11 Just-Plain-Wrong Things Guys Have Said After Sex

D'oh!

In a perfect world, sex would end with some combination of cuddling, snacks, and multiple high-fives, right? Unfortunately for the 11 women below, the after-sex glow was more like an after-sex fail (with zero snacks involved).

Read their stories, feel their pain, and let's all have a good laugh together.

"I've had a guy come on my chest, which was fine—we were using the withdrawal method—but then lick it all up and try to put it in my mouth. I put my hand over his mouth and asked, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'It's called a snowball. Haven't you ever heard of a snowball?' I said, 'Err, no.' Then he just swallowed it. The next time we had sex, he did the same thing but didn't put it in my mouth. I asked, 'Do you like the taste of it?' He said, 'Yeah, especially after I've eaten pineapple. It's really sweet.' Oy. Apart from that, he was really great in bed! Another time, I was with a guy who made absolutely no attempt to pleasure me. He just climbed on top. Came. Pulled out. Then lay next to me and said, 'I don't mind if you finish yourself off.' He was one of the hottest guys I've ever slept with, but it was the worst sex I've ever had because it was like I wasn't there." —Elly K.

"The very first time I ever had sex, he held up the used condom and said, 'Souvenir?' I wasn't in love with him and the sex was bad, so I was already feeling crummy before he said that. I didn't say anything and just tried to pretend it never happened." —Marni S.

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"I was seeing someone as a rebound after a breakup with an ex I really loved, and I actually started to fall for the new guy. He was so sweet and told me he really liked me, so when he whisked me away on a trip to a B&B one weekend, I was down. We'd been dating about a month and hadn't had sex yet, so the afternoon we arrived, we got straight to it. We'd bonded more on the drive over and it just felt right. Imagine my surprise when, right after we were done—or he was done, rather—he looked at me and offered up the biggest effing red flag ever: 'Did you know that after orgasms, men want to run away? That's, like, a biological fact.' I honestly can't remember how I responded, but I shouldn't have been surprised when he ghosted me about a month later." —Kim C.

"After my first time with this guy I'd only known for a short while, he said, 'Thanks. My friend Paul wants to have sex with you, too.' At first I thought he was kidding and laughed. When I realized he really was offering me to his friend, I put my clothes on and went home! In the morning, he actually had the nerve to call and ask for a ride to the airport. I told him he could wait for me, but he would miss his flight, then I hung up. Never heard from him again, thankfully!" —Joan M.

"He said, 'Now that I'm done with you, you're not gonna sh*t for weeks.' We didn't even have anal! I honestly don't know what he meant. He says the craziest things. Miraculously, I'm still with him." —Monica W.

"There was this contractor who rehabbed my neighbor's place a few years ago. For several months, we ran into each other around the building. One day, it struck me how I always walked away from the conversation with him smiling and I suddenly realized how much I liked him. I took the initiative and asked him out for coffee, then slept with him on the first date, rationalizing that we had been flirting for six months and were somewhat familiar with each other. After we were done, he said, 'So, call me next time you want to get together like this.' Prior to that, he'd made statements more along the lines of, 'The first thing I thought of when I took this job was that I could see you again,' and 'You're an incredible woman. No, really, you're incredible.' I was so excited and definitely thought, 'Wow, we both really like one another and this is going to be the start of something!' When he finally said that line seconds before he walked out my door, I was stunned and completely speechless. He was 40. I was 46. I couldn’t believe I was faced with what I considered to be a 20-something-year-old’s situation of non-committal guy just wanting a f-buddy." —Ann G.

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"In the past, I wrote for and edited sex magazines. I wound up between the sheets one afternoon with a fellow writer I'd recently met, to whom I'd disclosed the specifics of my occupation. After the deed was done, he rolled over and said, 'I'm basically an honest fellow, so I have to tell you I won't be back. I just wanted to see what it was like to have sex with a lady pornographer.'" —Diana S.

"The all-time most bizarre and offensive thing a guy has ever said right after sex is, 'You’re an attractive woman. You’ve probably got about fifteen good years left.' What do you do with that?" —Roslyn F.

"My best friend was in love with this guy and begged me to accompany her to his apartment one night. I went and ended up hooking up with his roommate. No sex but some below-the-belt hand action on both our parts. The next morning, we all went to Chipotle, and he and I had barely exchanged a word. He was being so awkward. Then when he went to pay for his order, he told the cashier, 'Just mine,' when he handed his card over. Can't even treat me to a burrito after I gave you an orgasm? Cool." —Claire T.

"I had a friend with benefits who would sometimes make comments about my pubic hair after we had sex. He'd say things like, 'I need a weed whacker' or, 'You don't have to shave, can you just trim it?' I always thought it was annoying, but I didn't let myself get too worked up over it. It seemed uncool to be hurt about body issues because cool girls don't give a f*ck.”—Alicia J.

This Motivating Workout Playlist Will Keep You Going for an Entire Hour

The mix comes courtesy of yoga studio Lyons Den.

Every week, Your New Favorite Playlist introduces you to workout-worthy tunes from a different fitness brand. This week, Lyons Den shares a playlist from a recent class.

You know those yoga classes you go to where you feel super relaxed aftward—but you don't necessarily feel like you got a great workout? Lyons Den isn't one of those. "We practice power vinyasa in the Baptiste Yoga method, which is a vigorous style of yoga practiced in a hot room," says Katie Richey, an instructor at the studio. Not all of the classes have music, but the ones that do are called "power beats."

Richey says she tends to gravitate toward indie-electronic tracks for her playlists. "I like music with a strong tempo and a strong downbeat but that isn't distracting—so it's not super vocal-heavy," she says. "It really helps you move your body and get into your body and breath—instead of taking away from it." Wanna hear what that sounds like? Here's the mix from a recent class:

You can download the playlist on Spotify. Not ready to sweat this second? Sample some of the songs:

Lyons Den is located in New York City.

You Will Feel Many Feelings While Watching This School Chorus Honor Their Teacher Who Has Breast Cancer

They performed Martina McBride's "I'm Gonna Love You Through It”—and the tears flowed.

