9 Genius Last-Minute Father’s Day Gifts

Father’s Day is June 21, and if you haven’t gotten dear old Dad a gift yet, it’s not too late (and you’re definitely not alone). We surveyed health-conscious dads to find out what’s on their must-have lists:

A VIP-worthy tracker

No question: Trackers are top of mind for a fit father. Everyone seems to be wearing them these days, and Dad ought to be as well. We like the Fitbit Surge ($250, fitbit.com) for all its bells and whistles (GPS, heart rate monitor, activity and sleep tracking, call and text notifications) plus its sleek look. Sporting one also puts you in rarefied company: the First Dad himself has even rocked one.

Photo: courtesy of fitbit.com

DIY massage

The older Dad gets, the more post-workout recovery becomes a must. If you can’t spring for a massage after every run, rolling out your muscles is the next best thing. The benefits of rolling are legion, from boosting mobility to decreasing soreness. Trigger Point’s GRID 2.0 Foam Roller ($65, tptherapy.com) combines the benefits of conventional rollers with the targeted pressure of massage. Ridges on the surface simulate the feeling of a masseuse’s hands, boosting blood flow and enhancing muscle repair.

Photo: courtesy of tptherapy.com

A party on two wheels

Dad knows that cycling while wearing earphones is a bad idea (right?!), but having some tunes on a ride can up motivation and effort. Bone conduction headphones, are an option, but the sometimes tinny sound and rattling feeling is not for everyone. Instead, more and more cyclists are slapping speakers right on their rides. We like Outdoor Technology’s Buckshot Pro ($80, outdoortechnology.com), which plays songs off your phone via Bluetooth. It’s compact (about the size of a Red Bull can), powerful (10 hours of play time), and versatile (it comes with a flashlight attachment and enough battery juice to charge your phone).

Photo: courtesy of outdoortechnology.com

Pants that work for every activity

Lululemon’s Commission Pant ($128, lululemon.com) has a style that’s fully functional, whether Dad’s working in the office or working out at the gym. They’re equipped with stretch fabric  and roll-up cuffs with hidden reflective stripes, so he can even run or bike in them.

Photo: courtesy of lululemon.com

RELATED: Lululemon’s ‘Anti-Ball Crushing’ Pants Are Actually Amazing

Some added spice

An active dad needs healthy grab-and-go snacks, and Kind’s bars fit the bill. Kind’s Nuts & Spice Variety Cube ($40, kindsnacks.com) offers 20 bars with clean ingredients and kick-in-the-pants seasoning. Flavors in the sampler include Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate Chili Almond, and Cashew Ginger Spice, all jammed with protein and each with 5 grams of sugar or less.

Photo: courtesy of kindsnacks.com

A foodie bible

Gourmets will love the simple, innovative, and yes, genius recipes in the Genius Recipes cookbook ($35, amazon.com) from the chefs and writers behind foodie website Food52. Imagine luscious caramel sauce made from just one ingredient (sweet potatoes?!), or the simplest seared fish you’ve ever made (from Le Bernardin, which is only the top seafood restaurant in New York City, if not the entire country). Vegetarians will love superstar chef Dan Barber’s acclaimed cauliflower steaks, and there are sophisticated drinks, too, like a whiskey old fashioned made with an easy DIY coriander syrup.

Photo: courtesy of amazon.com

Jacked-up morning joe

By now, even Dad’s heard about Bulletproof Coffee, which combines brewed coffee made from high-end beans with grass-fed butter and a special form of coconut oil. Though there’s hardly consensus on its purported benefits, some devotees swear the trendy drink is worth a try. If Pop’s game, he might enjoy the Bulletproof Coffee Starter Kit with Brain Octane Oil ($42, upgradedself.com).

Photo: courtesy of upgradedself.com

A better blender

Smoothie lovers need a machine powerful enough to pulverize fruits and veggies in their entirety (stems, seeds, skin and all) in order to get the full benefit of the pulp and fiber. The NutriBullet 600 ($90, nutriliving.com) fits the bill (and also has the firepower to make a mean blended coffee, too).

Photo: courtesy of nutriliving.com

Always-fresh beer

For beer drinkers, there’s nothing better than that first, crisp, hoppy, ice-cold swig from a new bottle. But for those who savor their brews slowly (or have to set them down to man the grill or change a diaper), there’s nothing worse than drinking the warmed-over dregs. The solution: the Hermetus Bottle Opener & Resealer ($9, kaufmann-mercantile.com), a pocket-sized gadget that not only pops your top but can reseal a cap in one easy motion, saving your brew from spills or tasting stale.

