“Power peeing” is not a flex

After my 11-year-old daughter received two copies of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. for her birthday recently, we decided to read them together. The conversations that followed were exactly what we needed to unwind after multiple weekends packed with end-of-year events. 

It sparked an idea… and a chat with our Skimm+ community about books that've changed the way we engage with the world. Here are some recommendations to add to your stack.

• Immersive reading offers real cognitive benefits to anyone who likes to listen and read a book at the same time. One good pick? Glynnis MacNicol's No One Tells You This. Kylie McConville, our VP of editorial, "thinks about it once a day." It's about turning 40 without a partner or kids, and it unfolds like a conversation with your smartest friend over a long dinner. 

• Sometimes, the best type of bibliotherapy is a peek into, well, actual therapy. It's why Skimm+ member Alia loves Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. "The character arcs and the power of talk therapy inspire me,” she says. 

• Reading poetry can calm our bodies, and Skimm HQer Marisa Iallanardo recommends Kate Baer's What Kind of Woman for just this purpose. "The way she talks about womanhood, friendship, marriage, and motherhood is both unique and universal, comforting and empowering,” she says.  

• As for me, I reach for childhood favorites since nostalgia can spark joy. More into memoir? Find one that matches your star sign. Or skip the guesswork and join us next month for our Off the Page book club — it’s a good one. 

— Anna "Sun in Memoir, Rising in Literary Fiction" Davies, writer

This common evening habit could shrink your brain. And nope, it’s not falling asleep on the couch in front of Love Island.

We’re all about nervous system regulation, but a “vagal nerve stimulator” sounds like a bachelorette party present… It’s not. And doctors are definitely skeptical.  

One of our favorite forms of entertainment could be as good for us as exercise — and doesn't require lacing up our sneakers. 

Psychologists identified a handful of telltale signs that your cognitive load is too heavy. We’re scratching our heads at number two. 

A vaginal wellness boom has led to some absurd marketing claims. For once, health awareness without hype, please.

Your gut has a shopping list. Chances are, you’re still not eating enough of these foods. 

If you ever pee a little when you sneeze or laugh (or do both at the same time) — Katherine Heigl calls it the “giggle dribble” — you’ve experienced stress urinary incontinence. While it’s incredibly common, it can also signal an issue with your pelvic floor.

Tell me more: Think of your pelvic floor as the "hammock" of muscles that hold up the organs in your pelvis, including the vagina, bladder, and rectum. If it’s stretched too tight, you might experience constipation, painful sex, or feel like you can’t fully empty your bladder. Too loose, and you might leak when you sneeze, cough, run, or lift. And in some cases, a dysfunctional pelvic floor can lead to pelvic organ prolapse, which is when one or more pelvic organs drop down and press into (or out of) the vaginal canal. 

Aren’t pelvic floor problems mostly postpartum issues? No. Pregnancy, menopause, chronic constipation, weight training, high-impact sports, obesity, and aging are all risk factors. One review found a quarter of high school and college athletes report stress incontinence despite no history of pregnancy. 

OK… I’ll do more Kegels. Like any muscle, your pelvic floor needs to be able to both contract and stretch. Kegels are an exercise (one many people do incorrectly) that only trains the pelvic floor to flex. If it’s already too tight (hypertonic), more Kegels can actually make pelvic floor problems worse. 

How do I know if I have a problem? Besides accidental leaks, frequent UTIs, back pain, constipation, painful sex, and your vagina feeling "full," these are other signs something is off. 

For Your Sanity:

• Rethink your bathroom routine. Time to retire that “power pee-r” title. The urge to push and strain (for both numbers one and two) can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction. 

• Don't wait for it to get "bad enough." Just because leaks are common doesn't mean they're something you have to live with. Pelvic floor dysfunction won't go away on its own, and may become worse if it goes untreated. 

• Talk about it. Pelvic health still doesn’t come up enough at OB-GYN visits, but pelvic floor physical therapy is a real, evidence-based specialty that can include manual therapy, biofeedback, breath work, and targeted muscle training. Some women may also need additional treatment, such as surgery. 

