Author: Richard C. Trotter

Have you ever talked to someone who seems to think the world is against them? No matter the situation, if there’s a negative outcome for them, they always claim it’s someone else’s fault. Maybe you feel like you’re running out of advice to give them because of their seemingly endless misfortunes. Knowing how to identify when someone is actually getting the short end of the stick versus playing the victim and how to stop this behavior in its tracks is essential for protecting your well-being. As it turns out, those who play the victim are often seeking sympathy or attention…

Let’s imagine for a moment that you’ve gone out for burgers and beer (or nachos and margs, if you’re like me) with friends and had a blast. You come home to chill, and a couple hours later, your stomach feels all sorts of out-of-whack. It’s not necessarily a “run to the bathroom” kind of feeling, but more like a bloated, burp-y feeling in your upper abdomen and chest. It’s likely you’re dealing with a case of indigestion—which is just another word for an upset stomach. It usually comes with symptoms like intense fullness or pain in your upper abdomen, a…

Whipping up a batch of cozy Sunday morning waffles typically entails tossing together your standard baking ingredients—flour, eggs, and milk to make a smooth and creamy batter. However, according to Caroline Margolis, RD, a registered dietitian at Lifeway Foods, you’re missing one key ingredient in the mix: kefir, which she says is the key to making waffles that are fluffier and more gut-friendly. To help us get started, Margolis was kind enough to share her scrumptious from-scratch berry kefir waffles recipe, saying that because it’s doctored up with microbiome-boosting kefir, your gut will reap both prebiotics and probiotics from this…

When it comes to strengthening your midsection, crunches and planks are considered the holy grail. However, these exercises target your muscles differently, and there are pros and cons to each. Here’s how to properly do both of these exercises, plus what you should consider when incorporating each into your routine. Crunches A traditional go-to for ab workouts, crunches contract your abdomen to effectively build muscle. “This exercise targets the abdominal muscles specifically, allowing for the development of a defined ‘six-pack’ through bodyweight resistance—which can be increased with weights,” says Stan Kravchenko, NASM-CPT, a personal trainer and founder of OneFit.com. How…

With the Well+Good SHOP, our editors put their years of know-how to work in order to pick products (from skin care to self care and beyond) they’re betting you’ll love. While our editors independently select these products, making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission. Happy shopping! Explore the SHOP Coming home after a long day of work only to have to tie on your apron and cook a nourishing meal can be a tall order, which is why we’re forever grateful for appliances like slow cookers. Just throw in your ingredients, set your device, and come…

I hated being pregnant. With endless food aversions, a heightened sense of smell that made everything and everyone stink, an unremitting metallic taste in my mouth, 24/7 nausea, and relentless acid reflux (just to name a few symptoms), I was living in a perpetual hell for close to nine months. While my pregnancy journey wasn’t what I’d hoped for, I set my sights on the birth, hoping it would be a redemptive experience. Don’t get me wrong, I knew birth could be unpredictable—I’d taken childbirth education classes and researched birth outcomes ad nauseam (I’m a health journalist, after all)—but still,…

Do you ever dig into a meal only to find your nose dripping like a leaky faucet within seconds? Truth be told, this happens to me on the regular… and not only when I chow down on yummy soups or stews and super spicy fare (or if my palate is in for a treat, both). Nevertheless, the term “gustatory rhinitis” has remained new to me—until, well, now-ish. Although it can be a bit embarrassing when I’m dining in public or in the company of others, I never thought too much about it. But lately, I’ve been pondering about the what…

With the Well+Good SHOP, our editors put their years of know-how to work in order to pick products (from skin care to self care and beyond) they’re betting you’ll love. While our editors independently select these products, making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission. Happy shopping! Explore the SHOP When you’re feeling burnt out, the effects are often written all over your face. Lack of sleep lowers your natural moisture levels and slows down cell turnover, and while “tired skin” isn’t a clinical term, it often means skin that looks  “dehydrated, dull, less than firm, or sun-damaged,”…

We live in a world with endless information available right at our fingertips. If there’s something we need to know, we can easily say “I’ll just Google it.” But when it comes to women’s sexual and reproductive health, would-be helpful images and videos are often labeled inappropriate or explicit, and blurred out for the sake of “protection.” This is especially true when it comes to content around conception, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. Navigating these stages can be extremely challenging, and a lack of clear, helpful, educational information makes it that much harder. That’s where Frida Uncensored is stepping in to transparently prepare…

The sumo squat is an excellent exercise for strengthening and toning your glutes and inner thighs, while also improving hip mobility. By slightly modifying the traditional squat, the sumo squat works your muscles in a unique way. Incorporating this squat variation into your workout routine can be seriously beneficial. This sumo squat got its name because it requires you to stand in a traditional sumo wrestler stance. “This variation differs from the traditional squat by adopting a wider stance with the feet turned outward,” says Joey Thurman, CPT, certified personal trainer, author, and founder of Fun Fitness Bros. “The sumo…