Should You Take Supplements Before Working Out?

Timing is everything—even when it comes to keeping your bones healthy. That’s the takeaway from a new study that finds taking calcium supplements before working out helps minimize exercise-induced calcium loss.

Athletes who train intensely can lose substantial amounts of calcium when they sweat, leading to decreased bone density. So authors of the study, which was presented recently at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, set out to see if taking calcium supplements pre- or post-workout would help fix the problem. They divided 52 male cyclists into two groups. One group took 1,000 mg of calcium along with 1,000 iu of vitamin D (which helps the body absorb calcium) 30 minutes before training. The other group took the same calcium-vitamin D combo an hour after training.

The result: Though both groups showed decreased blood-calcium levels, the cyclists who popped the supplements before breaking a sweat had much less calcium loss, said Vanessa Sherk, PhD, lead author of the study and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The findings suggest that when a person consumes calcium makes a difference in terms of how much bone density loss they rack up.

“It’s interesting research because we already know that getting enough calcium is crucial to maintaining bone health, but this may be the first study demonstrating that timing plays a role,” says Steven Hawkins, PhD, a professor of exercise science at California Lutheran University and a fellow of the American College Sports Medicine, which partially funded the study.

So should you pop calcium pills or load up on yogurt before killing it in your cycling class? Because the results are preliminary and the study focused on a small group of hardcore athletes (not to mention all men), Sherk says that further research needs to be done before any recommendation can be made. On the other hand, future studies may prove that calcium before a workout really does shore up bones—and women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s already need up to 1,000 mg of calcium daily as well as 600 iu of vitamin D to maintain good health. So it certainly can’t hurt to chose a pre-workout meal or snack from the dairy aisle, says Hawkins. Think: yogurt and nuts, an egg-white omelet with cheese, or a low-fat milk smoothie. But skip the supplements if you can. Nutrients are better absorbed when you consume them via food sources.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hooking Up

A hot-and-heavy night should leave you doing a stride of pride the next day. But if you’ve ever hooked up with someone, only to find yourself in a post-sex funk afterward, you’re definitely not alone: New research links casual sex to negative well-being, lower self-esteem, and higher levels of anxiety and depression, according to an article published in the Journal of Sex Research.

For the study, researchers from 30 institutions across the U.S. looked at 3,907 straight college students between the ages of 18-24. Each participant was given a survey about their risky habits—including having casual sex—as well as various aspects of their mental health. What they found: Both men and women who’d had casual sex in the past week were more likely to report anxiety, depression, and negative wellbeing.

“I really want to emphasize that this was just correlational,” says study author Melina Bersamin, PhD, professor of child development at Sacramento State. “We don’t know what causes what—it could very well be that students who are depressed and anxious seek out those casual sex relationships; it’s not necessarily that having casual sex causes anxiety and depression. … More research is really needed.”

Still, it doesn’t take a scientist to know that hooking up with a guy can be fun, carefree, and sexy, or that it can leave you feeling like crap— depending on the circumstances. So what can you do to ensure that your hookups bring you nothing but bliss? Kristen Mark, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky, suggests asking yourself these questions to figure out how a potential roll in the hay might affect you emotionally—before you take your clothes off:

“What do I really want out of this?”
Men aren’t the only ones with needs—women crave physical pleasure, too. So if some spine tingling is really what you’re hankering for—and you’ve got a guy who’s willing and able to help—then by all means, go for it. But if you’re really looking for a longer, more intimate relationship—even if you tell him (and yourself!) that you’re not—you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. “When expectations aren’t met, anxiety and depression may increase,” says Mark. “Assess your needs and wants, and communicate them with your casual sex parter. If this results in the casual sex not happening, that’s likely for the best.”

“Was I feeling anxious or depressed going into the night?”
When you’re down in the dumps, an orgasm may seem like a great way to lift your spirits—but it’s not. “That’s really just a Band-Aid that may make things worse in the end,” says Mark. Since negative wellbeing usually has more to do with your emotional needs than your physical ones—and casual sex won’t help you feel more emotionally connected to others—getting busy to boost your mood will probably backfire.

“Am I getting weird vibes from this guy?”
You definitely want to make sure the person you’re hooking up with seems respectful, says Mark. That way, when you ask him to put on a condom, or if you change your mind, you don’t have to worry that he’ll give you grief or make you feel bad about for your choices or requests.