The fifth grade chorus at P.S. 22 in Staten Island, New York, has played for President Obama and even performed with Katy Perry and Jennifer Hudson. This week, the super talented group dedicated their last performance of the school year to their teacher, Adriana Lopez, who has breast cancer, per ABC 7.

Check it out here (and get ready for an emotional experience):

The chorus performed Martina McBride's "I'm Gonna Love You Through It." Before they started singing, chorus director Gregg Breinberg Adriana said that he and the students were "so inspired by your fighting spirit that we wanted to give something back to you." Adriana said the support of her students means the world to her. "It's not easy, but I will get through it because I have wonderful friends at this school," she said after the performance.

We have chills hearing these kids sing for their teacher, don't you?

Caitlyn Jenner Shares Her Fears About the Heavy Responsibility on Her Shoulders

'I just hope I get it right,' she says of representing the trans community in this new <em>I Am Cait</em> teaser.

The premiere of I Am Cait, Caitlyn Jenner's E! docu-series, is just three days away. And in the latest trailer, a visibly distraught Caitlyn wakes up in the middle of the night to voice concerns over how the show might affect other transgender people:

If you ask us, Caitlyn has certainly "gotten it right" so far—from her utter honesty in her Vanity Fair interview to her emotional ESPY speech. We're certainly looking forward to seeing more from the game-changer on I Am Cait. The series premieres Sunday night on E! at 8 EST/7 CST.

Wednesday, 22 July 2015

7 Things You Should Never Say to Someone with Herpes

Yup, I've heard all of these insensitive comments since I was diagnosed two years ago.

I was diagnosed with herpes two years ago, and I can't tell you how many offensive things people have said to me about it since then. I understand that many of these comments don't come from a place of ill will; most people just have no effing clue what to say when someone tells them that they have herpes. While there's no script for the perfect thing to say to someone who shares this very personal piece of information with you (just as there's no Mad Libs-style formula for how to disclose to someone that you have herpes), there are certain remarks I would advise against—all of which are based on things that have been said to me time and time again.

Here's what someone with herpes can't help but think the moment they hear this: Thank you so much for referring to my body as “gross.” That’s very kind and exactly what I need to hear in this vulnerable moment.

Yes, the word “herpes” can elicit a yuck reaction somewhere deep in our gut. A combination of bad sex education and a powerful social stigma has convinced us that herpes is a revolting, extremely contagious disease. But in reality, herpes is manageable skin condition and a slight annoyance at most for the many millions of people who live with it. Try to quiet those hurtful snap judgments, and listen to the living, breathing human with emotions who is speaking to you.

I had sex with Mick Jagger, obviously. What kind of a question is that? I get asked this constantly: by curious journalist, by worried dates, even by strangers on Twitter. Asking someone how they contracted an STD implies that they did something wrong and there must be some dramatic, embarrassing story behind their diagnosis. It also forces them to fit into one of two stereotypes: that they’re either an irresponsible monster who needs your forgiveness or that they were lied to, cheated on, or otherwise made the victim of someone else’s bad behavior. Don’t put them on the spot and ask them to share deeply personal information that they might struggle with.

A friend who I hadn’t seen for a few months blurted this out when I mentioned getting diagnosed over a catch-up coffee. She apologized when she saw how uncomfortable the question made me, but she didn’t understand how invasive her morbid curiosity was. I wanted to confide in a friend, not have assumptions made about my body.

Unless you're about to sleep with someone or you are a physician about to stick your hand between their legs, there is literally no reason why you need to know if they are currently having an outbreak.

This is a backwards compliment wrapped in oodles of disappointment and judgment. The insane stigma around STDs convinces us that only slutty, dishonest, and desperate people contract such viruses. The reality is far different: STDs are a possibility any time you have sex, whether it’s your first time or your 100th. And many folks get oral herpes from family members who kissed them while they had a cold sore on their lip. Saying that someone doesn’t seem like the type of person who has an STD says far more about you than it does about them.

The host of a party I attended asked me this when I mentioned that I was beginning to write publicly about having herpes. I’m pretty sure she was drunk…or at least I hope she was.

Despite what comedians might say, herpes is not like glitter. It doesn't collect on every flat surface touched, and it dies very quickly outside of the body. You cannot get herpes from sharing towels—or copies of Fifty Shades of Grey.

I used to hear this a lot from kind-hearted nurses at the health clinic while I was getting treatment for my first outbreak. They recognized my pain and wanted to reassure me that having herpes wouldn’t ruin my love life. But what 21-year-old college student wants to hear about that one special someone who won’t judge her for having an STD?

There will be many people for whom an STD isn’t a deal-breaker, and being open to dating a woman with an STD doesn’t make them Prince Charming—it makes them a decent person. Getting diagnosed with herpes doesn’t mean you have to settle for the first person who accepts you. It also doesn’t meant you are stuck having monogamous, serious relationships for the rest of your life.

If you can’t figure out why that’s an ignorant thing to say, you’re on your own. I’m talking to you, ex-boyfriend who I asked to get tested after I was diagnosed.

Ella Dawson is a twenty-something feminist who cares too much about The Bachelor. She writes about gender, pop culture, bros, and what it's like to live with herpes.

Scolding a Stranger's Child: Is It Ever Okay?

The debate is raging on Facebook after a diner owner yelled at her patron's crying baby.

A diner owner in Maine has come under fire after news that she screamed at a crying baby in her restaurant this weekend went viral.

Darla Neugebauer, who owns Marcy’s Diner in Portland, Maine, told Portland’s WCSH6 she tried to kick the child out of the diner after she started screaming and wouldn’t stop.

Here’s what happened, says Darla: A couple came into the restaurant with their toddler and ordered three pancakes for the girl. When the pancakes arrived, Darla says the parents didn’t let the girl have them, and she then proceeded to cry for “nearly an hour.” (The girl’s mom, Tara Carson, later said her daughter cried for 10 minutes.)

