Why We Get Stitches When Running and How to Avoid Them

Side stitches, or side pains, can be very painful and uncomfortable, and can hinder a perfect running experience almost immediately. The pain can start off slight and increase sharply in a matter of seconds. More than anything, side stitches are a nuisance to runners and may mean you need to stop your workout early!

 

What is a Stitch?

 

A side stitch is felt on either the right or left hand side of the body, though it most often occurs on the left side. It resonates in the area right below your lower ribs. The pain can be so intense at times that it can even cause you to stop running completely.

 

Why do Stitches Occur?

 

There is no definite medical explanation for why stitches occur, especially during running, but there are several theories. Some researchers claim that stitches are more common with beginner runners, due to the fact that they are more likely to engage in rapid or shallow breathing.

 

Rapid breathing is believed to not fully engage and relax the diaphragm, thereby causing the ligaments on one side of the body to contract forcefully. Another belief is that the rapid breathing, combined with the jolting of running and exhaling as your right foot touches the ground, puts additional strain on the ligaments near the liver and the diaphragm, which then causes the pain to be felt on the left side of the body.

 

Other research states that eating a meal within one hour of a run can cause side stitches, as well as drinking sugary or carbonated drinks. The digestive system has not worked the food and drinks completely through the system, and could be the reason for the sharp pains felt on the side. 

 

Still other research suggests that if a runner forgoes a proper warm-up before a running session, and starts off running too fast, too soon, he or she will experience sharp side pain.

 

Preventing Stitches

 

If you notice that you get side stitches often, first ensure that you are not eating any type of meal, even a small snack, and large amounts of liquid within one to two hours of a run. You can drink a little water, but not too much, and avoid sports and carbonated drinks. Water is always your best choice before a run, especially in hot weather.

 

Another means of preventing stitches is to practice deep breathing in a rhythmic manner. Smooth, slow, complete breathing cycles will allow you to avoid rapid breathing. While you are breathing in and out fully, you also want to maintain proper posture.

 

The proper posture for running is to have your back straight, not hunched over, your chest up and open for easy breathing, and your arms bent at 90 degree angles at your sides. This posture will ensure that your muscles are not being squeezed, which can cause almost a muscle cramp.

 

If you do happen to experience stitches, press real hard into the side that hurts and breathe deeply. Although it is hard to keep a good posture during this episode, try your best. After slow, even-paced breathing and massaging of the tense muscle, the pain should subside.

 

Want To Lose Weight? Then Watch What You're Drinking!

Everyone knows that losing weight means cutting down on your calorie intake and burning more calories through exercise. However, many people fail to consider the impact that their drinks have on their weight loss goals. Drinks contain calories just like food, but some drinks can even hinder your weight loss efforts in other ways! Here's a guide to the main drink categories you need to watch while losing weight.

 

Alcohol

 

Many people are good at looking at their diet and knowing what they should and shouldn't eat, but don't take time to look at their alcohol consumption in the same way. Alcohol should be accounted for as part of your daily calorie allowance, so a couple for drinks a day will soon add up!

 

And they don't call it a "beer belly" for nothing: research has shown that alcohol can actually reduce the rate at which your body burns calories! It can also lead to some pretty unhealthy cravings, so it's important to be careful.

 

Coffee, Tea And Weight Loss

 

Some other drinks that many of us have every single day include coffee and tea. But are these helping or hindering your weight loss efforts? Studies have shown that any drinks containing caffeine can interfere with weight loss. The stimulation that occurs after you drink caffeine, whether from coffee, tea or even soda, really isn't good for cravings!

 

Many of us also even link the drinking of tea or coffee to eating a snack. In this case, even if the coffee itself isn't doing you any harm it's still encouraging your snacking habit, which isn't going to help you lose weight!

 

Many people drink green tea for weight loss. There's been a lot of hype over this drink in recent years, and studies have shown that green tea extract may help you to lose weight. However, drinking too much green tea means you'll still experience all the negative effects of caffeine listed above.

 

Juice

 

Many people switch their unhealthy sodas for juice when trying to lose weight, on the assumption that this is "healthy". While it's true that fruit juice does come with more health benefits than sugary drinks, you still have to be careful about how much you're drinking. Make sure you choose juice without added sugar and include the calories within your daily allowance. Try not to have huge amounts in one go, as you'll want to keep your blood sugar levels stable.

