Fitness

You Can Actually Be Allergic to Exercise — and It Can Get Serious

Published

2 years ago

April 9, 2024

You Can Actually Be Allergic to Exercise — and It Can Get Serious

Not everyone is a fan of exercise, and you’ve probably heard more than a few jokes from people who say they’re “allergic” to working out. But despite the quips, an exercise allergy is a real thing — and it can be serious.

The official name for this allergy is exercise-induced anaphylaxis, and it’s a rare disorder where someone develops a hypersensitivity to physical activity, leading to a life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis, which can involve scary symptoms like trouble breathing.

The lifetime prevalence of experiencing exercise-induced anaphylaxis is about 0.05%. But it can and does happen — and it can develop later in life, even if you’ve never had issues working out before.

“There’s a lot we don’t know about exercise-induced anaphylaxis, including the mechanism behind why this happens,” says Roula Altisheh, MD, an allergist and immunologist with the Cleveland Clinic. Still, researchers and doctors in the field have learned how to properly diagnose the condition, as well as how to manage it. These are the biggest signs you might be dealing with exercise-induced anaphylaxis, plus what to do next, if you are.

What Is Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis?

Exercise-induced anaphylaxis is “a disorder characterized by a range of symptoms occurring during exercise or physical activity,” says Peter J. Carek, MD, researcher and chair of the department of Family Medicine at Clemson University’s School of Health Research.

During an allergic reaction, a type of white blood cell in your immune system, known as mast cells, releases certain compounds, including tryptase and histamine. These compounds are what can cause symptoms of an allergic reaction, Dr. Altisheh says. In the case of exercise-induced anaphylaxis, something about physical activity causes the mast cells to release large amounts of these compounds, leading to severe symptoms that can even be life-threatening, she says.

What it is about exercise that triggers this response isn’t known. One study in the Journal of Asthma and Allergy notes that exercise increases gut permeability, and therefore may allow toxins to escape from the gut into the bloodstream, triggering the immune system and the mast cells. Another theory is that exercise causes blood flow to be directed from visceral organs to the muscles, skin, and heart, and that blood can carry allergens with it.

But in many cases, it isn’t exercise alone that causes an allergic reaction, but a combination of exercise and something else. For instance, there’s also a variant of the condition known as food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis. In this type, people only experience a reaction if they exercise within three or four hours of eating a specific food, such as wheat, shellfish, or nuts, Dr. Altisheh says. As many as 30 to 50 percent of exercise-induced anaphylaxis cases are food dependent, according to the journal Canadian Family Physician.

In other cases, a person must be exercising in a warm or cold environment, after having taken medications like NSAIDs, or while menstruating in order to experience an allergic reaction, according to the aforementioned study in the Journal of Asthma and Allergy.

Symptoms of Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis

Symptoms can vary from person to person, but doctors say they generally can include:

Coughing
Trouble breathing
Wheezing
Flushing
Feeling itchy
Facial swelling
Hives
Feeling like your throat is closing

Some people may feel light-headed and pass out, Dr. Carek says. A drop in blood pressure and gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and an upset stomach can happen, too, Dr. Altisheh says.

How Is Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis Diagnosed?

Testing for exercise-induced anaphylaxis can be tricky. It usually starts with doctors taking a detailed history about how your symptoms started, what you were doing when you experienced them, and what you ate before experiencing them, Dr. Altisheh says. “We try to tease out if there are co-factors that might have lowered the threshold to break into anaphylaxis,” she says. “It’s a clinical diagnosis where we try to rule out other disorders that can mimic the symptoms.”

Your doctor may also recommend doing a scratch test to look for possible triggers based on your medical history, Dr. Altisheh says.

From there, doctors may do an “exercise challenge,” where they closely monitor you in a lab setting as you exercise, usually on a treadmill, Dr. Carek says. “This testing has not been standardized,” Dr. Altisheh says. Regardless of how it’s done, doctors should have medications available to treat you if you develop anaphylaxis.

How to Manage and Treat Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis

Management really depends on the person. “It depends on the activity and the exercise exertion level that the patient had,” Dr. Altisheh says. Doctors say you don’t necessarily need to avoid all physical activity if you have exercise-induced anaphylaxis, but you may need to take some extra precautions.

“We always advise the patient to stop the exertion immediately at the first sign of symptoms — we never recommend pushing through,” Dr. Altisheh says. It’s also important not to exercise alone and to make sure you have an epinephrine auto-injector with you, like an EpiPen, Dr. Carek says.

