Veggie Blog

Tennis demands quick reflexes and short bursts of power. Players dash, stop, stretch and swing hundreds of times in a match, and the muscles that do the work get tired and tight. Without regular stretching, tight muscles lose some of their flexibility and limit how far the joints can move. Yoga is one way to keep them supple, and it can help you play better and stay free of injuries.

How does yoga help a tennis player?

Flexibility. Yoga poses stretch muscles through their full range, which can improve your reach and make it easier to move in all directions. When muscles and joints are stiff, an athlete can feel as if they are a prisoner in their own body.

Relaxation. Many players start a point tense, with tight shoulders and a rigid grip. Yoga teaches you to notice that tension and let it go. When your muscles are relaxed, they are ready to spring in any direction, which can help your reaction time. Learning to start each point from a calm state can mean getting to the ball a step sooner.

Breathing. In sport, we often hold our breath when we make an effort, which uses up energy that you could save for a long set. Yoga trains you to control your breathing and to breathe steadily through effort, which can help your stamina over a long match. Research on yoga for sports performance is limited, but the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says that studies suggest it may improve balance, sleep and general wellness, which all help an athlete.

What is the basic rule of a yoga pose?

Breathe out as you move into a pose, until you feel a gentle stretch in the muscle. Never hold your breath. Breathe normally, listen to your body, and hold the pose for around 30 seconds before you release it slowly. Stretch when your muscles are warm, and do not stretch so far that it hurts, which is the advice of the National Institute on Aging. Over time, you will find that you can use the same breathing in your game.

Which pose is good for rotating sports?

A seated spinal twist is a good choice for tennis, because the sport involves a lot of rotation. It gently stretches the back, hips and shoulders. Here is one version:

Sit on the floor with both legs stretched out in front of you and your spine tall. Bend your left knee and step your left foot over your right leg, placing it flat on the floor outside your right knee. Put your left hand on the floor behind you, with the arm straight. Bend your right elbow and place it on the outside of your left knee, or hug the knee with your right arm. Keep the left leg steady with the pressure of the right arm, and slowly turn your head and upper body to the left, looking over your left shoulder. The pressure from both arms creates the twist. Stay for about 30 seconds, breathing evenly, then release and repeat on the other side.

Move carefully if you have a back problem, and never twist so far that you feel pain. If you are not sure, ask a qualified teacher or physical therapist to check your form.

How can you add yoga to your training?

You do not need a full class. Ten to fifteen minutes after practice, or on a rest day, is a good start. Include a few poses that open the hips, shoulders and hamstrings, such as a lunge, a forward fold and a gentle twist. Our posts on yoga for computer users, basic yoga postures, the 12-step sun salutation and what yoga is have more poses to try.

A well-conditioned body and a calm mind are a good combination for the competitive player. Yoga could be the extra edge you are looking for.

What is in a weight loss diet pill?

Exercise and dieting take effort, so it is no surprise that many people are tempted by an easier way. The advertisements for diet pills promise that their products will melt fat away without much work, and the market is huge. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or have obesity.

The big questions are whether these pills really work, whether they help you keep weight off, and what is actually inside them.

Do diet pills really work?

The honest answer is: barely, if at all. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements reviewed the common ingredients and concluded that the evidence that weight loss supplements work is inconclusive and unconvincing, and that the products can be costly. Even where there is an effect, it tends to be small, and phrases such as “clinically proven” on a label should not be taken at face value.

What ingredients are common?

Labels are full of unfamiliar names. Here are the groups mentioned most often in marketing, and what is known about them.

Ingredients said to boost metabolism include green tea extract, L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid. Green tea may have a modest effect on body weight, but green tea extract has been linked to liver problems in some people. An analysis of nine trials found that people who took carnitine lost, on average, about 1.3 kilograms (about 3 pounds) more than those who took a placebo. Research on the other ingredients is limited.

Ingredients meant to curb your appetite include fibers such as glucomannan and guar gum, which swell in the gut so that you feel full. In studies they had little or no effect on body weight, and glucomannan has raised safety concerns. Caffeine and other stimulants can reduce hunger a little, but they can also make you jittery and raise your heart rate.

Ingredients called calorie or carbohydrate blockers include white kidney bean extract (Phaseolus vulgaris), which interferes with an enzyme called alpha-amylase that breaks down starch. It may have a modest effect on weight. Chitosan, made from shellfish shells, is said to bind fat. In one study, the fat it trapped would add up to a loss of only one pound of body fat in about seven months, and people with a shellfish allergy could react to it.

Some products advertise “lipotropic” ingredients such as vitamin C, chitosan, alpha-lipoic acid and hops extract that supposedly sweep fat out of the body. That is a marketing word, and I found no good evidence that these ingredients do so.

Finally, some pills contain diuretics. These make you lose water, not fat, and they can cause dehydration.

Why is “clinically proven” a warning sign?

Supplements are not approved by the FDA before they are sold, and the manufacturer decides what the label says. Some weight loss supplements have turned out to contain hidden prescription drugs. If a label promises quick, easy loss, be skeptical. Check the claim against a source such as the NIH fact sheets rather than the seller’s website.

What is a better approach?

No pill replaces a healthy way of eating and regular activity. If you want help, talk to a doctor about safe options. Our guide to what to know about diet pills covers how to use them more safely and who should avoid them, and our post on whether weight loss tablets are safe lists questions to ask. For approved medicines, see our post on tablets to help with weight loss. And for everyday habits that work, read our weight loss tips.

