This Awesome Magazine Cover Proves That ‘Anyone Can Run’

Photo: Women’s Running/ Twitter

Runners aren’t a one-size-fits-all kind of group—you could weigh 110 pounds or 310 pounds and still call yourself a runner—but people often have trouble labeling themselves as one such if they feel like they don’t fit the typical mold. You know, the kind of ropy, wiry mold you often see on the covers of running magazines.

But as plus-size model Erica Jean Schenk proves on Women’s Running‘s August cover—which features her looking strong and stunning while booking around Brookyn’s Prospect Park and is now going viral on social media—there is no typical mold.

RELATED: 15 Running Tips You Need to Know

“Honestly, I was astonished,” Schenk told People. “My family is overwhelmingly proud.”

Schenk initially had no idea that she would make it on the cover; the 18-year-old went into the Women’s Running photo shoot thinking she’d be in a feature story on athletic brands that make plus-size clothing. She was ecstatic to later learn that she’d be a cover star.

“I’m over the moon that all these people see me and can relate,” Schenk told E! News. “I hope I make an impact in women’s body acceptance.”

RELATED: Why This Plus-Size Blogger Says She’s Not ‘Brave’ for Wearing a Swimsuit

And women on Twitter are just as thrilled.

THIS! <3 #EricaSchenk is beautiful! https://t.co/vEBxqofqVL

— Jillian Lentz (@JKayL) July 16, 2015

Hey @WomensRunning, you and Erica Schenk are downright inspiring. Thanks for pushing me to crush three miles today. #runningsforeverybody

— Christy Chirinos (@ChristyChirinos) July 16, 2015

@Life_and_Style @WomensRunning she's gorgeous!!! Love girls with sexy curves!!

— T.J. Skedd (@NumbroneBUCHfan) July 17, 2015

RELATED: Watch the Official Teaser For a Game-Changing Documentary About Plus-Size Models

2015 is shaping up to be a banner year for embracing models of all sizes. Plus-size model Tess Holliday landed the cover of People back in May, and Sports Illustrated included a plus-size model, Robyn Lawley, in its swimsuit edition for the first time. (Both People and Sports Illustrated are owned by Health‘s parent company Time Inc.)

The editor-in-chief of Women’s Running, Jessica Sebor, told the Today show that the magazine wanted to show readers that not all runners are thin—many of them have a shape like Schenk’s.

RELATED: The Empowering Story Behind This Old Navy Shopper’s Now-Viral Selfie

“There’s a stereotype that all runners are skinny, and that’s just not the case,” Sebor said. “Runners come in all shapes and sizes. You can go to any race finish line, from a 5K to a marathon, and see that. It was important for us to celebrate that.”

Schenk is a runner in real life, not just in front of the camera. She told Women’s Running that she’s been happily doing it for a decade, especially in her favorite spot, Manhattan’s Central Park, because “it allows me to clear my head and think.”

“This cover proves anyone can run,” Schenk told People. “Don’t be afraid to be curvy and do what you love. You are not alone.”

RELATED: Why Instagram Made #Curvy Unsearchable (and the Internet Is Outraged)

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Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan Left Hundreds of Children With Head Trauma

FRIDAY, July 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — At least 650 children sustained severe head injuries during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new study.

About one-quarter of those children died from their head injuries, the research revealed.

Using the Joint Theater Trauma Registry, researchers identified children with severe head injuries who were treated at U.S. combat support hospitals in Iraq or Afghanistan between 2004 and 2012.

Of these children, the researchers focused on 647 with severe, isolated head injuries. These injuries were sustained during Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

The youngsters’ median age was 8 years, meaning half were older, half were younger. Roughly 75 percent of the children were boys, the study found.

“Boys … tend to congregate around soldiers, are combatants themselves, or are more likely to be involved in accidental trauma,” the researchers wrote. The study team was led by Dr. Paul Klimo Jr. of Semmes-Murphy Neurologic & Spine Institute in Memphis, Tenn.

More than 90 percent of the children had open or penetrating head injuries, the study found. Most often, their injuries were the result of an improvised explosive device, or IED. These devices caused head injuries in 38 percent of the kids. Meanwhile, 25 percent of the wounded suffered blast injuries, the study said.

The findings were published in the July issue of Neurosurgery.

Slightly more than 50 percent of the children had surgery. Roughly one-third were outfitted with devices to monitor pressure build-up inside their skull.

