Veggie Blog

Many people give up on exercise not because it is too hard, but because it gets boring. The original 2010 version of this post suggested hiring a personal trainer as the answer. A good trainer can help, but there are cheaper fixes to try first. The title “personal trainer” also guarantees very little on its own, so it is worth knowing what to check before you pay.

If boredom is the problem, try these first

Mayo Clinic suggests some simple ways to keep exercise interesting:

• Choose activities you enjoy. You are more likely to stick with them, and anything that gets you moving counts.
• Rotate activities. Switching between walking, swimming and cycling, for example, works different muscle groups. Mayo Clinic notes that this kind of cross-training also lowers the chance of overusing one muscle or joint.
• Exercise with other people. Friends, neighbors or coworkers can add company and encouragement.
• Learn something new. Classes and sports leagues at a recreation center or gym let you build a skill while you work out. See our guide to choosing a group fitness class.
• Set a new goal. When motivation fades, a fresh goal or a new activity can help.

What a trainer can do for you

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) describes a qualified personal trainer as a source of motivation and accountability. A good trainer can tailor exercises to your abilities, help you fit exercise into your schedule and reduce your risk of injury. Some people work with a trainer for a few sessions to get a program, then check in occasionally. Others meet weekly or more often.

A personal trainer is not the same as an athletic trainer. Mayo Clinic explains that athletic trainers are health care specialists who focus on injury prevention and rehabilitation, and in the US they must hold national certification and state licensure. If you want to recover from an injury, an athletic trainer may suit you better.

Check credentials before you sign up

ACSM points out that there is no national standard or minimum requirement for using the title “personal trainer,” and Mayo Clinic notes that anyone can call themselves one. ACSM suggests asking:

• Does the trainer have a degree in exercise science, kinesiology, exercise physiology, physical education or a related field?
• Is their certification from a nationally recognized organization? In the US, ACSM points to the US Registry of Exercise Professionals (USREPS) as a place to check.
• Do they keep up with continuing education?
• Are they certified in first aid and CPR?
• Do they have liability insurance?

Mayo Clinic also suggests considering a trainer who has already been vetted and hired by a reputable gym, and warns readers to be wary of anyone who tries to sell them products or supplements.

Ask about fit, cost and policies

Personality matters. You need someone who explains things clearly, answers your questions and asks about your background and preferences. ACSM also suggests asking about experience with clients like you, references, session length, what the price includes and the cancellation policy. Ask for the billing, scheduling and cancellation policies in writing. ACSM advises against signing a long-term contract with a personal trainer, and suggests asking whether your gym offers a free fitness assessment or trial session.

What a good first session looks like

According to ACSM, a trainer should ask about your medical conditions, medicines, past injuries and surgery, and any aches and pains before you start. They should offer a screening and fitness evaluation suited to what you plan to do, explain how to use the equipment safely, and help you set realistic goals. ACSM recommends getting medical clearance before starting an exercise program if you have been diagnosed with heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or have symptoms of one. A trainer who skips these steps and goes straight to a hard workout is a warning sign.

Sources

• American College of Sports Medicine: Investing in a Personal Trainer (PDF)
• Mayo Clinic News Network: Athletic or personal trainer: What’s the best fit for you?
• Mayo Clinic News Network: How to Overcome the Top 5 Fitness Barriers
• Mayo Clinic: Fitness program: 5 steps to get started

The featured image is an AI-generated illustration, not a photo of a real trainer or client.

The original 2010 version of this post suggested inverted yoga poses, where the legs and hips are raised above the heart, as a way to control high blood pressure. Current medical guidance points the other way: inversions are among the poses people with high blood pressure are usually advised to approach with caution. This rewrite looks at what the evidence says about yoga and blood pressure, and how to practice more safely if your readings are high.

Start with your numbers

High blood pressure usually causes no symptoms, so the NHS says the only way to know whether you have it is to get it checked. In the UK, you are usually considered to have high blood pressure if your reading is 140/90 or higher when measured by a health professional, or 135/85 or higher at home. Lifestyle changes and blood pressure medicines can both help. Yoga can be one part of that lifestyle picture, but it is not a replacement for treatment your doctor recommends.

Can yoga lower blood pressure?

The evidence is encouraging but not settled.

• Harvard Health Publishing describes a 2019 review and analysis of earlier studies, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. People who did yoga for about an hour, around five times a week for 13 weeks, had significant reductions in blood pressure. Most of them were overweight, middle-aged adults with high blood pressure. The improvements were greater when the practice included breathing techniques and meditation.
• An earlier 2013 scientific statement from the American Heart Association found too few high-quality trials to recommend yoga specifically for lowering blood pressure. The same statement gave its strongest rating to aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, cycling and swimming, followed by dynamic resistance training.

