Jennifer Aniston's workout regime 'effective' for menopausal women, study says
And now, it seems, she has the backing of science.
The Morning Show star has long been a fan and advocate for Pvolve, an at-home low-impact resistance exercise programme and brand founded by Rachel Katzman. And now a new study proves just how effective the workout is, particularly for women in middle age going through the menopause.
While there isn't a one approach fits all when it comes to fitness, research from the University of Exeter has found the regime to be "effective at improving strength and balance in women during and post-menopause".
The study set out to examine whether Pvolve – an at-home low-impact resistance exercise programme – could improve strength, balance, and body composition and assess whether any improvements were affected by menopause status.
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The results, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, compared 72 moderately active women aged 40 to 60, who were not taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
They were split into two groups, with 45 signed up to Pvolve for 12 weeks and 25 asked to do 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
Among the improvements of those undertaking Pvolve were a 19% increase in hip function and lower body strength, 21% increase in lower-body flexibility, 10% increase in dynamic balance, mobility, and stability, as well as an increase in lean muscle without increasing total body mass.
The improvements were comparable among women who were pre-, peri-, and post-menopausal.
The study, which was funded by Pvolve, is the first to compare the effect of resistance exercise training on muscle strength and mass before, during and after menopause.
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Changes in the body during the menopause are thought to accelerate age-related decline in muscle mass, strength, and stability, the researchers said.
"This is the first study to demonstrate that the decline in sex hormones, and increase in age, across the menopause transition does not affect the ability of lower limb (hip) strength and balance to adapt to a low-impact resistance exercise training program in females not taking HRT," the authors concluded.
Pvolve president Julie Cartwright said: "Women undergo tremendous physical change during the menopause transition, and this research shows that the Pvolve method can serve as an intervention, helping women to live better and feel better throughout their lives."
According to the website Pvolve is a fitness method that combines low-impact exercises, functional movement and resistance equipment.
"Our classes feature precise movement patterns that take you through three planes of motion to deliver total-body strength, while enhancing your mobility and stability, for results you see, feel, and that keep you moving better long term," the Pvolve website explains.
Like many of us looking for an at-home workout during post pandemic, Aniston initially started the Pvolve exercise programme at home in 2021 and then joined the company in 2023.
In a statement then announcing the partnership, she said: "I had a friend who had already been doing Pvolve and not only did I notice her complete transformation — physically in her energy level — but she also explained that Pvolve is functional fitness that respects where your body is at and allows you to work around your current limitations."
The workout seems to have had a similar impact on Aniston. "I've seen more transformation in my body from Pvolve workouts than I have with anything else," she told Women's Health earlier this year.
The actor also said she wishes she'd known about the regime in her 20s. "I am stronger, I feel better. Everyone should be doing Pvolve,' she says on the website.
Strength and resistance training - weight bearing exercise that places resistance on your muscles - is key for women going through the menopause transition as it can increase muscle mass which keeps you strong, fit, and healthy.
Levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen decline during this period, increasing your risk of osteoporosis - the hormone helps keep the bones strong and strength training can help reduce this effect.
"Bone density and muscle strength go hand in hand—so focusing on strength training, nutrition, and healthy habits is essential," explains Dr Elise Dallas, women's health GP at The London General Practice.
"We need to prioritise strength and focus on building bones, muscle mass, and overall health," Dr Dallas continues. "Prioritising weight-bearing exercise, particularly strength training, can help increase bone density and muscle mass. This is one of the best ways to prevent bone loss and build strong bones."
Professor Francis Stephens, from the University of Exeter Medical School, who led the research into the Pvolve regime explains that women often see a decline in their muscle strength and balance shortly before, during and after the menopause.
"This ultimately increases the risk of falls and fractures later in life, particularly of the hip, which is why it's so important to find a way for women to maintain that strength and balance as they get older," he explains.
Professor Stephens said one of the great things about resistance exercises is they can easily be performed at home. "And we've now shown they're effective at improving strength and balance in women during and post-menopause," he added.