“I slammed my hands on the counter, and I said, ‘this needs to stop!’ meaning her screaming,” said Darla. “I pointed at her, and she looked at me and she stopped. Her parents said ‘Are you screaming at a child?!’ Yes I am, and she shut up.”

Tara tells WCSH that Darla said something more like “Shut the hell up!” adding, “I was in pure shock...I felt helpless as a mom.”

Tara later went on Facebook to post the following comment: “I had the worst experience at this establishment. The owner is an absolute lunatic and screamed in the face of my almost 2-year-old child because she was crying,” per the Portland Press Herald. (The post has been taken down.)

That started a Facebook war, with Darla responding, “Yes I am f—ing crazy and you are lucky I didn’t get really f—ing nuts because being physical is not something I cover from, male or female.”

She added, “After your fourth attempt to shut her up, I asked you to pack up either your rotten child or take the so important pancakes to go...but NOOO you just sit there and let your f—ing screaming child go and piss off my staff and patrons! ...Your lesson today: Not everyone thinks you and your family are all that!”

Reactions to the showdown have been mixed.

Some have shown their support on Facebook for Darla:

And others haven’t been as thrilled:

Despite the backlash, Darla says she’s not sorry. “I might have used poor judgment,” she said. “I wouldn’t say I was sorry because it stopped.”

Should You Spring for Pricey Hair Salon Products—or Are They a Rip-Off?

That shampoo your stylist always pushes is tempting…but is it really worth the cost?

To maintain healthy, shiny strands, it's absolutely crucial to be smart about where and when you buy your hair-care products. And since a recent survey by PopSugar found that 37 percent of women typically spend $200 or more annually on hair care, it's not just your hair that'll benefit from a lesson in being a savvy shopper—your wallet will be in better shape, too. So when you go get your hair cut or colored by a professional, do you really need to shell out for the pricey products they suggest you buy at the salon? Here's what the experts want you to know.

Professional stylists are in-the-know about the science and technology behind new and current products and are testing the claims daily, so it's definitely worth looking to them for hair-care recommendations versus buying products elsewhere. "Most product lines [carried at salons] are up to five times more concentrated in the active ingredients than similar products you will find in other retail stores," says Roman Kusayev, a stylist and owner of Roman K Salon in New York City who has worked on Danica Patrick. He adds that since the salons are using the actual product they're selling, you can trust that they'd only use the best.

That being said, in some cases, stylists can push clients to buy products because they make a commission off the sales. "The stylist should educate you on the product from the beginning of the appointment and use the product [or products] in the process," says Kusayev. "If the stylist doesn’t, then he or she could just be looking to make a sale and probably doesn't care if the client needs the product or not.” If you get the vibe that your stylist is just not that into you and is just pushing products to make a sale, put the brakes on it pronto, says Jet Rhys, wner of Jet Rhys Salon in San Diego. "If you feel like you're getting pushed, close the door on the conversation by saying something like, 'Thank you for recommending these, I have everything I need at home,'" says Rhys.

But what if you see your favorite salon product at the drugstore? Not so fast. While there are some seriously awesome deals to be had on everyday items, it's not so ideal for purchasing products from salon brands. That's because these products could be fake, or they even could have been tampered with. Paul Mitchell, for example, has a disclaimer on their website stating that their products are only guaranteed when purchased in a professional salon, not a drugstore or any other unauthorized sources.

Some ways to avoid a fake out: Smell the product you're looking to buy for any funkiness, look at the formula to see if it's discolored, check the packaging (a dull bottle can be the sign of a fading after being left in a warehouse), check the expiration date to make sure it hasn't passed, and make sure the seal isn't missing or broken. Rhys says that it's okay to buy hair accessories like those from Goody in a drugstore, and Kusayev adds that baby shampoo, dandruff shampoos, and/or hairspray are all products you can save on by buying drugstore versions made by manufacturers (like Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson) that only sell their products to drugstores.

And experts agree that discount stores and sites should be avoided at all costs. In many cases, these are black market products, so they may be bought from other salons that couldn't sell them, and they might have been sitting somewhere without the proper storage temperature for long periods of time, says Kusayev. "There is also a big operation of fraud, where products are being diluted—or even counterfeit products being sold to all kinds of Internet web retailers," he says. If you'd still rather surf the Web for hair-care products, go straight to the brand's site, which will usually sell products right online or direct consumers to a salon locator. There, you'll get a list of verified locations for your brand of choice.

Thursday, 9 July 2015

The Amazing Teacher Who Lost 100 Pounds In 1 Year!

This teacher learned an important lesson: Sometimes you have to sacrifice PRs and big numbers to give your heart, mind, and body what they need!

How To Train For A One-Arm Pull-Up

Are you up for a strength journey that might take years to complete? If not, turn back now. But if you're ready, join Al Kavadlo on a quest for the elusive one-arm pull-up!

Wednesday, 8 July 2015

9 Guys Reveal the Shady Sh*t They've Done on Facebook

"If I was in a photo with a woman, I'd make sure that all of my friends could see it <i>except</i> the girl I was seeing."

We’ve all done some shady things on Facebook.

One time during college, I was creepily combing through a woman’s Facebook profile—a woman I didn’t know at all but who had grown up in the same area as me and had run in occasionally intermingling crowds. So I knew what she looked like, but that was about it. Until I browsed her profile, of course.

“I’m gonna poke her,” I said to the friend who was sitting beside me.

“That is...that is extremely shady,” he said. “DO IT!” Scotch may have been involved.

I did. It resulted in an on-again, off-again pseudo relationship that lasted a couple of years.

That’s just the very tip of the iceberg of strange things I’ve done regarding women and Facebook, though. And that wasn’t even really damaging to anybody—it was more just a shot in the dark to come onto a girl I found attractive, something that could have been easily ignored.

I won’t publicly cop to the myriad other things I’ve done that are much more shady and borderline f**ked up, which is why I asked a few guys to anonymously reveal some of the questionable things they’ve done, which I’m happy to report make me look like a very gentlemanly and forthright social media user.