In practice, yoga may help, especially a regular practice that includes slow breathing and relaxation. It works best alongside regular aerobic activity, not instead of it.

Poses and habits to be careful with

Blood pressure rises during any exercise, including yoga. Harvard Health notes that it rises more when you move quickly or hold poses for a long time. Its advice for people with high blood pressure includes:

• Choose a beginner or gentle class and move slowly from one pose to the next.
• Take short breaks from long holds. If a teacher holds a pose for longer than about 10 seconds, you can come out briefly and go back in. Child’s pose is a restful position between moves.
• Keep breathing. Holding your breath can raise blood pressure. Lengthening your breaths is fine, but do not strain.
• Be cautious with inversions. Advanced inversions such as shoulder stand, headstand and handstand are probably not a good idea. Downward-facing dog is generally considered fine for people whose high blood pressure is well controlled.
• Finish lying down. Ending with relaxation on your back (savasana) lets breathing and blood pressure settle.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) lists severe high blood pressure among the conditions that may call for changing or avoiding some poses. It also advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing. The AHA statement notes that existing guidelines advise against exercise programs, particularly resistance training, for people with uncontrolled severe hypertension (180/110 mm Hg or higher). If your readings are in that range, get them under control with your doctor before starting any new exercise.

A sensible way to begin

Tell your doctor you plan to start yoga, and tell your teacher about your blood pressure and any medicines you take. Keep taking your medication as prescribed. NCCIH warns against using yoga to put off seeing a health care provider about a medical problem. If you mainly want to practice slow breathing, our five-minute Breath Break explains a simple method and what the research shows.

Sources

• Harvard Health Publishing: Yoga and high blood pressure
• American Heart Association (2013): Beyond Medications and Diet: Alternative Approaches to Lowering Blood Pressure
• NCCIH (NIH): Yoga: Effectiveness and Safety
• NHS: High blood pressure

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, ask your doctor which kinds of exercise are right for you.

The featured image is an AI-generated illustration, not a photo of a real person.

Overcoming plateaus on the Atkins diet

If you are experiencing a stall or plateau in your Atkins weight loss efforts, you are not alone. This occurs from time to time. However, you first need to make sure that you have actually reached a plateau point.

A plateau means that you have gone a long period of time without losing weight or inches. It is important to take your measurements before you start your weight loss plan, in addition to your weight. On some weeks it may not seem like you are losing any at all on the scale. But a quick look at your measurements will prove otherwise.

If you are exercising while on the Atkins diet, you may be replacing fat with muscle, which is denser. You may actually see a “no loss” effect because you are building muscle while losing fat. The result will be an increase on the scale, but a decrease in your inches. Your body will be smaller and leaner, but you may weigh the same.

Before you start your program, measure your chest, waist, hips, upper arms, thighs and calves. You never know where you may be losing inches, so it is important to have a full set of measurements to refer to. It is normal to go through periods where your body is readjusting. Remember that you are reforming the composition of your body and this process will take some time. Check your measurements once a week, just like your weight, and you can track your overall progress.

There may be periods of 3 to 4 weeks where you have a stall in weight loss, but a loss in inches. Or vice versa. Using both methods to track your results is the best way to get an accurate measure of your progress. These stall periods are not a reason to quit or to give up. They are natural parts of the weight loss process.

Stalls may appear more frequently if you are 5 to 10 pounds away from your goal weight. As you get closer to your goal, your body has less fat to lose and your weight loss naturally slows down. It may be time to rethink your goal weight. Perhaps your body is trying to tell you something and it’s time to start maintaining your weight loss rather than trying to lose more.

There are some other possible causes of stalls and plateaus on the road to weight loss. If you have gone four weeks with no change in weight or measurements and you are nowhere near your goal weight, you can try a few different methods to get yourself out of the rut. First, make sure your carbohydrate level is in check. If you are eating too many carbohydrate grams per day, your weight loss will stall. Look for hidden carbohydrates in packaged foods, dressings and sauces to make sure they are not the culprits in your plateau.

Check your water intake. When you are dehydrated, your body will retain water and that can cause a plateau. Drinking enough water also helps your kidneys clear the ketones your body produces on a low-carbohydrate diet.

Undereating can also be a cause of weight loss plateaus. Make sure not to let yourself get too hungry, and eat smaller, more frequent meals. Remember, you are on a carbohydrate-restricted diet, not a calorie-restricted diet. Make sure to have some protein with every meal and snack. Try not to go too long without eating something (except overnight of course). Also, eat freely from the acceptable foods. Do not try to count calories or restrict your calorie intake. Eating far too little can slow your metabolism somewhat and make the diet much harder to stick to.

