While a cool brisk morning might signal an exciting change in seasons, for older adults who suffer from arthritis it can also lead to painful joint stiffness and inflammation. Why does colder weather seem to amplify aches and pains?

Research suggests it’s actually the drop in atmospheric (barometric) pressure when inclement weather moves in, especially during the fall and winter, that worsens joint pain.

That change in pressure can stress vulnerable joints, even to a point where people with arthritis feel like they can predict rain and cold weather moving in simply by their sensation of pain. Sound familiar?

Don’t let fall and winter weather keep you from doing the activities you love. Check out these 6 top tips for preventing and managing arthritis pain in cold weather.

Wear Layers

Layers play an important role in helping you stay warm, especially when spending extended periods of time outdoors in cooler weather.

Tight, clingy clothing, however, can make it more difficult to move, particularly for folks with a limited range of motion due to joint tightness. Wearing loose layers of less breathable fabrics (not cotton) instead will help you retain body heat as well as move around and stay active.

Remember Gloves, Hats and Scarves

One of the most shocking things about hypothermia is that you don’t have to be in below freezing temperatures to experience it.

Prolonged exposure to cooler temperatures – combined with moisture – can cause your body to lose body heat fast, especially from extremities like the nose, toes and fingers.

Keep your body parts protected at all times by wearing warm gloves, thick socks, hats that cover your ears and scarves around your neck when you go outside in cold weather.

Wear Waterproof Shoes

Nothing exacerbates cold sensitivity quite like being cold and wet. Especially during winter weather conditions including ice, snow or freezing rain, it’s critical to wear waterproof shoes/boots to keep your feet dry and warm.

Cramped, painful, arthritic feet tend to inhibit your mobility and can increase the risk of experiencing a debilitating fall. If you are exercising outside, say on a fall hike or bike ride, make sure your sneakers offer water resistance to keep you from losing critical body heat through your feet.

Stick with Exercise

It might seem much more inviting to curl up by a warm fire with a good book than to don workout clothes and get your routine exercise in, but physical activity is even more important during the fall and winter months.

Heart-pounding exercise can help warm your body, loosen stiff joints and relieve muscle tension – all things which aid pain relief. Orthotic aids can help keep arthritis sufferers moving, like ankle braces or knee sleeves.

The best knee sleeves offer compression, stabilization and support, in addition to actively wicking away moisture. Find indoor activities to keep you busy during cold weather months, like yoga, strength training, swimming or walking on a treadmill.

Eat Warming Foods

Foods with thermogenic properties, or the ability to raise your body temperature, can be beneficial for fighting arthritis inflammation anytime, but seem even more apt in cold weather.

Ginger, turmeric and cayenne are commonly referred to spices for naturally combating arthritis inflammation, while other foods like citrus fruits (oranges and lemons) have been shown to exhibit vasodilation properties.

Relaxed and expanded blood vessels tend to let more blood flow through, increasing body temperature little by little.

Get a Massage

Wondering what to ask for Christmas this year? Consider dropping hints to your significant other about getting a massage!

The Arthritis Foundation shares that massage therapy can be powerfully effective when it comes to pain reduction. In addition to easing muscle tension, massage can make stiff joints more pliable, boost blood circulation, and even trigger serotonin release in the brain.

During winter, consider asking for heat applications with your massage including hot stones or warming lotions.

What type of weather seems to worsen your joint pain? What are some other things you do to combat arthritis pain during the fall and winter? Please join the conversation below!

The world can’t get enough of Tatcha and its skin-loving products. And by world, we mean celebs like Jennifer Aniston, Meghan Markle, and Drew Barrymore, among many others. But join the club (if you haven’t already), because Tatcha is going all out for us this Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Known for its celeb-loved skincare essentials, Tatcha is giving us the best gift we could ask for this Black Friday: a site-wide sale. Take 20% off everything you can find, and that even includes sets. As a bonus, you’ll get a free two-piece gift set with your order of $100 or more, or a four-piece gift set with your order of $200 or more. Just make sure you place your order between November 22 and December 1, which is plenty of time to come up with a game plan for tackling this beast of a sale. 