We caught up with Oscar winning actress, Laura Dern, who's partnered with Beyond the Scars, an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) awareness campaign, to honor her late mother, actress Diane Ladd. Here, she explains how her mom being diagnosed with IPF (a progressive lung disease that scars the lungs and gradually makes it harder to breathe) helped her learn how to truly make herself heard at the doctor’s office.

On being your own advocate:

"I was raised by a forthright self-advocating mother. But [even though she] taught me how to do that, I would feel embarrassed. I'd be like, ‘I don't want to be rude.’ I started out almost apologizing to an unempathetic specialist. And my mother was like, 'No way. We're not apologizing. He didn't give us any answers. We're not leaving this office until we get answers. And if he won't give them to us…we're getting a second opinion.' She really taught me that fighting for your own answers, your own health, and your own livelihood is a birthright."

Read the whole interview here.

Every cookout has its main characters. But burgers and hot dogs deserve a supporting cast of sides that do more than take up space on the table. Bring some added dimension to your barbecue this weekend with unexpected ingredients that’ll keep your belly happy (and get a round of applause from your guests). 

The reliable best friend: Grilled tofu

Because a sad bean burger doesn’t say “celebration.” Grilling tofu adds a smoky flavor that locks in seasoning. This recipe even gets thumbs up from carnivores.

The scene stealer: Grilled avocado

Avocado? Always good. But throw it on the grill, and it’ll make anything on your plate taste even better.

The reluctant hero: Frozen pizza

It’s an unexpected addition, but frozen pizza can save a barbecue from feeling too basic. Plus, the grill makes the cheese extra bubbly. 

The enemy turned lover: Lettuce

Leafy greens don’t typically do it for us at a cookout — too bland. But a little olive oil and char completely transforms the way we feel about romaine. Add parmesan or your favorite spices to complete the redemption arc.

PS: Here are 29 things you (probably) didn’t know you could grill. Number eight is on the MDW menu for sure.

What's going on: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) just got a long-overdue rebrand. Following a landmark study published last week in The Lancet, experts announced it’ll now be called — drumroll please — polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). It only took 14 years of patient-driven advocacy efforts. The new name better reflects not just the reproductive aspects of the condition, but also the metabolic and heart-related ones, including insulin resistance, diabetes risk, and cardiovascular disease. The term “polycystic” in particular has long contributed to delayed diagnoses and inadequate care, since most patients don’t actually have any ovarian cysts. (Show us a misnomer like that in men’s health. We’ll wait.)

The impact: Roughly one in eight women has PMOS. But for years, doctors largely viewed infertility as the defining symptom (even though many women with PMOS can get pregnant), while overlooking metabolic issues like weight gain, depression, and early type 2 diabetes — all of which could “potentially shorten patients’ lives significantly” if missed. That’s what Melanie Cree, MD, PhD, one of the authors of The Lancet study, told theSkimm. She also said: “Having a name focused on reproductive health was really missing what more than half of women with PMOS experience.” Cree says she hopes the new name is the first of many steps toward better treatment and diagnosis. She also hopes it empowers patients to ask for more than the bare minimum: a cardio-metabolic disease screening every three years.  

PS: Every weekday, the Daily Skimm breaks down the headlines that impact your world. Get our unique take on what's going on — and what it means for you. Sign up here.

Exercise trampolines, AKA rebounders, bring the chaotic energy of backyard playdates into your home gym or living room. Not only are they fun, they offer a total-body challenge (you can find loads of online workouts), and they’re easy to stow away when you’re done bouncing around. Here are some of the best ones to try:

Here’s the full list of the best exercise trampolines, according to experts.

Have a question, comment, or just want to be friends? Reach out to us at well@theskimm.com

Written by Anna Davies and Molly Longman. Edited by Jordan Galloway and Kylie McConville.
Fact-checked by Barbara Kean and Sara Tardiff.