5 Stretches to Do With a Partner

True story: They’re better with a partner…

Stretching is an everyday, all day movement: You do it when you get out of bed in the morning, when you take a break from sitting at your desk, and as you cool down in your barre class. Stretching wakes up your muscles and relieves body aches and tension throughout your body. It also helps prevent joint pain, muscle strain, and muscle damage. You can do it literally anywhere (airports, the subway, standing in line for a coffee—yep!) because it requires zero equipment. 

RELATED: The Best Post-Workout Stretches

Stretching with a partner is a great way to go deeper than doing it solo. Besides improving your flexibility and range of motion, stretching with a buddy can help motivate you through a circuit and make even the most boring post-workout stretches more fun. Our advice? Stretch as far as is comfortable for you and have your partner hold the stretch as you resist for several seconds. Relax and repeat.

RELATED: 10 Yoga Poses to Do with a Partner

In the video above, Jeff Brannigan from Stretch*d showed our editor Arielle five stretches—from “chest openers” to “hello hammies”—that are a perfect cooldown for you and your gym bestie after any sweat sesh.

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How to Exercise When You Have Peripheral Artery Disease

While peripheral artery disease (PAD) can make walking or any other type of exercise painful, exercise is actually one of the most beneficial things that you can do to reduce the pain caused by PAD.

PAD is the result of atherosclerosis, a narrowing and hardening of the arteries caused by excess LDL cholesterol (known as “bad cholesterol”) in the bloodstream. Doctors urge people with PAD or other health problems due to atherosclerosis to adopt a diet low in fat (especially saturated fat) and refined carbohydrates. Many atherosclerosis patients also take statins to lower their cholesterol and beta-blockers or other drugs to lower their blood pressure.

Exercise is a key component of any atherosclerosis treatment. Physical activity has been shown to boost HDL (known as “good cholesterol”) and lower LDL, which contributes to atherosclerosis.

Those with PAD may need a supervised exercise program, but exercise (and quitting smoking) can be extremely beneficial. PAD prevents muscles from getting enough oxygen-rich blood, which can cause pain.

The following information from our A-Z Health Library can help you determine if you should talk to your doctor about PAD.
 

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Iskra Posted a Photo Eating a Hamburger in Her Underwear

Let’s be honest, if you don’t give in to the urge to indulge sometimes, you’re not really living—a motto Iskra Lawrence clearly agrees with. The model and body-positivity advocate recently posted a photo of herself enjoying a burger in the backseat of a car in her bra and underwear. Hey, if you don’t say yes to yourself, who’s going to do it for you?

In the caption, the 28-year-old said she gets seriously excited when digging into a burger (uh, who doesn’t?). Another thing she’s “buzzing” about: her recent appearance on Jenna Kutcher’s Goal Digger Podcast.

“Hopefully me opening up and sharing all about my journey to this point–career, confidence, and trying to live my best life (may involve half naked  eating sessions)–may inspire you,” she wrote of the episode.

RELATED: Iskra Lawrence Just Posted the Same Photo Before and After FaceTune: ‘The Real You Is Good Enough’

The podcast is titled “Why ‘No’ Isn’t a Negative Word” and takes an inside look at how Lawrence turned rejection at the beginning of her career into motivation to find new ways to make her dreams come true.

As a teenager trying to make it as a model, Lawrence was told she was “too big” for traditional modeling and “too small” for plus-size. “Part of you just wants to give it all up, part of you is just like, ‘Well, I’m never going to be good enough. I’m never going to fit this ideal. Should I just stop this?’” she says in the podcast.

But instead of backing down, Lawrence saw her experience as an opportunity to pave the way for women of all shapes and sizes to have a place in the modeling industry.

RELATED: Iskra Lawrence’s Top 5 Moves for Strong, Toned Legs

Her success stemmed from an ability to view rejection as just another part of the journey, rather than the end of it. “That ‘no’ for me is just a ‘not right now’ or a ‘let’s get more creative, let’s sit down, and let me brainstorm how I can go there and really convince them,’” she says.

She also had to learn how to have faith in herself and be her own biggest advocate. “It’s too easy to let a ‘no’ stop you. Don’t be that person. You are resilient. You are strong. There is so much that you are capable of.”