“Patient education may include abstaining from exercise four to six hours after eating, avoiding aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) before exercise, and others,” Dr. Carek says. Doctors may also suggest using a long-acting antihistamine to lower the risk of symptoms, Dr. Altisheh says.

Exercise-induced anaphylaxis tends to be most common in people who do vigorous workouts with sudden bursts of speed, which is why doctors may recommend that you avoid those, Dr. Altisheh says. But overall, if you suspect that you have exercise-induced anaphylaxis, it’s important to seek care. “This can be treated,” Dr. Altisheh says.

Korin Miller is a writer specializing in general wellness, health, and lifestyle trends. Her work has appeared in Women’s Health, Self, Health, Forbes, and more.

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Fitness

This is the best budget-friendly fitness tracker we have tested this year

Published

11 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

This is the best budget-friendly fitness tracker we have tested this year

Why you can trust Live Science

Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best ones for you. Find out more about how we test.

If you’re looking to get back into exercising, or are just starting out, the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 may be the best fitness tracker for you. This fitness tracker does a great job of tracking your workouts and summarizing the data in an easy-to-understand format, without overcomplicating anything. The interface is user-friendly, and even those who aren’t into tech should be able to navigate around this smartwatch in no time at all.

While this is a budget fitness tracker, that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in features. You can do more than just track your workouts with this smart band: you can also track your sleep, stress levels, heart rate and so much more. There’s also no shortage of sports modes — with 150+ to choose from, you’re bound to find the workout you want on this watch.

While the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 has a few features the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 doesn’t, such as underwater real-time heart rate monitoring, running courses and a larger screen, there are also plenty of similarities between the two. Both offer three weeks of battery life, and neither has its own built-in GPS, for a start. But how does the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 perform compared to its predecessor, which we placed in our best budget fitness trackers guide?

Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fitness tracker review

Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fitness tracker: Design

The Xiaomi Smart Band 10 has bezels that are only 2 mm. (Image credit: Kat Bayly)

Strap is difficult to put on alone
Charger is USB-A – we’d prefer USB-C
Comfortable to wear, day and night

The Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is a small yet surprisingly well designed fitness tracker. Unlike other smartwatches, with huge watch faces that protrude from your wrist, the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is nice and sleek. With a face that measures only 1.72 inches (44 millimeters) diagonally, ultra-thin bezels of just 0.07 inches (2 mm) and a weight of 0.56 ounces (15.95 grams), this fitness tracker is barely noticeable when it’s being worn.

The screen is an AMOLED display and performs well in direct sunlight — not once did we struggle to see the details on the screen in any light. But while the slender screen is a welcome relief from bulkier fitness trackers, we did find the strap rather annoying to put on alone.

Our sample was the Midnight Rose variation and came with a light pink TPU strap, where you need to press the button into the strap. However, due to the strap’s flexibility, it’s hard to tighten the strap and push the button in without losing tightness, and we found it easier to have someone help us. After a while, we managed it alone, but this was frustrating at first.

Saying that, you can change the strap if you find this irritating. There’s a quick-release button on the back, which you can press with a fingernail and release the strap with no fuss. There are many alternative options, including leather, metal and silk knitted straps, as well as the option to turn it into a pendant.

We liked how many watch faces there are for you to download for free on the Mi Fitness App, and there are even more if you are happy to pay a little. This means you can personalize your watch and change things up if, like us, you get bored with the same image as your watch background.

One of the watch face choices on the Xiaomi Smart Band 10, showing a floral design in dark colors.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is highly customizable, with many watch faces to choose from. (Image credit: Kat Bayly)

Specifications

Display: 1.72 in (4.4 cm), AMOLED

Always on: Yes

Dimensions (in): 1.83 x 0.89 x 0.43

Dimensions (mm): 46.57 x 22.54 x 10.95

Weight: 0.56 oz (15.95 g)

Colors: Midnight Black, Glacier Silver, Mystic Rose

Finish: Aluminum

GPS: No (relies on smartphone GPS)

Compass: Yes

Altimeter: No

Water resistance: 5ATM (up to a depth of 50 meters)

NFC Payments: No

Compatibility: Android 8.0 or iOS 14.0 and above

As we’ve already mentioned, the watch face is slender and unobtrusive. There are also no buttons that can be accidentally pressed during mid-workout, or that will interfere if you have your wrist bent in a Pilates, yoga or exercise class, for example. With other fitness trackers we have sometimes found the buttons an irritation during classes, or they have caught on long-sleeve tops. You don’t have this issue with the Xiaomi Smart Band 10, so you can trust your data will be not be ruined by accidental presses.