Photo: courtesy of kaufmann-mercantile.com

 

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1GD2k8l

This 60-Year-Old Pole Dancing Athlete Will Inspire You

Photo: Lynda Allen, courtesy of Lynn Wainwright

First off, yep, we’re just as shocked as you that fitness pole-dancing competitions exist. Turns out, there’s a whole community of pole dancing athletes vying for championship titles.

And while you might imagine it’s all a bunch of 20-somethings twisting and turning (and yes, there are a lot of those), there’s also a number of 40-plus competitors, too. The oldest woman in that category at last weekend’s BC Pole Fitness Championships was Lynn Wainwright, 60, a resident of Vancouver, B.C., in Canada.

And she is legit.

A few years ago a friend of Wainwright’s told her about the exercise perks of doing pole dancing, and said it would be more challenging than her typical workout routine at the time—belly dancing. “She was so right!” Wainwright says.

RELATED: 9 Little Tweaks That Make Walking Workouts More Effective

When visiting another friend in Washington State, Wainwright walked passed a dance studio offering the class, and decided to check it out. “I was instantaneously intrigued by the grace, strength and fluidity of the moves but also the challenge, physically,” she recalls.

She returned home, and signed up for a class at Tantra Fitness in Vancouver. Anyone would be intimidated walking into a pole dancing fitness class. But for Wainwright, that feeling was compounded.

“I was in a room full of twenty-year-old ladies with fit bodies and I felt like I was the ‘older’ woman in the corner with weight to be shed and a not so perfect body image,” Wainwright recalls.

Her instructor walked her through what muscle groups she was using, and how to maneuver into each move without getting injured. Soon after, Wainwright was hooked—and now she goes to about ten classes per week. “I love music and I love dance so putting them together as a fitness regime is so much fun,” says Wainwright.

Photo: courtesy of Lynn Wainwright

Since starting fitness pole dancing, Wainwright says she’s lost 20 pounds, and has noticed improvements with her energy levels, flexibility, strength, and even her confidence. “I remember the first time I climbed all the way to the ceiling on the pole, I was ecstatic,” says Wainwright. “All the moves may seem challenging, but you just keep trying until you get it—which builds so much confidence.”

RELATED: Gwyneth Paltrow’s Go-To Workout Moves

Wainwright competed in the B.C. Pole Fitness Championships last weekend, placing third in the Masters division (all competitors in that group must be 40 or up), and loved every moment of it. “Completions allow you to train to your fullest potential, and require a lot of dedication, hard work and commitment, plus choreographing your routine also allows you to tap into your artistic expression,” she says.

Pole dancing, albeit fitness pole dancing, is not without its critics, who can’t see beyond it’s connection to exotic dancing. Still, her family is warming up to the idea of Wainwright’s passion. “They are very impressed, especially after seeing the athletes perform at the B.C. Pole Fitness Championships on Saturday,” she says. “The more they learn and understand about what it takes to lift your entire body weight onto the pole or to do inversions on the pole the more supportive and encouraging they become.”

Now that Wainwright has her first competition under her belt, she plans to master more moves, and compete again. “I enjoy it so much, and for me, pole dancing fitness it is not just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle.”

Curious? You can find workout videos on YouTube to give you an idea of what to expect in your first class.

RELATED: 5 Fitness Trends to Try in 2015

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1I9FT5i

Contagious Yawning Is for the Birds, Scientists Say

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Yawning “contagiously” — humans do it, and so do a few other mammals. Now, a new study finds that if one budgie yawns, other budgies may soon do the same.

Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) Oneonta said it’s the first time that contagious yawning has been confirmed in birds and in a non-mammal species.

Previously, they said, it had been thought that contagious yawning only occurred in people, dogs, chimpanzees and one type of rat.

But a team led by assistant professor of psychology Andrew Gallup watched 16 budgies paired in cages when they had barriers blocking their view of each other, and again when there were no barriers.

Over five minutes, the budgies yawned three times more often when they could see each other than when there was a barrier between them, the researchers report.

In another experiment, the budgies yawned twice as often as normal when they were shown video clips of another budgie yawning, according to the study published recently in the journal Animal Cognition.

“To date, this is the first experimental evidence of contagious yawning in a non-mammalian species,” Gallup said in a journal news release.

It’s likely that contagious yawning is a primitive form of showing empathy, according to the researchers, who noted that contagious yawning is also more common among people who are more empathic.

More information

Neuroscience for Kids has more about yawning.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1B8Jtjg

Psychosis Rarely Linked to Violent Crime, Study Says

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — It’s rare that people with mental illness have hallucinations and delusions before they commit violent crimes, researchers say.