Now, Lawrence is one of the faces of the Photoshop-free #AerieREAL campaign and is represented by some of the top agencies in the world. She actively spreads the story of how grueling her road to success was to show others that dreams don’t come true overnight, and anything is possible if you put your mind to it. 

“Life is yours and you have the power to make it what you dream of,” Lawrence wrote in her caption. Just remember, all of the times you’ve heard “no” will only make it that much sweeter when you finally hear “yes.”

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Is It Bad to Work Out in Your Makeup?

Scrolling through our social media feeds, it’s not surprising to see our female BFFs and fitness influencers posting workout selfies while—yep—wearing makeup. We understand wanting to hide a daunting pimple or two, but going for a run or hitting the gym in a full face of makeup doesn’t seem like the greatest idea for your skin. After all, can a layer of product really allow your skin to breathe as you sweat through your favorite class?

But,what if you work out on your lunch break (we applaud you) and don’t want to remove your makeup just to reapply it an hour later? Is it that bad? Well, our experts really, really want you to think twice. Here, dermatologists explain why exercising in makeup is a huge no-no. 

Exercising causes blood vessels to expand, increases blood flow to the skin, and opens pores. Sweat and bacteria get trapped under layers of makeup, preventing the skin from dissipating heat properly and leaving it prone to pore-occlusion (or becoming majorly clogged!), explains New York-based dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD. “The trapping of bacteria and sweat in the (now dilated) pores can enlarge pores over time and cause blackheads, while the trapping of heat can flare temperature-sensitive conditions such as rosacea, ultimately causing redness and uneven skin tone,” Dr. Nazarian adds. Bottom line: makeup covers up our sweat glands, which can clog pores and lead to acne or irritation, which is just so not worth it. 

Although the goal is not to exercise in makeup, sometimes we are crunched for time or simply forget to take off our foundation before spin class (hey, it happens). For situations like this, it’s important to keep in mind that not all makeup is created equal. Dr. Nazarian tells us that if you have no choice or time to remove and reapply makeup when squeezing in a quick lunch workout, use makeup labeled as “non-comedogenic” (won’t clog pores) and stick to lighter powders as opposed to heavy oil-based liquid makeups. And if you do wear makeup during a run or class, be sure to wash your face immediately after with a gentle cleanser like unscented Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash ($6; amazon.com) or Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser ($14 for 3; amazon.com), Dr. Nazarian suggests. We also like these Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Clothes ($17 for 3 packs of 25; amazon.com), which are perfect for stashing in your gym bag to make the process even easier.

If you do have to wear makeup to the gym, keep your movements light so you won’t be dripping in sweat. But if you’re religiously wearing makeup during your workouts to conceal pesky breakouts or uneven skin, try switching over to a tinted moisturizer or a CC or BB cream, since they are usually very light, says Debra Jaliman, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist. “Tinted products can add that hint of color and give you that glowy look without the use of makeup,” she says. For those who want to cover up acne or blemishes they’re insecure about, Dr. Jaliman suggests dabbing on a small amount of spot concealer instead of a heavy foundation.

At the end of the day, dermatologists agree that the best thing you can do for your skin is to completely remove makeup pre-workout. All. Of. It. Even seemingly minor threats like your perfectly winged eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick need to be wiped clean. “They’re likely to smear and smudge during a vigorous workout, and can clog delicate pores around the eyes and mouth, leading to styes of the eyelids and blackheads around the lips,” says Dr. Nazarian. 

Want to break the dirty habit of sweating it out in a full face of makeup? We’ve got a couple of hero products that make cleansing on-the-go way more manageable. Our beauty editor loves Sweat Skin-Balancing Cleansing Towelettes ($18; anthropologie.com), which contain ingredients like coconut water and green tea to help quickly refresh and revitalize your skin pre- and post-workout. Plus, they’re individually packaged, so you can just throw one in your bag and forget lugging around an entire drugstore of products. St. Ives Glow Apricot & Manuka Honey Cleansing Stick ($8; amazon.com) is another easy and portable option—just dampen skin, massage  face in circular motions with the stick, and rinse. You’ll never worry about spillage or a sticky situation in your gym bag.

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Anna Victoria Started Posting ‘Honest’ Photos of Her Body on Instagram for ‘Transparency’