On the top of our shopping list is Jennifer Aniston‘s go-to lip essential, Tatcha’s Kissu Lip Mask, a deeply nourishing and hydrating product that is more than ideal for this chilly winter ahead. Other fans of the brand include Meghan Markle, who’s all about the gently exfoliating Rice Enzyme Powder. Debby Ryan, and Olivia Culpo have also shown their love for several of the brand’s other carefully-crafted skincare products. These include best-selling products you’ve probably already heard of, such as the super gentle Rice Wash cleanser or the Luminous Dewy Skin Mist. They have the purple packaging you could spot anywhere, and the skin-loving formulas to back them up.

RELATED: Jennifer Aniston Uses This Tatcha Lip Product To Get Her Plump Pout 

Tatcha’s offerings run the gamut, but we’ve done the dirty work of digging up the seven best and most popular products you’ll want to take home with you this Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Having any amount of self discipline won’t be easy, so we suggest going all in. You won’t have any regrets, though, because your skin will be looking absolutely flawless.

Courtesy of Tatcha.

The Kissu Lip Mask

Jennifer Aniston is goals in every way, so when we find out that she keeps her lips full and hydrated with Tatcha’s lip mask, we buy it immediately. And you should, too, because the leave-on jelly formula taps on Japanese peach extract to give you a plumper pout. There’s also a limited-edition version that has adorable packaging and a subtle tint. 

Courtesy of Tatcha.

The Rice Polish

Mix this foaming enzyme powder with water, and voila, you have the Meghan Markle-approved Rice Polish. This exfoliator helps with evening out texture, getting rid of dullness, and reducing the appearance of pores. But it doesn’t harm your skin barrier or leave you with dry, stripped, irritated skin. 

Courtesy of Tatcha.

The Dewy Skin Cream

When we think of Tatcha, we think of a lit from within, glowing complexion. The Dewy Skin Cream can help you get there, since it’s enriched with antioxidants like Japanese purple rice. The formula is ideal for dry to mature skin, but can also be used on combination skin.

Courtesy of Tatcha.

Luminous Dewy Skin Mist 

You’ll want this illuminating and refreshing skin mist on hand all winter long (well, all year long, too). Celebs such as Kathy Hilton and Kyle Richards spritz this fast-absorbing spray-on moisturizer to achieve the perfect glow. 

Courtesy of Tatcha.

The Camellia Cleansing Oil

If you’re like us and prefer multifunctional beauty products that save time and money, then you’ll appreciate The Camellia Cleansing Oil. It’s both a makeup remover and a cleanser that relies on camellia oil. This ingredient truly packs a punch in that it gently melts away the day’s makeup and oil, and also moisturizes your skin to silky smooth levels. 

Courtesy of Tatcha.

Dewy + Plumping Set

Anyone on your holiday shopping list will be lucky to get the stunning Dewy + Plumping Set from you. It includes three of Tatcha’s bestsellers, including The Rice Wash, The Dewy Serum, and The Dewy Skin Cream. The reusable cloth gift wrap is the chicest packaging we’ve seen, and your gift purchase also helps underserved children.

Courtesy of Tatcha.

The Rice Wash

In case you didn’t know, the milky water leftover from cooking rice is filled to the brim with nutrients that are great for your skin. Together, they moisturize, soften, and brighten, which are three things we could definitely use more of. The Rice Wash incorporates rice powder, along with a replenishing Okinawa algae blend and hydrating hyaluronic acid. 

When I first heard Kate Beckinsale was going to be a face of a skincare brand that uses blue scorpion venom in its products, I was intrigued and also a little freaked out. But take one look at Beckinsale’s background — and her social media — and you know she 1) wouldn’t hurt an animal and 2) doesn’t partner with many beauty brands. So, for Beckinsale to work with MRVL Skincare, there had to be something to it. It turns out, there is and the story of how this skincare came to be is pretty fascinating. As is Beckinsale’s thoughts on why people are so concerned about women asserting their intelligence.

First, let’s get to the beauty products. MRVL Skincare was founded by entrepreneur Rick Langley who is also the founder of the world’s largest Blue Scorpion farm. These types of scorpions don’t have dangerous venom, so there are no concerns there. Langley developed what he calls Blue Scorpion Peptide (BSP) that he promises helps to stimulate natural collagen production, fight free radicals, help regenerate symptoms of damaged skin and smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The first batch of products is out today on the brand’s website.