“High-profile mass shootings capture public attention and increase vigilance of people with mental illness. But our findings clearly show that psychosis rarely leads directly to violence,” said study lead author Jennifer Skeem, associate dean of research at University of California, Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare.

Researchers analyzed 305 violent incidents committed by high-risk psychiatric patients in the United States. They found that only 12 percent of the incidents were preceded by hallucinations and delusions, collectively referred to as psychosis.

The study was recently published online in the journal Clinical Psychological Science.

Numerous studies have found that violence is often associated with anger, access to guns and substance abuse, but this is the first to examine how often psychosis occurs before violent crimes, the study authors said.

The findings challenge the widespread belief that many acts of violence are due to mental illness, the investigators added.

“None of this detracts from the message that people with mental illness need access to psychiatric services,” Skeem said in a university news release. “But it’s important to remember that risk factors for violence — such as substance abuse, childhood maltreatment, neighborhood disadvantage — are mostly shared by people with and without mental illness, and that’s what we should be focused on if maximizing public safety is our goal.”

A study published earlier this year in the American Journal of Public Health found that fewer than 5 percent of the 120,000 gun murders in the United States between 2001 and 2010 were committed by people with a mental illness diagnosis, the researchers pointed out. That study also said that people with mental illness are far more likely to be victims of violent crime than people in the general population.

More information

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has more about psychosis.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1I9z4AE

Most Physical Activity Helps You Sleep Better

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Certain types of physical activity help you sleep better, while others might leave you tossing and turning, a new study finds.

Researchers looked at data from a survey of more than 429,000 American adults. They found that activities such as walking, bicycling, running, weight lifting, aerobics/calisthenics, gardening, yoga/Pilates and golfing were all linked to better odds of a good night’s slumber.

But, people who got physical activity from household chores and child care had a greater risk of poor sleep, according to the study.

Results of the study were presented this week at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, in Seattle. Findings presented at meetings are generally viewed as preliminary until they’ve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The results of this study were surprising, according to study leader Michael Grandner, a psychiatry instructor at the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

“Not only does this study show that those who get exercise simply by walking are more likely to have better sleep habits, but these effects are even stronger for more purposeful activities, such as running and yoga, and even gardening and golf,” Grandner said in a university news release.

“It was also interesting that people who receive most of their activity from housework and child care were more likely to experience insufficient sleep — we know that home and work demands are some of the main reasons people lose sleep,” Grandner added.

“These results are consistent with the growing scientific literature on the role of sleep in human performance. Lab studies show that lack of sleep is associated with poor physical and mental performance, and this study shows us that this is consistent with real-world data as well,” he explained.

But since the study design only allowed the researchers to find associations between activity and sleep, instead of proof of a cause-and-effect relationship, more studies are needed, according to Grandner.

More information

The National Sleep Foundation offers healthy sleep tips.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1B8DsmM

6 Simple Ways to Become a Happier Person Today

Photo: Getty Images

You can actually choose to feel happier every day—that’s the simple premise behind the new Mayo Clinic Handbook for Happiness ($16, amazon.com). It’s the work of Amit Sood, MD, chair of the Mind-Body Medicine Initiative at Mayo, who has devoted his career to learning how we can live with less stress and more joy. His conclusion: Happiness is a habit that you can build over time. Here are six ways you can start today, as outlined in Dr. Sood’s book.

Think charitably about others

Often when we meet someone new, we unconsciously size her up: We focus on physical details (what she’s wearing, how attractive she is) and assess possible threats (she dresses better than you, she’s prettier than you). But every time you do that, Dr. Sood writes, “you deplete yourself of vital energy.” Instead, remind yourself that this person is inevitably dealing with the unique challenges of her life, whatever they might be, and send her a silent blessing: I wish you well. Happiness starts with kindness, he explains, because when you treat others generously, you naturally feel better yourself.

RELATED: Eat Your Way to Health and Happiness

Accept your transience

Dr. Sood has known several terminal patients who were the happiest they’d ever been in their last six months: “Each entire day became a flow experience,” he writes. The truth is, we all have limited time (an average of 28,740 days, to be precise), and by 2115, almost everyone alive now will be gone. But that shouldn’t be a depressing thought: “When you recognize that you are a transient traveler on this planet, you’ll take the more scenic route,” Dr. Sood says. By that, he means you’ll find it easier to live in the present, appreciating the beauty of your life—and feel a whole lot happier in the process.

Ask yourself: Will this matter five years from now?

A nasty email, a parking ticket, a loss on an investment—any of these would have ruined Dr. Sood’s day when he was younger, he admits in the book. “But now I try my best to choose a different response. I zoom out of the experience,” he writes. If the unpleasant event or situation won’t matter five years from now, he doesn’t let it matter in the moment.