“Is there any other reason I think I may regret this in the morning?”
This may seem like a no-brainer, but taking the time to do a gut check and really being honest with yourself is crucial. If you’ve tried having casual sex in the past, for example, and have never been able to enjoy it, then no-strings-attached flings may just not be for you—and that’s OK. And if you do hook up with a guy, only to wish you hadn’t later? “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” says Mark. “Take it as a learning experience, and move forward with new knowledge that you can apply to any future encounters you may have.”

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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4 Questions to Ask Before You Get a Tattoo

Do the clothes you wore in high school now make you cringe? In ten years’ time, you’ll probably feel the same about the outfit you wore today. As it happens, people drastically underestimate how much their tastes will change in the future, according to six studies recently published in the journal Science. Meaning? You’re more likely than you think to regret decisions that have permanent consequences, like getting a tattoo.

Researchers asked more than 19,000 people between the ages of 18 and 68 to answer questionnaires on personality, values, and preferences as they would ten years ago, in the present, and ten years in the future. The results: While people in every age group said they’d changed a lot in the past decade, they estimated very little change in the future.

The reasons, the authors write, are twofold: first, people generally like themselves and their personalities; they’re threatened by the prospect of change. Second, it’s tough to imagine how you might change as you age. People confuse the difficulty of the task with the likelihood of change itself. But the belief that you are who you will always be can have practical consequences. Later in life, you might not like the guy you fell for when you were 18…or his initials inked on your lower back.

Unfortunately, you can’t undo every mistake of your youth (i.e, the pink pleather snakeskin pants you wore freshman year). That said, you can make more mindful decisions now to reduce regrets later—especially when the consequences are permanent. Case in point: tattoo art. Answer these four questions before you get skin art that you’re stuck with:

1. “Why do I want this tattoo?”
“Sometimes we like to do things that seem indelible and permanent to help us be who we want to be or stick to something we really want to stick to,” says Laurie Gerber, president and senior coach of Handel Group Life Coaching and Women’s Health advisory board member. “It can be special and spiritual if it’s like that for you.”

To assess your motive, complete this statement, and be specific: “I want a tattoo of [describe design] because…” If your reason includes a name (i.e., “to prove to [boyfriend’s name] that I will love him forever,” or “to piss off my mom”), consider less permanent ways to achieve the same result. For instance: exchange promise rings with your boyfriend, or write a letter to your mom about why she’s upsetting you. The best reasons are aspirational; the tattoo should represent the highest ideal of who you want to be, says Gerber. An example: “I want an open heart tattoo to remind myself to keep an open mind.”

2. “Does the tattoo I want represent a phase or a trend?”
Some tattoos are like fad diets: they become outdated fast. “You might regret a tattoo if it no longer speaks to you or of you well,” says Gerber. Before you brand yourself with a logo, character, or spiritual credo, remember that things and people in your life might change, even if you don’t. The same goes for beauty trends and permanent makeup: Thick eyebrows, for instance, could be in today and out tomorrow. To play it safe, use permanent makeup only to accentuate the features you have, and don’t try to create something new, like fuller lips.

3. “Why do I want a tattoo here?”
No matter where you get your tat, your body is your billboard. Think your hip is the perfect place because it’s easy to cover up? Think again—about who you want to hide the tattoo from. Consider a less prominent way to express a super-personal sentiment, like on a note that you keep with you always. And if you chose an area that tends to be exposed (i.e., your wrist, forearm, or neck) weigh the professional consequences. Are tattoos frowned upon at the tippy-top of the ladder in your line of work? Assume you’ll eventually be considered for that job, and answer honestly: Could your ink art hold you back?

4. “Will this tattoo look good when my skin doesn’t look this good?”
When skin thins or stretches, a tattoo can look like a canvas painting stretched across a broken frame: saggy and distorted. Tattoos on taut areas of skin (i.e., upper back, ankles, or forearms) are most likely to withstand the test of time. The face, neck, and upper chest are most prone to wrinkles, while your breasts, belly, hips, shoulders, upper arms, and lower back are easy targets for stretch marks from pregnancy or weight fluctuations, according to dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical research at the Dermatology Department at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City.

If you still regret your tattoo…
Don’t beat yourself up. “Mistakes are there to teach you something, so joyfully take your lesson,” says Gerber. And if the image of your ex-husband’s face on your butt brings you no joy? See a dermatologist to discuss removal. Depending on the size and color of the tattoo, laser removal can cost upwards of $ 300 per treatment for up about 20 treatments—but there’s no guarantee it will work.

photo: altrendo images/Stockbyte/Thinkstock

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What His Tattoo Says About Him
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Life Choices: Your Decision-Making Process
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