Read more about fitness and menopause:
Should you exercise differently in menopause? Joe Wicks sparks debate (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)
The best workout for menopause as Jo Whiley shares secrets (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
The best exercises to relieve menopause symptoms, according to science (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)
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CNN
12 hours ago
- CNN
I tried to find out if the fossil I bought online was real. Then I realized I was asking the wrong question
Animal stories Ancient creatures Africa Retail consumerFacebookTweetLink Follow It stands to reason that a 95 million-year-old tooth shipped to my home would have a rich past. But what ensued after I bought it online for about $100 revealed how, for such relics and those who covet them, the present is in some ways much more complicated. I always wanted to own a fossil, and once the algorithm picked up on that desire, ads flooded my Instagram feed. It then became impossible to resist the thrill of purchasing a piece of one of the largest predators that ever existed: Spinosaurus, a semiaquatic meat-eater that could reach almost 60 feet (about 18 meters) in length — longer and heavier than Tyrannosaurus rex. When the package arrived, in a pretty glass dome and with a preprinted certificate of authenticity that stated it came from North Africa, the long pointy tooth looked the part to my untrained eyes: yellowish brown, with varying textures and a stonelike appearance. But some obvious cracks that suggested the specimen had perhaps been patched together from multiple fragments left me wondering: Was it real? To find out, I took it to London's Natural History Museum, where Susannah Maidment, a senior researcher and fossil expert, examined it. 'Yeah, it's a fossil, for sure,' she said. 'It's got a rounded cross section with ridges down the front and back, so it's probably a Spinosaurus tooth.' To my relief, I hadn't been duped. But it turns out my fossil wasn't as rare as I thought. 'This is almost certainly from Morocco, because almost all Spinosaurus fossils that we know of are from the Kem Kem formation of Morocco, and they're intensively excavated there,' Maidment added, referring to a fossil bed in southeastern Morocco that has yielded an abundance of predatory dinosaur specimens. 'The thing about teeth is that dinosaurs and other reptiles shed them continuously, so one dinosaur will have many, many teeth over its lifetime. And so they're very common.' As a result, according to Maidment, I probably paid too much for it. However, her next observation quickly replaced that concern with another: 'This … has almost certainly been illegally exported and illegally excavated,' she said. 'This specimen — you have it illegally.' Last year, a Stegosaurus skeleton nicknamed 'Apex,' measuring nearly 27 feet long (about 8 meters), sold for $44.6 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York City, becoming the most valuable fossil ever sold at auction. Hedge fund manager Ken Griffin reportedly scooped up the specimen, which was discovered in 2022 on private land in Colorado, and it is currently on loan at New York's American Museum of Natural History. The sale was just one in a series of recent high-profile auctions that sent near-complete dinosaur skeletons into private ownership. But the trend can be traced back to the sale of Sue, one of the most complete and largest T. rex fossils ever found. It was unearthed in 1990 and sold at auction in 1997 for $8.36 million after a long legal battle over its ownership. Even though Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History purchased Sue and still has it on display, the pooling together of private funds led to its acquisition and kick-started the era of big-ticket fossil auctions. Seventy-one T. rex specimens are now in private hands, versus 61 held by public trusts, according to a recent study. Peter Lovisek, a fossil broker and curator at Fossil Realm, a gallery in Ottawa, said a key turning point for the market — 'where these pieces began to be seen as cultural icons, artworks, investment assets' — was the auction of a 40-foot-long T. rex named 'Stan,' which sold for $31.8 million in 2020. The media frenzy surrounding Stan, which is part of a planned exhibition at the upcoming Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, brought fossils into the mainstream, Lovisek added. 'Since then, Instagram has become a hub for the fossil industry,' he said. 'A major part of our strategy is to focus on Instagram storytelling, and Instagram is connecting curators, dealers, diggers.' CNN reached out to Instagram for comment but has not received a response. You are now spoiled for choice if you want to buy fossils online. Most online shops offer a range of price points starting at a few dollars and going up into the low thousands, whereas Lovisek said he takes a more upmarket approach, from a few thousand dollars to the six-figure range. And things are just getting started, according to Salomon Aaron, director of David Aaron, a London gallery dealing in ancient art and fossils. 'I think the dinosaur trade is actually still incredibly undervalued,' Aaron said. 'Relative to the art market, we are very much at the beginning, at the start of the dinosaur fossil trade.' On the other hand, it's been over 200 years since the first dinosaur fossil was given a name, Megalosaurus, in 1824. Specimens have now been found on every continent, and more than 50 countries have contributed named species to science, with the United States, China, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Mongolia, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom topping the rankings. One enduring misconception, perhaps fueled by the multimillion-dollar auctions, is that fossils are rare. 