Reframe negative thoughts

As you rush to check off items on an ever-growing to-do list, you think, I hate being so busy. But the trick, according to Dr. Sood, is to halt that unpleasant thought and try to find the silver lining of your workload. For example, you might tell yourself, I’m grateful to be able to help so many people. Or, I’m grateful my clients have so much confidence in me. Or, I’m grateful to be able to work from the comfort of my home. “With practice your gratitude threshold changes,” he writes. “You become automatically grateful for the many little—and larger—gives that life offers.”

RELATED: Your Secret to Happiness at Every Age

Find what went right within what went wrong

Dr. Sood cites Matthew Henry, an 18^th century Bible scholar, as someone who understood this notion well. After his purse was robbed, Henry wrote this in his journal: “Let me be thankful, first because I was never robbed before; second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.” Whether you’ve been mugged or injured, passed over or laid off, acknowledging that things could be worse helps preserve your energy (and sanity), according to Dr. Sood, so you can better focus on fixing the problem.

Practice an emotion-releasing exercise

Old hurts and grudges tend to pile up in our minds—but it doesn’t have to be that way. Like happiness, forgiveness is also a choice, Dr. Sood reminds us, though not an easy one. Letting go of anger can sometimes take a great deal of time and effort, which is why he suggests using emotion-releasing exercises like this one to help you along: The next time you’re at the beach, write any grievances you have in the sand close to the shore. Then step back and watch the waves wash the words away. Keep that imagery in your mind. Replay as needed.

RELATED: Do it Faster: Get Over a Grudge

 

 

 

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1MwAIjx

10 Beauty Products That ’90s Kids Will Never Forget

We’re all about throwback beauty products, but we’re zeroing in on a specific, overlooked group of beauty-lovers: The Oregon Trail Generation.

If you were you born in the late ’70s to early ’80s, you’re part of this small segment. You and the rest of your cohorts feel like you’re not quite a bubbly millennial but don’t really fit into the cynical Generation Xer category. You thank your lucky stars Facebook wasn’t around to document your college years. And you (still!) love New Kids on the Block. Don’t worry — after years of feeling like the unacknowledged underdog, you’re finally getting the attention you deserve! Read on for a trip down memory lane via your favorite beauty products of yesteryear.

Herbal Essences Shampoo

Long before the naughty commercials, you were using this classic shampoo ($5) to make your hair glossy and strong.

Bonne Bell Lip Smackers

If you’re like us, you had a Lip Smacker ($2) in every flavor you could get your hands on — and your little cousins stole them from you.

Teen Spirit Deodorant

You stashed this deodorant ($5) in your locker for years.

Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon Body Lotion

After you stepped out of the shower, you smoothed this cult-favorite lotion ($13) over your body. Real die-hard fans layered all the iterations of Cucumber Melon for maximum effect.

Sun-In

You definitely cried real tears the Summer you went overboard with hair-lightening spray($5). You were trying to get the chunky highlights that were so cool among your high school buddies — instead you got orange roots.

TIGI Bed Head Totally Bent Crimping Iron

No yearbook photo was complete without a quick pass of the crimping iron ($30) through your strands. After you added a funky barrette, you were good to go.

Hard Candy Nail Polish

You and your friends fought over the last bottle of Hard Candy nail polish ($4) at the mall. Luckily, you can still buy your favorite shades — but if you want that ring, you’ll have to scour eBay!

Victoria’s Secret Love Spell Fragrance Mist

You were addicted to spritzing on this fruity body splash ($14) after a solid workout. The peach and cherry blossom scent was the perfect hybrid of sexy, sweet, and fresh.

Calvin Klein CK One

You were obsessed with CK One ($49) because you could share the unisex scent with your boyfriend. The bergamot, rose, and pineapple notes are surprisingly versatile!

Lancome Juicy Tubes

Before heading out to a frat party with your girlfriends, you stashed one of these ultrashiny lip glosses ($18) in your pocket. Which flavor was your favorite?

More from Popsugar Beauty:

Everything You Shouldn’t Forget to Pack For a Music Festival

6 Beauty Tricks to Make You a Classic Knockout Like Marilyn Monroe

90+ Products to Give You the Best Eyebrows of Your Life

The Inexpensive Food That Can Give You Glowing Skin in Just 3 Days

10 Refreshing Coconut Products That Will Keep You Cool All Summer

POPSUGAR Beauty puts the focus on hair, makeup, nails, and fragrance — from inspiring celebrity photos and fun polls, to easy how-tos to re-create the latest trends at home, to expert tips from the world’s top stylists! Find out the latest color trends for your face, hair, and nails with hot new products and daring nail design ideas. DIY ideas turn your home into a spa, and make you knowledgeable on any beauty topic. Let POPSUGAR Beauty be your guide to all things skin care, makeup, and hair care!