I sat down with Beckinsale to find out her must-have items in the line and how she really feels about all that IQ backlash.

How She Got Involved With MRVL Skincare

Beckinsale was happy to become a spokesperson for MRVL Skincare because, well, the products just worked for her, something she says is most important when she’s going to be supporting a brand. “They sent me some of them, and they were such nice products and I really liked what they did to my skin,” she says. And when we learned the photoshoot was going to be in Turks and Caicos with dogs, the animal-rights activist was all in.

Of course, she made sure the Blue Scorpions aren’t hurt when “milked” for their venom, something I asked Langley as well. “I don’t want that to be involved with something that’s not kind,” she says. “But then also once I met them, I’m like, these last people to hurt an animal.” In fact, it was that Langley is also an animal-lover that attracted Beckinsale to the project.

Her Must-Have Products

Beckinsale likes to keep her routine pretty simple with an oil cleanser to remove makeup. As of late, she’s adding in her favorite MRVL Skincare products, too. “I really am a massive fan of the retinol cream particularly,” she says of the Retinol Repair Night Cream that contains combines retinol with the BSP. She uses it a few times a week but applies the Super Rich Eye Cream every day. When her skin is feeling dry and sensitive, she incorporates the calming, rich Arnica Recovery Cream.

MRVL Skincare.

How Her Cats Feel About Dressing Up

Switching gears, I have to ask Beckinsale about the cats on her Instagram always dressed up in the type of outfits my own cat would murder me for putting on her. Her cats are incredibly chill about it. “Well, Clive, the older one is 17. He actually really enjoys an outfit and he’s got certain things he just likes,” she says. “He loves tule and he loves ribbon and he’s really predictable. We adopted Willow from somebody else who couldn’t take care of her. She was kind of skittish and not the sort of cat that’s wanting to wear a pair of pajamas. But actually the longer she’s been with us, she’s like, I guess that’s how it is around here.”

Source: Instagram

Why She Thinks People Have Trouble With Intelligent Women

This past October, Beckinsale was a guest on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show, when the host pressed her for her IQ. She called her mother to find out and revealed it to be 152, which is considered to be “highly gifted.” She told Stern that having a high IQ wasn’t “helpful” to her in Hollywood, saying, “I just think it might be a handicap, actually.” This led to numerous headlines criticizing the actor for “bragging” about her intelligence.

“If I was bragging, I would have said it earlier than this,” she tells me. “This would be a thing that I would have mentioned. It’s not something I think about, it’s not something I think is a particularly good marker of intelligence. Actually, I don’t think it’s that relevant.” She says she was just asked so she answered the question. “I think women if you say ‘I’m intelligent,’ or ‘I’m anything,’ frankly, it’s immediately bragging even it’s just a fact,” she continues.

Beckinsale took to her Instagram to express her frustration with the response. She sites studies that show girls often “play dumb” with boys to appear more feminine. Growing up in an all-girls school, Beckinsale didn’t have this experience. She might not have felt confident physically but she knew she was smart — and wasn’t taught to hide it. “I did not grow up feeling particularly confident about what I looked like,” she says. “I was very short and my feet grew to this same size they are now. I wasn’t one of these kids that had an amazing middle school time. That still doesn’t feel like my big strength. But I’ve never ever had to feel like I’m not smart.”

Source: Instagram

How She Feels About the Backlash

“Once I started thinking about it after this whole thing came up, finding all these articles about women dumbing themselves down and women, especially on dates, dumbing themselves down and thinking ‘God, this was just sorry,’” she says. “This says more about men actually, you know. But having said that, a lot of the people who jumped on me were women. I think people, in general, don’t like a woman to take up too much space. I don’t agree with that.”

We talk about how things women like are often seen as silly or frivolous as if being into skincare or cats has anything to do with how smart you are. (It doesn’t.) “I tend to throw a cat [into photos] just to make it more fun,” she says. “And people will go ‘oh, well, this really shows your IQ.’  No, because if you’re smart, you don’t have to be going on about it all the time. You can put a fedora on a cat and still be smart.”

Amen.

It’s rare that you have time to reflect on your life.

Self-reflection is considered a luxury these days instead of a necessity. You rush from pillar to post and the minutes tick by until the end of the day when you literally fall into bed, into a stupor of dreams or no sleep at all because the mind chatter won’t stop spinning.