 

Water

 

When you're trying to lose weight, it's vital that you drink enough water. Not only will you need this to keep you hydrated while you're working out, you'll also want to use it as a way to make losing weight easier. There's no miracle cure for losing weight, but water comes pretty close.

 

Did you know that what you think is hunger is often thirst? Drinking more water as standard every day can reduce those cravings that force you to overeat. And drinking a couple of glasses of water before each meal can help fill you up to prevent overeating. This makes it a lot easier to reduce your portion sizes!

 

The truth is that water is always best. If you're used to drinking coffee, sugary drinks, alcohol and soda, then gradually replacing them with water will help your weight loss efforts, even if you do nothing else!

The Benefits Of Choosing A Vegetarian Weight Loss Diet Plan

People try a huge number of different diets in an effort to lose weight, one of which is a vegetarian weight loss diet plan. If you're looking to lose weight in this way then here's a quick guide to the various benefits and how to get started.

 

Improve Your Health

 

Studies show that vegetarians are more likely to have a healthy BMI - body mass index - and are less likely to suffer from obesity, coronary artery disease, some types of cancer, and hypertension. Why is it so healthy? Because vegetarians avoid meat (the main source of saturated fat in our diets), they often eat more polyunsaturated fat, and a lower amount of fat in total.

 

Although the word vegetarian is generally understood as someone who doesn’t eat meat or fish, there are other types of vegetarian that may still eat fish (pescetarian), or that may avoid all animals products including cheese and eggs (vegan).

 

Help The Environment

 

Although this isn't directly related to your weight or health, it's motivating to know that a vegetarian weight loss diet plan is good for the environment. Eating vegetables instead of meat, or even just reducing the meat you eat, will lower your carbon footprint! Why? Because the animals raised for meat also have to eat vegetables throughout their lives. Skip out the animals and eat the vegetables yourself and you'll be saving a lot of resources!

 

How To Get Started On A Vegetarian Weight Loss Diet

 

You don't have to go 100% vegetarian to benefit from a vegetarian weight loss diet plan. Simply cutting down on the amount of meat you eat can have a positive effect. For example, you may choose to eat meat three times a week and stick to a vegetarian diet the rest of the time. You can still eat similar portion sizes, but you'll find that you lose weight more easily as a vegetarian diet generally contains fewer calories.

 

While on a vegetarian diet, take care to ensure your diet is balanced. The main concern is usually that vegetarians don't get enough protein. This is unlikely to be true, as most meat eaters take in far more protein than they need - and an unhealthy form of protein at that. As long as you're eating plenty of legumes, beans and soy products, you should have the protein you need.

 

Remember, a vegetarian weight loss diet plan alone will not cause the weight to fall off. You'll have to keep track of calories and perform regular exercise if you're really serious about getting your weight down.

The Benefits Of Swimming For Fitness

Swimming is one of those exercises that's hard to hate, since it’s gentle and yet fun at the same time. Most people enjoy a dip in the pool, so why not turn that dip into some laps as a form of exercise? There are many fitness benefits that one can get from swimming. If you're not convinced, keep reading.

 

Swimming Is Great Cardio

 

Swimming requires a lot of energy and burns a lot of calories thanks to the fact that, when you swim, you need to move your whole body instead of just your legs or your arms. Swimming works your body and heart the same way any cardio workout, such as dancing or running, would. So if you take up swimming for your fitness, you will work your heart and boost your metabolism at the same time. To get the most out of swimming, it’s best to carry out interval training where you do high intensity sprint swimming alternated with easier workouts. This way you’ll push your body hard but will be able to do so for a longer period.

 

Swimming Is Great For Strength Training

 

Not only is swimming good for a cardio workout, swimming challenges the muscles all over your body and is great for increasing overall body strength. The water resistance you face while swimming forces your muscles to work harder - just like traditional forms of strength training. You’ll be able to gain some muscle and tone up your body at the same time. Swimming is also widely used as therapy to strengthen injured muscles in athletes, since the water resistance provides a good workout without giving stress to the injured body parts.

 

Swimming Is Great For Everybody!

 

The great thing about swimming is that everybody can do it and enjoy it. It's suitable for every age group and fitness level; you can decide how hard to push yourself when you swim. Elderly people can benefit from swimming too, since the water gives good support to their body and they can stay fit without worrying about injuring their back or joints. It’s also a great activity for you to do with your family: you can have fun together and stay healthy at the same time. If you bring little kids along to the pool, though, be sure to always keep an eye on them to prevent any accidents.

