Videos of heavy lifters often go viral on social media; the sheer power and endurance is not something people can achieve easily. One thing that a lot of them do before they proceed with the lift is smell something and immediately go in for the lift. Those are smelling salts. Smelling salts are products that have a strong ammonia smell and have been used to wake people up after they faint. Lately, some athletes have become interested in using them to feel more alert and perform better. However, do they actually work? Another thing to consider is how something that has such an immediate effect on a person can be safe.

How do Smelling Salts Affect Someone?

According to the National Capital Poison Centre the ammonia that these salts contain has a pungent smell that can cause irritation to the lungs. It can also lead to changes in the breathing patterns. This change in breathing causes people who have fainted to become conscious. These have been present since the 13th century to treat lightheadedness and fainting. The strong odor temporarily increases the heart rate of a person and blood flows to the brain. These symptoms remain for about 15 seconds after inhalation and then subside withing a minute or so. So why do lifters use it when they are fully conscious and do not need to be more alert?

Why Do Gym-Lifters Use Smelling Salts?

Athletes commonly use smelling salts to get a quick boost before or during competitions, hoping it will give them more energy, make them more alert, and speed up their reactions. Unlike many other stimulant drugs, the ammonia in smelling salts is allowed by the World Anti-Doping Agency. You'll often see powerlifters using them, especially right before their final lift, the deadlift. The International Powerlifting Federation even lets athletes inhale ammonia as long as they do it privately. However, even though athletes might feel like smelling salt improves their performance but there is no evidence of it. According to a British Journal of Sports Medicine 2006 article, there's no real proof that they actually make them stronger or more powerful. In the past, smelling salts were sometimes used to treat athletes with minor head injuries, but they probably didn't actually help in those situations.

Smelling Salts Can Go Badly For Anyone

Smelling salts haven't been studied well for use as performance-enhancing supplements, and they aren't approved by the government as stimulant drugs.

The US Food and Drug Association has even warned people about using certain smelling salts that were being advertised to make people more alert and give them energy, even though they hadn't been approved for these uses. They had also received reports of people having problems like shortness of breath, seizures, migraines, vomiting, diarrhea, and fainting after using these products.

National Capital Poison Control provided an example of a female powerlifter who had used smelling salts right before competing. After inhaling, she developed severe symptoms like a runny nose, eye redness, dizziness and a headache. These symptoms got worse over the hour leaving her gasping for air. It was later diagnosed that she was allergic to smelling salts and was treated as such.

Note: If you are thinking about using smelling salts, it's best to talk to a doctor first to see if they are right for you. They can also tell you how often you can use them, if at all, and which products might be best. Keep in mind that smelling salts are not a good idea for everyone. For example, if you have conditions like asthma, allergies, bronchitis, emphysema, or other lung problems, smelling salts might not be safe for you.

Do you often worry about twisting your ankle? Are you experiencing foot pain, balance issues, or decreased mobility as you get older? These could all be signs that your ankles are weak. While you may not notice it as much, ankles are a big part of our balance and strength foundation. They support our movements, whether it is walking, running, stretching, or even simple flexing.

When our ankles grow weak, things and situations start changing, however you may not realize it may be due to your weak ankles. You may be getting into situations like twisting your ankles more often, experiencing pain during normal movements, etc. The Cleveland Clinic explains that weak ankles have a great effect on your knees and hips. They explained that deficient ankles cause more strain on your knees as well as the internal rotation of your hips, ultimately making it difficult to walk. However, it can be improved.

Yoga Poses for Strong Ankles

The good news is that you can actively work to strengthen these crucial ankle muscles and the connective tissues around them. This effort will not only help prevent injuries but also significantly improve your balance and overall movement. Here are some yoga poses you can do to improve your ankle health.

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

This pose involves kneeling and arching your back, reaching for your heels. It strengthens the front of the ankles and feet while also improving overall stability and flexibility in the lower body. As you press your shins and tops of your feet into the ground, your ankles engage to support the pose.

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

Imagine sitting in an invisible chair. This pose deeply engages the muscles in your calves and ankles as you lower your hips. It builds strength in the entire foot and ankle complex, improving stability and endurance, which are crucial for preventing ankle rolling during daily activities or sports.

Child's Pose (Balasana)

While primarily a resting pose, Child's Pose can gently stretch the top of your feet and ankles, especially if you sit back on your heels. It helps to release tension and improve flexibility in the ankle joint, which is important for overall ankle health and reducing stiffness.

Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)

This seated pose involves stacking your knees. While the main focus is on the hips, the feet and ankles are gently stretched and aligned. It encourages external rotation in the ankles and can help release tension, improving overall ankle mobility and preventing common stiffness that can lead to injury.

Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

Standing on one leg while wrapping the other around it, Eagle Pose is a powerful balance pose that significantly challenges and strengthens the stabilizing muscles around your standing ankle. It builds incredible ankle stability, proprioception (your body's awareness in space), and improves overall balance, making your ankles more resilient against twists and sprains.

Easy Pose (Sukhasana)

A simple cross-legged seated pose, Easy Pose might seem basic, but it's foundational for ankle flexibility. It gently stretches the ankles and feet, improving comfort in seated positions and maintaining mobility in the joint. This consistent gentle stretching helps prevent stiffness that can contribute to weak ankles.

Eight-Angle Pose (Astavakrasana)

This advanced arm balance requires significant core and arm strength, but it also heavily relies on strong and flexible ankles to hook around the arm and support the body's weight. It dramatically builds strength and control in the entire ankle joint, demanding high levels of stability and engagement.

Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)

This standing balance pose involves extending one leg forward or to the side. It greatly challenges the stabilizing muscles of your standing ankle. Holding this pose strengthens the ankle's ability to maintain balance and withstand shifts in weight, crucial for preventing common ankle injuries during movement.

Whether you are a student, an office worker or simply someone who has to spend long hours at a desk, you can probably relate to shoulder and muscle pain. Although many people believe that desk jobs are not strenuous, that is not true. Spending long hours working in the same position can cause people to develop many bodily issues. These problems do not have short-term fixes; one must take a lot of steps to ensure their back health along with their spine health does not suffer.

It's well-known that spending eight or more hours a day seated at a desk can negatively impact your health. Prolonged sitting often leads to discomfort and pain in the neck, shoulders, and lower back due to pressure on the lumbar spine, overstretching of the mid and upper back, and tightness in the chest and hips.

Why Should You Do Desk Yoga?

Fortunately, simple yoga techniques can help alleviate these common work-related tensions and stresses. To help with this, there are desk yoga poses that you can easily incorporate into your workday to feel more relaxed and improve your well-being. These poses are inspired by practices often experienced on yoga retreats, bringing the benefits directly to your office.

Seated Crescent Moon

Lift arms overhead, palms together. Gently lean to one side for a few breaths, then switch. This stretches your sides and spine, boosting focus. It's a quick way to refresh your mind and body.

Chair Pigeon

While sitting, cross one leg over the other, flexing your foot. Stay upright, feeling a stretch in your upper thigh. Hold for 5-10 breaths, then switch. This opens your hips and chest, bringing balance back to your body.

Sit and Stand Chair Pose

Start seated with feet flat. Use only your leg and glute muscles to stand up, then slowly sit back down. This strengthens leg muscles often weakened by sitting, helping you feel more active.

Standing Seal Pose

Stand with feet wide. Clasp hands behind your back, then fold forward at your hips, bringing arms forward. Keep legs and arms straight. This stretches your spine and legs, opens shoulders, and clears your mind.

Wrist and Finger Stretches

Extend arms overhead, circling wrists. Then, quickly spread fingers and clench fists. Stretch wrists by gently pressing palms up and down. These quick exercises boost blood flow, easing hand and wrist tension.

Desk Chaturanga

Stand facing a sturdy desk, hands shoulder-width apart. Walk feet back, leaning chest diagonally. Lower your body, hugging elbows to ribs. Push back up. Repeat 8-12 times to build arm strength and relax your neck.

Desk Upward Dog

From Desk Chaturanga, keep arms straight and lean hips toward the desk, opening your chest. Keep legs strong to protect your lower back. Hold for 5-10 breaths. This pose opens your chest and lengthens your spine, improving posture.

Eagle Arms

Sit tall, arms at a 90-degree angle. Cross one arm over the other, interlocking palms. Lift elbows, stretching fingers up. Hold for a few breaths, then switch. This pose can prevent carpal tunnel and strengthen arm and shoulder muscles.

Nothing ruins a hard workout like being benched by a thudding headache. Dehydration often gets the blame, but it's certainly not the only culprit. Post-exercise headaches, as it turns out, are more complicated than that, with multiple triggers including blood sugar drops, neck tension—and even in some instances, something more sinister.

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or training for your next triathlon, understanding the root cause of your post-workout headaches is essential to managing them and preventing them from coming back.

What Are Exercise Headaches?

Exercise headaches—also known as exertional headaches—are headaches that arise during or shortly after exercise. They're generally characterized by a throbbing sensation on both sides of the head and may persist anywhere from a few minutes to as long as 48 hours. Initially described by French physician Jules Tinel in 1932, the headaches have become a frequent complaint among fitness enthusiasts since.

