Latest news with #WellActually
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
The one change that worked: I could never get fit – until I tried a 40-second plank every day
For years, I loved smoking, slurping large glasses of wine and gobbling wings from overlit chicken shops. I tried to be healthy: I would make overnight oats; get only the small mixed sushi from Wasabi; and drink prosecco because someone said it was keto-friendly. I even did Veganuary back when it was such a gruelling feat of strength to be vegan for a month that people would sponsor you in horror and amazement. I felt I had more in common with a pair of old socks than with gym-goers. Terms like 'reps', 'leg days' and 'core strength' made me cringe, mainly because they were the secret language of an exclusive club to which I wasn't invited. Yet I still believed I could magic up the motivation to work out profusely and daily. I signed up to Fitness First because it was opposite my flat, so I knew I would definitely go. (I went twice in a year.) Then I realised the problem: I had set the bar sky high. Just like any fad diet, the plan was always doomed to fail. One day, I wondered if I could stick to doing a 40-second plank, every day for a week. Just to see. Forty seconds was all I could manage at the time, and a week seemed doable. Five years later, I can now do a two-and-a-half-minute plank and various other strength exercises. I still do it all religiously every day and the domino effect it has had has changed my life. About a year in, I began to encounter a tantalisingly unfamiliar feeling: physical strength. I noticed I was standing differently, taller perhaps, my core naturally taut. There were even the beginnings of – dare I say it – abs. Am I someone that has abs, I wondered? The feeling was exhilarating. I had spent years body-shaming myself: as a teenager, I existed on a diet of pasta and worshipped Kate Moss, so I always believed I was overweight because I wasn't a waif. Now, suddenly, I was accepting my body, even liking it. But my body hadn't changed size – I just felt stronger physically and, consequently, mentally. This newfound confidence led me back to my childhood sport: competitive swimming. I am better at swimming now because my core is stronger and my core gets stronger the more I swim. A coach recently referred to me as 'an athlete' and I laughed (before spending the rest of the day smirking and in my head trying out the word 'athlete' next to my name). Sign up to Well Actually Practical advice, expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life after newsletter promotion Because of the regular swimming, I've lost weight, I'm inspired to eat more healthily, I've quit smoking and my mental health is the best it has ever been. Sometimes, I even crave vegetables. I haven't become totally insufferable (yet) – I still drink wine and gobble fried chicken – but my life is different, and I can trace it all back to one, wobbly, 40-second plank on a rainy Monday evening. I'll have to plank for ever now for fear of losing my streak. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
The Guardian
03-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Is it OK not to pee for 25 hours?
On Monday evening, Cory Booker, a Democratic senator for New Jersey, took the floor to denounce the harm he believes Donald Trump and his administration have inflicted on the United States. 'Our country is in crisis,' he said, decrying the economic chaos, mass layoffs and tyrannical acts of the administration's first 71 days. He stopped speaking 25 hours and five minutes later, making it the longest Senate speech in history. Many praised Booker for the rousing political act. Some were also impressed by a particular physical feat: namely, he seemingly didn't pee once the whole time. (A rep for Booker confirmed to TMZ that he did not wear a diaper during his speech.) Afterwards, Booker told reporters that he prepared for the speech by fasting for days and intentionally dehydrating himself. 'I think I stopped eating on Friday and then stopped drinking the night before I started on Monday,' Booker said, according to tweets from CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju. 'It had its benefits and it really had its downsides.' Booker's speech was a feat of stamina and determination. According to urologists, his no-pee marathon was also deeply unadvisable. 'I think [Booker] needs to see a urologist,' says Dr Rena Malik, urologist and pelvic surgeon. 'He probably has some real bladder dysfunction. That's not normal. A normal person can't do that.' Most people pee on average about seven to eight times a day. And healthy adults typically produce about 800 to 2,000ml – or 0.8 to 2 liters – of urine a day, says Dr Seth D Cohen, a urologist at the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Men's Health. Holding one's pee for too long can lead to urinary tract infections (UTIs) as well as bladder and kidney damage. 'Eventually, the body will contract the bladder involuntarily to empty its contents,' says Cohen. 'This is called incontinence.' When urine sits in the bladder for too long (say, about 25 hours and 5 minutes) it is basically 'food for bacteria', Malik says. Contrary to popular belief, urine is not sterile, and if not flushed out, can cause UTIs. Experts also expressed concern over Booker's decision to dehydrate himself. 'Dehydration can have serious consequences, particularly for older adults,' says Dr Bashir Al Hussein Al Awamlh, a urologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian. He adds that risks include fatigue, muscle cramps and dizziness when standing up. Indeed, Booker said after his speech that he occasionally took small sips of water 'to stop my muscles from cramping'. Sign up to Well Actually Practical advice, expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life after newsletter promotion Dehydration is 'not recommended', says Al Hussein Al Awamlh. While some people may limit their fluid intake when they will not have easy bathroom access, 'it's more effective to stay hydrated overall and avoid caffeine and alcohol, which act as diuretics and can increase the urge to urinate.' Besides, dehydrating yourself doesn't prevent your body from producing urine. 'You're still processing bodily fluids,' says Malik. Additionally, when one is dehydrated, urine typically becomes more concentrated, and this highly concentrated urine can irritate the bladder lining, Malik says. Booker's speech was not a filibuster – a procedure in which senators attempt to delay or block a vote by speaking indefinitely. During a filibuster, senators can't sit down or go to the bathroom, as that would be yielding the floor. ('These rules are not medically safe and need to be evaluated by a medical doctor,' Malik says.) While not a filibuster, it was a piece of political theater, and Booker followed most filibuster rules, saying he rose with the 'intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able'. As he neared the end of his speech, Booker said he would be leaving to 'deal with some of the biological urgencies I'm feeling.' Democrats praised Booker for his speech. 'Do you know how proud America is of you?' the senator Chuck Schumer asked Booker. Urologists were less delighted by the gesture. 'While it's possible to delay urination with careful planning, doing so repeatedly – or for symbolic reasons – can send the wrong message about listening to your body's needs,' says Dr Jason Kim, associate professor of urology at Stony Brook Medicine. People should not aspire to go 25 hours without peeing, says Malik. 'It's not a good thing,' she said, reiterating: 'Cory Booker needs a urologist.'