How To Stay Gym Fit Without A Gym Membership

If the global recession is affecting you and you’re trying to cut costs then finding ways to stay fit without going to the gym might help. Regularly going to the gym can cost quite a bit of money and might be one of your single biggest monthly expenses. 

 

While you may not want to stop going to the gym forever, one temporary cost-cutting measure is to try and keep fit from home. Here are a few exercise ideas and tips on how to give your home workout program a running start! 

 

Cycling: If you’ve got a bike then it’s pretty easy to keep fit – just head out for a ride! If you usually use an exercise bike at the gym then this is a great alternative, and can be much more fun too. You get to set your own route, so you can see what you want to see as you get your exercise. You can even vary your route to keep things interesting.

 

Bench and weights: If you’ve got a bit of spare cash you can buy a bench and weights for a home workout. You can pick these up pretty cheap – probably for the same price as a single month of gym membership, and maybe even less! With these you can do nearly all of the exercises that your gym weights machines do, without paying a single penny more than it cost to buy them. Not only that, but you can use them any time you want – not just during gym opening times.

 

Yoga: One of the cheapest forms of exercise to do from home is yoga. Although yoga isn’t for everyone, it’s incredibly popular and is a great way to stay healthy when taken seriously. To do yoga you really need nothing more than your body, but you might want to get a yoga mat too. That’s all you’ll need to start doing your own home yoga program. 

 

If you’re not already familiar with yoga practice, then you can pick up DVDs on yoga instruction for next to nothing, and the internet offers loads of free yoga explanations too. There’s no reason to spend loads of money on yoga classes if you haven’t got the cash!

 

Exercise with no equipment: The most obvious kind of exercise that requires no equipment is running. However, there are a variety of other exercises that are easy to do with nothing besides your own body. Press-ups and sit-ups are classic examples. Pull-ups are another. Using exercises like these it’s possible to cover nearly every muscle in your body. 

 

It’s also possible to use makeshift equipment in place of the “real” thing. For example, you don’t actually need dumbbells to do weights. All you need are heavy objects that are easy to lift. For light aerobic training you can just use food tins like baked beans. For heavier weights, try using large bottles of mineral water. Both are just as good as real weights but cost nothing extra than your shopping bill!

 

Tip 1: If the gym forms a central part of your social life, then stopping your regular gym attendance might not seem like much of an option. But it is possible to get your gym buddies to come and train with you from home, so don’t rule it out altogether.

 

Tip 2: Staying motivated during home workouts is one of the toughest things. However, there are loads of ways to keep your motivation up. One of the best ways is to find buddies to work out with from home – go for a run with your gym pals or get a friend over for a yoga session. 

 

Another great way to stay motivated is to reward yourself for every workout (as though your own personal fitness and wellbeing wasn’t enough of a reward!). You can do this with food (careful not to undo all your hard work with this one though) or with small gifts.

 

Exercising from home also means that, if you’ve got music or a TV on hand, it’s your choice what to watch or listen to as you exercise. Together, these things should be able to keep you motivated and maintain your fitness even without heading to the gym regularly. Just remember not to let yourself start slipping!

Skechers Women's Shape-Ups Toners Review: Do They Live Up To The Hype?

Toning sneakers have been around for a few years now, but it's only in the last year or so that their popularity has really soared. Although there are many brands on the market, Skechers Women's Shape-Ups Toners are still the most popular and are selling in huge numbers everywhere! But are they worth spending your hard-earned cash on?

 

Features of Skechers Women's Shape-Ups Toners

 

These are specially designed sneakers that promise to help you tone up faster, to burn more calories, and improve your posture. Some of the main features include:

 

• Antibacterial sock liner to increase breathability and avoid moisture build up,
• A "kinetic wedge" in the sole that rocks back and forth to force your muscles to work harder as you walk,
• Rubber tread to maximize traction.
• Available in traditional sneaker style with lace up front, and in a wide range of colors.
• Designed for extreme comfort while walking, with lower impact on the joints.

 

How Do Skechers Women's Shape-Ups Toners Work?

 

First things first, how do these sneakers actually work to help you tone up more quickly? It's understandable to be skeptical when it comes to anything that claims to help you lose weight faster!

 

Skechers claim that you can burn more calories thanks to the curved design of the shoe, and that the instability created by the "kinetic wedge" will make your muscles work harder in order to stay balanced. The end result? More toned calves, thighs and buttock muscles.

