< PreviousHave you noticed how some dudes have a little extra swagger? Women can project a similarly confi dent vibe. It’s just about the energy that comes with being happy and totally self-assured. And when you’re single, that can be insanely magnetic. Like a taxi cab with its light on, this silent signal announces to the world that you’re cool just cruising around on your own but also available. Well, Cosmo is putting a name to that powerful allure: single- babe energy (SBE for short). Emitting SBE can cause a noticeable shift in your dating life. Suddenly, you may get more compliments and be asked out often. Who doesn’t want that? We sought out an array of “energy experts”– from psychologists to body- language pros and more – to suss out what SBE means to them and how you can emanate it. How to get the super cool extra swag. Get vibing, girl! Channel Single-Babe Energy! BY CANDICE JALILI 80 | APRIL 2019 Are you following us on Instagram? @CosmoMiddleEast LOVE | GIRL TALKTHE SENSORY EXPERT “Letting your pheromones be your fragrance.” Channel It: Go perfume- free. Your natural scent conveys key clues to your lifestyle, says Tega Brain, founder of Smell Dating. And according to an OKCupid survey, 81 per cent of singles find a partner’s smell important. THE PSYCHOLOGIST “Realising you deserve your own happiness.” Channel It: When making everyday decisions, embrace your own know-how and go with your gut. This tells those around you that you don’t need external validation, which can be alluring, says Jenny Taitz, PsyD, author of How to be Single and Happy. THE BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT “Making people feel important.” Channel It: When you’re interested in someone, use physical cues to signal that you’d like to connect with them on a deeper level, says Traci Brown, author of Persuasion Point. Think: a light touch at the right moment or mirroring their gestures. THE ASTROLOGIST “Acting as if you hold the secret to a special kind of magic.” Channel It: Use your star sign’s unique qualities. Aries, Leos, and Sagittariuses can boldly buy a hottie a drink, says Claire Comstock-Gay, aka Madame Clairevoyant. Tauruses, Virgos, and Capricorns can be super attractive. Geminis, Libras, and Aquariuses can work their charm. Cancers, Scorpios, and Pisces can be more mysterious. THE EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST “Cultivating social confidence.” Channel It: “Do something that allows you to ‘peacock,’” says evolutionary biologist Justin Garcia, PhD, of the Kinsey Institute . In other words, ID what you’re good at, then show off your talent. Garcia’s studies have found that both men and women find this romantically attractive. THE PSYCHIC MEDIUM “Developing a crush.” Channel It: Remember in middle school when you’d list all the *dreamy* things about your crush? Spiritual teacher MaryAnn DiMarco, author of Believe, Ask, Act, suggests resurrecting the habit but listing all the things you love about yourself (you’re a great cook, a ride-or-die friend, etc.). Then note a few flaws too. Acknowledging and accepting these qualities will help you own them all – and others will notice. THE NEUROSCIENTIST “Putting yourself out there.” Channel It: Sprinkle your iCal with three or four social activities a week, suggests Nicole Prause, PhD, founder of biotech company Liberos. This will keep you active and nix any downer vibes. And yes, these outings can include dates. Having an active dating life makes women less self-conscious, says Prause, which can help you emit more come-hither vibes. SINGLE- BABE ENERGY IS... IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK APRIL 2019 | 81 Are you following us on Instagram? @CosmoMiddleEast LOVE | GIRL TALK Score Free Stuff on Your Honeymoon YOU MADE IT THROUGH the family drama and those too- wet kisses from Aunt Gertrude at the wedding, and now you’re off on the best vacay of your life, where anything is possible and everything is free...right? Eh, not really. But if you show your hand (the one with the ring on it) at just the right time, you could end up scoring a whole bunch of goodies. Here’s how. Drop the H-Bomb early Since you’re planning this trip months ahead, take advantage of the lead time. “As soon as we knew where we were going, we emailed hotels and said, ‘We’re coming for our honeymoon. Do you offer early-booking discounts?’” says