Exercise can help you control heartburn.If you're overweight, you may want to exercise to lose excess weight or maintain your weight at a healthy level.It is important to keep your exercise moderate.Make changes to your habits to reduce and control heartburn if you want to incorporate exercise into a healthy lifestyle.
Step 1: It's best to focus on low-impact workouts.
Your acid reflux can be worsened by intense exercise.If you're a beginning exerciser, taking a brisk walk around your neighborhood is a good place to start.Lifting weights at the level of intensity associated with body building is not recommended for people who suffer from frequent heartburn.If you want to do strength training, use low-impact exercise machines instead of using a weight bench or free weights.If you have heartburn, walking or jogging is a good way to exercise.Keep in mind that jogging or running can make you upset because of the bouncing and gnashing of teeth.If you suffer from frequent heartburn, yoga or pilates can be good forms of exercise.You may want to avoid poses that require you to recline or bend at the waist, as these may upset your stomach.
Step 2: Walk every day.
Walking is a great way to increase your fitness and keep your body active.Even if you don't have time for an extensive workout regimen, it is an easy exercise to fit in.It's a good idea to park in a space further away so you don't have to search for a parking spot.When you have a choice, take the stairs.Start with a brisk walk for 5 or 10 minutes per day.Work up to a 20-minute walk each day.Within an hour or two after each meal, walk around the block for 5 or 10 minutes to get into your regular routine.
Step 3: Breathing exercises strengthen the LES.
If you've been diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease, it's a good idea to strengthen your LES."diaphragmatic breathing" is an important breathing exercise.Relax your abdominal muscles as you inhale to do this.To force the air out, contract your abdominal muscles.The breathing exercise makes you conscious of your breathing.When you breathe, you use the muscles in your chest wall.Place one hand on your chest and the other on the abdomen as you practice breathing.As you exhale, look to see if the hand on your abdomen is higher than the one on the chest.This means that you are drawing air into your lungs.Slowly and completely exhale.You should do this exercise at least two or three times a day.Take at least 20 deep, conscious breaths each time you do this exercise.
Step 4: It's a good idea to exercise for half an hour a day.
It's important to maintain a generally active lifestyle.You don't have to exercise for 30 minutes straight.You need to fit in physical activity throughout the day.If you're a beginner who's never done much concentrated exercising before, starting with a 30-minute routine can be too much for your body to handle.A few minutes of exercise throughout the day will add up.In other words, if you walked for 10 minutes in the morning, followed by another walk around lunch and then a third at night, it would add up to 30 minutes.If you're trying to spread your exercise out over the course of the day, you might want to download a fitness or exercise app for your smart phone so you can better track your progress.
Step 5: You should consult your doctor.
If you want to control your heartburn through exercise, you should talk to your doctor about which exercises and routines will work best for you.Depending on your situation and the details of your chronic heartburn, certain exercises or types of exercises may not be helpful.Your doctor will be able to point you to exercises that will help you with your heartburn.
Step 6: Wait two hours after eating to work out.
If you put enough time between your meal and your workout, you can avoid heartburn.If you suffer from chronic heartburn, having a small snack about a half hour before exercising is not a good idea.If you want to avoid heartburn, it's best to exercise on an empty stomach.Allow food to be eaten before you start exercising.If you're just taking a short walk, this doesn't apply.This type of activity can be done without thinking about when you're going to eat.
Step 7: You can exercise in an upright position.
Reclining exercises can make your heartburn worse.This includes exercises that require you to bend over from the waist.People with frequent heartburn can do walking or biking in an upright position.If you use a stationary bike, you may have problems with acid reflux.Many basic exercises can be modified to make them less painful for people with acid reflux.If you lift weights from a standing position or sitting upright at a weight machine, you won't have as many problems with heartburn as you would if you do exercises such as bench presses.
Step 8: Don't do exercises that put too much pressure on your abdomen.
A flare-up of chronic heartburn can be caused by the pressure on your abdominals that comes from many strength-training exercises.This is also true with exercises that require you to bend at the side or the waist from a standing position.Acid reflux can be caused by rowing machines putting pressure on your abdomen.If you're looking for a good exercise to strengthen your core, try planking.Put your hands and forearms on the floor in a pushup position after bending your elbows 90 degrees.The name of the exercise is plank because your body should look like a plank when you're on your toes.Hold the position for as long as you can.Try to increase your time with each plank.It will take you a lot longer to get a trim tummy than if you were doing sit-ups or crunches every day, but deep breathing exercises can strengthen your core muscles.
Step 9: Water is a must during your workout.
It's a good idea to drink plenty of water during your workout to keep you hydrated.You can take sips throughout your workout if you keep a water bottle with you.You should drink a glass or two of water after your workout.
Step 10: Eat a lot of small meals.
If you consume small meals five or six times a day instead of eating three big meals, you'll have less problems with heartburn.Ideally, you can control heartburn by eating small portions once every two hours, with your last meal occurring at least two or three hours before you go to sleep.You can't change your eating schedule significantly because of your work schedule.If that's the situation for you, you should focus on eating smaller portions at meal times and try to supplement your smaller meals with snacks throughout the day.If you're not able to change your eating schedule much, you should still avoid working out and lying down within two hours of eating.
Step 11: You can quit smoking.
If you want to stop smoking, make a plan to quit as soon as possible.Tobacco use weakens and relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, which causes heartburn.Smoking can cause pressure in your stomach and make acid reflux worse.Other tobacco use such as chewing and dipping can damage your body.If you want to quit smoking, you need to talk to your doctor and develop a smoking cessation plan.
Step 12: Limit the amount of alcohol you consume.
Chronic heartburn can be caused by both alcohol and caffeine.If you must, have a cup of coffee in the morning, but don't drink soft drinks or energy drinks.Alcoholic beverages can increase the risk of heartburn.Try to only drink one or two alcoholic beverages on special occasions.If you have addiction issues, seek treatment with a certified addiction professional or join a treatment program.
Step 13: Set aside time to meditate.
There are health benefits to meditation and it can reduce stress.10 minutes of meditation a day can improve your digestion.You can create a quiet place to meditate.Try to find a place that is out of the way of everything, such as the corner of a bedroom or the bathroom.During the time you'll be meditating, get rid of any devices that make noise or buzz with notifications.Take a deep breath and focus on breathing.Let your mind wander, but remember to think about your breath.Try to remain in a comfortable position for at least 10 minutes.You can begin meditating for longer periods of time as you practice longer.