Social media has encouraged many people to look beyond just moisturizer and face cleanser for their skin care. While some people may have a 10-step care routine and others may have a 5-step care routine, there are some basic skin care tips that help everyone. Everyone has their own style to dress for gym. While some prioritize comfort with baggy gym outfits, others like to keep it stylish in gym sets along with make-up. But is wearing make-up while sweating it out a good idea? The internet is divided but we delved deep into the conversation and it is definitely not a good idea. A recent scientific study delved into the effects of wearing makeup during exercise, revealing potential detrimental consequences for skin health. Researchers observed that makeup can impede the skin's natural cooling and oil-balancing mechanisms, leading to a cascade of issues.

What Does The Study Tells Us?

In the study published by the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, participants who applied foundation to half of their face before a workout, experienced increased moisture retention in the makeup-covered areas. This phenomenon can contribute to clogged pores, acne breakouts, and dry skin, as the makeup traps sweat and dirt, preventing the skin from breathing and regulating its oil production.

Why Skin Needs to Breathe During Exercise

During physical exertion, the body's core temperature rises, triggering a physiological response to cool itself down. The sweat glands release moisture onto the skin's surface, which then evaporates, dissipating heat and maintaining optimal body temperature. However, when makeup is present, it can create a barrier that hinders the evaporation process. This can lead to increased skin temperature, discomfort, and potential skin irritations. Additionally, the combination of sweat, oil, and makeup can clog pores and create a breeding ground for bacteria, increasing the risk of acne breakouts and other skin problems.

Risks of Wearing Makeup at the Gym

The potential risks of wearing makeup during exercise are multifaceted. Firstly, the occlusion of pores by makeup can lead to the accumulation of dirt, oil, and bacteria, resulting in clogged pores and subsequent acne breakouts. Secondly, the occlusive nature of makeup can strip the skin of its natural oils, leading to dryness, irritation, and a compromised skin barrier. Thirdly, eye makeup, such as mascara and eyeliner, can irritate the delicate eye area, increasing the risk of infections.

Is There A Middle Ground?

While it is generally advisable to avoid makeup during exercise, some individuals may find that a minimal amount can enhance their confidence and motivation. In such cases, it is crucial to select non-comedogenic products that are less likely to clog pores. Additionally, it is imperative to remove makeup immediately after the workout using a gentle cleanser to prevent skin issues. Here are some tips to clean your face properly to avoid any infections or breakouts,

Gentle Cleansing

A gentle cleanser is essential for maintaining healthy skin. Choose a cleanser that suits your skin type and use lukewarm water to avoid stripping away natural oils. Massage your face gently in circular motions and rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of dirt and makeup.

Regular Exfoliation

Exfoliating your skin 2-3 times a week helps remove dead skin cells, revealing a brighter complexion. However, it's important to avoid over-exfoliation, as it can irritate the skin. Opt for a gentle scrub and use it sparingly to maintain a healthy balance.

Toning Your Skin

A good toner can help balance your skin's pH level, minimize the appearance of pores, and hydrate your skin. Choose an alcohol-free toner to avoid drying out your skin. Apply it to your face using a cotton pad, gently patting it in.

Daily Moisturizing

Choose a moisturizer that suits your skin type and apply it generously to your face and neck. Don't forget to use a moisturizer with SPF during the day to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

Cleaning Your Tools

Regularly cleaning your makeup brushes and sponges is essential to prevent the buildup of bacteria. Use a gentle cleanser to wash your tools and allow them to air dry completely before using them again.

We spend a lot of time worrying about skin, hair, weight, and even gut health, but we often ignore our joints.

We depend on our joints for every step, squat, staircase climb, and grocery run. Knees alone absorb forces several times body weight during ordinary activities. Globally, an estimated 595 million people were living with osteoarthritis in 2020, roughly 1 in 13 people on the planet, and a 132% increase in total cases since 1990. Alarmingly, many of us are making lifestyle choices that place unnecessary stress on our joints long before we hit our forties or fifties.

While ageing is the main cause of joint pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility, these issues are increasingly showing up in younger adults, too.

Here are five common habits that could be quietly working against your joint health.

Mistake #1: Improper Footwear Choices

It is really important that your footwear has adequate cushioning or support. The impact of every step travels upward through your ankles, knees, hips, and lower back. Your footwear plays the role of a shock absorber. Gradually, repetitive stress placed on your feet contributes to discomfort, especially if you spend long hours standing, walking, commuting, or exercising.