Madison V., 28. “Some went as steep as 20 per cent off.” By slipping the H-word into their first email, she gave hotels plenty of time to plan other special treats, like grape and welcome platters of local snacks. Avoid Deals (Seriously) It’s tempting to book hotels and flights with cheap third-party sites , but they can make it harder for you to cash in once you’re on the trip. “The airline agent couldn’t upgrade our tickets,” says Katelyn M., 34, who figured this out en route to Greece. Instead, do this, she advises: “Buy directly from the airline, and hope you get a friendly gate agent and an empty flight.” Go Like Your Grandparents Travel agents sound so ’80s, but booking through a well-connected expert can help you get the most special treatment. “Our agent told all our hotels that we were on our honeymoon. When we got there, they hooked us up with free wellness services, a dinner in a grape cellar, and sunset- watching experiences plus upgrades into some insane suites,” says Lauren S., 31. She estimates she snagged thousands of dirhams’ worth of perks by calling in reinforcements. Be Completely Shameless You may feel like it’s rude to ask for free stuff, but suck it up, girl, and be direct. Ask for things on the house or at a reduced rate specifically because you just got married, says Abby S., 28, who visited the Maldives with bae. Try this: “We hear you have amazing massages, and we’re wondering if you’d offer a complimentary treatment to help us celebrate? It would make our honeymoon so special.” Complimentary champs? Child’s play. Four brides share their swag secrets. BY JESSICA GOODMAN IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK 82 | APRIL 2019 Are you following us on Instagram? @CosmoMiddleEast LOVE | FREE LOVEIMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK ALL HAIL THE PRINCE OF PRANKS “I take tremendous pride in jump-scaring people whenever I get a chance – hiding around corners, dropping from the rafters, screaming from a ladder up above. My co-star Haley Lu Richardson was a very easy scare. I scare everyone on Riverdale too. It’s really enjoyable…for me, at least.” HE KNOWS HOW TO MAKE A LTR WORK “The thing I’ve learned over time is to accept that every person changes. I think anyone who knows identity changes are going to take place is going to be way more equipped to deal with them when they inevitably come.” HE FOUND LOVE IN THE CLUB “The whole Five Feet Apart cast stayed in New Orleans, so we all went out to strip clubs. After bouncing from club to club, we knew that we were going to get along. New Orleans has this way of opening up even the most introverted people to having a good time.” GREAT NEWS: HE LOVES A GOOD ROM-COM “I mean, would Princess Bride be considered a rom- com? That, hands down, is definitely my favourite. Every part feels iconic. I think those kinds of movies are in rare supply nowadays.” The star of Lionsgate’s Five Feet Apart is having more fun than you. Cole Sprouse APRIL 2019 | 83 Are you following us on Instagram? @CosmoMiddleEast LOVE | COSMO GUYThink you’re up-to-date with the basic rules of staying in shape? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you probably aren’t… FROM THE CHOWING DOWN of five portions of fruit and veg a day rule, to walking laps around your printer in order to meet your daily 10,000 steps target, there are certain health commandments that we’ve long taken as gospel. But what if we told you that most of the research behind these go-to fitness “facts” is, how can we put this… flimsy? Because it is. So buckle up, we’re going on a fiction- debunking ride… › HOT-AIR HEALTH MYTHS... EXPLODED Follow us on Facebook! facebook.com/cosmopolitanmiddleeast 84 | APRIL 2019 bodyFollow us on Facebook! facebook.com/cosmopolitanmiddleeast APRIL 2019 | 85 BODY | FIT FICTIONMYTH No. 3 AIM TO EAT FIVE PORTIONS OF FRUIT AND VEG A DAY Says who? The World Health Organization and the United Nations in a 2003 report. Past wisdom: Eating 400g of fruit and vegetables (roughly equal to fi ve portions) daily prevents heart disease, strokes, cancer and obesity. Turns out just 26 per cent of adults currently manage to tick off a full house. Oh… Actually… Just fi ve? Try doubling that. A study by Imperial College London found that eating 800g a day has a far greater eff ect on reducing the risk of disease. Think 10 portions