| Sidestep Side Stitches |
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| by Diet Detective Editorial Staff | |
| Tuesday, 04 July 2006 | |
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While no one's sure what causes these running-related cramps, you can
do things to avoid them or at least alleviate the pain. Here's how. Does your fitness routine keep you in stitches? Although no one knows what exactly causes side stitches, there are things you can do to avoid them or at least alleviate the pain. "Stitches generally happen when a person is running and taking shallow breaths," explains Robert Vaughan, Ph.D., exercise physiologist at the Tom Landry Sports Medicine and Research Center in Dallas. "It's believed that lack of oxygen causes a cramp."
Vaughan says the best way to prevent and cope with cramps is to practice deep belly breathing, which means fully inhaling until your abdomen swells. If your chest, instead of your midsection, rises as you take a deep breath, that means you're doing shallow breathing. Vaughan also says you needn't stop your workout when a side stitch crops up. "You can work through it if you breathe properly," he says. "It's painful at first, but it will go away if you keep breathing deeply." Here are two key tips from Vaughan that will help you keep stitches at bay.
1. Don't eat and run. It's never a good idea to work out intensely after chowing down. Instead, wait about three hours before exercising after a big meal.
2. Drink lots of fluids. Side stitches are more likely to occur when you're dehydrated, so be sure to consume at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, or more if you're very active.
If you do get a stitch, some experts recommend bending forward, tightening your abdominals, taking a deep breath and exhaling through pursed lips. Vaughan says that pressing firmly on the painful area only helps temporarily and that deep belly breathing is the way to go. Bookmark:            Trackback(0)
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