The Guardian
17-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Why urea is the ‘unsexy' hero of skincare
Like every industry, skincare has a few big-name players. A-listers like retinol and hyaluronic acid monopolize attention and media coverage. But what about the unsung heroes – like reliable, hardworking urea? 'It's a really underrated ingredient,' says Dr Mark Strom, a dermatologist in New York City. Strom describes urea as a 'workhorse', saying: 'It does a lot of beneficial things for the skin, but it's not sexy.' Why not? Well, some people associate it with urine. Here's what you need to know about urea. Urea is a nitrogen molecule, and a chemical byproduct of the body's metabolic breakdown of proteins. In mammals, it is found most abundantly in urine, as well as blood, sweat and milk. More than 90% of global urea production goes into agriculture; it is a popular fertilizer ingredient and has been described as 'the food of food'. When it comes to skincare, urea is most often used in creams, but it can also be a component of gels, lotions and ointments. It serves as a humectant – meaning, it retains moisture in the top layer of the skin. This fortifies the skin barrier and results in 'a more moisturized and plumped feeling to the skin', says Strom. It is sold in a range of concentrations, up to 40%. At concentrations above 10%, it also serves as a keratolytic, an exfoliant that helps the body shed the top layer of skin. If not exfoliated, dead skin cells build up and can result in dry, cracked skin, 'like on the heels of the feet', Strom says. No. Although urea is one of the most abundant components of urine, commercial urea is a synthetic produced in laboratories. You can see some very complicated diagrams about how it's produced here, none of which mention toilets. Urea is commonly used to treat skin that is 'really dry and rough', says Dr Naeha Gupta, a board certified dermatologist. These rough patches are often the result of conditions like eczema, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and keratosis pilaris, a common and harmless condition that causes small red bumps to appear on the upper arms, legs and buttocks. These conditions all can result in the buildup of dead skin cells, and 'something like urea can be really helpful for breaking down the skin and letting it discharge', says Strom. High concentrations of urea can break down the thick-skin buildup in calluses, says Dr Rajani Katta, clinical professor of dermatology at the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Houston. Urea can also be used to 'soften and remove damaged or diseased nails', according to the Cleveland Clinic. Low concentrations of urea – below 10% – are gentle and can safely be used on the body once or twice a day, Gupta says. She recommends applying a cream after a shower, when skin has been patted dry but there's still some water on its surface. 'The cream can really help retain that moisture,' she says. Sign up to Well Actually Practical advice, expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life after newsletter promotion Urea can be used on the face in low concentrations, but make sure to find a product that is specifically formulated for the face, because the skin there is more delicate, Strom says. Body moisturizers tend to include higher concentrations of urea, which can irritate the face. For feet and calluses, Gupta suggests applying a higher-concentration urea product before bed, then slipping on socks. 'That way, you make sure it's not rubbing off and you're really getting it into those thick areas,' she says. I did this last week, and can confirm my dry, cracked feet were slightly less dry and cracked the next morning. 'Overall, [urea] is probably one of the safer ingredients in skincare,' says Strom. Still, there are some precautions to take. While products with low concentrations of urea can be safely used by most people, Katta suggests that products with high concentrations of urea – 30% or above – be used under the supervision of a physician. 'Since it can break down thick skin, it can also break down normal skin, so high concentrations are used in only specific areas and very carefully,' Katta says. According to the Cleveland Clinic, you should consult a physician if urea causes a rash, redness or irritation that doesn't go away, or continued stinging or irritation. If you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding, you should also talk to a doctor before using urea. This also applies if you have an infection; broken, inflamed or burnt skin; or allergic reactions to food, dyes, medicines or preservatives. Unfortunately, it's not unheard of. But as one dermatologist told the Independent in 2016, putting urine on your face isn't a good idea because it can cause reactions and isn't particularly effective.
