Health & Beauty

Diet Myths

By Dr. Adrienne Youdim

By now, either your New Year’s Resolutions are in full swing or if you are like most of us you have lost some wind behind your sails. That’s how it goes right? You resolve, you waiver and then you throw in the towel. You are not alone! And the reasons why are universal.

1. Militant approach- when we decide on a resolution, we often take a militant, all or nothing approach, leaving no room for negotiation and no room for inevitable slips ups. This approach sabotages our success. Why? Because slip ups are human, particularly if you have set the bar so high that any indulgence is considered a failure. And here is the thing…in my decades experience of doing this work, it is not the cake you chose to eat last night that gets you off track, it is the inability to move past it. The all or nothing approach results in the throw in the towel effect and sabotage, period. (more…)

Heart Healthy Eating in 2020

Jonny BowdenBy Dr. Jonny Bowden

Experts aren’t sure why people are more likely to have a heart attack during the winter than any other time of year. If following a heart-healthy diet is one of your 2020 resolutions, here’s big news. A new 12-month human clinical study involving 577 participants conducted in Malaysia reveals we aren’t doing our hearts any favors by eating a high-carb diet. And while that high-carb diet was associated with increased heart disease risk factors, fat intake didn’t move the needle one way or the other. 

I’ve been saying for years that fat has been wrongly demonized. If anything, it’s sugar – not fat – that’s causing us to go off the metabolic rails. In this study, low-carb diets performed considerably better than high-carb diets.

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Preventing Child Trafficking

By Shamim Sarif

shamim-sarifAround the world – and close to home – as many as four million people each year are trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Sadly, about 50% of those are children. Now, Headwaters Relief Organization, an international non-profit disaster relief organization, is teaming with me to raise funds to educate communities about these risks, and support those who have experienced trafficking.

Headwaters Relief Organization Founder Rebecca Thomley, PsyD told me, “We have encountered trafficking nationally and internationally in our disaster work.” Her organization supports the needs of families and communities after tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, fires and man-made disasters. She added, “Traffickers may take advantage of children and families made vulnerable by these conditions.” (more…)

The Mystery Around Perimenopause

By Dr. Sherry Ross
By the age of 45 or so, there’s a good chance you already considered how perimenopause would affect you. There’s no accident that this period of hormonal disruption has been referring to for years as “the change.” You’ve most likely wondered: how will “the change” change me?

It’s different for everyone, but the constant questions I hear are: Will I have crazy uncontrollable bleeding for weeks on end? Will drenching sweats come on when least expected? Will sex become painful and sexual intimacy a thing of the past? To you all I say hold on there. First let’s talk about what exactly happens in perimenopause.

Perimenopause happens when your ovaries cease to function consistently, thereby upsetting your normal hormonal rhythm. This hormonal change usually happens within a couple years of menopause, but for some it can happen much earlier. The erratic and disruptive symptoms of perimenopause tend, however, to mark the beginning of menopause. Every decade brings about some emotional and physical change, but for women, the decade of one’s forties may pack the biggest punches of all. Between the typical 40-something anxieties of shifting relationships (divorce and dealings with hormonal or college-bound teens), self-esteem issues, job challenges and other midlife stresses, one’s 40s are challenging enough without the hormonal upheaval. In your forties, it’s not just life’s stresses that are affecting you emotionally and physically, it’s “the change,” the symptoms of which include, unfortunately: (more…)

The 3 Steps of Coaching Through a Successful Life Transition

By Carolyn Mahboubi

Life transitions are inherently painstaking.  The human brain does not like change and will do whatever it takes to resist it, often in ways we ourselves don’t consciously recognize.

But the sooner we understand that change needs to happen, whether we feel ready for it or not, the easier it becomes to navigate transitions to a successful conclusion.  

My passion around mastering the art and science of change was borne from my own life experiences.  I learned the challenge of navigating change at a young age, when my family fled Iran for the United States when I was just 11 years old.  My learning continued as a 16 year old who had to quickly find my footing as an entrepreneur amongst adults, then as a young adult who felt professional success but struggled to create satisfying intimate relationships.  I also confronted challenges as a full time working single parent who struggled to balance my life, and as a physically active woman who developed chronic pain and was unable to move forward both physically and psychologically in the way that I wanted.  Through these various phases of my life, I learned to make friends with change, even though sometimes it felt more like an uneasy alliance than a fulfilling relationship! (more…)

Free Yourself from Body Jail! 5 New Year Beauty Resolutions that Don’t Involve Dieting

By Fern Olivia
Fern OliviaOften times, the New Year brings forth an immense amount of pressure to shape up, perform, and “finally do things right.” We’re often really, really hard on ourselves when it comes to our resolutions. Let’s change that, babes. We’re doing the best we can!

Furthermore, there is immense pressure and expectation around the holidays, so although there is beautiful sacred symbolism embedded in the New Year celebration, it can be quite overwhelming, and often times, it’s the time we begin to be incredibly hard on ourselves and our bodies.

The truth is, it doesn’t take a whole year to create conscious and sustainable change, and it takes a lot less than a year to fall off the wagon and break the promises you made to yourself. Does that resonate with you? I’ve seen it happen time and time again with myself – and my clients. Through my desire to change this so we all can feel more empowered, I discovered a new way to approach resolutions, without the shame or expectation around the “perfect body” or “losing the 10 pounds you gained this year.” (more…)

Makeup for Teens

By Stephi Maron
Stephi MaronWe are on a mission to change the way that people think about makeup as we believe makeup is not just for special events, but can be for everyday. We created Carte Blush for our clients who often see us more than 2x a month. Carte Blush is our unlimited monthly membership program valid at all Blushington locations that includes UNLIMITED complimentary makeup applications, faux lashes, airbrushing and brow maintenance services in store at all Blushington locations.

We provide access to the best in curated products founded by women and modern beauty services, in a gorgeous setting. One of our favorite services at Blushington is our makeup class. To celebrate summer, for the entire month of August, Blushington is offering their makeup 101 classes at no charge ($150 value). During the one hour class, (more…)