“There was a time when I was seeing a couple of girls at the same time, and during that time I managed my Facebook profile like a hawk. If I was in a photo with one of the women, I’d make sure that all of my friends could see it except the other girl I was seeing. I also made sure her friends were blocked so they wouldn’t have anything to gossip to her about. This backfired eventually when I got drunk one night and forgot to manage who could and couldn’t see a post of me with a girl I was dating. The other girl saw it and questioned me about it, and I came clean that we weren’t really exclusive—which she had assumed we were. I’m not a good person. Anyway, she got me back by posting a bunch of different pictures with a bunch of different guys within the span of a couple weeks after we broke up. I wish she would have just blocked me, but I also deserved to see her happy with other guys, I guess.”

“I have done this more than once: I’ll set up a first date with a woman on a dating app and then use her phone number or some other information to find her Facebook and scour it. I bet a lot of people do that these days, but I use it as a way to figure out more about her interests so I can research them and seem like we have more in common than we really do when we meet in real life.”

“I think if you break up with someone, you should immediately unfriend each other on Facebook. My ex and I haven’t done that, and I’m too weak to be the one to pull the trigger. Every now and then, I’ll go onto her Facebook and go back years into the past to like or comment on an old post, just so she’ll see it and maybe wonder what my deep dive into her online past means. A more mature person would just reach out to see how an ex is doing, but not me!”

“I had dated a girl for a long time, and we had remained close friends afterward. One day, I saw that she had un-friended me on Facebook, and when I asked her about it, she said her boyfriend had requested she do so. Apparently, he had seen some messages and/or chats that he felt were flirtatious. I was angry that my friend would just cut me out of her life because her boyfriend wanted her to, so for a while I used Facebook to send her weird messages and things at random times in hopes her boyfriend would see them and it would start a fight. One time, I even poked her boyfriend, just to make things really weird.”

“I was one of those guys who told his girlfriend we didn’t need to go ‘Facebook official’ because it was stupid and not something we should do to prove the legitimacy of our relationship to other people. But the real reason was that I didn’t want other women to know for sure that I was exclusive with someone. It was a very shady and dishonest way of keeping my options open.”

“My girlfriend is kind of the jealous type, so I’ll adjust my settings so she doesn’t see pictures of me with other girls—girls I have nothing romantic going on with, I swear! I also have to change my settings so her friends don’t see them. I have, like, a list I can queue up for these situations. I know I should be able to be completely honest with her, but it just seems easier this way.”

“If this isn’t shady, I don’t know what is: Shortly after my girlfriend broke up with me, I saw a picture of her with another guy. That’s the kind of thing that will break a man and make him do drastic things. For me, that was to enlist a female friend my ex didn’t know and get her to enter a fake Facebook relationship with me. We went out and took a bunch of pictures that made it look like we were having fun together and might even have been a little bit in love. I posted a bunch of them in hopes it would make my ex feel at least a twinge of jealousy. We kept the charade up for a little more than a week, then, just because we were having fun with the whole thing, we changed our status to engaged two days before my birthday. When my ex finally reached out to me about it, I came clean about the whole thing, but it was still hilarious to see all the well-wishers come out of the woodwork when, on my birthday.” [Writer’s note: Okay, for the record, I did this. And I’m not ashamed of it.]

“When I start casually seeing a girl, I’m quick to friend request her, but I have a set of very specific settings I’ve made for what this category of woman can and can’t see on my profile. They see only what I want them to, and none of what I don’t want them to see. [‘Okay, that’s pretty shady,’ I said to this guy. ‘But what is an example of things they can’t see?’] Anything I don’t want them to. I like to remain as mysterious as possible; I don’t post as much on social media as I really do. They don’t see many of the negative things I post on there or the random stuff I share with my friends on a day-to-day basis. I think I paint a better picture of myself if I seem like someone who doesn’t have the time of day for Facebook because it gives the impression that I’m busier than I really am, when in reality I post a lot of monotonous stuff. I use it as a way of portraying myself as more interesting than I am, via a lack of information, if that makes sense.”

“I travel a lot for work, and I sometimes meet women when I do. I’ve never cheated on my girlfriend, but she is wary of the people I meet, especially women. I tell her she has nothing to worry about, but that doesn’t do much to placate her. So if I’m out with a client or a few clients’ friends, I adjust my settings to make sure she doesn’t see them. I have nothing to hide from her, but I don’t want her to get unreasonably jealous. It’s better for me to have her think I’m in my hotel room working on spreadsheets, which is usually what I text her to say I’m doing. It’s probably only a matter of time until this backfires.”

Scott Muska is a writer in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter @scottmuska or e-mail him at srm5082@gmail.com.

Holding in Your Poop for Too Long Can Actually Be Deadly

A medical professional weighs in on a recent case of it.

It's a fact of life that everyone poops. In fact, regularly emptying your bowels is pretty much a prerequisite for good health. With that in mind, imagine all the problems that could arise if you were so stopped up, you couldn't go for months. That scenario ended tragically for Emily Titterington, a 16-year-old from Cornwall, England, who died on February 8, 2013, after not pooping for eight weeks. Emily, who had mild autism and had dealt with bowel issues for most of her life, reportedly had a fear of toilets so severe, it led her to withhold stool until it became life-threatening. According to the medical inquest into her death, she suffered a fatal heart attack as a result of her enlarged bowel, which shifted around and compressed some of her organs.

RELATED: Is Your Poop Normal

Emily suffered a "massive extension of the large bowel," says pathologist Amanda Jeffery in The Independent. Paramedic Lee Taylor, who saw Emily twice on the night of her death, noted that "her abdomen was grossly extended. Her lower ribs had been pushed out further than her pubic bone." The sad part is that Emily didn't have to suffer that way. "Her death could have been avoided with the right treatment at the right point," her general practitioner, Alistair James, told The Independent. He'd prescribed laxatives, but beyond that, Emily refused medical treatment, reportedly due to a fear of examinations.