The severity of the children’s injuries often predicted their outcome, the study found.

“Given the challenging environment and limited available resources, coalition forces were able to provide quality, timely and life-saving care to many children” with severe head injuries, the study’s authors wrote.

The children admitted to the military hospital for head trauma didn’t stay long. Injured civilians are moved out of military hospitals and into a local facility as soon as possible to conserve resources for wounded soldiers.

“Children have and will always be unfortunate victims of any military conflict,” and Afghanistan and Iraq were no exception, the study’s authors wrote.

The authors hope their findings will shed light on devastating combat-related head injuries among children. They also suggested that adequate personnel and resources to care for these inevitable injuries be considered early on as part of logistical planning for future conflicts.

More information

The Brain Injury Association of America provides more information on brain injuries in children.

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6 Things About Yeast Infections Every Woman Should Know

Photo: Getty Images

Sorry to be a downer, but if you haven’t had a yeast infection yet—you’ll probably get one eventually. Three out of four women will experience one sometime in her life—and half will have two or more. “These are so common because yeast normally lives on your skin and around your vagina,” says Melissa Goist, MD, an ob-gyn at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. When something disrupts the vagina’s natural balance of healthy bacteria, yeast (aka the fungus Candida) can grow out of control. And then comes the telltale down-there itching and burning sensation that can drive you up a wall.

Whether you’ve been visited by a yeast problem once, a bunch of times, or not yet, you may be surprised by the truth about these frustrating infections. Here are the facts every woman should know.

RELATED: Am I Normal ‘Down There’?

The symptoms can mimic other problems

One study found that as few as 11% of women who have never had a yeast infection could identify the symptoms, while other research has found that only one-third of women who thought they had a yeast infection actually did. Why the confusion?

The signs are similar to other down-there problems. If you have a yeast infection, you might notice burning, itching, pain during sex, and a thick white odorless discharge.

But if it smells fishy, it may instead be bacterial vaginosis (BV), and if you have only burning and pain during urination, that suggests a urinary tract infection. Bottom line: It can be difficult to figure out.

First-timer? Go to the doctor if you think you have one

Now you know the signs, but remember: Just because you can buy over-the-counter treatment for a yeast infection doesn’t mean you always should. The first time you experience symptoms, it’s important to see your doctor (or hit up an urgent care center if you can’t score an appointment) because if it turns out you don’t have a yeast infection, at-home treatments can make inflammation worse or not provide any relief at all, Dr. Goist says.

A doctor will be able to correctly pinpoint the problem (yeast infection or something else) then give you personalized treatment, like an Rx for the oral antifungal fluconazole as well as a topical skin cream to reduce inflammation.

After that, you’ll know exactly what to watch out for, and your doc may give you the all clear to self-treat your next one with an over-the-counter antifungal, like Monistat or generic clotrimazole.

RELATED: What’s That Itch Down There?

You don’t need products to prevent them

Gynecologists like to call the vagina a “self-cleaning oven.” That’s because it doesn’t need any help with douches, scented gels, perfumes, and other “feminine” products to stay clean. In fact, rather than helping prevent a yeast infection, these can cause an imbalance of the healthy bacteria in your vagina that makes you more susceptible to a yeast infection, explains Dr. Goist.

What to do if it happens after sex

A yeast infection is not technically a sexually transmitted infection (STI), but sex can throw off the bacterial balance in your vagina, upping your risk for a yeast overgrowth. That said, if you get what you think is a yeast infection after sex with a new partner, it’s a good idea to see your doctor, so you can rule out any potential new STIs, as well.

RELATED: 17 Things You Should Know About HPV

The truth about wet bathing suits

You’ve probably heard hanging out in wet clothes is a recipe for disaster. Doctors often say it’s a good idea to change out of a wet suit or sweaty exercise clothes because yeast thrives in warm, wet environments. And that’s true. But it’s mostly important for women who suffer from recurrent episodes rather than the general population. “Unless you know you’re prone to yeast infections, you won’t necessarily get one by hanging out in a wet suit,” Dr. Goist says. Make changing a priority if you get them frequently, otherwise, you’re probably fine.

Switching birth control pills may make you more susceptible

Anything that alters your hormone levels—like changing to a new hormonal birth control pill (that increases your estrogen levels) or too much stress (high cortisol) is a risk factor. Other things to watch out for: taking antibiotics, which kill healthy bacteria in the vagina, allowing yeast to thrive; or having uncontrolled blood sugar levels if you have type 2 diabetes (high blood sugar can feed yeast). If any of these sound like you and you get yeast infections, come up with a plan with your doc about how to control them.