 

Independent studies have confirmed that the design of the shoe may have an effect on your workouts, and will help to increase muscle activity as long as you use them. Other studies have concluded that the shoes simply motivated people to work out more than usual - so the evidence is still inconclusive. 

 

Where the shoes have usually seen greatest results is in improvement of posture which can help to make your workouts more effective on its own.

 

What Customers Are Saying About These Toning Sneakers

 

The sales numbers speak volumes: Skechers have a number of very happy customers who are coming back to buy even more pairs of these sneakers. Although many buy them for the toning benefits, and claim that they have noticed results when wearing them. One reviewer even tested the shoes while doing housework and noticed that she was aching when she finished!

 

However, many customers buy the shoes simply for their comfort and reduced impact on the joints. They've found that it helps to make exercise and day to day walking more comfortable for them.

 

Are There Any Complaints?

 

The main complaint of the first series of Skechers Shape-Ups was that they looked noticeably different to standard sneakers. The good news is that there is now a large range of sneakers that look just like any other kind of sneaker, so you won't automatically stand out while you wear these shoes for your day to day walking. Most customers state that the shoe feels slightly odd and unnatural to wear at first, due to the rocking motion, but that you quickly get used to them.

 

Aside from this, the main complaint of the new style is that they run slightly small - you may need to order a size larger than you normally wear.

 

Conclusion

 

Thanks to the new styles available, Skechers Women's Shape-Ups Toners are now more accessible to a wider range of women who want something that looks like a traditional sneaker. Although they do cost more than many sneakers, they're worth it if you're looking for something comfortable that will improve your posture and may help you to tone up faster than normal.

Rocking It: Six Reasons For You To Take Up Rock Climbing

As children many of us enjoy climbing. However, climbing isn’t just for children, and taking up climbing as a hobby could be great for you. Here are some of the top reasons why rock climbing could be your next big passion, and why so many people make it a part of their lives.

 

Outdoors: Rock climbing can get you outdoors, and often takes you to some really beautiful places. You could find yourself in a local valley, at a national park, or even somewhere on the other side of the world. There is great climbing everywhere.

 

As an outdoor activity, rock climbing also ties in well with other hobbies such as camping and canoeing. You could happily spend a day paddling up a river to a climbing spot, enjoying a challenging climb, and then paddling back to your camp at the end of a great day’s climbing.

 

Indoors: Although rock climbing is more common as an outdoor activity, you can also enjoy it in indoor environments. Many gyms and public sports centers have climbing facilities. This is great for those who don’t have time to get to natural climb spots, or who live in the middle of a big city. It’s also useful for times when the weather is bad.

 

Graded: Rock climbing routes are graded. This indicates how difficult the climb is likely to be. As a climber, you will start out only able to tackle the lowest graded routes. However, with time you’ll improve and be able to tackle harder routes. This grading system allows you to gauge your progress, helping you to recognize your improvement and that of your friends.

 

Non-competitive: Generally, rock climbing is a non-competitive sport. The only person you usually compete against is yourself – to see if you can go that bit further and harder. This makes it a more mentally relaxed pursuit, even though it’s one of the most physically demanding of all sports. Generally, all you have to worry about is you and the rock. This makes it therapeutic, helping you to stay focused and stop thinking about the stresses of your daily life.

 

Competitive: While much rock climbing is non-competitive, there are competitive options for those who are interested. Competitions are usually held at indoor locations. Climbers compete in rounds, and are judged on speed, point-reached and various other indicators.

 

Fitness: In addition to the outright fun that rock climbing offers, it also improves fitness. Climbing itself is strenuous, and will challenge you whether you are a beginner or have become quite advanced. It uses all of the muscles in your body – from the tips of your toes to the tips of your fingers and everything in between! Your legs, glutes, core, chest, shoulders, back, and arms will all be put to the test. 

 

After a certain point, you’ll probably even need to start a training program in order to continue to improve your climbing. Having lots of endurance as well as all-round body strength are essential to advanced climbing. 

 

These are just a few of the reasons why so many people today enjoy rock climbing as part of their lifestyle, and why you should consider taking up rock climbing yourself. It’s great fun, challenging, good for the mind and great for the body. What’ve you got to lose? Go ahead and give it a go!

