Exercises That Help You Walk Farther Without Pain
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Dr. Alyssa Kuhn shows us how:
At the seat of the problem
Glutes are critical to walking, because they not only help push your body push forwards, but also stabilize your pelvis to prevent limping or a waddling gait.
For this reason, weak glutes can (and often do) lead to joint pain, poor balance, quicker fatigue, due to increased stress on your hips, knees, and back—which in turn can lead to osteoarthritis, usually of the knee(s), in the first instance.
So, how to avoid that:
- Step-ups: step onto a step with one leg and step back down with the same leg to strengthen the glutes that drive you forwards. You can increase the height of a step or add weight to make the movement more challenging.
- Banded lateral steps: place a resistance band around your shins and step one leg out to the side while the other stabilizes your pelvis. Keep the tension on, and avoid letting your body sway side to side. You can also anchor a band to a stable object and move one leg against resistance, if maintaining balance is difficult at first. But if you do that, do try to progress to the main version when you can, because you need that balance too!
- Single-leg balance taps: a great one for training that balance, as well as training glute stability; simply stand on one leg and tap the other foot heel-toe on the floor. Keep your body upright, while your glutes stabilize your pelvis during movement.
For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
5 Proven Tips To Walk Longer Without Pain Or Discomfort
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Things Many People Forget When It Comes To Hydration
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Good hydration is about more than just “drink lots of water”, and in fact it’s quite possible for a person to drink too much water, and at the same time, be dehydrated. Here’s how and why and what to do about it:
Water, water, everywhere
Factors that people forget:
- Electrolyte balance: without it, we can technically have lots of water while either retaining it (in the case of too high salt levels) or peeing it out (in the case of too low salt levels), neither of which are as helpful as getting it right and actually being able to use the water.
- Gastrointestinal health: conditions like IBS, Crohn’s, or celiac disease can impair water and nutrient absorption, affecting hydration
- Genetic factors: some people simply have a predisposition to need more or less water for proper hydration
- Dietary factors: high salt, caffeine, and alcohol intake (amongst other diuretics) can increase water loss, while water-rich foods (assuming they aren’t also diuretics) increase hydration.
Strategies to do better:
- Drink small amounts of water consistently throughout the day rather than large quantities at once—healthy kidneys can process about 1 liter (about 1 quart) of water per hour, so drinking more than that will not help, no matter how dehydrated you are when you start. If your kidneys aren’t in peak health, the amount processable per hour will be lower for you.
- Increase fiber intake (e.g., fruit and vegetables) to retain water in the intestines and improve hydration
- Consume water-rich foods (e.g., watermelon, cucumbers, grapes) to enhance overall hydration and support cellular function (the body can use this a lot more efficiently than if you just drink water).
- Counteract the diuretic effects of caffeine and alcohol by drinking an additional 12 oz of water for every 8 oz of these beverages. Best yet, don’t drink alcohol and keep caffeine to a low level (or quit entirely, if you prefer, but for most people that’s not necessary).
- If you are sweating (be it because of weather, exercise, or any other reasons), include electrolyte fluids to improve cellular hydration, as they contain essential minerals like magnesium, potassium, and in moderation yes even sodium which you will have lost in your sweat too, supporting fluid regulation.
For more details on all of these, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
- Water’s Counterintuitive Properties
- Hydration Mythbusting
- When To Take Electrolytes (And When We Shouldn’t!)
- Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy (Especially After 60)
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Is It Possible To Lose Weight Quickly?
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In Victorian England, weight-loss trends like the dangerous tapeworm diet were popular. While modern fad diets can seem less extreme, they often promise similarly fast results. However, these quick fixes can have similarly harmful consequences:
Not so fast
To illustrate the difference between gradual and extreme dieting, the video bids us consider two identical twins, Sam and Felix:
- Sam adopts a gradual approach, slowly reducing calorie intake and exercising regularly. This causes his body to burn glycogen stores before transitioning to fat as an energy source. Regular exercise helps Sam maintain muscle mass, which boosts his metabolism and supports sustained weight loss.
- Felix drastically cuts calories, forcing his body into starvation mode. He quickly depletes glycogen stores, loses muscle mass, and burns fewer calories, making long-term weight loss more difficult. Although Felix might initially lose water weight, this is temporary and unsustainable.
You cannot “just lose it quickly now, and then worry about healthiness once the weight’s gone”, because you will lose health much more quickly than you will lose fat, and that will sabotage, rather than help, your fat loss journey.Healthy weight loss requires gradual, balanced changes in diet and exercise tailored to individual needs. Extreme diets, whether through calorie restriction or things like elimination of carbs or fats, are unsustainable and shock the body. It’s important to prioritize long-term health over societal pressures for quick weight loss and focus on developing a sustainable, healthy lifestyle.