Apart from our slight irritation with the strap at the start, the only other annoying thing about the design of this watch is that the charger is a standard USB-A connector rather than USB-C. For some, this might not be an issue, but we had to hunt around the house to find a charging plug with a USB port — most other items in our home require USB-C, so receiving a new fitness tracker with what we’d call an outdated port was surprising. This meant we couldn’t easily charge it while at our laptop, for example, which would have been nice.

This is only a minor issue, but it’s something to be aware of if you’re thinking of buying one.

A close-up of the strap design of the Xiaomi Smart Band 10, showing a light pink strap.

Sadly, we found the strap difficult to secure. (Image credit: Kat Bayly)

Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fitness tracker: Performance

A close-up of the light pink strap loop of the Xiaomi Smart Band 10.

The loop of the strap started to show signs of discoloration quite early on during testing. (Image credit: Kat Bayly)

Accurately recorded most health stats
Incredible battery life for a budget tracker
Location tracking performed poorly

Let’s start with some of the basic requirements of a comfortable and reliable fitness tracker. The screen was durable and didn’t mark during a testing period in which we wore it every day for two weeks (plus many other days after this, on and off, mainly because we liked it). There is not a single scratch or mark to be found — impressive for a fitness tracker that only costs a little over $45.

However, the light colored pink TPU strap did start to look a bit dirty, mainly around the loop where the strap slides together. This isn’t very noticeable but there’s a slight color change towards a gray. But, seeing as you can personalize this watch with other straps, this isn’t a huge problem.

Our main negative was the comfort of this watch — we loved the slender screen, but you need to have this watch done up really tight to get it to stay in place. Tightness also aids the accuracy of the stats, but it felt too tight to be comfortable sometimes. When we chose to wear it on the looser notch, this inevitably meant the tracker would slide down our wrist during exercise, sacrificing the accuracy of the data. Of course, it could just be that our wrists were of a size in-between the available notches, and perhaps a different strap would have worked better.

But let’s look at the positives of this amazing budget fitness tracker. The battery life is utterly astounding. We only needed to charge it once in three weeks. That’s two weeks of testing the watch every day and night — we did one form of exercise every day, sometimes two, plus we wore it to bed every night — and then a last week when it was on and off our wrist on an “as and when” basis. That’s incredible battery life and something that astounded us, given this watch’s low price.

A screenshot of the sleep data from the Xiaomi Smart Band 10, taken from the Mi Fitness App.

(Image credit: Kat Bayly)

Another positive aspect of this watch’s performance is related to the sleep tracking. We found it satisfyingly accurate in capturing when we fell asleep and when we woke up, plus any times we were disturbed during the night. The Mi Fitness app provides detailed information, capturing your sleep and wake times, quality of sleep, length of sleep, stages of sleep you experienced and for how long, and your average heart rate. Plus, there is the sleep improvement plan you can do to help improve the quality of your sleep.

However, where the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fell a bit short was on its location tracking. While we didn’t need to know the location of the walks we took with our dog, for example, we noticed the location tracking struggled as soon as we were in the countryside. And when we say countryside, we mean not the middle of nowhere but on the edge of a large town.

Seeing as the Smart Band 10 doesn’t have its own GPS and relies on your smartphone’s GPS, you will not be able to track your runs or walks if you lose phone signal. However, when walking around our local high street or neighbourhood, the smartwatch could locate us accurately.

Aside from this, we thought the Smart Band 10 did a good job of capturing our health stats, including BPM (when stationary and when exercising), max BPM when exercising and the start and end times of our workouts. We had no way of knowing if the calories burned were accurate, but when using the watch during walks, the step counts appeared to be accurate for the length of the walks we did, as did the average pace.

The health stats screen on the Xiaomi Smart Band 10, as worn by our reviewer.

We found the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 to be pretty accurate in capturing our health data. (Image credit: Kat Bayly)

Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fitness tracker: Functionality

The main menu of the Xiaomi Smart Band 10.