It is important to choose footwear that suits your activity level. If you exercise regularly, make sure your shoes match the type of movement you are doing, and replace them once the support wears out.

Mistake #2: Going All-In on Cardio and Calisthenics Without Guidance

Social media has made fitness more accessible than ever. It's also convinced a lot of people that every workout needs to be intense. High-volume jumping drills, excessive running, deep-impact movements, and advanced calisthenics performed without proper progression can overload joints, tendons, and ligaments. Unlike muscle, the cartilage cushioning your joints has no blood supply and very limited ability to repair itself once damaged, which is why overuse injuries can have lasting consequences rather than simply healing with time.

Joint problems are often linked to poor exercise choices, but inadequate recovery can also impact them. Not giving enough rest, nutrition, or recovery time causes tissues to suffer due to the stress being placed on them, leading to aches, pains, and overuse injuries.

Focus on gradual progression, proper technique, adequate recovery, and a balanced routine that includes strength training, mobility work, and rest days.

Mistake #3: Constantly Cracking Your Knuckles and Joints

While knuckle cracking is not directly responsible for arthritis, habitual and forceful joint manipulation can irritate surrounding soft tissues and become a repetitive stress habit over time.

Medical attention may be required if cracking is accompanied by pain, swelling, locking, or instability.

Mistake #4: Ignoring the Nutrition Side of Joint Health

Many diets fall short on two nutrients that matter a lot for musculoskeletal health: calcium and vitamin D. Calcium builds and maintains bone strength. Vitamin D helps the body absorb and use it. Inadequate intake of either results in weaker bones, in turn causing poor joint health. Excess body weight adds another layer to this. Not just as an added mechanical load on the joints, but because fat tissue actively releases inflammatory compounds that can accelerate cartilage breakdown. This makes joint health a metabolic issue, not just a structural one.

Calcium sources include milk, yoghurt, paneer, cheese, ragi, sesame seeds, tofu, almonds, and green leafy vegetables. Vitamin D sources include safe sunlight exposure, egg yolks, fatty fish, and fortified dairy products.

Mistake #5: Sitting for Most of the Day

Long hours at a desk, extended scrolling sessions, and prolonged sitting can weaken the muscles that support the joints. This leads to stiffness, poor posture, and mobility issues. Inactivity can also set off a compounding cycle: as joints become less stable and more uncomfortable, people tend to move less to avoid pain, which leads to further muscle weakening, reduced joint support, and faster deterioration over time. Standing up regularly, taking walking breaks, stretching between meetings, and using the stairs keep joints mobile and well-supported.

The Bottom Line

Joint health is the result of small decisions made consistently over time: the shoes you wear, how you exercise, what you eat, and how much you move. Most joint problems don't appear overnight, and many of the habits that lead to them can be corrected before they become long-term issues.

(Dr. Deepak Gautam - Sr. Consultant Orthopedic & Robotic Joint Replacement Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai)

A new study has uncovered how physical activity can help aging muscles repair themselves, explaining why regular exercise remains one of the most powerful tools for healthy aging physiologically.

Exercise Can Help Reverse Muscle Aging: Study

Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School, working with collaborators from Singapore General Hospital and Cardiff University, found that exercise retains and restores a natural cellular repair system that usually weakens with age.

Their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), identify a gene called DEAF1 as a muscle aging element, suggesting it could become useful in therapies for preventing age-related muscle loss.

About The Study

Muscles are essential for regulating metabolism, blood sugar levels, and supporting overall health. However, muscle strength begins to decline as you age, increasing the risk of falls, fractures, and slower recovery from illness or injury.

A cellular growth pathway called mTORC1 plays an important role in maintaining healthy muscles by regulating protein production. But in aging muscles, this pathway becomes overworked.

According to the study, DEAF1 levels increase as muscles age, driving excessive mTORC1 activity and disrupting the balance between building new proteins and clearing away damaged ones. This accelerates muscle deterioration.

Under normal conditions, DEAF1 is kept under control by proteins known as FOXO. However, FOXO activity naturally declines with age, allowing DEAF1 levels to rise unchecked and reduce the muscle's ability to repair itself.

Read more: Bryan Johnson's Autoimmune Gastritis Sheds Light On Iron Deficiency In Americans

Exercise Restores Muscle Health

Exercise can reverse this imbalance significantly if the muscles are still optimal and responsive.