 RELATED: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Vagina

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The Most Powerful Body-Positive Celeb Selfies We’ve Ever Seen

Photo: Courtesy of MIMI/ @ddlovato

 

It seems women are finally ready to abandon unrealistic beauty ideals, and I for one, couldn’t be happier. Gone (well, mostly) are the days when we’re solely inundated with perfectly Photoshopped images and overly airbrushed magazine covers. Of course, those still exist, and they still exist in a huge way. But, fashion has certainly started to take a step in the right direction with new unretouched shoots and #NoFilter attitudes.

In part, this is a result of social media. Now, the world has personal and direct contact with celebrities and whatever it is they feel like posting. Many famous faces have taken to their channels to set the record straight with real photographs of their perfectly imperfect bodies, faces, and what we formerly would describe as flaws. See below for the most powerful celebrity posts we’ve seen yet.

1. Demi Lovato

 

2. Lena Dunham

 

3. Bella Hadid

 

4. Chrissy Teigen

 

5. Jaime King

“My body. My growing baby, open for comments. Plain as day. I, like every other woman, bracing for your judgments. This is who I am. And I love me in every flaw and curve or flat or thin area. And I love you as well in every form that your body takes.”

 

6. Khloe Kardashian

 

7. Troian Bellisario

 

8. Demi Lovato

 

9. Jennifer Hudson

 

10. Kim Kardashian

 

11. Hilary Duff

 

12. Lea Michele

 

13. Selena Gomez

 

14. Lena Dunham

 

This story originally appeared on MIMIChatter.com

MIMI Chatter is an endless stream of beauty content. We bring together the must-knows and the how-tos from your favorite sites, beauty influencers, our editors, and YOU.

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Why The Fruit in Stores Looks Smaller This Year

Photo: Getty Images

As far as summer fruit is concerned, size doesn’t matter.

You may have noticed that peaches, nectarines, and other summer fruits seem smaller now than in years past. Drought conditions in California, where much of our fruit is grown, as well as a shorter winter may be to blame. The good news: This petite produce tastes just as good as the bigger versions—possibly even better, according to farmers and other experts.

“If you pick a good variety at the peak of maturity, the flavor will be great regardless of the size,” Chelsea McClarty Ketelsen, a fifth-generation farmer who works with her family’s HMC Farms, told Health.

RELATED: 3 Easy Peach Recipes That Will Make You Look Like a Gourmet Chef

Suzanne Goin, a chef who runs A.O.C., Lucques, and two other Los Angeles-area restaurants, agrees, recently telling The New York Times, “The fruit is smaller and there is less of it, but it’s super-tasty and more intense.”

Why does a shorter winter affect fruit size? “The trees don’t have as much time to recharge,” Jeff Simonian, vice president of the Simonian Fruit Company, explained to Health. Adds Ketelsen, “The season has been consistently seven to ten days earlier than last year, which means you’re losing those growing days. In a commodity that can turn from ripe to over-ripe in an afternoon, a few extra days of maturity can make a big difference.”

Fruit that comes later in the season, like in August and September, may be “more normal size,” Simonian said. Whenever you’re picking your produce, he adds, look for color (avoid green-hued fruit), condition (avoid it if it’s bruised or overly soft), and smell (the best ones will smell sweet and bright) for the best and most delicious taste.

RELATED: Watch Michelle Obama Be Hilarious, Discuss Fruits and Veggies With Big Bird

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Better Sleep May Mean Less Chronic Pain

FRIDAY, July 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Improving sleep quality might help ease pain among those with osteoarthritis, a new study suggests.

That’s because disruptions in sleep are associated with changes in how the body processes and feels pain, the researchers said.

More than half of all people with osteoarthritis have pain during the night. This may lead to broken sleep and frequent shifts between sleep stages. Previous studies have suggested that disrupted sleep can help predict the severity of pain, the scientists explained.

The team of researchers, from the University of Alabama and the University of Florida, were led by Megan Petrov, an assistant professor at Arizona State University in Phoenix. The team investigated whether or not poor-quality sleep was linked to greater sensitivity and reduced tolerance for pain among those with chronic pain.

