The quest for a healthier and younger body has always been part of the human narrative. In the old days, there was a clamor for a drop of water from the mythic Fountain of Youth. Its water promises to turn back the clock and heal the ill effects of aging.
In the modern world, the hunt is still on for remedies that will instantly make the body a healthier vessel. The health and beauty industry leverages the need for wellness, more so that the shadow of the pandemic continues to loom.
Say “NO” to these health products
It pays to read and do research before buying any product that offers instant and dazzling effects. Some products can be expensive and useless or downright dangerous so you have to be careful with your purchases.
Here are some health products that you don’t necessarily need:
Waist trainer -- Made famous by stars like the Kardashians and Jenners, the waist trainer offers the allure of having a slimmer waist without the need for surgery. Waist trainers are similar to the constricting corsets in Victorian Europe. But wearing the waist trainer comes at a price as it weakens abdominal muscles which are important for good posture. Moreover, it constricts airflow because it prevents the abdominal muscles from expanding which then inhibits the full contraction of the diaphragm.
Moreover, waist trainers “strangle the internal organs” as noted by USA Today. Prolonged wearing of a waist trainer will damage the organs including the ribs.
Instead of buying a waist trainer, doctors advise exercising and doing a diet watch. This is a more sustainable and healthier approach to make the body slim and toned.
Posture corrector -- Good posture matters. But sometimes it’s easy to forget to sit or stand upright when there is so much work to do. This is where a posture corrector comes in. There’s a debate about the efficacy of this product but it promises to help the wearer to stay in a good posture in whatever position. You can buy this but the studies about this product are not conclusive. A better option is to buy a sit-stand desk to help you work in an angle that does not compromise your posture. Another tip is to do posture exercises as well as yoga stretches to help strengthen the back and abdominal muscles.
Sweat-inducing products -- If you want to lose weight, buying sweat suits and creams is not the way to go. Although it feels great to have a good sweaty workout session, being drenched in perspiration is not an indication that you shed pounds. The Insider says that sweating is just the body’s way of cooling the body. CNN notes that “how much you sweat doesn't necessarily correlate with how intense your workout is or how many calories you burn.”
ABC News notes that a great alternative is to do a “decent mix of strength training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and cardio, such as walking, running, cycling, or swimming.”
Blue light glasses -- A lot vendors sell these specialized glasses that promise to protect the eyes from the blue light from your phone or computer. Honestly, you don’t need to worry about the blue light from your tech products, says Harvard Health Publishing.
It further states that “the amount of blue light from electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, LCD TVs, and laptop computers, is not harmful to the retina or any other part of the eye.”
What needs to be done is to limit the use of your gadgets or use the 20-20 rule. An expert interviewed by CBS News recommends to take a screen time break every 20 minutes and to look at an object at 20 feet away or further for 20 seconds or more. Doing so will relax the eye muscles.
Drinking collagen supplements -- Collagen is one of the main building blocks of our skin. It is responsible for the skin’s elasticity. It is believed that aging affects the production of collagen which contributes to wrinkles. To improve skin health, collagen supplements are taken in the form of pills and powders.
There are limited studies about the real effects of collagen supplements. It is touted as a beauty elixir but according to Insider, the body may not even know that collagen was ingested because it is broken down and goes to the different parts of the body.
According to the Huffington Post, it is better to undergo facials to maintain skin health. Meanwhile, Medical News Today encourages the consumption of bone broth and animal meats to boost natural collagen.
Knowledge is power
Making informed decisions for your health will save you from buying things that you don’t need. If you are itching to buy a health product, get the facts straight first so your money doesn’t go down the drain.