It’s time to get out of your stupor! Celebrate life instead of slogging through muddy waters.

If you want to measure how your life is going, first slow down the endless, mindless mental chatter. Take 10 minutes a day to decrease the incessant conversations you have with yourself. There’s no best friend in your head. It’s just you! And you are the only one who can measure your life in all its awesomeness.

Here are 10 ways to measure your awesome life.

Are You Making Your Life More Complicated Than It Needs to Be?

Are you collecting people, places and things that get in the way of making clear intentions? Living light eliminates the superfluous and reframes mindsets that reflect purpose. Simplicity is the new luxury.

How Good Is Your Ability to Say NO?

Do you say yes to people, places and things because it’s easier, requires little thought or no effort? Crucial to being responsive to your amazing self is your ability to discern and reflect about what adds value to your life. NO is a powerful word when used appropriately because it is a cogent measure of how you establish boundaries and belief systems that add value to your life.

Are You Going About the Business of Being You Every Day?

Or do you bend to the reflections of people around you, taking on their opinions and observations as if they might be your own but are not compatible with your perceptions, values or beliefs? Be wise and don’t let anyone else influence you or tell you who you are. You are unique unto yourself.

Are You Stretching Your Mind Daily?

Are you being mindful about how your brain functions? Do you know your brain has the element of plasticity and therefore can grow? We lose thousands of neurons a day so we have to work hard to replenish them. It’s like running a marathon to keep your brain functioning, but it’s worth the run because if you grow your mind, you definitely grow your life.

Do You Make Good Choices?

I mean here conscious choices and not the mindless kind, the happenstance decisions that come and go like the wind. The more mindful decisions you make, the better your life gets. The more freedom you have to be your authentic self, the more effective you are in facing challenges that cross your path daily. Being able to make good choices in life is a gift, a blessing because you and you alone get to figure it out. The best things in life are free.

Do You Start the Day Thinking About You?

Do you feel grateful and happy about being you? Think of your life is as a giant goodie basket that contains everything you are as an individual. You are a gold mine of thoughts, emotions, passions, dreams and virtues. Everything that’s happened to you – every joy or struggle – is in this basket. Everything you are is the ultimate measurement of your day.

Do You Experience the Joy of Achievement?

Do you know that your work is a winning accomplishment in and of itself?

The truth is that no one has to tell you that you have achieved something wonderful during the day. Your internal insightful value gives you all the information you need about how amazing you are. Simply be responsive to your amazing self.

Do You Begin Your Day with the Attitude of Success?

Or do you wait until the end of the day to find it? If you start the day with clarity and intention to do the most important work, success surrounds you. It’s the main ingredient of how you measure your life.

Do You Have Passion in Your Life?

Are you excited about a person, place or thing that will add value to your life and create opportunities for learning and growth? Passion makes life worth getting up for. Every day is an opportunity to find passion and experience joy.

Do You Keep an Open Heart During the Day?

Does your heart reflect a generosity of spirit and a sense of encouragement and inspiration for others? An open heart will give you a measure of how you are managing your expectations and how your mindsets can be changed to reflect more positive perceptions, peace, joy and fulfillment.

Measuring your life with a practice of self-reflection is a very powerful way to enhance personal and professional development and increase individual fulfillment. It’s time to take 10 minutes a day and celebrate your awesome life.

What do you do every day to measure your life? Are you stretching your mind every day? What do you have passion for in your life? Please join the conversation.

When I first heard Kate Beckinsale was going to be a face of a skincare brand that uses blue scorpion venom in its products, I was intrigued and also a little freaked out. But take one look at Beckinsale’s background — and her social media — and you know she 1) wouldn’t hurt an animal and 2) doesn’t partner with many beauty brands. So, for Beckinsale to work with MRVL Skincare, there had to be something to it. It turns out, there is and the story of how this skincare came to be is pretty fascinating. As is Beckinsale’s thoughts on why people are so concerned about women asserting their intelligence.

First, let’s get to the beauty products. MRVL Skincare was founded by entrepreneur Rick Langley who is also the founder of the world’s largest Blue Scorpion farm. These types of scorpions don’t have dangerous venom, so there are no concerns there. Langley developed what he calls Blue Scorpion Peptide (BSP) that he promises helps to stimulate natural collagen production, fight free radicals, help regenerate symptoms of damaged skin and smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The first batch of products is out today on the brand’s website.