In conducting the study, the researchers examined the link between the severity of self-reported insomnia, troubled sleep and pain sensitivity among people with knee osteoarthritis. They assumed those with the worst cases of insomnia would have more pain and less tolerance for it.

The study participants were between 45 and 85 years old. Eighty-eight of the study participants were black and 52 were white, according to the study. The volunteers completed questionnaires and experimental pain applications. The study, published recently in The Journal of Pain, confirmed that the severity of sleep disruption was associated with changes in how the body processes pain.

While the researchers found only an association between sleep and pain tolerance, they advised that treatments designed to improve sleep might ease pain in people with osteoarthritis. They noted that cognitive behavioral therapy focused on sleep might offer osteoarthritis patients with insomnia the greatest benefits.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It causes pain, swelling and reduced motion in joints. It can occur in any joint, but usually affects the hands, knees, hips or spine, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

More information

The National Sleep Foundation provides more information on pain and sleep.

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Should you exfoliate dry skin?

 

Should you scrub your skin even when it's dry? We ask the beauty experts.

Heck, yes. The drying effects of winter weather can also cause a build-up of dead skin, resulting in flaking or roughly textured skin. Gross.

According to skin expert James Vivian.

“After a single exfoliation, your skin will not only feel smoother, brighter and healthier, but you will also create the optimum surface for absorbing all your prescribed serums and hydrators, thus making them more effective.”

Vivian loves: Aspect Cellablation ($59.40) for your face; and PCA Skin Body Therapy (from $56) for the body.

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Why Instagram Made #Curvy Unsearchable (and the Internet Is Outraged)

Want to look for #curvy photos on Instagram to get a body-positive boost? Sorry, curvy ladies—the hashtag has been banned.

While you can search for #curvygirl, #curvybabe, and other variations, #curvy itself is not searchable, Buzzfeed reported earlier this week, throwing the Internet into a tizzy.

Phew, since Instagram banned the hashtag #curvy, there are no more fat people in the world. Congrats, Instagram.

— Sofie Hagen (@SofieHagen) July 15, 2015

RELATED: 9 Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic

Why has Instagram banned the hashtag 'curvy' that is the most mother flipping ridiculous thing I've heard in a longggg time.

— Danielle (@VanierDanielle) July 15, 2015

A spokesperson for Instagram told Mashable, “I can confirm that we did block the hashtag #curvy. It was being used to share content that violates our guidelines around nudity.”

That means #curvy joins #naked, #sex, #penis, and even the eggplant emoji in the ranks of search terms banned in the interest of keeping Instagram clean.

You can still search for #fat and #obese (oh, good).

And how’s this for unfair: You can also search for #skinny or #thin—though you’ll get a warning first, since those tags are often used for thinspo (short for thinspiration) images that may fuel eating disorders.

RELATED: 7 Strategies to Love the Way You Look

And as Buzzfeed points out, you can still search for other hashtags that have a high likelihood of bringing up nudity or sexually explicit content, like #clitoris or #dildo. So what’s with singling out #curvy?

“Instagram is just perpetuating that curvy = obscene trope,” blogger Sarah Chiwaya told Business Insider. “The idea that all bodies are beautiful and worthy of respect is starting to take hold in a way it never has before, and a big reason for that is the increased representation of different body types on social media. For Instagram to stomp all over one of the most popular hashtags for women above model size is incredibly disappointing.”

RELATED: 4 Ways to Spot Body Dysmorphic Disorder

“Why can’t [they] find a better way to get porn off of Instagram than banning the use of an incredibly popular tag that has been integral in the body positive movement, helping women accept themselves at any size?” adds Sarah Jenks, a body positivity blogger and speaker, in an email shared with Health.

Instagram has a history of controversy over what it will and won’t allow in photos. Last year one woman said her Instagram account was shut down after someone complained about a breastfeeding photo she had posted. (After plenty of backlash from users, including celebrities like Alyssa Milano, Instagram’s Community Guidelines now say that photos of women actively breastfeeding are OK.)

And women everywhere are rallying around the #freethenipple movement, aimed at protesting Instagram’s policy against female nipples appearing in photos (except for  post-mastectomy and breastfeeding photos). The latest trend: Photoshopping male nipples onto female breasts to make the photos “safe.”

On the #curvy front, Instagram users are striking back: Plus-size women, and curvaceous women of all sizes, have rallied around new hashtags like #curvee instead. You go, curvy girls!

