Category: Weight Loss Exercise

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (Gerd), also known as acid reflux is a condition in which the acid in the stomach is forced up into the esophagus often causing great pain and discomfort.

There are several potential causes for this condition including such things as an esophagus that contracts abnormally or a stomach that empties slower than normal.

These conditions could be due to a damages stomach and could cause severe damage and burns to the esophagus lining.

Acid Reflux is more prominent and painful when lying down at night. The body is lying down leaving behind all the hard work for the acid of climbing up the esophagus. It can easily creep up and make sleeping nearly impossible.

There are several ways of avoiding the burn of acid reflux. The one that is the most permanent and works most effectively is a change in the way you eat and in fact the way you sleep.

To stop or lessen the effects of acid reflux when sleeping you should try to keep your head somewhat elevated. This will make the job of climbing up the esophagus more difficult for the acid thanks to gravity.

Diet and Acid Reflux

Acid Reflux disease

In addition to altering your sleeping positions many find results by changing their diet. There are several food types that seem to aggravate reflux due to a reduction in pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter.

If you have been diagnosed with GERD, your doctor will suggest that you avoid the following:

• Chocolate,
• peppermint,
• fatty foods,
• coffee,
• alcoholic beverages,
• citrus fruits and juices,
• tomato products,
• pepper and
• smoking

These weaken the lower esophageal sphincterwhich causes the Acid Reflux in the first place.

In addition to choosing the appropriate foods you should also change your eating schedule.

If you are used to a large meal at the end of the day you might consider a smaller meal earlier in the evening.

The reason for this is that your body has a chance to move the food from the stomach to be digested thereby eliminating it as a pressure to cause the reflux.

Learning the process of avoiding the burn of acid reflux might take a bit of time but will be well worth the effort. Taking stock in what you eat both at home and when you are out is a vital part of reducing symptoms of acid reflux.

For those suffering from this issue, the symptoms of acid reflux can be debilitating. Understanding how the foods you eat affect your body is the best way to conquer the pain of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

More than 60 million people over the age of 50 (and some pregnant women) experience Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) at least once a month. The most common symptom is heartburn, a burning feeling behind the breastbone.

What Causes Acid Reflux?

 

Unlike pain associated with heart disease, heartburn pain is not usually associated with exercise, and becomes more acute when you lie down and after eating.

It is caused when the muscle connecting the esophagus with the stomach (lower esophageal sphincter – LES) is weak or relaxes inappropriately, allowing the stomach’s contents to flow up into the esophagus.

The stomach contents can cause the burning sensation called heartburn because stomach contents are acidic, and the lining of the esophagus is not protected from acid.

Your doctor may also recommend losing weight, eating meals at least 2 to 3 hours before bedtime, reducing the size of portions at mealtime, and elevating the head of your bed on 6-inch blocks, or sleeping on a specially-designed wedge.

Nonprescription antacids can provide temporary or partial relief.

For chronic reflux and heartburn, your doctor may prescribe medications. H2 blockers, which inhibit acid secretion in the stomach, relieve symptoms in up to 70% of patients with GERD.

If H2 blockers are not effective, your doctor may prescribe proton-pump inhibitors, which decrease the acid in the stomach. As with all conditions, follow your doctor’s advice and make the lifestyle changes he or she has recommended. Take your medication as directed. If you have followed these measures, but your heartburn returns, consult with your doctor.

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on Fitness

This info kind of goes without saying but it is important to keep the kids active, even if they love video games. We have run into this very issue at home where my daughter does not care much about video games and TV but my son certainly does and we always go out and exercise as a family to make up for it.

Children who regularly exercise and limit their time in front of the TV and computer are much less likely to be over than their peers, a new study suggests.

How Much TV and Screen Time for Kids?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children devote no more than two hours per day to watching TV and playing video games.

Experts also encourage children to exercise regularly; some groups, including the AAP, recommend that boys move enough to take 13,000 steps each day, while girls should strive for 11,000. Another common recommendation is for children and teenagers to get at least one hour of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of the week.

For the new study, researchers at Iowa State University in Ames looked at whether there were differences between children who met or did not meet recommendations for “screen time” and exercise.

They found that among 709 7- to 12-year-olds, those who did not meet either recommendation were three to four times more likely to be over than their peers who met both guidelines.

The findings are published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Since the study compared groups of children at one point in time, it does not prove that following exercise and screen-time recommendations keeps children at a healthy , according to lead researcher Dr. Kelly R. Laurson.

However, the findings do show that screen time and exercise are each independently associated with the odds of a child being over, explained Laurson, who is now with Illinois State University in Normal.

Workouts are something hated not only by kids but also adults. Now, if you hate workouts as much as your kid then this article would benefit both of you. Believe it or not, a well-balanced workout regimen could single-handedly keep you fit and healthy throughout your whole life.

And of course, no one said you need to do boring cardio for hours or spend 2 hours in your local gym. Simple activities could help you and your kids keep the pounds away.

Kids Lifestyle Changes

One reason behind the ever-increasing level of childhood obesity is the increasing addiction of children to video games, PSPs, etc. If they sit and watch video games all day, when would they find time for workouts?

The only way to break this habit is to take them regularly for a walk along the park. At the beginning, kids may hesitate to move beyond the world of video games.

Good news is that I have a remedy for this too. Ask yourself first: are YOU an active parent? If not, set a daily schedule for morning walks and then when you come back home tell your kid how much you loved and enjoyed the walk as well as how much your body benefitted from it. The more interesting you make it to him, the more he would be willing to walk.

Slowly you could scale it over to the next level which includes jogging, running, swimming, etc. – activities which would help your kid burn even more calories than he would by walking.

Lead Your Kids By Example

But like I said, they won’t make the first move unless you do, and to be honest, you should move your body too as obesity is harming you as much as your kids. When they see that you prefer to walk, run and jog instead of sitting at home and watching movies, they would soon emulate you and do the same.

Also, if there is any sport that you are passionate about or used to indulge in during your youth, you should start participating in that sport again.

It could be anything which makes your body move and sweat, such as cricket, basketball, tennis, etc. Note that by ‘sport’ I don’t mean chess or other board games; they are as bad as video games.

Like anything else in life, neither you nor your kid would find time for such activities unless you set a schedule for them. You should prioritize your health over even your most important tasks; once you do that, you would automatically find time to do the activities which would keep you away from fat belly and flabby arms.

Of course, the same applies to your kid too.

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on Fitness