"I've never heard of this happening before," says Frank R. Malkin, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Charles River Medical Associates in Natick, Massachusetts. "It's not uncommon to see young people in their teens or twenties come in and say they haven't gone to the bathroom in two weeks, but they can take stool softeners or fiber pills, or we find some other form of treatment if necessary. Eight weeks without going to the bathroom, then dying from that, is very unusual." But when extreme stool withholding does happen, it's almost never with adults.

"This is absolutely more common in children," says Carin Cunningham, Ph.D., a pediatric psychologist at Seattle Children's Hospital who hasn't seen a death from constipation in her time specializing in gastroenterological issues but can understand the mechanism behind it. "It's typically a pain response to severe constipation. A child will be afraid to stool, and instead of opening the external anal sphincter muscles, they'll contract them. It becomes habitual.

"Sometimes, the toilet becomes associated with stooling, so there's a toilet phobia. Many kids who have a fear of the toilet will still soil themselves, but in some cases, the colon becomes distended and the body just accommodates all that stool retention." When you add in mild autism, which can boost a person's pain threshold and make someone less connected to what's going on inside his or her body, it's potentially a recipe for disaster.

How Concerned Should You Be?
The good news is, it's highly unlikely you'll deal with constipation of this sort after you age out of childhood. "This is most common when children are about two and a half to five years old," says Cunningham. "By age 16, less than one percent of people experience this because adults know they should be stooping for a regular basis and will realize something is wrong." Even though the probability of stool withholding dwindles as you age, you should still be on the lookout for regular constipation, especially if your new schedule is deviating from your norm. "Everyone is different," says Malkin. "Some people go once a day, others go two or three times a day, and some people go every three or four days. If your normal routine changes, then it's time to see a doctor." They'll likely offer up these easy fixes for constipation or make another suggestion to help you keep your system chugging along smoothly.

The Right Way to Apply Liquid Lipstick

Follow these guidelines, and it really will last all day.

Whether you consider yourself a lipstick, lip gloss, or lip stain kind of woman, you’ve probably heard of liquid lipstick. This particular formulation offers intense, long-lasting color with a matte (non-shiny) finish.

That being said, despite its major staying power, liquid lipstick can be tricky to work with. In fact, you may have even had a bad experience with one yourself. (Uneven color and flaky lips? Not so attractive.) But that doesn’t mean you should give up. With the right application tips, you can wear a fun, bold color and not have to worry about touching up your look during the day.

"A liquid lipstick is much more densely pigmented, thicker, harder to spread, and stains quickly," says makeup artist Victoria Duke. "With lined and hydrated lips, they'll last and last." Here’s how to apply liquid lipstick the right way:

Fight Flakes with a Sugar Scrub
To maximize hydration, lips need to first be exfoliated to provide proper penetration. "Blend sugar and an emollient oil, like coconut oil or olive oil, and rub the mix over your lips," says Duke. Lightly massage the mixture in circles with your finger for 30 seconds, and then remove with a towelette.

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Prep Your Lips with Pencil
"Use a lip pencil to line and fill in the lips," says Duke. This will prevent the product from settling into the lines. When choosing a lip pencil, opt for a close color match or one slightly lighter than your shade of liquid lipstick, which won't show through the product.

Use a Magic Wand
The doe-foot wand that comes with liquid lipstick offers seamless application—so you can apply it like you would a gloss (an easy way to do this is starting at the middle of your lip and spreading the color outwards on both sides). If you want a sharp outline around the lips, dab a lip brush on the wand and follow the natural movement of your lips to create a more defined line.

The bottom line: By prepping your lips before you apply product, you’ll be setting yourself up for a look that lasts all day. We swear by Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick ($22, sephora.com), L'Oréal Infallible Pro-Last Lipcolor ($13, lorealparisusa.com) and Victoria's Vinyl ($18, victoriaduke.net) from Duke's new line.

Quiz: Which Protein Flavor Are You?

Probably the most delicious personality test you'll ever take.

The Training Plan That'll Help You Run Your First—or Fastest!—10-K

You've got this!

Thinking of signing up for one of our upcoming Run 10 Feed 10 races? Use this plan from coach Jenny Hadfield to crush your first or fastest 6.2 in just 10 weeks. Whether you're a beginner (follow the darker yellow training plan below), or looking for a challenge or new PR (follow the lighter yellow training plan below), this training plan is designed to help you reach your goals.

Right-click and save the below training plan, and follow the guidelines below to get ready to rock your next 10-K.

The Workouts
Don't let the chart scare you! These routines are easy to follow. Use our handy breakdown below, and always begin with a warm-up.

Effort Scale
YELLOW ZONE
A comfortable pace; you can easily hold a conversation.

ORANGE ZONE
A pace just beyond your comfort zone; you can hear your breathing.

PINK ZONE
A difficult pace; your breathing is labored but you're still in control.

Easy Run (EZ)
Run for the scheduled time at a YELLOW ZONE effort. These runs help your body adapt and chill after tougher runs.

Negative Split Run (NS)
Run the first half at a YELLOW ZONE effort and the second at an ORANGE ZONE. The goal: Finish 30 seconds to two minutes faster than the first half. You'll learn pacing.

Long Run (LR)
Run at a slow YELLOW ZONE effort. The long run is crucial to building aerobic endurance for race day. This is the one run you don't want to skip each week.

Interval 1 (INT 1)
1 minute : PINK ZONE
2 minutes : YELLOW ZONE

Interval 2 (INT 2)
1 minute : ORANGE ZONE
3 minutes : YELLOW ZONE

Interval 3 (INT 3)
5 minutes : ORANGE ZONE
2 minutes : YELLOW ZONE

Cross-Training (XT)
Mixing in low-impact, easy-to-moderate workouts (Pilates, yoga, cycling, swimming) conditions your body better than just running. Aim to use one or two of these slots each week for strength training.

Rest Days
Time-off days aren't optional; they're mandatory for recovering and kicking even more ass on your next workout. All together now: ahhh.

For more training plans, check out our Run 10 Feed 10 page, and don't forget to sign up for a Run 10 Feed 10 event near you here. For even more running tips, pick up the July/August issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now.

What Every Pregnant Woman Should Consider When Choosing an Ob-Gyn

Because finding Dr. Right is kind of a big deal.