In short, the quickest way to lose weight and keep it off (without dying), is to lose it slowly.
For more on all of this, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
How To Lose Weight (Healthily)
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10 Ways To Progress Your Workouts (Without Adding Weight)
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Cor Lefkowith, of “Redefining Strength” and “Strong At Every Age”, advises:
Light ≠ Easy
10 ways:
- Combine equipment: use two tools together (e.g. resistance bands with dumbbells) to increase resistance and muscle engagement.
- Adjust range of motion: increase or decrease the movement range to change muscle activation, time under tension, and difficulty.
- Create instability: make the exercise less stable using tools (like sliders or a suspension trainer) or by progressing from bilateral to unilateral variations (i.e. two-handed to single-handed, or two-legged to one-legged).
- Adjust load placement: hold the same weight in different positions (e.g. goblet, offset, suitcase) to challenge stability and target different muscles.
- Change up the tempo: vary the speed of movement (slower eccentrics, pauses, or faster concentrics) to affect power, strength, and control.
- Spend more time under tension: extend the time muscles are active during a set by slowing reps or using continuous motion variations like get-up lunges.
- Switch up postures and positions: alter the body’s position (e.g. seated vs standing) or joint angles to affect how muscles are worked and reduce compensation.
- Vary your workout design: change reps, sets, rest periods, or use formats like supersets, circuits, or compound/isolation exercises to increase challenge.
- Increase training density: do more work in the same amount of time by minimizing rest or combining moves without making workouts longer.
- Adjust your workout schedule: train muscle groups more frequently across the week (e.g. full body, upper/lower splits, anterior/posterior splits) to increase volume.
For more on all of this plus some visual demonstrations, enjoy:
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Is honey good for you? Can it speed recovery if you’re sick or injured?
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Honey is often praised for a range of health benefits, from soothing a sore throat and helping you get to sleep to healing woulds and lowering risk factors for diabetes and heart disease.
Honey’s acidity has the potential to prevent bacterial growth, while its density and stickiness generates osmotic pressure (in the same way as quicksand) which restrain bacteria.
Other compounds in honey contribute anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
But do the claims about honey for specific health problems and injuries stack up to science? Let’s check what the evidence says.
abe livi/Unsplash First, what’s in honey?
Honey contains up to 20% water. The remaining 80% is made of simple sugars: monasaccharides that we rapidly digest. Fructose (32-28%) and glucose (26-31%) are the main ones, followed by small amounts of sucrose and others.
This can increase blood sugar levels to varying degrees. The glycemic index (GI) measures how fast blood sugars rise after eating or drinking. The GI of different Australian honeys ranges from 35 (low) to 72 (high), though most food labels don’t contain GI information.
Honey also has traces of vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, C), minerals (potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc), amino acids (protein) and enzymes from plant, bee and insect secretions.
Nutrients vary depending on where the honeybees collected pollen, the time of honey harvest and how long it has been stored.
Can honey heal wounds?
A 2015 Cochrane review update assessed the effects of honey in treating acute burns, lacerations and chronic wounds, compared to topical treatments or other dressings.
It found high-quality evidence that honey dressings healed second-degree burns 4–5 days faster than conventional dressings. There was moderate-quality evidence that wounds infected after surgery healed faster with honey.
A 2020 review evaluated antimicrobial activity of Manuka and medical-grade honeys against a range of multi-drug resistant bacterial species. It found all honeys were effective against most species and could be considered for use in antibiotic-resistant infections.
Only sterilised medical-grade honey that has been processed to remove contaminants, and meets safety and antibacterial standards, should be used, with guidance from your doctor.
Does honey help adults sleep?
Research on the effects of honey on sleep is limited.
One trial compared sleep quality of 68 adults admitted to hospital. Half were given a mixture of milk (150mL) and honey (30g) twice a day, and half were not.
Those in the honey-mixture group said they slept better after day three. But these results could be biased, because participants were aware they were getting honey-milk and drinking it can be associated with feeling of comfort.
Can it soothe sore throats and coughs, or help kids sleep?
Five studies in children have compared honey mixtures to over-the-counter cough medicines or no medication. Each study linked honey to better sleep and less severe coughs in children.
But before you rush out to stock up on honey, there are major limitations related to the honey used. The quantity and type of honey given varies across the studies, with no certainty about which components are present. So the results need to be interpreted with caution.
Chemical analysis of some honey varieties found traces of the “feel-good” brain chemical serotonin and the hormone melatonin, which affects sleep and circadian rhythm. But the researchers concluded the small amounts detected were more likely to affect activity of the bees, rather than affecting human behaviour.
What about for diabetes, heart disease and cancer care?
