Exercise

If you're experiencing stomach pain during exercise, there are a number of potential causes. You may be able to narrow down the cause based on other symptoms. It will also depend on the circumstances surrounding your pain and how it manifests.

Muscle Tightness and Cramping

If your abdominal or psoas muscles are tight, you may experience pulling, a sharp pinch during movement, or a gripping sensation, such as a cramp. You'll know that this is the cause because it will have occurred during movement.

How to Prevent Cramping

You can prevent this from happening again by following a few guidelines.

• Make sure to stay properly hydrated on a daily basis. Dehydration can lead to muscle tension. When the muscles aren't properly lubricated, they aren't as pliable. This is true during exercise and throughout regular activity as well. For optimal results, aim to drink 50 percent of your body weight in ounces of water every single day.
• Warm up before you work out. Cold muscles are easy to over-stretch. A proper warm-up will heat them so that they become loose and flexible. A routine of light self-massage with a foam roller followed by five to 10 minutes of walking, cycling, or dynamic stretching should do the trick. Here is a video with a few quick ways you can foam roll your psoas, a hip flexor that extends from your abdominal region to your lower back.

If the pain persists, consider checking with a sports chiropractor. Muscle strains are a common cause of tightness. A professional can help with the process of healing through soft tissue work and exercise suggestions.

Digestive Issues

Due to the way that working out naturally causes inflammation in the body, gastrointestinal problems can bubble up during exercise, leading to the experience of pain in the abdomen. This can take a few forms, like gas and/or constipation, cramping, acid reflux, or diarrhea. This cause may be as simple as working out too soon after eating or having eaten the wrong type of food.

Tips to Avoid Abdominal Pain

The best thing you can do to avoid this kind of flare up is to monitor what you eat through proper meal selection and timing.

• Avoid eating a large meal within two to three hours before exercise. This will vary depending on how fast your body processes food, so it may take a bit of trial and error to figure out the right timing for you.
• If you must eat closer to your workout, keep your pre-workout meal light. It should be something that is easy to digest, such as a meal replacement shake or a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts.

If the pain recurs, seek the advice of a registered dietitian. They can test for underlying food allergies and sensitivities or possible conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). They will also guide you in the process of adopting better nutrition habits for a healthier, happier gut.

Hernia

Probably the biggest cause for concern if you are experiencing stomach pain during exercise is the potential of an abdominal hernia. A hernia is when the intestine or lining of the colon breaks through the muscle wall. It can be experienced as a burning sensation or a constant ache, and is accompanied by the appearance of a bulge at the site of injury.

According to MedicineNet, hernias can build up over time for a variety of reasons, but are often exacerbated during heavy lifting.

Treatment

Treatment for abdominal hernias may include changes to one's diet and lifestyle, along with the use of medications.

• Eating smaller meals
• Remaining upright after a meal versus laying down
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Avoiding spicy foods
• Taking antacids, proton pump inhibitors, and H-2 receptor blockers
• Surgery

In many cases, surgery is elective. It is a good option if symptoms occur even after making lifestyle changes. If you are concerned that you may have a hernia, contact your primary care physician to be tested. It's important to note that you can still exercise with a hernia, but you may need to modify your routine.

A Healthier Lifestyle

When it comes to figuring out what is causing your abdominal pain during exercise, it's best to look at the entire picture. The experience itself, along with your lifestyle habits and health history can provide clues. Check in with your doctor every year or two for physicals and current blood work. Express any concerns you have so that you can start taking measures to avoid injury before it arises. Also, be sure to stay hydrated, eat a healthy diet, and maintain a balanced exercise routine to keep your body fit and strong.

Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise to build and maintain fitness. Even if you are extremely out of shape, you can slowly begin building a fitness routine centered around walking. It requires minimal equipment and is easy to incorporate into your daily lifestyle, making it the ideal fitness activity for people at all levels of fitness.

Building a Walking Program

Walking is easily tailored to all levels of fitness. If you are quite sedentary, you will need to start much more slowly than if you are already in pretty good shape. Like other forms of activity, walking helps build cardiovascular endurance, as well as muscular endurance.

Increasing the Effectiveness

When planning your walking program to build fitness, you can change three variables to increase the effectiveness of your workout: frequency, intensity, and duration.

• Frequency refers to how often you walk.
• Intensity refers to how difficult the workout is. You can vary your intensity via speed or terrain. In other words, to make a walking workout more intense, you can walk faster, spend more time walking on hills, or a combination of the two.
• Duration refers to how long you walk.

Eight-Week Walking Program

A good walking program takes all three variables into account. Use the following table to begin to tailor your own personal walking program. Once you've reached the end of the eight weeks for your activity level, you can move up to the next level and begin that program. Once you reach advanced, follow the provided tips for increasing the intensity of your workouts.

Warm Up and Cool Down

Walking, like every other physical activity, requires a warm-up and cool-down. Likewise, you should always follow your cool down with stretching to maintain muscle flexibility and range of motion. To warm up, walk for five minutes at a slower pace. To cool down, gradually slow your pace for about five minutes.

Keeping Track

It may help maintain routine to track your program. Simple entries listing the date, duration, and intensity will suffice. You can also use a pedometer to track mileage, which can give you a good idea of the speed you are walking so you can adjust your intensity as needed.

Cautions and Contraindications

Before beginning any exercise routine, check with your doctor to ensure you are in good health. A walking routine may be contraindicated if you have any of the following conditions:

• Foot, ankle, knee, leg, or hip problems
• Deep vein thrombosis in the lower extremity
• Acute or severe back pain

If you have serious disease, such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer always talk with your doctor before beginning a program.

Equipment

The great thing about walking is that you don't need a lot of equipment. However, you must have is a pair of good walking shoes. Visit your local sporting goods store to be fitted for a pair of shoes especially designed for walking. If you walk several times per week, you may want to have a few pairs of shoes you wear in rotation in order to allow the other pair time to dry. This makes for more comfortable walking and protects your feet.

Other equipment you may need includes the following:

• Walking clothes: A leisurely stroll doesn't necessarily call for athletic clothing, but if you want to get serious about walking, then you will want to get clothing that is conducive to exercise. Clothes designed for walking are comfortable and allow for airflow so you aren't drenched in sweat by the time your walk is over. Find clothing in fabrics that wick away sweat and minimize chafing.
• Socks: When you walk great distances and your feet sweat, socks begin to make a difference. Cotton socks are just about the worst kind for walking long distances, because they absorb sweat and can cause blisters. Instead, look for technical fabrics designed especially for walking that wick moisture and minimize friction.
• Music player: Whether you choose an MP3 player or a small portable radio, you may find that walking is a lot more fun when you do it while listening to your favorite music. Make sure you follow local laws about wearing music devices while walking; some places - like military installations - do not allow pedestrians to wear headphones.
• Walking/jogging stroller: Why not bring your kids along on your walks and show them how much fun it can be to exercise while enjoying the outdoors? Be sure to test drive plenty of different walking strollers before making your purchase because pushing a difficult stroller can ruin walks quickly.

Ready to Walk

Even if you don't have any equipment, you can get started walking today. Take a ten-minute stroll outdoors, and then do it again in a few days. If you keep it up regularly and gradually increase the time you spend walking, you'll be well on your way to getting fit.

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