 

Planning Your Own Workout Program: The Basics

When it comes to getting fit or losing weight, having a long-term workout program planned out for months at a time, with goals to achieve along the way, will help you to stick with it. To come up with your program, you need to start with the basics to come up with something that suits your needs.

 

Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to improve your overall fitness? Are you trying to tone or to bulk up? Having a clear grasp of what you’re aiming to do in the long-run will help to guide your plan and keep you motivated too.

 

Now it's time to think about how often you will work out. If you’re new to workout programs, or are not particularly fit, you may need to go easy to start with. Plan to do some light training on one or two days each week until you start getting used to physical exertion and recovery. Too much too soon could be overwhelming and put you off.

 

After easing yourself in, you can increase the intensity of the workout and add an extra one or two workout days to your program. Try for three days each week, or maybe four if you’re feeling really energetic. However, it’s as important to include rest and recovery days in your schedule as it is to include workout days.

 

The amount of time you allow for a workout session will dictate the variety and kinds of exercise you can carry out. For lots of variety, you’ll need a longer session, and for endurance exercise you’ll also need more time.

 

You need to have an idea of the exercises you need to do in your program. Think about which areas of your body you’d like to focus on the most. Do you want to drop weight off your stomach? Do you want to increase the endurance in your legs? Perhaps you want to bulk up your biceps? You can plan each session with these focal points in mind. 

 

Build your program up bit by bit. Start off by deciding on your general aims, then figure out how much time you’ll have available or want to spend exercising. With a range of possible exercises in mind, plan what you’d like to cover in each session. See if you can cover everything in a one- or two-week exercise cycle.

 

After you’ve begun the actual workouts, you’ll have a better idea of which exercises work for you, and how long it all takes. You can then adjust your program to match what you learn. With this knowledge, you can then set yourself longer-term goals – like increasing the number of reps or sets you do in a session, or running further in the same amount of time.

5 Of The Healthiest Fruits And Vegetables: What Makes Them So Important?

“We are what we eat”, or so the saying goes. Different foods help our bodies to grow, to heal, and to keep the immune system running properly. More than that, they stop our bodies from falling apart: the absence of many different nutrients can lead to various physical ailments. It’s really important to eat healthily, so let’s look at five of the best fruits and vegetables to include in your diet.

 

Broccoli: Green vegetables are widely considered among the healthiest foods we can eat, and broccoli is definitely one of the most nutrient-rich green vegetables. It’s a great source of vitamins C and K, as well as folate, vitamin B and fiber. In addition, it contains potassium, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6, protein and calcium.

 

Broccoli can assist in lowering cholesterol levels which improves cardiovascular health. It supports the body’s detoxification system, aids vitamin D uptake and may also reduce our susceptibility to certain allergies.

 

Blueberries: Blueberries have a low glycemic index (GI) which means they have a low impact on our blood sugar levels., so you won’t get a sugar rush from eating blueberries. Eating foods with a low glycemic index is also believed to reduce the risk of developing type-II diabetes as well as coronary heart disease.

 

Blueberries are also a very rich source of antioxidants, which are thought to help reduce the risk of developing cancer. They are a good source of vitamin K, manganese and vitamin C too, placing them high on the nutrient-density scale.

 

Spinach: Spinach is one of the best green vegetables for your health. It contains a huge quantity of nutrients, and offers several specific health benefits.  Among the most concentrated nutrients are magnesium, folate, iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin E, protein and zinc.

 

Spinach may help reduce the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. It’s also an anti-inflammatory, meaning it may help reduce our susceptibility to allergies. The vitamin K, magnesium and calcium content of spinach is good for maintaining healthy bones and there are also antioxidants in spinach that help remove harmful free radicals from the body.

 

Peas: Green peas are another fantastic source of nutrients. They contain a huge range of nutrients in high quantities, including manganese, fiber, vitamin K and C, phosphorus, protein, copper, iron and zinc.

 

Peas can help to regulate blood sugar levels thanks to their fiber and protein content. Fiber and protein slow down the pace of digestion, which also means that carbohydrates are digested more slowly too. Peas are also known to reduce the chance of developing cardiovascular disease and to help protect against stomach cancer.

 

Apples: Apples are a fantastic source of fiber which helps promote a healthy digestive system. This also aids in the regulation of blood sugar levels. They are also a great source of vitamin C. Although apples aren’t as nutrient-rich as some other fruits and vegetables, they are thought to have both anti-cancer and anti-asthma properties. In addition, they’re good for cardiovascular health.