For diabetes, a 2023 review of 48 clinical trials found honey had some positive effects on a range of risk factors, including glucose tolerance and wound healing. However, the honey dose and type weren’t standardised, so the researchers concluded that honey could be used in addition to, but not instead of, regular medications.
For heart disease, a 2022 analysis combining findings from trials evaluated the impact of honey on blood fats. It found no effect on several risk factors for heart disease: total cholesterol, triglycerides (another type of blood fat), low-density lipoprotein (LDL or bad) cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein (HDL or good) cholesterol.
However a 2025 meta-analysis of propolis (bee glue) did find significant reductions in triglycerides, LDL (bad) cholesterol, fasting blood sugars, insulin and systolic blood pressure (the top number on a reading). But given most propolis supplement trials have only lasted a few months and supplements are expensive, that money is likely better spent on healthy foods.
For cancer patients, a 2023 review found honey alleviated ulceration and inflammation in the mouth following chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and it reduced some of the toxic effects of chemotherapy.
Can it affect your mind?
Some honeys have psychotropic, or mind-altering effects. “Mad honey” comes from plant nectar of Rhododendron species and naturally contains grayanotoxins, which have pharmacological and toxic effects.
These include nausea, dizziness, low blood pressure, severe bradycardia (an abnormally slow heart rate), neurological complications and even life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat).
It’s illegal to import or sell “mad honey” in Australia but Nepal and Turkey have historically used it for medicinal and psychoactive properties.
Who shouldn’t have honey?
Although commercial honey is pasteurised, the process does not kill spores of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. This is why babies under one year and immunocompromised people shouldn’t have honey.
Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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10 Ways To Balance Blood Sugars
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“Let Them Eat Cake”, She Said…
This is Jessie Inchauspé, a French biochemist and author. She’s most known for her best-selling “Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power Of Balancing Your Blood Sugar”.
It’s a great book (which we reviewed recently) and you absolutely should read it, but meanwhile, we’re going to distill at least the most critical core ideas, 10almonds style. In this case, her “ten hacks”:
Eat foods in the right order
The order is:
- Fiber first
- Protein and fat second
- Starches and sugars last
What happens here is… the fiber perks up the gut bacteria, the protein and fat will then be better-digested next, and the starches and sugars will try to jump the line, but they can’t because the fiber is a physical speedbump and the proteins and fats are taking the prime place for being digested. So instead, the starches and sugars—usually responsible for blood sugar spikes—get processed much more gradually, resulting in a nice even curve.
Add a green starter to all your meals
We know what you’re thinking: “that’s just the first one again”, but no. This is an extra starter, before you get to that. If you’re the cook of the household, this can absolutely simply mean snacking on green ingredients while cooking.
Stop counting calories
Especially, she advises: stop worrying about extra calories from fats, such as if doing an oil-and-vinegar dressing for salad—which she also recommends, because all three components (the oil, the vinegar, and the salad) help even out blood sugar levels.
Flatten your breakfast curve
For many, breakfast is the starchiest meal of the day, if not the sugariest. Inchauspé recommends flipping this (ideally) or softening it (if you really must have a carb-based breakfast):
- Top choices include: a warm vegetable salad, fish, or eggs (or tofu if you don’t do animal products).
- Next-best include: if you must have toast, make sure to have butter (and/or the aforementioned egg/tofu, for example) to give your digestion an extra thing to do.
- Also: she recommends skipping the juice in favour of home-made breakfast smoothies. That way, instead of basically just sugar with some vitamins, you’re getting a range of nutrients that, if you stack it right, can constitute a balanced meal itself, with fiber + protein + fat + carbs.
Have any type of sugar—they’re all the same
They’re technically not, but the point is that your body will immediately take them apart and then they will be just the same. Whether it’s the cheapest white sugar or the most expensive organic lovingly hand-reared free-range agave nectar, your body is going to immediately give it the chop-shop treatment (a process so quick as to be practically instantaneous) and say “this is now glucose”.
Pick a dessert over a sweet snack
Remember that about the right order for foods? A dessert, when your body is already digesting dinner, is going to make much less of a glucose spike than, say, a blueberry muffin when all you’ve had this morning is coffee and juice.
Reach for the vinegar before you eat
We recently did a whole main feature about this, so we’ll not double up today!
After you eat, move
The glucose you eat will be used to replace lost muscle glycogen, before any left over is stored as fat… and, while it’s waiting to be stored as fat, just sitting in your bloodstream being high blood sugars. So, this whole thing will go a lot better if you are actively using muscle glycogen (by moving your body).
Inchauspé gives a metaphor: imagine a steam train worker, shoveling coal into the furnace. Meanwhile, other workers are bringing more coal. If the train is moving quickly, the coal can be shoveled into the furnace and burned and won’t build up so quickly. But if the train is moving slowly or not at all, that coal is just going to build up and build up, until the worker can shovel no more because of being neck-deep in coal.
