Gym Etiquette: Learn the Rules So You Won’t Be Intimidated!

If you’re new to fitness, the gym can be a very intimidating place. There is a certain etiquette, with unspoken rules and complicated machines that everyone else seems to understand naturally. If you’ve made the choice to take care of your wellbeing, don’t let gym intimidation put you off. We asked ACE-certified personal trainer Amy Froneman for the gym rules you need to know.

 

1. Take a Tour: According to Froneman, ‘Most gyms offer you a brief tour before you first sign up. Take it. Don’t assume you’ll know where everything is or how everything works. Not everything is intuitive in a gym environment and even if you’ve belonged to a gym before, they’re not all the same. Make sure you ask lots of questions, not just so you know how things work, but also to make sure it’s the type of gym you will feel comfortable in.’

 

2. Leave Your Mobile in Your Locker: ‘Unless you’re using your mobile with earphones to listen to music, leave it in the locker in the changing room,’ Froneman advises. ‘Apart from the fact this is your time to exercise, there are few things that will irritate your fellow gym-goers more than someone talking business on the treadmill next to them. Besides, if you can conduct a business call, you’re probably not working out hard enough.’

 

3. Have a Plan: Froneman asserts, ‘It’s all very well to sign up at gym kitted out in sporty new workout gear… but looking the part and being in the right place won’t get you any closer to your goals. Avoid being one of those people who sign up at the beginning of the year and are MIA by the time winter arrives. Hire a qualified trainer to write you a training programme that you can follow, even if they’re not there for every workout. This will also help you avoid another big mistake many people new to gym make – exercising without correct form. Not only will this lead to injury, but it probably won’t get you any closer to your goals either.  However, if you can’t afford a trainer, join a group class until you feel more comfortable working out on your own.’

 

4. Take it One Step at a Time: ‘You might be all gung-ho now, but if you push yourself too hard, too soon and sign up for every class available or spend two hours every day at the gym, you will burn out and very possibly injure yourself,’ warns Froneman. ‘If you exercise with an efficient training plan you will reach your goals much more easily and with less risk of overtraining. Leave your ego at the door – contrary to what you may think, no-one is keeping tabs on how much or how often you work out.’

 

5. Take a Towel: Froneman comments, ‘Getting sweaty is pretty much a guarantee when you workout, but leaving puddles of sweat on the different machines you use is a very definite no-no. And remember to wash your towel after every session, you never know what kind of germs could be lurking on that seat.’

 

6. Pack it Away: ‘No matter how at-home you may feel in your gym, you still have to share it with a group of strangers, so if you use the free weights, or a skipping rope, or a kettlebell, be sure to put it back when you’re done,’ Froneman instructs. ‘Good manners still apply even if you’re grunting, sweating and/or swearing during your workout.’

 

7. Be Considerate When the Gym is Busy: Froneman points out, ‘If you can only exercise during peak times, a little more patience and consideration from your fellow gym user is even more important than usual. So limit your time on the cardio machines to 20 minutes, give someone else a chance and then come back if you really, really need to. Again, it’s all about good manners!’

Categories: considerate, fellow gym, froneman, gym etiquette, nbsp, sign, time, towel, Workout

Nine Signs That You May Have a More Serious Health Problem

Have you been feeling concerned about your health and wellbeing lately? You may just be feeling a little run down, or you may have a nagging feeling that your wellness is being affected by something unseen, something ‘under the surface’, but it can be hard to tell and you don’t want to seem like a hypochondriac by going to the doctor with a general feeling of unease.

 

Fortunately, there are some subtle signs that you may be harbouring a more serious health problem, and if you are suffering from any of these signs and symptoms then you would be perfectly justified in heading down to the doctors to make sure that it is nothing more serious and underlying.

 

Inflamed skin can be a sign of internal distress. Abnormal capillary activity along your chin area shows that you have a distressed digestive system, and signs of this can also come in the form of flaking and dermatitis or eczema along your hairline or forehead.

 

If you have dark circles under your eyes, you are likely to dismiss it as lack of sleep. Lack of sleep is the major cause of most dark circles under the eyes, but it can also be caused by a deficiency of phenol sulfotransferase, which can cause behavioural and physical problems. If you have persistent dark circles, see a doctor to find out if something is going on.

 

Mouth sores and ulcers can also be a sign that something is wrong. It may simply be that you are stressed and run down, but if you are suffering from repeated mouth ulcers it may be a sign that you have a more serious condition such as celiacs disease or throat and mouth cancer.

 

Hair loss shouldn’t be ignored either – a bit of hair loss each day is normal, but excessive hair loss can be caused by anaemia, thyroid problems and some other conditions.

Categories: feeling, hair loss, health, health problem, loss, nbsp, problem, sign, signs, underlying

Healthy Ageing: Are Your Wrinkles Telling You Something?

When your anti-ageing wellness goes awry, you may think it’s nothing more than a sign you’re growing older. However, those facial lines, tired eyes, or unwanted body hairs could indicate something is amiss with your overall wellbeing, and could, in fact, signal some serious underlying health concerns. According to integrative medicine specialist Molly M. Roberts, MD, president of the American Holistic Medical Association, ‘It’ll start by whispering, then it’ll start talking, and, if you don’t pay attention, it’ll start yelling and shouting, and then you’ve got an illness.’ So which beauty signs indicate a major wellness warning?