The interface is user-friendly and you will have found your way around the watch in minutes. (Image credit: Kat Bayly)

Easy-to-use interface
5ATM water resistance
150+ sports modes for every form of exercise

There are so many functions to this fitness tracker that we’re sure it will take you a while to get your head around everything it has to offer. Some functions you will find useful and come back to often, and some you may use once or twice and then forget about.

There is a wealth of data you can capture on this fitness tracker, but the interface itself is easy-to-use, and you’ll be navigating around the watch within minutes. The only thing we found tricky at first was locating where the 150+ sports modes were — some are placed in obvious categories whereas others were hidden.

One clever thing this watch does, though, is that once you’ve located your training or sports mode a few times, it pops it into the menu you first see when clicking on the ‘workout’ tile on the main menu. So, realistically, you only have to go rooting around once or twice — after that, your most-used workouts are just a press away.

The Smart Band 10 has 5ATM water resistance, making it suitable for swimming. Plus, there is now real-time underwater heart rate monitoring, something the Smart Band 9 does not have.

The sports mode options on the Xiaomi Smart Band 10.

Locating your chosen workout can be tricky to start, with but these items then move to your main workout menu. (Image credit: Kat Bayly)

While there are many things this watch can do, you can also monitor your stress levels, your oxygen levels and heart rate whenever you feel like it. Not only this, but with every workout you do, the watch can calculate your vitality score and training state, offering personalized recovery times in between your workouts. This will be useful if you are trying to return to fitness and an exercise routine, as well as for those training for a specific purpose, so you don’t end up overdoing it.

For those looking for some guidance on runs, this watch has various running courses you can follow, from basic to advanced. These are easy to locate from the main menu, and once you’ve selected the one you would like to do, the watch gives you guidance on how long to run/walk for, helping you to slowly build your stamina. This is great for those looking to start running, allowing them to pace themselves to avoid overexertion.

One thing this watch lacks is the ability to detect when a workout has ended. This meant that a few times, our data was skewed as we forgot to stop our workout at the end of a class. Sometimes we ended up with data covering the walk back to the car, for example. While this isn’t a huge problem — and understandable for a budget fitness tracker— it’s important to remember to stop the watch whenever you finish working out.

The problem was that we often forgot we had it on in the first place, due to how lightweight it is!

The running course menu on the Xiaomi Smart Band 10.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 10 has various running courses you can do, from basic to advanced. (Image credit: Kat Bayly)

Should you buy the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 fitness tracker?

Buy it if:

✅ You want long battery life: Still running at 17% battery after three weeks of use, the Xiaomi has outstanding battery life.

✅ You want an uncomplicated interface: You will be able to navigate around this fitness tracker in minutes.

Don’t buy it if:

❌ Location tracking is a priority: The location tracking on the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is very basic, and relies on your smartphone.

❌ You prefer a standard watch design: We loved the sleek design of this fitness tracker but others may prefer a round or larger watch face design.

We loved this budget fitness tracker, which would suit those starting out on their fitness journey, or those who aren’t into tech and want to keep things simple. The interface is easy to navigate, the data and stats are digestible and we could not fault the battery life, which reduced any faff around having to remember to charge it regularly. The watch did a good job of capturing our health data after workouts, and we particularly liked the sleep data and sleep improvement plan. For beginners, the running courses and guidance are a fantastic way of building stamina.

There were a few things we may have changed if we were designing it, such as the strap and charging cable, but these are things others may not have an issue with. Overall this fitness tracker performed well, especially for the price.

If this product isn’t for you

If you want a budget fitness tracker with a larger, squarer screen, the Amazfit Active may suit. Offering a 1.75 inch (4.4 cm) screen, the same water resistance of 5ATM, built-in GPS and 27 days of battery, this is a strong rival to the Xiaomi Smart Band 10.

If a larger screen is a priority for you, the Redmi Watch 5 offers a 2.07 inch (5.3 cm) colorful display.

If you’re a runner, the Garmin Forerunner 165 will provide everything you need to sufficiently track your runs. Plus, being part of the Garmin family means you’ll be getting quality without breaking the bank.

Alternatively, if you have the money to spend, the Garmin Vivoactive 6 may be a good option: we rated it the best for beginners in our best fitness trackers guide, as it offers guided walking workouts.

Fitness

Fitness coach says ‘just cardio isn’t enough’; shares 1 exercise women over 35 must do to stay strong and healthy

Published

24 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

As we age, our bodies naturally start losing muscle mass and bone density, which can affect strength, metabolism, and overall health. Many women over 35 notice changes in energy levels, weight distribution, and endurance, making it essential to adopt exercises that not only tone but also strengthen the body.