'Across the world, people assume that everything's going to be unmanageably expensive, but that's not the case,' said Matt Dale, who owns Mr Wood's Fossils, a fossil shop in Edinburgh, Scotland, which also sells online. His cheapest dinosaur fossils are priced under 10 pounds (about $13.50), and include bone fragments, teeth and eggshells. 'I get a lot of questions that I hear again and again. One, where do you get all this stuff? Two, is it real? And three, why is it so cheap?' Dale said. 'The bulk of the stuff in my shop comes from unusually rich sites, where there's an awful lot of material, which makes it much more practical and feasible to collect it and sell it on a commercial basis. There's an artificial impression of how rare fossils are, and that's just — that's not the case for some things.' Most fossil shops in the world will have some of these affordable items, Dale said, including ammonites, or shelled mollusks, from Madagascar; fish from Wyoming's Green River Formation; shark teeth from South Carolina and Florida; and trilobites from the Erfoud area in Morocco's northern Kem Kem region — the same place from where my Spinosaurus tooth likely comes. After telling me that she thought my fossil was illegal, Maidment explained that 'the Moroccan fossil law states that you must have a permit for excavation and that you must have a permit for export, and you can only get a permit for export if you have an excavation license. Unless your seller is able to show you both, they have certainly excavated it illegally and exported it illegally.' The online shop I bought the Spinosaurus tooth from is based in the UK and has a page on its website that asserts its commitment to ethical sourcing of artifacts. The company didn't respond to requests for an interview or comment on the origin of my fossil. Other online retailers offering similar merchandise that I contacted also didn't respond to my interview requests. However, the shop could have legally purchased the fossils from a third party, or at one of many fossil trade shows such as Arizona's Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase. Held annually in January and February, the Arizona event bills itself as the largest gem and mineral show in the world. CNN reached out to the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase for comment but has not received a response. Morocco is not the only country imposing restrictions on fossil exports with the goal of preserving its cultural heritage. Export bans are also in place in Argentina, Brazil, China and Mongolia. 'All around the world, different countries have different laws. In the UK and the US, if you find something on your land, you can do whatever you want with it,' while in some parts of South America, for example, the person who discovers an artifact has a weaker claim, Maidment said. Brazilian fossils in particular, according to a law established in 1942, don't belong to the finder, noted Taissa Rodrigues, a professor of paleontology at the Federal University of Espirito Santo in Brazil. 'It belongs to the country,' Rodrigues said. 'That means, if you find a fossil, you're not its owner, so that's why you're not allowed to sell it, because it's not up for you to decide.' But Morocco seems to fall into a sort of legal gray area when it comes to fossil exports, said Maidment and David Martill, emeritus professor from the UK's University of Portsmouth. Despite laws in place intended to regulate export of these artifacts, almost all fossils excavated in Morocco end up on the commercial market, according to Martill. A small portion fuel the local souvenir market, and the rest go to fossil dealers who sell them to shops and online retailers throughout the world, he said. 'I am very familiar with the fossil black market in Morocco, because I work there, and we have huge problems at our (excavation) sites, where commercial fossil dealers who are black market smugglers come and excavate illegally from our sites, probably from the specimens that we're digging up,' Maidment said, speaking of those who operated without a proper permit. 'Sometimes we find the fossils, and then they take them, and then they sell them on European websites for up to 30,000 euros. So it's a huge, huge problem.' Morocco's Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, which regulates 'the fields of geology, minerals, hydrocarbons and energies,' has not responded to CNN's requests for comment. The full extent of the questionable movement of fossils across borders is hard to pin down, but it has included important specimens such as Ubirajara jubatus, a feathered dinosaur species first described in a now-retracted 2020 paper from a one-of-a-kind skeleton that had allegedly been illegally exported to Germany from Brazil. Germany's State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe returned the rare remains to Brazil in 2023 among a wave of similar high-profile repatriations, including a 56 million-year-old crocodile fossil that Morocco recovered from the United States. A few years earlier, in 2015, actor Nicolas Cage returned a T. rex skull he bought for $276,000 at auction in 2007 to the Mongolian government. It's more difficult for smaller, less expensive fossils that have been illegally exported to make it back to their country of origin, although in 2022 French customs returned nearly 1,000 fossils from the Araripe Basin in Brazil that had been stolen to be sold online. Neither Martill nor John Nudds, an honorary lecturer in the department of Earth and environmental sciences at the UK's University of Manchester, would go as far as calling my fossil illegal. 