sounds too many? In Japan, they recommend 17. Yikes. The update: As fruit is high in sugar, aim to veer more towards vegetables – and seasonal ones at that, which also boast more nutrients. Why? They don’t have to travel long distances before landing on your plate, meaning they retain more of the goodness. Springtime delights include rhubarb, spinach and asparagus. MYTH No. 2 IF YOUR BMI SAYS YOU’RE HEALTHY… YOU’RE HEALTHY Says who? Our favourite British institution, the NHS. Past wisdom: The BMI scale was devised in the 1800s (yes, during the same time period in which women were warned they’d be unable to fall pregnant if they were educated). It considers your weight in kilograms, divided by height in metres squared (between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered “healthy”). Actually… It’s estimated that half of all those diagnosed as “obese” using this method are actually healthy. Oops. Calum Gore, founder of GC BioSciences, a leading genetic and hormone- testing Harley Street clinic, reckons the waist-to-hip ratio is a better measure of healthy weight. The update: To fi nd this ratio, divide your waist circumference by your hips – 0.80 or lower is considered healthy, but really, you know your own body best and what feels right for you. MYTH No. 1 AIM TO WALK 10,000 STEPS A DAY Says who? The World Health Organization (for one), and almost all fi tness apps and trackers (for another). Past wisdom: Hitting 10,000 steps a day was seen as the way to help you lose weight while maintaining general fi tness. Actually… The whole idea was dreamed up by a Japanese marketing team in the ’60s in order to advertise a step counter. So, er, not exactly scientifi c. The update: Of course, nobody is denying that walking is a good way to get gentle exercise, but the NHS is now encouraging the idea of “Active 10”, which involves walking briskly for 10 minutes daily in order to raise your heart rate, which has been shown to reduce the risk of early death by 15 per cent. 86 | APRIL 2019 Now live at cosmopolitanme.com BODY | FIT FICTIONMYTH No. 5 CONSUME 20G OF SATURATED FAT A DAY Says who? The Department of Health. Past wisdom: Way back in the ’90s, saturated fat was seen as the devil, with fears there was a strong link between too much of the stuff and heart disease. The Department of Health advised that it should make up no more than 11 per cent of your daily diet. Actually… That 11 per cent? It’s equal to 20g – or eating a lunch that consists of a ham and cheese sandwich, bar of milk chocolate and a packet of ready-salted crisps. Which sounds a lot to us and not-so-healthy. To complicate things further, research from the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition has since found no link between saturated fat and increased risk of heart disease. The update: What we know for sure is that trans fats are bad for you. They’re found in cakes, margarine spreads and even frozen pizzas, and raise bad cholesterol, while lowering the fat-clearing good cholesterol. So much so that the majority of supermarkets (all the way from Asda to M&S) and even Boots have outlawed them in their own-brand food. As for saturated fats, stick to getting your hit from seeds, avocado and oily fi sh, as research suggests they’re protective against oxidative stress. MYTH No. 4 WOMEN SHOULD STICK TO 2,000 CALORIES A DAY Says who? The Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA). Past wisdom: This number was adopted in 1998, after the powers that be fi nally took note of a report by COMA from 1991. Actually… Public Health England announced in 2017 that women should now aim to consume 400 calories at breakfast, 600 at both lunch and dinner, and 200 calories for snacks, which equates to… 1,800 a day. Confused? Same. They clarifi ed by saying 2,000 is still the “real” magic number, but as people often underestimate their consumption, this acts as a buff er (and means you don’t need to factor in calorifi c drinks, such as milky coff ees). The update: This fi gure is still pretty vague, as it doesn’t account for height, weight, age or activity level – nor the eff ects that diff erent food groups have on your body. Want a defi nitive number? You’ll need to do some serious maths, using the Schofi eld Equation. Firstly, work out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) – if you’re between 18 and 29 years