When you're preggers, your ob-gyn plays as important a role as your baby daddy—but maybe your gyno doesn't practice obstetrics, or she's pro-epidural and you're a natural birth kind of gal. Whatever your concerns are, when it comes to snagging the ob-gyn of your dreams, no need's too small to take into consideration.

Here's what you should keep in mind when you’re looking for your own real-life Mindy Lahiri:

The Qualities You Want in a Doc
Consider this like setting up a dating profile but for your uterus. Narrowing down your search might be as simple as finding out which ob-gyns are available through your insurance plan. "For some women, minimizing any out-of-pocket expenses is their number one priority," says Stephanie McClellan, M.D., a California-based ob-gyn. On the flipside, if your carrier doesn’t offer many choices or you’re just not happy with the choices your insurer has available, you'll have to look into what you can swing financially.

It's also important to decide on the qualities that are most important to you in an ob-gyn, such as gender, credentials, track record, after-hours availability, or access to a specific hospital. Knowing your deal-breakers will give you a leg up in planning your birthing experience (pun totally intended).

Recommendations from Your Regular Gyno and Friends
Spread the word that you're in the market for an ob-gyn: Start by asking your regular gyno or general practitioner if she recommends the services of a specific doctor and, most importantly, why, says Antonio Pizarro, M.D., a board-certified gynecologist in Shreveport, Louisiana. Snag a list of available doctors through your insurance provider, too, or the hospital or birthing center you'd like to deliver in. Check in with friends who've given birth recently for the inside scoop on the doctors they felt in sync with—given that you're besties, maybe her doc will be right for you, too.

Online Reviews from Other Patients
There's no better time to put your Internet-sleuthing skills to the test than when you're ob-gyn shopping. With your trusty list in hand, visit each doctor's website and read up on their credentials, philosophy, roster of services, and testimonials. Doctor review websites like Health Grades, Share Care, and Vitals can also give you a sense of what each doctor's like in person since reviews are written by patients who've been there, says Pizarro.

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How Easy It Is to Get to the Ob-Gyn’s Office
Now your real work begins: Schedule introductory visits with your top picks, and bring along a list of three or four questions to ask each doctor as they relate to your needs and wants.

Take note of how hard it is to get to their office from your home or work since you're going to be stopping in a lot over the next nine months. Also take note of the office itself and how it's run: How difficult was it for you to make an appointment? How long was your wait time? Did you feel welcome and comfortable or awkward and rushed? There are times when you're not going to reach your ob-gyn directly, says McClellan, so make sure to get a feel for the office staff, too.

Once you're chatting up your potential doc, getting the answers you want is only half the battle. "The point of the questions aren't necessarily the answers but to find out how easily you're able to dialogue with your doctor," says McClellan. "Are you having a conversation that's bidirectional, effective, and open? Can you picture entrusting your pregnancy with this person?" If you find the doctor's personality, tone, or belief system don't match your own, no problem—just scratch them off the list and move on, says Pizarro.

The Fact That Everything Might Not Go As Planned
You can do all the planning and go-with-your-gut decision-making you want, but you might still find that after a few sessions, your relationship with your ob-gyn is a little...off. Keep a list of back-up doctors on-hand just in case, and if you do decide to make a switch, be completely open with your new doctor as to why, especially if you're further along. "From a doctor's perspective, it's difficult to switch practices mid-care because you're always worried that you're not getting the whole story," says McClellan. "You don't want to jump into something extreme and not be able to please the patient because what they want isn't clear—not even to them."

Like with any relationship, sometimes things don't click, and that's okay. You should never feel obligated to continue seeing a physician you don't feel comfortable with, says Andrea Jazbec-Lake, M.D., an ob-gyn at Kaiser Permanente. You should feel comfortable, have confidence in their abilities, and most importantly, feel listened to.

Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Do You Live in One of the Top 10 Sweatiest U.S. Cities?

Let's hope not.

Now that we’re in the heat of summer you might find yourself…glowing a little. Okay, sweating. And sometimes it might be a full-on, grody, drench-your-outfit sweat fest.

With that in mind, the makers of Honeywell Fans teamed up with scientists at environmental consulting company Environmental Health & Engineering to discover which cities in the country are the sweatiest.

This was no guessing game: They reviewed data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s National Climatic Data Center and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Researchers also looked at a slew of environmental factors such as average temperature and humidity levels during summer, population and housing density, and average wind speed (which can help cool you off when it’s hot out).

Where you live obviously can influence how much you sweat, they reasoned, but so does how many buildings are in your area, which can trap heat and make you sticky.

After carefully considering all of the above factors, here’s the list they devised of the top 10 sweatiest cities in America:

1. Tampa
2. Miami
3. Houston
4. San Diego
5. Orlando
6. Washington, D.C.
7. Raleigh, North Carolina
8. Los Angeles
9. Dallas
10. Charlotte, North Carolina

No shocker here: They’re all hot cities in the summer. But, if you find yourself headed for Florida in the next few months, maybe pack a little extra deodorant—you’re going to need it.

Gif courtesy of giphy.com

Monday, 6 July 2015

7 Romantic Gestures in Movies That Would Be Super Creepy in Real Life

John Cusack could get away with stalking a woman with a boombox. Other men, not so much.

This article was written by Kelly Kreglow and provided by our partners at Men’s Health.

Movies in which guys do stupid things—like any of the Jackass films, where the cast repeatedly put themselves in harm's way—usually begin with a disclaimer: Don’t try this at home. Because if you did, it wouldn’t end with Johnny Knoxville giving you a high-five and calling you awesome. It’d end with you in the ER.

So why are there no disclaimers in front of romance movies? Sure, they're obviously fiction, not how-to guides. But guys see how women respond to them, how they tear up during the climatic moments, and then talk about the movies later with their girlfriends and gush about how romantic it was. It’s never said out loud, but the implication is there: Why can’t men be more like the guys up there on-screen?