Foods to Avoid to Lower Cholesterol

One thing that people love to do is eat. This can occur at any time aside from the three square meals of the day, whenever the person is craving something.

Whenever the person buys the food or meal to satisfy that craving, little attention is paid to how much cholesterol the food has. In fact, a lot of the dishes made in fast food joints are unhealthy, which has prompted McDonald’s to print the calories, cholesterol and other things on each product given to the customer.

The growing number of people who are obese and overweight has caught the attention of doctors because there are a lot of people now who are considered to be at high risk of suffering from heart disease or stroke in the United States.

Many doctors are also suggesting some lifestyle changes before it is too late. This usually means making some changes in the food being eaten since diet is one of the main ways to control cholesterol (some people also need medication).

So what type of foods should be avoided to have lower levels of cholesterol in the body? The first step is reducing the amount of fatty meat being consumed. Good examples are steak, ham and bacon, which are high in fat.

Giving it up will be hard, so eating smaller portions should be done, especially by those who are at a high risk of getting a heart disease or a stroke.

Fried foods such as hamburgers and fries should also be avoided. The ingredients and oil used in cooking these things are often high in saturated and trans fats, which raise LDL cholesterol. This also includes pre-packaged frozen meals that a lot of people will just throw in the microwave after a long day at the office.

Full-fat dairy products such as whole milk, cream and butter should also be reduced, and egg yolks eaten in moderation. If the person has a hard time giving this up, they can be substituted with non-fat milk or yogurt to provide the calcium that the body needs.

Junk food, candies and cake are popular with kids, but they should be limited at any age, and especially as a person gets older. This is because the ingredients used in making these products are high in fat and sugar.

Now that the foods the person should avoid have been covered, it is time to name those that can be substituted to maintain a good diet.

Ideally, those who want to reduce their cholesterol intake should have a diet that is low in saturated fat and trans fat. Those who can eat less will be more likely to live a healthy life.

The best foods in the market to buy are beans, oily fish, fruits, garlic, whole grains, soy, vegetables and whole wheat bread. The soluble fibre in beans, oats and other whole grains helps reduce cholesterol levels in the body, while the omega 3 fats in fish mainly lower triglycerides and protect the heart.

Different variations can be made often so the person will not get tired of eating the same thing just to have a healthy diet. If planning this is difficult, a dietitian will gladly help and make changes every week so the cholesterol levels will improve when the patient pays another visit to the clinic.

Supplements have been a part of health routines for a very long time. The old version of this post argued that you should take them because modern life exposes us to toxins, that stress lowers your resistance, and that supplements make dieting safe and can help you lose weight. Those claims are not supported by good evidence, so this rewrite explains what supplements are, how they are regulated and which claims deserve a second look.

What counts as a dietary supplement?

Dietary supplements are products you take by mouth to add to your diet. As the old post said, they come in many forms and may provide vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals, or amino acids. According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), they come as tablets, capsules, gummies, powders and drinks, and some are even energy bars. They are intended to supplement the diet, not replace meals. That description matches the old post and is a good starting point for understanding what you are buying.

How are supplements regulated?

Less strictly than medicines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates supplements under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Under that law, manufacturers and distributors are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing, and the FDA can act against adulterated or misbranded products after they reach the market. ODS adds that, unlike medicines, supplements do not need to be approved by the FDA before they are sold, and the FDA does not determine whether they are effective. So the company, not the government, decides in the first place that a product is safe and truthfully labeled.

What do the label claims mean?

Supplement labels may say that a product promotes health or supports a body part or function, such as heart health or the immune system. ODS explains that these claims must be followed by the words that the statement has not been evaluated by the FDA and that the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If a label does claim to cure or treat a disease, that is a sign that something is wrong. NCCIH reports that a 2022 review of 27 ingredients promoted for immune function found rigorous human studies for only eight, and even those could not support firm conclusions.

Do supplements remove toxins?

This was the first reason the old post gave, and it is not supported. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says that a 2015 review found no compelling research to support the use of “detox” diets for eliminating toxins from the body. Your liver, kidneys and other organs already handle waste, and no supplement has been shown to speed that up. Our guide to detox supplements and what the evidence says covers this in more detail. The old post also mentioned a supplement called glyconutrients for stress. I could not find reliable evidence for it, so it is not repeated here.

Who may benefit from a supplement?

Some people have a real reason. ODS says that some supplements have clear roles: calcium and vitamin D help keep bones strong, and folic acid decreases the risk of certain birth defects. People with a diagnosed deficiency, a restricted diet or certain medical conditions may need one, and a doctor can advise you. The old post suggested that people who exercise a lot or who diet need more nutrients. That can be true in specific cases, but most people who eat a varied diet get what they need from food. Our posts on supplements for building muscle and vitamins and your health look at the specific cases.

What about weight-loss supplements?

The old post said that you can buy supplements to help you lose weight as well. That is the category where caution is most needed. NCCIH warns that some products promoted mainly for weight loss, sexual enhancement and bodybuilding may contain prescription drugs not allowed in supplements, or other ingredients that are not listed on the label, and some may be unsafe. Our guide to diet pills: types, safety and who should avoid them explains what to check.

How should you decide?

Ask three questions: Do I have a reason to take it? Is the product tested by an independent group, such as NSF International or ConsumerLab.com? And have I told my doctor and pharmacist? Seals do not guarantee safety, but they show the product contains what the label says. See also Dietary Supplements: What You Need To Know for the full ODS consumer guide.