Assistant Professor Tang Hong-Wen, lead author of the study from Duke-NUS Medical School said, “Exercise can reverse this process, correcting the imbalance. Physical activity activates certain proteins which lower DEAF1 levels, bringing the growth pathway back into balance. This allows aging muscles to clear out damaged proteins, rebuild themselves properly, and help them stay stronger and more resilient.”

The researchers believe the results extend beyond normal aging. DEAF1 also affects muscle stem cells, which are responsible for repairing damaged tissue but naturally become less effective with age.

Targeting the gene could potentially improve muscle recovery after surgery, illness, or conditions such as cancer, particularly in people who are unable to exercise.

“Exercise tells muscles to 'clean up and reset.' Lowering DEAF1 helps older muscles regain strength and balance, almost like hitting the rewind button. With millions of older adults at risk of muscle decline, understanding DEAF1 could lead to new ways to protect muscles and improve quality of life,” said Priscillia Choy Sze Mun, first author of the study.

Healthy muscles are essential for far more than movement. They help maintain balance, support metabolism, regulate blood sugar, and enable people to stay independent as they age.

The study also confirms that regular exercise not only strengthens muscles but also helps retain their ability to repair themselves at the cellular level. In short, staying physically active remains one of the most effective ways to protect muscle health and promote healthy aging.

Cardio has long been the gold standard for heart health, while yoga is often seen as a way to enhance flexibility or relieve stress. This has led to a debate over which is better for overall health.

On the 12th International Yoga Day 2026, HealthandMe turned to experts to understand the ultimate regimen for heart and overall health.

Is the Debate Warranted?

Dr. V Mohan, Chairman of Dr. Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, told HealthandMe that yoga and cardio exercises provide a lot of health benefits.

Rather than viewing yoga and cardio as competing options, they should be seen as complementary forms of exercise, he said.

Dr. Sudhir Kumar, Senior Consultant Neurologist at the Institute of Neurosciences, Apollo Hospitals, echoed a similar view, noting that the debate between yoga and cardio is often framed incorrectly because they are not competing interventions and offer complementary benefits.

Yoga vs Cardio

The experts explained that both forms of exercise work in different ways.

Brisk walking, running, cycling, jogging, and swimming are cardio exercises that help improve cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, and calorie burning.

On the other hand, yoga focuses mainly on balance, strength, flexibility, stress management, and emotional well-being.

Dr Sudhir told HealthandMe that aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, running, cycling, or swimming, has the strongest evidence for improving cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂ max), reducing cardiovascular risk, enhancing insulin sensitivity, and lowering the risk of diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.

Dr Mohan added that yoga helps improve balance, strength, flexibility, stress management, and emotional well-being. Chronic stress can increase cortisol levels, and elevated cortisol levels can cause uncontrolled blood sugar levels and may contribute to weight gain. Yoga helps address these issues while improving overall quality of life.

What Is An Ideal Fitness Regimen?

Dr Mohan said an ideal fitness regimen should include both cardio exercises for metabolic and cardiovascular health, and yoga for stress management, boosting self-esteem, and long-term sustainability.

Dr Sudhir said that for overall health, neither should be viewed as a substitute for the other. Current scientific evidence supports a combination approach: regular aerobic exercise for heart and metabolic health, strength training for musculoskeletal health, and yoga for flexibility, recovery, and stress management.

"The best exercise is ultimately the one that is sustainable and becomes a lifelong habit," he said.

Both Have an Important Role

Vadodara-based cardiologist Dr Pruthvirajsinh Puwar, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, shared that both play an important role.

"Cardio activities like walking, running, or cycling help strengthen the heart muscle, improve blood circulation, and control weight. Yoga, on the other hand, helps reduce stress, improve breathing, balance blood pressure, and calm the nervous system," he said in an Instagram post.

He suggested combining both — regular physical activity for strength and yoga for balance and relaxation.

How Yoga Benefits Heart Health

Several studies have claimed the benefits of yoga for reducing the risk of hypertension, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, which are key to reducing health risks as well as improving overall health.

One of yoga's most significant benefits for heart health is its ability to promote relaxation of both the body and mind. Emotional stress triggers the release of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which can constrict blood vessels and raise blood pressure. Through controlled breathing and mindfulness, yoga can help counter these stress-related effects.

Feelings of anxiety and depression are also common after major cardiac events, including a heart attack, bypass surgery, or a diagnosis of heart disease. When incorporated into a broader treatment plan, yoga can support stress management and emotional well-being during recovery.