Well, dudes can’t be because repeating any of the behavior in a rom-com or romance movie could very well land them in jail.   Here are seven examples of the worst seduction advice from Hollywood movies.

1. Standing on an Ex-Girlfriend's Property in a Trenchcoat and Playing a Vaguely Creepy Song That Reminds Him of the Time He Had Sex with You in a Car
In Say Anything, Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) stands outside the house of his ex, Diane Court (Ione Skye), and raises a boom box above his head, blaring Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.”
Why this is a terrible idea:  Trespassing on an ex-lover's property in order to force her to listen to a sex soundtrack won’t just convince her that she made the right decision in dumping a guy, but it may be grounds for a restraining order.

2. Snooping Through Her Private Papers, Then Disappearing Without Any Explanation
Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) happens upon the diary of Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) in Bridget Jones' Diary. He reads it, then steals it and comes back later with a new diary so she can “make a fresh start.”
Why this is a terrible idea:  He read her diary? Dudes shouldn't read someone’s journal, texts, e-mails, or diary. It's not cute. It’s an invasion of privacy.   If he's going to steal something personal, at least tell the woman where you’re going with it. There’s a time to be mysterious, and this isn’t it. Leave a note on the dining room table: “Be back in a minute. No need to run outside in your underwear.” It’s called communication, dude.

3. Planning a First Date in an Expensive and Inconvenient Spot, and Then Being Vague About Whether He'll Actually Show Up
Two people love each other but can’t be together at the moment, so they vow to meet on top of the Empire State Building on a pre-determined future date in both Sleepless In Seattle and An Affair to Remember. If both parties show up, it’s obviously true love.
Why this is a terrible idea:  It costs $36 to get to the top of the Empire State Building, and the line is typically one to three hours. Nothing is less romantic than standing in an endless Disneyesque Jungle Cruise type line to get on an elevator to the top of a building where your true love may or may not be waiting.   Here’s a better idea: Instead of a stupid tourist trap, the guys should've said, “I’ll be on 20th between Park and Broadway.” (For more ideas on how your guy can make smarter choices, pick up The Better Man Project, the new book from Men’s Health Editor in Chief Bill Phillips. It’s got 2,476 tips and ideas that will help him become a better man in every way that counts.)

4. Climbing Up a Fire Escape to Her Apartment to Take Her Away
In Pretty Woman,  a rich businessman (Richard Gere) pays a street hooker (Julia Roberts) $3,000 to live with him for a week and spend his money. When their business transaction is over, he decides he wants her back, so he shows up at her house unannounced, screams at her from the alley, and climbs up to her apartment using the fire escape.
Why this is a terrible idea:  Um...couldn't he just use the front buzzer like everybody else?

5. Getting Busy in a Way-Too-Small Bathtub
Laszlo de Almasy (Ralph Fiennes) has lots of steamy sex with a work colleague’s wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) in The English Patient—including once in a bathtub right after she shampoos his hair.
Why this is a terrible idea:  Remember that Seinfeld episode where Elaine is forced to watch The English Patient and she hates it? Remember her main complaint about the movie? “You know, sex in a tub, that doesn't work!”  Elaine was right.

6. Sketching Her Naked
Titanic's Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack (Leo DiCaprio) fall in love on a boat that is doomed. They cavort all over the boat, make love in some stranger’s car, and piss off Billy Zane. Then he sketches her while she’s nude.
Why this is a terrible idea:  Do you know how much time it takes to finish a full nude portrait? And as you're laying there, naked, you're just going to be thinking about how you look and whether you're sitting at a weird angle that makes your thighs smoosh out in an unflattering way. Then he'll show you the drawing, and if he isn't the best artist in the whole world, you're probably going to be disappointed in how he sees you.

RELATED: How Much Sex is Too Much Sex?

7. Locking Approximately 150 of Your Friends and Family in a Building, and Then Kidnaping You with a Bus
The Graduate's  Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is in love with Elaine Robinson (Katherine Ross), but she’s marrying someone else. So Ben shows up to stop the wedding. After almost breaking the church’s glass windows, he steals the bride and runs away.
Why this is a terrible idea:  There is no circumstance in which crashing the wedding of an ex is a good idea. But if he's gonna be a dick and do it anyway, he should at least bring a getaway car. A lady in crinoline and spanx has no desire to sit on a hot bus in a giant wedding dress.

6 Fit Tips For Outsmarting "Average Joe" Genetics

You may not have been blessed with ''perfect'' bodybuilding genetics, but don't despair. These 6 tips will help you outsmart nature and achieve the body you want!

You've Never Seen Naked Bodies This Captivating

ESPN the Magazine just released the six different covers of their annual Bodies Issue.

ESPN the Magazine has released its annual body issue, and da-yum there are some good-looking athletes out there.

The issue is packed with sculpted (naked) athletes from a wide range of sports, and also boasts six sexy covers. All seem completely comfortable posing in the buff, but then again, they probably spend 50 percent of their time nude—at least, that’s what we would do if we looked like that.

Among the cover stars: an Olympic heptathlete, baseball star, and hammer-thrower. Here’s who you can expect to see on newsstands…completely naked.

ESPN

Bryce Harper, outfielder for the Washington Nationals
Memorable quote: “My body feels pretty unbelievable.”

ESPN

Natalie Coughlin, Olympic swimmer
Memorable quote: “I'm self-conscious about my arms. It's really hard to find a dress that's a size 10 in the lats but a size 4 in the waist. But I want to be as successful as I can; if that means having big arms, I'll take big arms.”

ESPN

Odell Beckham Jr., wide receiver for the New York Giants
Memorable quote: “I have my mom's body. She was a six-time All-American [in track]. I have her exact body structure from head to toe—her wrists, arms, everything. I pretty much look like an identical twin of my mom.”

ESPN

Amanda Bingson, USA Track & Field hammer thrower
Memorable quote: “I'll be honest, I like everything about my body. … You might be prettier and skinnier than me, but I'll kick your ass in a game of one-on-one.”

ESPN

Chantae McMillan, Olympic heptathlete
Memorable quote: “Sometimes I'd worry about my scars being too visible. But at this point in my life, I understand that they show where I came from, so I embrace them.”