1. Swollen feet: If your shoes feel a little snug these days, it may indicate a physical injury, sprain or strain. Other conditions, such as infections, pregnancy, obesity, and certain medications may also cause fluid retention in your lower extremities, causing them to balloon. However, the serious condition to watch out for is heart failure, as your heart’s poor pumping action may be causing your feet, legs and ankles to retaining fluid and swell.

2. Tired eyes: Typically, those under-eye bags and dark circles indicate nothing more than a few too may late nights. However, if you’re sleeping like a log but your eyes indicate you’re working like a dog (cue the “Hard Day’s Night” melody in your head) you might want to take a look at your diet. In the thin, loose skin that sits below your bottom eyelid, fluid build-up can cause eye bags and puffiness. This can occur due to a plethora of factors, from allergies to crying, but one of the main culprits is salt, especially if you have a high quantity in your diet. Foods that are high in sodium encourage your body to retain water, especially in the sensitive under-eye area.

3. Dry skin: You usually have nothing to worry about with dry skin. Everyone gets it at some point from the wintry air or an overly hot shower, and it’s nothing more than a minor nuisance. In some cases, though, dry and brittle skin is a sign that you’re dehydrated or have an underlying health problem. If you have a poor diet or an eating disorder, the nutrient deficiency this causes can leach moisture from your skin, as can health conditions like hyperthyroidism or diabetes. If your skin is dry particularly on your feet, legs and shins, it may be a sign of atherosclerosis – the narrowing of arteries that leads to heart disease. This is because the tiny arteries that carry blood to your extremities become blocked, which deprives your skin of oxygen and thereby produces dry, shiny patches.

4. Body hair: I don’t know of many women who want body hair on their face, chest, stomach, back, hands, or feet, but the problem is more than an aesthetic embarrassment. Hair where you don’t want it can be a sign of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women of childbearing age. More than 70% of PCOS sufferers have hirsutism, or excess hair growth, and many women with PCOS are at risk of becoming infertile or having infrequent, irregular, or absent periods.

5. Wrinkles: Again, no one wants wrinkles – though they are inevitable – but surprising new research suggests that wrinkles may be a sign of osteoporosis. If you’re brow is furrowed and you’ve spotted grooves around your mouth, the study showed an association between wrinkles and bone health in early-menopausal women. The worse your wrinkles are, the greater your risk is for a low bone density. Excessive exposure to cigarette smoke or the sun can speed the wrinkling process along, so avoid these things to avoid fine lines and possible bone loss.

 

Categories: body hair, Dry Skin, eye bags, feet legs, sign, skin, Swollen Feet, tired eyes, underlying health, Wrinkles

Are You Harbouring the Symptoms of HIV?

Between 40 and 90 percent of people develop flu-like symptoms within a month of the HIV virus entering the body, and this is known as acute retroviral syndrome or ARS. However, this isn’t always the case, with some people not developing symptoms for years or even up to a decade after the infection. Many people who have HIV, for this very reason, don’t realise that they have it, so it’s very important that you get tested regularly. This is especially vital if you’ve had unprotected sex with anyone or use intravenous drugs. There are some signs that you should be aware of so that you can detect the problem early and seek medical advice as soon as possible.

 

The first and most common symptom is a fever, which is often accompanied by a sore throat, swollen lymph glands and fatigue. During this stage the virus is spreading into the bloodstream and is duplicating in large numbers. The reaction of this is from the immune system which attempts to fight off the virus. The second is fatigue – everything you do will leave you tired and out of breath, even if it something minor or something you used to do regularly. Achey joints and muscles are also common – as previously mentioned, the flu-like symptoms can often get overlooked and passed off as a minor bug or virus. However, if the HIV virus has been contracted, this could well be to blame. A violent, boil-like rash may also appear, which is itchy and inflamed. This is often a sign for many people that they don’t just have a regular cold or flu virus.

 

Around 30 to 60 percent of people with HIV experience diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. If these symptoms are unresponsive to treatments, this could be an indicator that you’re suffering with HIV. You may have also noticed weight loss, which was once referred to as AIDS wasting. This is a sign of a more advanced stage of the disease and could be connected to the severe diarrhoea that many people with HIV suffer with. Weight loss is a sign that your immune system is depleted, but antiretroviral treatment has meant that this symptom isn’t as much of a problem for many patients now. A subtle yet prominent symptom is a dry cough, which a lot of people ignore out of habit. If you’ve had a cough on and off for more than a year, this is a sign you should be concerned about.

 

Around half of the people with HIV experience night sweats as well, which are more common in the later stages of the disease. They’re hard to ignore though, unlike the cough or nausea, being described as similar to those menopausal women deal with. They are unconnected to the temperature of the room and will leave your clothes and bed sheets drenched with sweat. It’s worth paying attention to your nails too, as these can highlight changes which are associated with HIV – thickening, discolouration or vertical black lines on the nail are all common in people with the virus. This is because of a fungal infection which your body is more susceptible to because the immune system is lowered. The same can be said of yeast infections, particularly in women, such as thrush.

 

If you’re concerned about any of the symptoms you have, or think that you’ve had symptoms which have been present for a long time, it may be worth speaking to your GP to arrange a HIV test. You should get regular HIV tests at your local GUM clinic if you’re sexually active to ensure you haven’t caught the virus.

Categories: HIV, hiv experience, hiv virus, nbsp, people, sexual health, sign, Symptoms, Virus, Weight Loss