The condition occurs in approximately 12% of adults, though prevalence is highly variable across studies—1% to 26%. Most cases are benign and transient, but frequent or severe headaches need further scrutiny, as they can be related to underlying illness.

Multiple Causes Of Exercise Headaches

While dehydration is a common headache trigger, it's usually not the sole cause. Here's a summary of other potential causes:

1. Primary Exercise Headaches

They arise without any concomitant medical disease. They're probably secondary to changes in blood pressure and flow within the brain during exercise. When blood vessels dilate quickly to meet increased oxygen demand, it can cause pain in the head. Women and people with a history of migraines appear to be more prone.

2. Heat and Environmental Conditions

Hot, humid climates can make a headache more probable. Your brain doesn't perspire like the rest of your body; rather, it cools itself with additional blood flow, which could add to intracranial pressure. Sunlight exposure is a factor as well—migraine sufferers can be especially sensitive to heat and light.

3. Role of Dehydration

Sweating during exercise results in fluid loss. If not replaced, it can result in dehydration—a established cause of headache severity and frequency. But surprisingly, dehydration might not itself cause the headache. Instead, it raises the burden your body is bearing during exercise, and this makes a headache more probable.

4. Low Blood Sugar Levels

Exercising on an empty stomach or without sufficient fueling will lower your blood glucose below 70 mg/dL, resulting in a state of hypoglycemia. Symptoms range from shakiness and dizziness to headaches. Consume a carb-rich snack 30–60 minutes prior to exercising to stabilize the glucose levels.

5. Poor Posture and Bad Form

Weightlifting while having overstraining neck muscles or poor posture in yoga exercises can lead to cervicogenic headaches, which are caused by the cervical spine and muscles and neck and shoulder areas. Such headaches may not be present with neck pain and thus are difficult to diagnose.

6. Tight Gear and External Compression

Helmets, caps, or even tightly fitting goggles can cause pressure headaches by squeezing the scalp and overlying tissue. Called external compression headaches, they generally clear within an hour of taking off the equipment.

When Should You Worry? Red Flags to Look Out For

Most post-exercise headaches are harmless and go away on their own. Nevertheless, if you have the following symptoms, you should get medical help:

• Sudden, severe headache (thunderclap headache)
• Visual disturbances or confusion
• Neck stiffness, nausea, or vomiting
• Headache that lasts more than 24 hours
• Newly developed headaches after the age of 50
• Headaches accompanied by fever or seizure

These symptoms can indicate serious illnesses such as a subarachnoid hemorrhage, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, or a cervical artery dissection.

How to Prevent Exercise-Induced Headaches?

Although there is no single solution to preventing these headaches, a number of simple steps can help minimize your risk significantly:

1. Focus on Warm-Up and Cool-Down Procedures

Bouncing right into high-intensity work can stun your system. A gradual warm-up lets your circulatory vessels adjust, and a cooldown restores circulation to baseline levels.

2. Hydrate Before, During, and After

For the light to moderate workout, drink water. But for heavy sweating or exercising longer than 90 minutes, use drinks that have electrolytes to replenish sodium and potassium lost in sweat.

3. Fuel Up Smartly

Avoid working out on an empty stomach. Instead, eat a balanced pre-workout snack that includes carbohydrates and a small amount of protein. For example, a banana with peanut butter or a smoothie with oats can sustain your energy and help prevent blood sugar dips.

4. Be Mindful of Environmental Conditions

Don't exercise at the hottest part of the day or in extremely hot conditions. Work out in shady spots or indoor facilities with air conditioning when necessary.

5. Practice Proper Form and Technique

No matter if you're doing weights or a plank, poor posture can cause muscle strain and tension headaches. Think about getting help from a certified trainer or physical therapist to hone your form.

6. Get Proper Gear Fit

Ensure helmets, goggles, or headbands fit tightly but not so tightly that pressure is felt. Ensure adjustable accessories and rest in case of discomfort.

When to See a Healthcare Provider?

If you find yourself repeatedly struggling with post-exercise headaches even after making these changes, it's time to speak with a healthcare professional. While the majority of examples can be assessed with a physical examination and medical history, additional testing such as a CT or MRI will be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Pregnant women or those who have underlying medical issues should always speak with their healthcare professionals if exercise headaches persist or shift pattern.

Exercise headaches are a nuisance, but they're not usually dangerous. The trick is determining your personal triggers—whether dehydration, heat, blood sugar, posture, or equipment and taking preventative measures. With a few conscious changes to your routine, you can have headache-free workouts and get back on track.