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1QSVESY

Bragging Can Backfire, Study Shows

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Self-promotion often backfires, a new study suggests.

In a series of experiments, researchers found that people who boast about things like a recent work promotion or a new car often offend others.

Self-promoters typically overestimate the positive reactions to their boasting and underestimate the negative reactions. This means that when people try to improve the opinion that others have of them, they often overdo their self-promotion and trigger the opposite of the intended effect.

The study was published recently in the journal Psychological Science.

“Most people probably realize that they experience emotions other than pure joy when they are on the receiving end of someone else’s self-promotion. Yet, when we engage in self-promotion ourselves, we tend to overestimate others’ positive reactions and underestimate their negative ones,” study author Irene Scopelliti, a lecturer in marketing at City University London in England, said in a Carnegie Mellon University news release.

She conducted the research while at Carnegie Mellon, in Pittsburgh.

“These results are particularly important in the Internet age, when opportunities for self-promotion have proliferated via social networking. The effects may be exacerbated by the additional distance between people sharing information and their recipient, which can both reduce the empathy of the self-promoter and decrease the sharing of pleasure by the recipient,” Scopelliti said.

Study co-author George Loewenstein, a professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon, said, “This shows how often, when we are trying to make a good impression, it backfires.

“Bragging is probably just the tip of the iceberg of the self-destructive things we do in the service of self-promotion, from unfortunate flourishes in public speeches to inept efforts to ‘dress for success’ to obviously insincere attempts to ingratiate ourselves to those in power,” he added.

More information

The Mind charity in the U.K. outlines how to boost self-esteem.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1dBDt7B

Adults Can Pick Up Perfect Pitch, Study Shows

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Adults can be trained to achieve perfect pitch and maintain the ability for months, a new study reports.

Perfect pitch — the ability to identify a note by hearing it — occurs in less than one in 10,000 people, the researchers said. It was believed early musical training in childhood was crucial to this ability and that adults could not acquire the skill.

However, this study challenges that belief. It included 47 university students, staff and community members with various levels of musical experience. None had perfect pitch.

The participants were trained to develop perfect pitch by learning to identify notes played on various musical instruments. When tested months later, their ability was only slightly diminished.

The University of Chicago study was published in the July issue of the journal Cognition.

“This is the first significant demonstration that the ability to identify notes by hearing them may well be something that individuals can be trained to do,” Howard Nusbaum, a professor of psychology, said in a university news release.

“It’s an ability that is teachable, and it appears to depend on a general cognitive ability of holding sounds in one’s mind,” he added.

A 2013 Harvard University study found that an epilepsy drug could help people learn perfect pitch. But no drugs were used in the current study.

“We demonstrate three important findings in this paper,” Nusbaum said. “First, in contrast to previous studies, we are able to establish significant absolute pitch training in adults without drugs. Second, we show that this ability is predicted by auditory working memory. Third, we show that this training lasts for months.”

More information

The Wisconsin Medical Society has more about perfect pitch.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1dBDubB

Injuries Up Risk of Psoriatic Arthritis for People With Psoriasis

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Injuries increase the risk of psoriatic arthritis in people who have psoriasis, a new study suggests.

Psoriatic arthritis — chronic arthritis associated with the skin condition psoriasis — can lead to severe, disabling joint damage. About 30 percent of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis, according to the researchers.

The study included information collected between 1995 and 2013. The information was from more than 70,000 psoriasis patients, including more than 15,000 who suffered physical injury. During that time, more than 1,000 cases of psoriatic arthritis were diagnosed.

The incidence rate of psoriatic arthritis was 30 per 10,000 person-years among those who had a physical injury. In people without injury, the rate of psoriatic arthritis was 22 per 10,000 person-years.

The increased risk of psoriatic arthritis associated with injury was even greater when the injury involved bone and/or joints, according to the study.

Although this study found an association between the development of psoriatic arthritis and injury, the study wasn’t designed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Findings from the study were presented Thursday at the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome. Findings presented at meetings are generally viewed as preliminary until they’ve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“This is the first sizable population-based cohort study to determine the risk of psoriatic arthritis following trauma in psoriasis patients,” study senior author Thorvardur Love, of Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland, said in a league news release.

“Our findings highlight the importance of further study into the complex factors that lead to arthritis in psoriasis patients, as we may find ways to modify the risk once we fully understand it,” Love added.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about psoriatic arthritis.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1dBDsR9