ESPN

Kevin Love, power forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers
Memorable quote: “It's cool to see where my body has come from over the years. If you asked me to pose back then, that would have been a solid ‘No.’ A hard ‘No.’"

Damn.

Sun's Out, Guns Out: 5 Crucial Arm-Training Tips And Workouts!

It's time for a summer gun upgrade. Heed these 5 foolproof tips and try the accompanying workouts to build a set of cut and jacked arms!

What His Social Media Habits Say About Your Relationship

Here’s what it really means when he likes other girls' photos.

As soon as social media came onto the scene, relationships got more complicated. If you're lucky, your guy's technological actions just reinforce how drunk in love you two are. On the other hand, navigating the digital landscape in a relationship offers up more than a few booby traps. "Social media is a great way to maintain a sense of connection, but each person comes into a relationship with different needs for contact, commitment, and intimacy," says Jane Greer, Ph.D., New York-based relationship expert and author of What About Me? Stop Selfishness From Ruining Your Relationship. "That's where things can go wrong." Here, Greer decodes what a few men's social media moves say about their bonds.

"When we were first dating, my boyfriend wouldn't respond to me on Facebook messenger for a long time, even though I could see he'd read what I'd sent him. It was so annoying, although now that we've officially been together for about a year, he usually responds immediately. One time, I got drunk after we were exclusive and was like, 'Dude, taking forever to respond was awful!' He just shrugged. Typical." —Jules C.

Let's just get this out of the way: read receipts are the devil's playthings. There's nothing like that sinking feeling when you realize he's seen whatever witty comeback you came up with and is going to take what feels like actual decades to respond. The good news here is that his change in response time shows how secure he feels in the relationship now as opposed to in the beginning. "When you're not exclusive, the criteria for contact is vague," says Greer. "He may have been pacing himself and not wanting to seem over-invested or scare her away." Waiting to respond to a message is a common early-dating tactic, so the fact that he replies ASAP now is a sign he can fully be himself.

"My boyfriend's Twitter and Instagram accounts are overwhelmingly professional. He doesn't use social media as a sounding board about his life or our relationship, usually just for news or his job." —Emily J.

This guy is all for a clear demarcation between his personal and professional lives, while lots of people mix the two on social media. "A lot of times, men use social media more for business and practical reasons," says Greer. "He wants to keep it functional and probably avoid any relationship issues that could come up if he shared more in that way." Sure, you might wonder why he doesn't digitally gush over you the way other guys seem to, but a lack of lovey-dovey statuses can actually be proof of how strong your bond is. "When people are constantly bragging about their relationship, it can actually be a giveaway that it isn't going very well," says Greer. "Otherwise, why would you need to toot your own horn so much?"

"I love social media, but my boyfriend refuses to participate. He doesn't have Twitter or Instagram, has a Facebook but doesn't use it, and doesn't like when I post pictures of us on social media. He says he doesn't like his privacy being invaded. He's even already told me I won't be able to put our kids' pictures online. He doesn't want his image—or our kids'—to be owned by anyone except us." —Sara A.

Sounds like he's a holdover from the old-school type who doesn't see the hype behind being able to post any and everything you think or do for all the world to see. But what if, like this couple, you fall on opposite sides of the social media spectrum? "Beyond privacy concerns, he may be more comfortable maintaining a certain level of intimacy rather than putting everything out there," says Greer. "It used to be that people would just share photos with family and friends, so he may see social media as taking away from that." If you're in a similar situation, the fix is easy: Get his input on who should have access to the photos of the two of you or of your kids that you post online. That way you still get to share, and he'll feel like his privacy is being protected.

"This is so pathetic, but I do notice when he doesn't like or forgets to like my Instagrams. It annoys me because he makes an effort with my friends and will be like, 'Oh, did you see so-and-so's picture of the beach?' And I want to be like, 'Yeah, well did you see mine?!' It's ridiculous and I know it, and I love him anyway." —Liz T.

Not only is this man comfortable in his relationship, but he loves his girlfriend enough to try to connect with her friends. "This is an extension of what you see a lot, when after some time in a relationship, a couple will become much more relaxed with each other but go out of their way to impress each other's friends or family," says Greer. He's no longer in the early stage where he feels like he absolutely has to win his girlfriend over because he knows they're committed. Now it's about getting the people she loves most on his side. All good things!

"My boyfriend is obsessed with Twitter! He's on it all day, every day. He needs it for his job, but it really bothers me sometimes because I feel like he isn't fully present when we're trying to spend time together." —Brianna J.

One of the tough things about social media is how easily it can start to invade your private time, thanks to its accessibility. "Many people are constantly on Twitter or other forms of social media because of work, but it can be disruptive and make the other person feel like they're not fully connecting," says Greer. To avoid this kind of situation driving a wedge between you two, come up with little blocks of time when neither of you can be on your phones, period. "Tell him something like, 'I support that you need to pay attention to Twitter because of work, but is it possible to do it before we start eating, then hold off until after we're done with dinner? I love spending that uninterrupted time with you,'" says Greer.

"Sometimes, my boyfriend will like photos our mutual girl friends put up—and I assume the same goes for friends of his who I don't know. Thankfully, I've never seen it happen on anything like a bikini selfie, more like selfies where someone looks pretty or a photo where they're doing something cool. Is it weird that I'm not concerned? I'd never worry about him cheating." —Kimberly C.

The way you interpret this depends entirely on who the women are and how the rest of the relationship is. "Are you friendly with them, or do you at least know of them?" asks Greer. "Or is it just one particular woman you're threatened by, or noticing he's only liking seductive photos?" Beyond that, if you're getting enough attention in your relationship and he's not just using his likes for one supermodel-hot girl you've never met, this isn't anything to worry about. If you're feeling jealous, the issue might be that you're not getting enough attention from him in general. "At that point, you would need to talk about what you would like more of in the relationship, like spending time together, rather than trying to control his behavior," says Greer. "It's not about telling him what to do but letting him know how he could make you feel more secure."