Routine Order

For the last two to three months, I have been having headaches every day - almost at the same time. Come 8 PM and the pain starts - usually around the temple, though sometimes it is like a ring around my head. It is a slow, throbbing, constant pain, and when it starts I cannot sit still, or lie down - so I take to pacing around the house.

I went to the doctor but was disappointed to learn there was nothing unusual in my head - he almost ruled out sinus headaches since my nose, ear etc look normal. From WebMD, I learnt about cluster headaches. They occur in spurts or clusters, and are caused by some kind of problem with the trigeminal nerve. Well, in any case, since I don’t know what kind of a headache it really is, I was at a loss as to what to do regarding it.

One of my office mates is Chinese, and he gave me a small bottle with some oil that smells like Eucalyptus oil, or mint, and suggested steam inhalation on a daily (nightly) basis with a little of the oil added to the hot water. The first time I got it totally wrong - I added 5 drops and that was a killer - I couldn’t breathe the steam in- it was saturated with the minty essence. That oil is potent stuff! I wish I could read Chinese, but since I can’t I can only tell you that the bottle is really small, like the size of a dollar coin, and perhaps 6 mm thick, and a drop of the oil is enough for one session of steam inhalation. It provided some instant relief and after a few days, the headaches have stopped altogether. But the thing is, I don’t know if this was directly related to the drops and the steam inhalation. Wish I could find out.

Chinese medicine is fascinating to say the least. The names of the medicines even more so. Bai Guo aka Gingko Biloba is probably one of the more popular natural Chinese medicines. Some dude has actually put together a whole website/blog about Chinese medicinal herbs - I found something called Bai Fu Zi there - maybe its worth a shot. Have to ask my Chinese friend about where to get it, and whether to try it.

Some people are willing to walk the line to walk the walk. Increasing number of women are resorting to surgery to be able to wear those fashionable stiletto shoes. According to this NY Times article, more than 50% of the doctors who are members of the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society report having conducted cosmetic surgery or correctional surgery on women. Moreover, 90% of all women were shoes that are two sizes too small and 80% look into medical remedies for tight shoes - that is just stupid. These surgeries often lead to disastrous results - including pain in all the toes, inability to stand and walk etc.

The craziness doesn’t stop there, unfortunately. This fashion and shopping portal says in their fashionable shoes department, that collagen injections and even toe amputations are things women resort to, to fit into those fashionable Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks! Toe amputation? Oh My God!!

Now one can get “foot facials,” with a salt scrub, “mask,” peel and massage. You could even get injections into the ball of their feet of a chemical called “Restylane” to cushion the blow of high heels. You can shorten, or lengthen you toes, round your heels and tailor your arches. This cbs news report on the trend mentions all this without a blink of the eye.

So I bought a couple of yoga mats today. I bought the one shown in the picture here, as well as a thinner travel mat. I figured, if I am going to do my yoga right, I might as well get the mats. Also, I have noticed that when I spend even a little money on accessories for an activity, I tend to be more interested in doing the activity.

But this only works for the first week or so. After that, I generally tend to continue doing the thing because it becomes a habit-sort of. I hope yoga can fix my sinus issue, and the darned upper shoulder pain. The only issue I have with yoga is that it is so darn slow - it does require a lot of concentration. I used to wonder why people say it improves your mental faculties, but now I can see how this could happen. I hope I keep up with what I started. The simple yoga steps I know now should keep me going for a month at the very least - I hope that by the end of that time, my legs will get used to sitting in the new, kind of awkward position!

I did a lot of searching on the subject of whether or not to get a personal trainer, and what to do find the right one. I have a lot of things buzzing in my mind, and before I forget, I thought I’d summarize what I learnt for future reference, if nothing else.

So here’s a few tips to choose the right personal trainer, AND to smooth things out as you work with your trainer.

1. There are a whole bunch of certifications for trainers - don’t go by the certifications alone - talk to your trainer and judge him/her by how they can convey themselves, and the plan they present you. NASM and ACE certifications seem to be the more credible ones, just in case.
2. Always question your trainer’s decisions on exercises to do - you don’t have to be confrontational, but learn the benefits that are expected, so you can measure progress
3. Most personal trainers offer a free, or half-price session, so ask for one.
4. Find out how much the trainer knows about nutrition - ask him/her directly and judge them based on their response - of course - you should go home and look up their suggestions to see if they work - there is no alternative to doing your research
5. Ask the trainers if he/she can provide information about drugs and supplements - this is an easy way to avoid steroid junkies - you know you don’t want to abuse medicines for sure.
6. Be wary of contracts you sign at the gym - some rip-offs ask to charge you credit card, and have you sign a paper that has no dollar amount on it - later they tack on charges to the card - your signature was basically to ensure that the charges will be processed. This is anecdotal, but watch out in any case.
7. Make sure the trainer has liability insurance - again - ask him/her!
8. There is a reason why I have so many “ask him/her” - the most frequent recommendation seems to be to pick a trainer who can answer all your questions comfortably, and explain things logically - without that you won’t trust your trainer, or benefit a lot, really

Of the pages I found, this one about finding a personal trainer from WebMD is worth a visit later. This self-help site has a lot of useful articles too, including tips for choosing equipment, physicians etc. Metafilter has some useful info too, if you search for the right terms.