'There's a bit of a gray area,' Martill said. 'I can't technically go there and dig fossils without the permission of the ministry in Rabat.' But he added that locals 'can dig fossils, they can cut fossils, they can polish fossils, and tourists can buy the fossils. And if you go to any fossil fair, you'll find Moroccan fossils for sale, and that will include Spinosaurus teeth.' Nudds said he knows of at least one reputable wholesaler based outside Morocco that sells 'an awful lot' of Spinosaurus teeth exactly like mine. 'That's why I'm pretty confident that these are OK to come out of Morocco,' he said. Part of the reason why fossils may occupy a legal gray area, Nudds added, is some ambiguous wording in UNESCO's 1970 Convention, which was designed to prevent the illegal export of items of cultural importance across many categories. The category that includes fossils is described as 'Rare collections and specimens of fauna, flora, minerals and anatomy, and objects of palaeontological interest.' According to Nudds, the wording makes it unclear whether the objects of paleontological interest are in their own category, which would include all fossils, or if they are part of the 'rare collections,' which would not. But when it comes to my tooth, he said he believes that unless the shop I bought it from has smuggled the item out of Morocco, then it is selling it legally, even if it bought it from a smuggler. 'There may be an ethical issue,' Nudds said, 'and there may be a moral or even a scientific issue, but not a legal issue.' Elmahdi Lassale, CEO of M2 Rocks & Minerals, a Moroccan wholesaler and exporter of minerals and fossils that sells directly to retailers in the US, UK and Europe, confirmed that under Moroccan law, since 2020, fossils are classified as geological heritage. Excavating and exporting them isn't strictly off-limits, according to Lassale, but to do so commercially, a license must be obtained from the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development as well as a validated customs certificate. In practice, it means that before each export, Lassale sends the ministry a list of the individual items he wants to sell. 'Normally we just send the descriptions and the names of the items,' he added, 'but sometimes they ask to send a real specimen, to see it in person.' When I asked if he deals in Spinosaurus teeth, he said he doesn't, because it's unlikely that the ministry would approve their export. 'If we talk about dinosaur bones or teeth, it's (almost) impossible to export from Morocco (even) with a license,' Lassale said. Among the items he gets permission to export are trilobites, ammonites, shark teeth, and Mosasaur and Plesiosaur teeth and vertebrae. However, he said he is aware that other fossils do get out of the country via 'illegal suppliers' as well as 'through informal shipments via tourist luggage and small couriers, creating a mixed online market of documented and undocumented specimens abroad.' He estimated the total trade of fossils in Morocco to be worth $30 million to $40 million annually, including official and unofficial exports, and that about 80% of fossils are exported. In a large trade show such as the one in Tucson, he said, there will be on average around 200 Moroccan fossil dealers. Martill and Nudds viewed my fossil during separate video calls. 'You've got a genuine fossil, but I think it's a repair,' Martill said. 'There's a possibility that the tip belongs to a different specimen. You can see some glue — they often find broken examples, and they will just do sympathetic repairs.' However, the human cost of obtaining even an imperfect specimen can be serious, he said. 'Let me tell you now that the man who dug that out of the ground risked not only his life but his lungs as well,' Martill said, adding that he has gone into fossil mines in Morocco and spent time with miners. The fossil trade in Morocco is the main source of income for more than 50,000 people, including diggers, miners, artisans, middlemen and wholesalers who go on to export the fossils, according to a 2018 study. Martill said he believed my tooth came from Hassi el Begaa, a village in the Kem Kem region. 'This is a place where the mines go in from the side of the hill,' Martill said. 'They go in horizontally, for maybe 50 to 100 meters (164 to 328 feet). They then turn to the left or the right, and that's when you lose any hint of sunlight. You're well underground, and the place is incredibly dusty. The miners are often working without masks. They have little head torches, and they dig with tiny crowbars fashioned out of the steel that you use to reinforce concrete. They're not sophisticated tools. 'They do this all day long and then shovel out all of the sand in a wheelbarrow, tip it down the side of the hill and look for the fossils. They're working extremely hard — they're hand-digging a mine,' Martill added. Taking all that into account, he said, what I paid for my tooth fossil 'is probably pretty cheap.' Lassale agreed the fossil diggers in Morocco often work in challenging conditions, including temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), and with minimal protective equipment, while earning about 120 to 180 Moroccan dirhams (about $13 to $20) daily. He added that his company only partners with artisans and cooperatives that provide safety measures such as shade tents, water and protective goggles to workers, though he said such practices are not common industrywide. 