old, multiply your weight in kilograms by 14.8 and then add 487. Over 30? Multiply your weight in kilograms by 8.3 and add 846 – these numbers will be your BMR. Now look at your activity level – multiply your BMR by 1.4 if your activity level is minimal, 1.6 if moderate* and 1.9 for the super-active among us. For example, a 22-year- old woman weighing 63kg, who exercises three times a week and has a job where she’s on her feet, would have a daily calorie intake of 2,271. WORDS JOE WARNER. ADDITIONAL WORDS JENNIFER SAVIN. IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK APRIL 2019 | 87 Now live at cosmopolitanme.com BODY | FIT FICTION Meet the lit lunge, aka the one-and-done move designed to whip your legs and booty into the best shape ever. Here, personal trainer Hannah Davis shows you how to do it. Tone Your Entire Lower Half in 5 Minutes NOW MAKE IT YOUR OWN THE MOVE Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips, step your right foot 2 to 3 feet behind you. Slowly bend your knees until your right knee taps the ground and your left is bent about 90 degrees. Immediately push into your left heel and return to the starting position. That’s 1 rep. Do 3 sets of 10 reps on each side 3 times a week. If the sauna is why you have a gym membership... Try the chill stationary lunge . Start with your left foot 2 to 3 feet in front of your right. Lower down , then push yourself back up to stand. Repeat, then switch sides. If you know your belfie angles... Go harder with a walking lunge. Step your right foot a few feet in front of you, drop it low , then raise your bod as you bring your left foot ahead of your right. Don’t @ us when it starts to burn. If you’ve corrected a rando’s form... Get the most intense version of this move by reversing the OG exercise (i.e., step your right foot forward). Good luck sitting down tomorrow, fam. BEN RITTER. STYLED BY GABRIELLE PORCARO. HAIR: ASHLEY RUBELL AT BA-REPS USING ORIBE. MAKEUP: DANA RAE ASHBURN, DANARAEASHBURN.C OM. 925 FIT TOP, 925FIT.COM. ATHLETA LEGGINGS, ATHLETA.COM. BROOKS RUNNING SNEAKERS, BROOKSRUNNING.COM. APPLE WATCH, APPLE.COM. 88 | APRIL 2019 Are you following us on Instagram? @CosmoMiddleEast BODY | WORKOUTA WORK-LIFE BALANCE FOR EVERY WOMAN! Work may be important, but giving your life centrestage is everything. Lenovo’s Yoga laptops are designed to be your go-to at work, at play and to give you some much-needed me time. AT WORK: For a productive day at the office, Yoga Books come with long lasting battery life and a sleek and stylish profile to be carried with ease. AT PLAY: When it’s time to head home or relax at the weekend, dual display Yoga Books can be transformed to unleash the inner creative. Dynamic E Ink screens enable Yoga Books to become personal canvases – bringing the family together to create a work-of-art on the sketchpad without turning the house upside down. YOU TIME: When it’s time to unwind and gain some well- earned ‘me time’, use your Yoga Book’s e-Reader to discover a new novel or watch your fave series into the night on a beautifully vibrant display. #DREAMJOB If you’re a woman in tech then listen up – Lenovo has shattered the glass ceiling and made it SUPER easy for you to shoot up to the top! Believe it or not, 33 per cent of tech entrepreneurs in the Middle East are WOMEN – a number greater than Silicon Valley! So if you think the big, bad world of tech is not for you, thing again. Women In Leadership at Lenovo (WILL) – an awesome initiative designed to empower the next gen of women tech talents – is just the mentor you need. Here’s everything you need to know about it: 1. WILL is global: WILL was founded in 2007 and is an employee resource group active in more than 40 countries worldwide! 2. WILL shatters the glass ceiling: Whether aiming to become a key stakeholder or decision maker, Lenovo aims to give women the tools needed to progress in the workplace and rise to senior positions with confi dence. From engaging events to informative forums and workshops, WILL illustrates the career opportunities available for women in one of the most rapidly growing sectors. 3. WILL helps you: Career advice, skills growth and development, mentoring, networking opps and community service activities are just some of the ways in which WILL engages Lenovo employees to think bigger WWW.LENOVO.COM g g – e o ss se h ging , PROMOTIONNext >