Women's Health November 2020

@lizplosser For the past couple of years, I’ve curated playlists for my morning commute between my home in Brooklyn and my Manhattan office. (Or these days, as the WH team logs in remotely, from my bedroom to the kitchen counter.) Some days, I need the audio version of a big mug of coffee: fast tempo, toe-tapping beats accompanied by head-bopping, lip-syncing lyrics. Try feeling anything other than “LET’S GOOOO!” when you DJ your morning subway ride with some girl-band action. But other days, I want to take my heart-racing, high-adrenaline vibes down a notch. Maybe I’m hyped up over a meeting or a drama at school drop-off or just, you know, life! Nothing like some lovesick duets, moody ballads, or even a little angsty Bon Iver to chill me out…

Thefeelingyouget… Wynnm My current fave background music for writing and editing: a tiny bit sad, and oh so pretty. Light of Love Florence + the Machine Whether running at dawn or pumping myself up for a prez, this hits home. Powerful and raw. Beige Yoke Lore “I want you in the morning, before you go performing…” he sings. Ugh, love. Also! Last concert I went to pre-pandemic. Yoga Janelle Monáe + Jidenna There are some seriously sexy vibes happening with this one. Ideal for before a night out. (Remember those?!) Don’t Wanna HAIM This sister trio—who deliver the ultimate dance bops—have long been a playlist staple.…

CARDIOLOGY Jennifer H. Mieres, MD Professor of cardiology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell; senior vice president, Center for Equity of Care, Northwell Health DERMATOLOGY Mona Gohara, MD Associate clinical professor, department of dermatology, Yale School of Medicine Ellen Marmur, MD Founder, Marmur Medical Joshua Zeichner, MD Director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City FERTILITY Sheeva Talebian, MD Fertility specialist and reproductive endocrinologist, CCRM New York FITNESS Ben Bruno, CFSC Certified functional strength coach and private trainer Betina Gozo, CFSC Certified functional strength coach; NASM corrective exercise specialist; Nike master trainer; creator of Women’s Health Woman’s Guide to Strength Training Sohee Lee, MS, CSCS Evidence-based fitness coach and certified sports nutritionist; author of Eat. Lift. Thrive. Stacy T. Sims, PhD Exercise…

I used to see voting as a task on my civic to-do list—an outward-facing action and a means of choosing officials. Any effects on me would come with policies enacted later, I figured. But while reporting my book, I had a lightbulb moment: The act of voting makes you feel things. Effective get-out-the-vote campaigns appeal to our desire for praise and self-worth. I realized that if we gave voting its proper mind-body due, more people would actually vote. Voting, by its very nature, is empowering. It enables you to claim one of the most important rights you have and feel confident about asserting control over your future. And connecting with your community and caring for others—something you do simply by casting a ballot, FYI—are tried-and-true ways of improving mental health.…

1 Triple-check your registration. Peep your voter status a month before, a week before, and the morning of Election Day to make sure you’re ready. It’s super simple at vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote. 2 Bring a photo ID. Even if your state doesn’t require identification, experts say to keep yours on hand (if you have one) just in case. 3 Pack your patience. The pressure is real on poll workers this year. If something’s wrong with your registration, be as kind as possible when asking them to call the front office to figure it out. 4 Know your provisional-ballot rights. These ballots (available in most states) ensure you’re not excluded from voting due to any number of errors with your registration. After casting yours, ask the poll workers for info on how to…

IN JUNE 2020, the Georgia primary election became synonymous with “voter suppression” due to reports of hours-long lines and absentee ballots that went MIA. But the meaning behind the headlines—and the toll it can take on people just trying to go about their lives (already amid a pandemic)—can be hard to wrap your head around if you’ve never experienced voter suppression yourself. “People don’t realize how many little pieces make up the voting process,” says Myrna Pérez, director of voting rights and elections at the Brennan Center for Justice. “There’s a lot resting on very few things going wrong.” For example, all it takes is a few strokes of a computer keyboard to purge thousands from voter rolls—and you won’t even know it happened until Election Day. Um, yikes! But…