'It's very easy to make a lot of money with this, but it's not easy to dig out minerals or fossils — small artisans, they put their health at risk' to support their families, Lassale said. He noted that mines and shafts dug to reach fossil deposits have been known to collapse sometimes, causing fatalities. 'Unfortunately, we hear about that every year — not just fossil but also mineral mines,' he said. Would I be in trouble if my fossil tooth turned out to be illegal? Experts told me I likely wouldn't, even if the specimen had been illegally exported — the responsibility would likely be on the wholesaler. But things could be different for fossils from countries that have strong restrictions on fossil exports. That's why experts recommend prospective buyers avoid anything advertised from countries such as Brazil, Argentina, China or Mongolia. 'I guess the best advice would be to only buy something if you can see it and hold it in your hand,' Nudds said. 'If you're going to buy online, then maybe avoid those countries which do ban exports, because that's where you're more likely to find forgeries.' Fakes don't seem to be widespread, but they're more common on the cheaper end of the market, according to Lovisek of the Fossil Realms gallery in Canada. 'There's so much scrutiny with the higher end, that the real problem is not forgery, but misrepresentation — claiming there's less restoration than there is, or claiming it's more real bone than there is,' he said. Other than such deceptions or distortions, when it comes to how to purchase a fossil properly, experts offered guidance that would apply to buying pretty much anything online: Do your research, look for a reputable seller, and ask for paperwork or proof that the item is sold legally and ethically. Perhaps the more important question is should you buy a fossil at all? I still look at the Spinosaurus tooth on my bookshelf and marvel that it's the oldest thing in my house by at least 94 million years. But given the complexities around fossils' cultural status and scientific relevance, the dangerous working conditions in some excavation areas, and the fact that many countries are now recovering fossils exported illegally, it's no surprise that the answer to that question has stirred disagreement, even within my small cohort of paleontologists. 'Do not buy your fossils online,' said Maidment of London's Natural History Museum. 'Unless you can absolutely verify that they are being sold legally, and that they're in your country legally, it's best to just not to do it at all. My view of fossils — it's something that belongs to all of us. It's part of our heritage. It shouldn't be something that one person owns.' Martill has a different view, particularly for smaller, less rare specimens that don't hold as much value for researchers. 'There are billions of fossils in the ground. There's no point in them staying in the ground. And scientists like me, there's only so much that you can do with one isolated dinosaur tooth. It's a common fossil; it's scientifically uninteresting,' he said. 'I think it's great that you can have a fossil. You got something there which is 90 to 100 million years old,' Martill added. 'There is a possibility that you could buy a tooth and actually own a piece of the fantastic history of the life on Earth.' Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Personal trainer recommends the one arm plank as the perfect way to upgrade your core workouts — I gave it a try
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The plank is a great exercise for building core strength, but it's not the most exciting move you can do. It's quite the opposite, in fact, with the aim being to stay as still as possible. There are plenty of ways you can vary your planks, though, and the alternating one arm plank is one that's well worth trying. I saw the move recommended by personal trainer Kyle Knapp on Instagram, who describes it as 'simple but effective'. Having now tried the one arm alternating plank myself I would take issue with the idea that it's a simple move, but it's certainly effective for challenging your core and building strength. You don't need any equipment to do the alternating one arm plank, though performing the move on a yoga mat can help with grip, especially for your feet which will need to bear a bigger load than with the classic plank when you lift an arm off the floor. How to do the alternating one-arm plank Knapp demonstrates the move in his Instagram post, giving some useful pointers on how to do it most effectively You set up in a high plank position, with your hands supporting your upper body rather than your forearms. Then spread your feet wider than you would for a normal plank — this is vital for keeping your balance when you lift one hand off the floor. Lift one hand slowly up off the floor to your waist, aiming to keep the rest of your body as still as possible. Try not to buck your hips up in particular, or sway them over to the side where your hand is still grounded to compensate for the lack of support on the other side. Aim to complete five to 10 slow reps on each side, and if you're struggling with the move then you can build up the core strength for it by doing more of the standard high plank. Another good move to help build up to the one arm plank is the dumbbell plank drag. How hard is the alternating one-arm plank? I added the move into a longer core workout and it was notably harder than the regular plank. At first I thought the move was nigh-on impossible, because I set up with my feet together and didn't have the strength to support myself on one arm. Once I rechecked Knapp's post and got my position right, it became hard, but manageable. I added the move into a longer core workout and it was notably harder than the regular plank. You really have to brace your core and glutes to maintain the plank position while lifting one arm, and it was hard to get through five reps on each side without starting to rush. It's an effective core move that I'll continue to do in future workouts, and the extra movement you do compared to the classic plank makes it a more engaging exercise and keeps you focused on using your core muscles. Once you become comfortable with the alternating one arm plank you can progress again to the renegade row, which is a similar exercise where you hold dumbbells, lifting them up to your chest when you raise each hand. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. More from Tom's Guide No, not push-ups — try the 'steering wheel' exercise to strengthen your upper body instead Who needs the gym? Longevity expert shares the only 6 exercises you need after 40, 50 and 60 to build strength I cancelled my gym membership two months ago — here's how I'm staying just as fit at home
Time Business News
16 hours ago
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How to Choose the Right Tattoo Studio: A Complete Guide
Getting a tattoo is a significant decision that will stay with you for life. Whether it's your first piece or an addition to your collection, selecting the right studio can make the difference between a masterpiece and a regrettable experience. The process involves more than just picking a design—it requires careful research to find skilled tattoo artists who prioritize safety and quality. Many people make the mistake of choosing a studio based solely on price or convenience. However, when it comes to permanent body art, cutting corners can lead to poor results, infections, or worse. This guide will help you navigate the selection process and find a safe tattoo studio that meets your needs. Start by compiling a list of potential studios near you. If you're in Ontario, for example, Hamilton tattoo studios offer diverse styles and experienced artists worth considering. Use online directories, social media platforms, and local recommendations to create your initial list. Look for studios with strong online presences and positive reviews. Pay attention to recent feedback from clients, as this reflects current standards and service quality. Studios that regularly post fresh work on Instagram or Facebook typically demonstrate active engagement with their craft. A safe tattoo studio should be your non-negotiable requirement. Visit potential studios in person to assess their cleanliness standards. The workspace should be spotless, with artists using disposable needles, fresh ink cups, and sterile equipment for each client. Check that the studio holds proper licensing and health department certifications. These should be visibly displayed. Ask about their sterilization procedures—professional studios use autoclaves to sterilize reusable equipment and follow strict hygiene protocols. Artists should wear fresh gloves throughout the process and change them frequently. The tattoo area should be cleaned and prepared properly, and aftercare instructions should be provided in writing. Skilled tattoo artists will proudly showcase their work through comprehensive portfolios. Review these carefully, looking for consistency in line work, shading, and overall execution. Each artist typically specializes in certain styles, whether traditional, realism, watercolor, or geometric designs. Don't be afraid to ask to see healed tattoos alongside fresh ones. Healing reveals the true quality of work—colors should remain vibrant, lines should stay crisp, and details should remain clear after the initial healing period. The consultation process reveals much about a studio's professionalism. Quality artists will discuss your ideas thoroughly, offer suggestions for improvement, and explain the tattooing process clearly. They should answer your questions patiently and provide realistic timelines for completion. Professional studios require deposits and maintain organized booking systems. They should also be transparent about pricing and willing to provide written estimates for larger pieces. Inquire about each artist's experience level and training background. Established artists often have apprenticeship histories or formal training they're willing to discuss. While newer artists can produce excellent work, ensure they're working under proper supervision and have completed adequate training. Ask how long the studio has been operating and whether artists have experience with your desired style or size of tattoo. Some techniques require specialized skills that not all artists possess. After conducting your research, trust your gut feeling about the studio and artist. You should feel comfortable and confident in their abilities. If anything feels off during your consultation—whether it's cleanliness concerns, communication issues, or pressure tactics—consider other options. Once you've found a safe tattoo studio with skilled tattoo artists who meet your criteria, you're ready to move forward. Remember that quality work requires investment, both financially and time-wise. Rushing the selection process or choosing based solely on price often leads to disappointment. Take time to properly research your options, visit studios in person, and ask detailed questions. Your future self will thank you for choosing carefully and prioritizing quality over convenience. The right studio will provide not just a beautiful tattoo, but a positive experience that makes the permanent addition to your body something you'll treasure for years to come. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