Same with your blood sugars!
If you want to snack, go low-sugar
In the category of advice that will shock nobody: sugary snacks aren’t good for avoiding blood sugar spikes! This one probably didn’t need a chapter devoted to it, but anyway: low sugar is indeed the way to go for snacks.
Put some clothes on your carbs
This is about olive oil on pasta, butter on potatoes, and so forth. Basically, anything starchy is going to be broken down quickly to sugar and sent straight into the bloodstream, if there’s nothing to slow it down. If you’re wondering what to do with rice: adding a tablespoon of chia seeds to the rice while cooking (so they’re cooked together) will add very healthy fats to your rice, and (because they’ve been cooked) will not seem like eating seeds, by the way. In terms of texture and appearance, it’ll be as though you threw some black pepper in*
*which you should also do for many reasons, but that’s beyond the scope of this “about blood sugars” feature!
Wanting to know more about the science of this?
We’ve done all we have room for here today, but Inchauspé is, as ever, happy to explain it herself:
Prefer text? Check out:
The Science Behind Glucose GoddessDon’t Forget…
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The Best Foods For Collagen Production
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Dr. Andrea Suarez gives us the low-down on collagen synthesis and maintenance. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body, and it can be fairly described as “the stuff that holds us together”. It’s particularly important for joints and bones too, though many people’s focus on it is for the skin. Whatever your priorities, collagen levels are something it pays to be mindful of, as they usually drop quite sharply after a certain age. What certain age? Well, that depends a lot on you, and your diet and lifestyle. But it can start to decline from the age of 30 with often noticeable drop-offs in one’s mid-40s and again in one’s mid-60s.
Showing us what we’re made of
There’s a lot more to having good collagen levels than just how much collagen we consume (which for vegetarians/vegans, will be “none”, unless using the “except if for medical reasons” exemption, which is probably a little tenuous in the case of collagen but nevertheless it’s a possibility; this exemption is usually one that people use for, say, a nasal spray vaccine that contains gelatine, or a medicinal tablet that contains lactose, etc).
Rather, having good collagen levels is also a matter of what we eat that allows us to synthesize our own collagen (which includes: its ingredients, and various “helper” nutrients), as well as what dietary adjustments we make to avoid our extant collagen getting broken down, degraded, and generally lost.
Here’s what Dr. Suarez recommends:
Protein-rich foods (but watch out)
- Protein is essential for collagen production.
- Sources: fish, soy, lean meats (but not red meats, which—counterintuitively—degrade collagen), eggs, lentils.
- Egg whites are high in lysine, vital for collagen synthesis.
- Bone broth is a natural source of collagen.
Omega-3 fatty acids
- Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory and protect skin collagen.
- Sources: walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, fatty fish (e.g. mackerel, sardines).
Leafy greens
- Leafy dark green vegetables (e.g. kale, spinach) are rich in vitamins C and B9.
- Vitamin C is crucial for collagen synthesis and acts as an antioxidant.
- Vitamin B9 supports skin cell division and DNA repair.
Red fruits & vegetables
- Red fruits/vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, red bell peppers) contain lycopene, an antioxidant that protects collagen from UV damage (so, that aspect is mostly relevant for skin, but antioxidants are good things to have in all of the body in any case).
Orange-colored vegetables
- Carrots and sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, which helps in collagen repair and synthesis.
- Vitamin A is best from food, not supplements, to avoid potential toxicity.
Fruits rich in vitamin C
- Citrus fruits, kiwi, and berries are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants, essential for collagen synthesis and skin health.
Soy
- Soy products (e.g. tofu, soybeans) contain isoflavones, which reduce inflammation and inhibit enzymes that degrade collagen.
- Soy is associated with lower risks of chronic diseases.
Garlic
- Garlic contains sulfur, taurine, and lipoic acid, important for collagen production and repair.
What to avoid:
- Reduce foods high in advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which damage collagen and promote inflammation.
- AGEs are found in fried, roasted, or grilled fatty proteinous foods (e.g. meat, including synthetic meat, and yes, including grass-fed nicely marketed meat—although processed meat such as bacon and sausages are even worse than steaks etc).
- Switch to cooking methods like boiling or steaming to reduce AGE levels.
- Processed foods, sugary pastries, and red meats contribute to collagen degradation.
General diet tips:
- Incorporate more plant-based, antioxidant-rich foods.
- Opt for slow cooking to reduce AGEs.
- Since sustainability is key, choose foods you enjoy for a collagen-boosting diet that you won’t seem like a chore a month later.
For more on all of this, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
We Are Such Stuff As Fish Are Made Of ← our main feature research review about collagen
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