Working out at your local gym has many benefits: You have a great variety of classes and equipment at your disposal.

But chances are there are things that annoy you and others gym users. You yourself could even be guilty of breaking some of these gym rules:

1.       Not putting away the equipment
Ask anyone who regularly works out in the free-weight section what their biggest annoyance is and it would undoubtedly be weights that aren’t put back where they belong.

Don’t be the person who leaves a set of dumbbells on the floor. If you used them, put them back where you found them. The same applies to Swiss balls, yoga mats and steps.

2.       Not wiping the equipment
We’ve all spotted the person who sweats buckets on the spinning bike and nonchalantly walks away without even wiping off the seat.

Don’t be that person. Always wipe down your equipment, including treadmill handles and weights.

3.       Hogging the equipment

We can see you! You’re occupying the last open bench, but instead of working out, you’re checking your phone for messages.

4.       Being stuck to your phone

When using your phone, please keep the people around you in mind. You could be distracting or annoying them. A lot of us use our phones for fitness apps or music, but if you have your phone with you, be mindful of how you use it. Don’t have long or loud conversations! Sending a text message or checking your phone during an exercise class is extremely disrespectful towards the instructor. Also, walking around in the gym, head down, makes it easier for you to bump into people.

5.       Overdoing the perfume
Don’t go to town with the perfume or deodorant at the gym, especially in an enclosed area like your spinning class. People might find it overpowering. And you’re going to sweat anyway, so why waste that expensive perfume.

6.       Making small talk

There’s nothing wrong with a polite smile and a chat. But if you give unsolicited advice to strangers and interrupt people’s workout, you’re being annoying. The only time to speak up and interfere is when you see someone about to injure themselves.

7.       Coming to the gym when you’re ill

Don’t be a hero! Not only do you risk getting sicker, but gyms are breeding grounds for bacteria and you can easily spread your germs around, contaminating those around you.

8.       Train in front of the equipment racks

Space might be limited, but don’t make things worse by blocking off access to the weight rack or yoga mats. Be considerate and move to another spot.

^{This article is provided through a sponsorship from Pfizer in the interests of continuous medical education. Notwithstanding Pfizer’s sponsorship of this publication, neither Pfizer nor its subsidiary or affiliated companies shall be liable for any damages, claims, liabilities, costs or obligations arising from the misuse of the information provided in this publication. Readers are advised to consult their health care practitioner for specific information on personal health matters as this is not the intention or purpose of the publication. Specific medical advice or recommendations on the clinical management of patients will not be provided by Pfizer. In this regard Pfizer does not support the use of products for off label indications, nor dosing which falls outside the approved label recommendations and readers must refer to the Package Insert of any product for full prescribing guidelines.} 

Taking a short break from exercising is ok. But when that week-long break becomes two and then three and before you know it, it’s been six months since your last workout… your body and health are in trouble.

Here’s what happens to your body when you stop exercising.

1. Your muscles

You’ll probably notice a decrease in muscle mass, which can happen in as quickly as two weeks. Your bone density, flexibility and overall blood flow also decreases.

When the muscle fibres realise they don’t need to store any more energy (because you’re not using it), they store less glycogen, which results in atrophy, or the shrinking of muscle fibres. 

2. Your aerobic system and endurance

“Aerobic and endurance fitness reduce a lot faster than muscle mass – it’s the performance factor that is reduced the fastest,” Scott Weiss, a New York-based exercise physiologist and trainer, told Cassie Shortsleeve at Men’s Fitness.

He says that the amount of blood that the heart pumps to the body reduces, heart rate increases, cardiac output reduces and your VO2 max (that’s the maximum volume of oxygen your body can use) decreases by about 1% per day.

“You begin to lose endurance capability as well as the ability to perform at higher intensities,” Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist, adds in the same article.

3. Your brain

Exercise helps get oxygen to your brain, which can affect your health. Research published in the Frontier in Aging Neuroscience journal looked at endurance runners and the effect skipping exercise had on their brains.

The runners took a 10-day break from exercise – MRIs showed a reduction of blood flow to the hippocampus (the area in your brain associated with memory and emotion). The runners didn’t show any cognitive changes during this period, but the researchers pointed out that more long-term studies need to be done.

4. Your sleep

Exercise helps with good sleep. During your deep REM cycles, your body produces hormones that help repair muscle tissue damaged through exercise. 

“A lack of exercise will lead to higher levels of energy in the body and reduce the need for deep sleep, which could lead to restless or insufficient sleep,” Pete McCall, an expert exercise physiologist at the American Council on Exercise, told Cassie Shortsleeve at Men’s Fitness.

5. Your mood

Exercising triggers neurotransmitters (endorphins, serotonin, dopamine), which play a role in mood control. Endorphins make you feel good, which is why you often feel better after exercising.

A 2012 study in the Neuroscience journal says that exercise is a long-term investment when it comes to increased productivity and happiness from day to day.

“Those who had exercised during the preceding month but not on the day of testing generally did better on the memory test than those who had been sedentary, but did not perform nearly as well as those who had worked out that morning,” the authors said.

When it’s ok to skip a workout

Sometimes your body needs a rest to recover. Here are times when it’s ok to slack off on exercising:

• You’re sick (particularly if you have a fever or symptoms that are affecting your chest
• You’ve injured yourself
• You’re absolutely exhausted
• You over did your previous workout and can barely walk

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Compiled by Mandy Freeman

Many doctors, wishing to soften the blow, tend to be reluctant to deliver bad news to their patients.

Studies have shown that good communication skill in a doctor improve patient’s compliance and overall satisfaction.

Large benefits

Telling cancer patients the truth about their chances of survival does not harm a physician’s relationship with those people. It could even make it better, according to a new study.

“We hope this information will reassure clinicians about any negative impacts of these discussions on their relationships with patients,” said study lead author Joshua Fenton.

“Discussing prognosis doesn’t undermine trust – and informing patients may have large benefits in terms of future quality of life,” added Fenton. He is a professor of family and community medicine at the University of California, Davis.

The study included 238 adults with advanced cancer. The patients received bad news about their disease progression from oncologists in New York state and California.

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Lower quality of life

Interviews with the patients showed that hearing the poor prognosis did not harm their relationship with their oncologist one week after receiving the news. And it actually improved the relationship three months later, the researchers said.

The findings contradict two previous studies that concluded that such discussions can increase patients’ depression and disrupt their relationship with their doctor.

Fenton noted that many oncologists spend little time talking with patients about prognosis or end-of-life options such as palliative care and hospice. That can lead to more hospital care, lower quality of life and even shorter survival, plus more difficulties for caregivers.

“Prognosis discussions don’t happen early and often. As a result, it’s been clearly documented that many patients often completely misunderstand their prognosis, so treatment decisions made near the end of life might not be totally aligned with the patients’ and caregivers’ priorities,” Fenton said in a university news release.

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