RELATED: The 5 Best Things Kelly Clarkson Has Said About Body Positivity

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Dad’s Involvement With Autistic Child Helps Mom, Too

FRIDAY, July 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Involved parenting by the father of an autistic child improves the mother’s mental health, a new study finds.

Researchers looked at the families of 50 children with autism. They found that when fathers took an active role in parenting during infancy, it benefited both the child’s development and the mother’s mental well-being.

When autistic children were 4 years old, their mothers had lower levels of depression and stress if fathers read to the children and engaged in “responsive caregiving activities” — such as taking them to the doctor or soothing them when they were upset.

“In family systems that include children with autism, the stressors are huge, and mothers need all the support they can grasp,” study co-author Brent McBride, a professor of human development and director of the Child Development Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said in a university news release.

“Whether it comes from the child’s father, their social network or online resources, mothers need additional support to be able to continue functioning in an effective way. We, as a society, have to ask men to become involved, and it’s very important that men fully understand the reasons why their support and active engagement in parenting is so critical for the family’s functioning and for the child,” McBride added.

The study was published recently in Maternal and Child Health Journal.

Previous research has shown that mothers of autistic children often have higher levels of stress, depression and anxiety than other mothers.

When fathers spend time reading to autistic children or responding when they cry, mothers get time to do other household tasks or activities that reduce stress and improve their mood, explained study lead author Daniel Laxman. He conducted the research for his doctorate degree in human development and family studies at the University of Illinois.

“One of the key criteria of autism is difficulty with communication, which may explain why these children’s mothers are especially susceptible to stress and depression,” Laxman said in the news release.

“It can be very frustrating for parents — and upsetting for children — when children struggle with communication. If fathers are reading to their kids, telling stories or singing songs, it is going to be very beneficial for the child’s development of communication skills and learning words. By improving children’s communication skills, fathers’ literacy activities may help alleviate some of the mothers’ concerns and stress related to these problems,” Laxman explained.

The children in the study all lived with both biological parents for at least the first four years of their lives, the researchers noted. Information was collected when the children were 9 months, 2 years and 4 years old.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about autism.

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Time Spent Sitting May Not Affect Diet, Study Suggests

FRIDAY, July 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Many people would assume that spending more time sitting at home or work might have a negative impact on a person’s diet, but a new study shows no such effect.

Researchers led by Dr. Kerem Shuval of the American Cancer Society looked at the habits of more than 4,900 U.S. adults tracked in two federal health surveys from 2003 and 2006.

While prior studies have asked people to “self-report” their time spent sitting and watching TV, the new study looked at data from “accelerometers” — devices that track a person’s movement (or lack thereof) throughout the day.

The study found that more minutes per day being sedentary — such as watching TV, driving in the car, or sitting at work — was not significantly associated with diet quality, or fruit and vegetable intake.

In addition, there was a significant link between higher amounts of sedentary time and a lower intake of low-nutrient, “empty calorie” foods, Shuval’s team reported online recently in the journal Preventive Medicine.

That’s not to say that there’s no benefit to physical activity that gets the heart pumping, however. The researchers found that every minute per day of moderate-to-vigorous exercise was associated with an increase in the quality of a person’s diet, including eating more fruits and consuming fewer empty calories.

So why did prior studies find that TV viewing was a linked to a poorer diet? According to Shuval’s team, the effect may come not from sitting, but from exposure to ads for high-calorie foods, or the “distracted eating” that often comes with TV viewing.

However, they still believe that too much sitting is an independent risk factor for poor health and needs to be targeted in public health efforts to prevent chronic diseases.

One expert agreed. “Though the findings of this study did not find a significant relationship between sedentary time and diet quality, we certainly should not discount the importance of being physically active,” said Dana Angelo White, a sports dietitian and assistant clinical professor at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.

“There are so many Americans suffering from chronic diseases associated with obesity, the overall message should remain, move more and eat less,” White said.

Nancy Copperman directs public health initiatives at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Lake Success, N.Y. She called the study results “surprising,” but said that “being a couch potato doesn’t help improve the nutritional quality of the diet,” either.

“In the past two decades, our televisions have become slimmer and our population has become heavier,” Copperman said. “The real take-home message is that as physical activity [exercise] increased in the study, the diet became healthier with increased fruits and vegetables and decreased empty calories.”

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers a guide to physical activity.

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