I sat down with Beckinsale to find out her must-have items in the line and how she really feels about all that IQ backlash.

How She Got Involved With MRVL Skincare

Beckinsale was happy to become a spokesperson for MRVL Skincare because, well, the products just worked for her, something she says is most important when she’s going to be supporting a brand. “They sent me some of them, and they were such nice products and I really liked what they did to my skin,” she says. And when we learned the photoshoot was going to be in Turks and Caicos with dogs, the animal-rights activist was all in.

Of course, she made sure the Blue Scorpions aren’t hurt when “milked” for their venom, something I asked Langley as well. “I don’t want that to be involved with something that’s not kind,” she says. “But then also once I met them, I’m like, these last people to hurt an animal.” In fact, it was that Langley is also an animal-lover that attracted Beckinsale to the project.

Her Must-Have Products

Beckinsale likes to keep her routine pretty simple with an oil cleanser to remove makeup. As of late, she’s adding in her favorite MRVL Skincare products, too. “I really am a massive fan of the retinol cream particularly,” she says of the Retinol Repair Night Cream that contains combines retinol with the BSP. She uses it a few times a week but applies the Super Rich Eye Cream every day. When her skin is feeling dry and sensitive, she incorporates the calming, rich Arnica Recovery Cream.

MRVL Skincare.

How Her Cats Feel About Dressing Up

Switching gears, I have to ask Beckinsale about the cats on her Instagram always dressed up in the type of outfits my own cat would murder me for putting on her. Her cats are incredibly chill about it. “Well, Clive, the older one is 17. He actually really enjoys an outfit and he’s got certain things he just likes,” she says. “He loves tule and he loves ribbon and he’s really predictable. We adopted Willow from somebody else who couldn’t take care of her. She was kind of skittish and not the sort of cat that’s wanting to wear a pair of pajamas. But actually the longer she’s been with us, she’s like, I guess that’s how it is around here.”

Source: Instagram

Why She Thinks People Have Trouble With Intelligent Women

This past October, Beckinsale was a guest on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show, when the host pressed her for her IQ. She called her mother to find out and revealed it to be 152, which is considered to be “highly gifted.” She told Stern that having a high IQ wasn’t “helpful” to her in Hollywood, saying, “I just think it might be a handicap, actually.” This led to numerous headlines criticizing the actor for “bragging” about her intelligence.

“If I was bragging, I would have said it earlier than this,” she tells me. “This would be a thing that I would have mentioned. It’s not something I think about, it’s not something I think is a particularly good marker of intelligence. Actually, I don’t think it’s that relevant.” She says she was just asked so she answered the question. “I think women if you say ‘I’m intelligent,’ or ‘I’m anything,’ frankly, it’s immediately bragging even it’s just a fact,” she continues.

Beckinsale took to her Instagram to express her frustration with the response. She sites studies that show girls often “play dumb” with boys to appear more feminine. Growing up in an all-girls school, Beckinsale didn’t have this experience. She might not have felt confident physically but she knew she was smart — and wasn’t taught to hide it. “I did not grow up feeling particularly confident about what I looked like,” she says. “I was very short and my feet grew to this same size they are now. I wasn’t one of these kids that had an amazing middle school time. That still doesn’t feel like my big strength. But I’ve never ever had to feel like I’m not smart.”

Source: Instagram

How She Feels About the Backlash

“Once I started thinking about it after this whole thing came up, finding all these articles about women dumbing themselves down and women, especially on dates, dumbing themselves down and thinking ‘God, this was just sorry,’” she says. “This says more about men actually, you know. But having said that, a lot of the people who jumped on me were women. I think people, in general, don’t like a woman to take up too much space. I don’t agree with that.”

We talk about how things women like are often seen as silly or frivolous as if being into skincare or cats has anything to do with how smart you are. (It doesn’t.) “I tend to throw a cat [into photos] just to make it more fun,” she says. “And people will go ‘oh, well, this really shows your IQ.’  No, because if you’re smart, you don’t have to be going on about it all the time. You can put a fedora on a cat and still be smart.”

Amen.