Fitness coach urges women over 35 to incorporate strength training. (Freepik)

Tara LaFerrara, fitness coach and personal trainer, shares in her September 22 Instagram post why women over 35 should start incorporating strength training into their routines and how it can transform both body and health. (Also read: Doctor with 25 years experience warns ‘ghee-loaded meals, sugary chai’ harm South Asians’ health; shares 6 key insights )

Why does muscle loss matter after 35

If you are a woman over 35 and not doing any sort of strength training, Tara warns you’re in for a rude awakening. “I’m talking the moment that your body starts to slow down, get weaker, and feel like you hurt more,” she shares.

“It is not just ageing, it is muscle loss, and it starts way earlier than you think. After the age of 35, we start losing muscle every single year. And that muscle is so important because it is your metabolism, your bone density, your energy, and just the ability to bounce back when life throws things at you,” says Tara.

Can cardio and pilates alone keep you strong

She emphasises that cardio and Pilates alone aren’t enough. “You need to lift, squat, push, pull, and press. It’s not about getting bulky and muscular, it’s about getting strong enough to handle ageing on your own terms.”

Her advice is simple: “So if you’re tired of feeling like your body is working against you, start working with it. Pick up some weights. Your future self will thank you.”

Strength training after 35 isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about maintaining health, mobility, and resilience. As Tara highlights, incorporating resistance exercises into your routine is one of the best ways to support your body through the natural changes that come with age.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

Fitness

New Year’s Fitness Resolutions Start with Healthy Sleep | Newswise

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

New Year’s Fitness Resolutions Start with Healthy Sleep | Newswise

Newswise — As the New Year approaches, many Americans are setting fresh intentions to eat better and move more — and new data show those habits may deliver an unexpected bonus: better sleep. According to a new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 59% of adults say eating a well-balanced diet helps them sleep slightly or significantly better. Staying active throughout the day may also help improve sleep. According to the survey, adults say exercising in the morning (42%) or evening (46%) helps them sleep slightly or significantly better.

“Sleep is one of three pillars of a healthy lifestyle, including eating a well-balanced diet and incorporating regular physical activity,” said AASM spokesperson Dr. Kin Yuen. “When people make New Year’s resolutions or select their ‘nudge word’ for the year, they often prioritize diet and exercise. These changes don’t just support physical health—they also improve sleep.”

The findings suggest that New Year’s resolutions don’t need to be isolated goals. Improving one aspect of health, whether diet, exercise, or sleep, can create positive ripple effects across all three areas of wellness. This is especially true for younger adults, with those 25-34 being the most likely age group to say a well-balanced diet (64%) or exercise in the evening (60%) helps them sleep better.

“Sufficient sleep significantly reduces the risk of chronic illnesses, such as obesity, heart disease, and even depression and anxiety,” said Yuen. “Whether you’re improving your diet, increasing your activity level, or managing stress, prioritizing sleep gives you the energy and mental clarity needed to start the year strong.”

Here are some tips from the AASM on how to develop healthy sleep habits and reap all the benefits of your New Year’s resolutions:

Create a consistent bedtime routine — Make sure you are giving yourself enough time to get the recommended seven or more hours of sleep per night.
Make time in your daily routine for physical activity — Pick physical activities that you enjoy and that match your abilities.
Eat a well-balanced diet — Try to meet the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables, grains, and protein.
Disconnect from devices at night — Turn off all electronics at least 30 minutes to an hour before your bedtime to help prepare for sleep.

For more information, or to find a local AASM-accredited sleep center, please visit sleepeducation.org. View 2025 AASM Sleep Prioritization Survey results in the AASM newsroom.

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About the Survey

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine commissioned an online survey of 2,007 adults in the U.S. The overall margin of error fell within +/- 2 percentage points with a confidence interval of 95 percent. Fieldwork took place between June 5-13, 2025, by Atomik Research, an independent market research agency.

About the American Academy of Sleep Medicine

Established in 1975, the AASM is a medical association that advances sleep care and enhances sleep health to improve lives. The AASM membership includes more than 9,500 physicians, scientists, and other health care professionals who help people who have sleep disorders. The AASM also accredits 2,300 sleep centers that are providing the highest quality of sleep care across the country (aasm.org).