Increasing your activity level can help get you through a plateau as well. As your muscles become used to working out at a certain level, you will have to increase the duration or the intensity in order to keep challenging your body. Add a new exercise into the mix, or try increasing weight in resistance training.

Trying one of these methods will most likely get your weight loss back on track. Remember that occasional stalls are normal, but they do not have to last.

The old version of this post gave ten guidelines for choosing a fitness club, but the sentences were so garbled that many were hard to follow. The ten questions are still good ones, so I have rewritten them clearly, grouped them and added current consumer advice on contracts. A club should motivate you, not frustrate you, so start by deciding what you want from it and what your priorities are.

Where is it, and when is it open?

The old post says that location is the most important thing, because if the club is far from home you will have one more excuse not to go. That is hard to argue with. Check how long the trip takes at the times you would actually go, and whether the club is open then. Ask for the schedule of classes too, and check that the ones you want are offered at times you can attend.

Are the staff qualified and friendly?

The old post says the instructor should have the patience to work with you, be a professional who can train you safely and know what to do if you have physical limitations. Ask what qualifications the trainers hold, whether they ask about your health and goals, and whether the staff are helpful and friendly. Some facilities also offer a dietitian or physical therapist, which can be useful to you, so ask which services are included.

What programs, classes and equipment does it offer?

Find out which programs interest you, whether there are classes you would enjoy, and ask for a trial class or a free pass. Check that there is enough equipment for all members at busy times, so you do not spend your time waiting for a turn. The old post also advises looking at whether machines and weights are in good working order, since lots of “out of order” signs are a warning, whether modern equipment is available and whether the floors are cleaned regularly. Also see how well lit the building and the parking area are. Our guide to group fitness classes and how to choose will help you decide which kinds of class suit you.

Who are the other members?

The club is also a social place. The old post suggests dropping by to meet members before you enroll, because they may become your workout buddies. Visit at the time you would normally train and ask members what they like and dislike. Search online for reviews too, and compare several sources, because a single review can be unfair either way.

What will it really cost?

Ask for the full membership price and what it covers, as the old post says. The old post warns that some clubs have hidden charges and extra fees for some services, so ask about joining and annual fees, check for promotions or discounts, and find out how long the club has been open and how often it raises its rates. The Federal Trade Commission’s advice on free trials, auto-renewals and subscriptions applies to many gym memberships: read the terms, find out exactly how and when you can cancel, put key dates in your calendar and check your card statements. If a company keeps charging you after you cancel, the FTC advises disputing the charge with your card issuer. Keep a copy of your contract and receipts, and make sure that anything the salesperson promised is written into it.

How does it compare with other clubs?

The old post says not to settle on the first one you visit. Tour at least two or three, make a short comparison list and narrow it down to the places that meet your priorities. The New York State Attorney General’s office gives similar advice on health clubs and gyms: do not give in to high-pressure sales tactics, tell the representative that you need time to think and ask for free passes to find out whether the club is right for you. State laws on gym contracts differ, so check the rules where you live.

What if a club is not for you?

Choosing a club is a bit like shopping for a shirt, as the old post says: take your time and do not be rushed. If the club does not feel right, consider working out at home; our post on buying home fitness equipment explains what to check first. Once you have joined, make the most of it, and read preventing sports injuries for habits that keep you training.

Lotions vs. skin care creams

There is no shortage of creams and lotions on the market. Name a skin problem and you will find hundreds of products for it. Because of ongoing research and ever increasing demand, the number of skin care products keeps growing. Lotions and creams are the most popular forms, and there always seems to be a debate about which is better.

Creams and lotions in daily use

There is no definite answer. It seems more a matter of personal choice. However, greasy creams are clearly less popular than non-greasy (or less greasy) ones. Since creams are easy to apply, they tend to be preferred for products that are not removed straight after application, so creams are more popular as moisturizers than as cleansers or toners. For toners, lotions are preferred. Some creams also act as toners, but toners are generally sold in liquid form. For cleansing, lotions and creams are about equally popular, although the tilt is towards lotions.

Creams are known to be very effective at keeping skin moist, and this is why moisturizers are the most familiar kind of cream. For the same reason, many people associate creams with dry and sensitive skin. That is true to a certain extent, but creams are not only for dry skin: some are made for oily skin as well, such as sulphur creams and vitamin A creams, which are used for oily or acne-prone skin.

Which one for which job

Creams are also used for products that treat skin disorders, especially those that need the product on a small, localized area. This is again because creams are easier to apply to the affected spot without waste. However, when the skin needs to be washed with a medicated product, a lotion is the better choice. Manufacturers generally know this, which makes it easier for you to choose between a lotion and a cream.

Eye creams and anti-ageing creams are examples where the cream is usually preferred over its lotion counterpart.

Whichever you prefer, cream or lotion, knowing how to use it properly is more important than anything else.