FitSugar

What Causes Hiccups?

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:30:00 PDT

Everyone and their mother seems to have a unique cure for a bad case of the hiccups, but what I want to know is, what causes them in the first place?

A hiccup is an unintentional contraction of your diaphragm, the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen. It plays an important role in breathing, and when it contracts, it makes your vocal cords close briefly and that's what causes the sound of a hiccup.

Hiccups are actually triggered by many things:

Eating spicy foods - It can cause irritation to the nerves that control normal contractions of your diaphragm.
Eating a large meal, eating too fast (swallowing air), or drinking carbonated beverages - These can cause your stomach to expand, which pushes up your diaphragm, making hiccups more likely.
Drinking alcohol - Alcohol can relax your diaphragm and vocal cords, making it easier for other factors to trigger hiccups.
Tobacco use - Tobacco use may irritate the nerves that control the diaphragm.

Want to know what else can cause hiccups? Then

Sudden temperature changes - Whether the change occurs inside your body (like drinking hot tea), or outside your body (when you go outside in the snow), it can cause hiccups.
Excitement or emotional stress - It's not clear why this can cause hiccups, but it may have to do with one of the nerves involved in the hiccup reflex being startled.

As annoying as hiccups can be, even if you don't sip water through a straw while pinching your nose, or hold your breath while saying the word "hippopotamus" in your head 5 times, hiccups will eventually go away on their own. Very rarely do hiccups last for more than 20-30 minutes. If they do, like this poor girl who had them for 3 weeks straight, there could be an underlying medical problem such as nerve damage. If this is the case, someone should definitely seek medical attention pronto.

Source

Run Like a Mother

espnW — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:06:07 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea

The Run Like a Mother authors, Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea, provide words of wisdom for balancing training and motherhood - minus the guilt.

Running résumé:
McDowell and Shea are co-authors of the book, Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity (Andrews McMeel, 2010) and Train Like a Mother: How to Cross Any Finish Line and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity, which will be released in mid-March.

McDowell has two kids, has finished two marathons and has her eye on an Ironman in 2013, while Shea, mother of three, has crossed seven marathon finish lines and will cross her eighth at the 2012 Boston Marathon in April.

Olympic hopeful Erin Taylor-Talcott readies to race the men

Sage advice:

Don't think, just go. The hardest thing about being a mother runner is finding time to train - and having your running cause as few ripples in the family schedule as possible. Early morning runs are usually easiest, but motivation can be hard to find when the bed is warm and the sky is pitch black. Lay out your clothes and anything else you need - pre-run banana, water, Garmin - the night before, and when the alarm goes off, say to yourself, "Don't think, just go." Then do it. (The same four words also work when it's later in the day and your kids are begging you not to run. Don't think about guilt. We promise: They'll survive the hour or so you're gone.)

Tune into your breathing

Keep on reading for more advice on running.

Sneezy, Stuffy, Runny: Natural Cold Remedies to Do Before Bed

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:27:03 PDT

If if you eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and wash your hands a bazillion times a day, you can still find yourself reaching for the tissues and cough drops. Luckily cold symptoms don't last too long, but here are some ways to get relief from your ails without popping pills or swallowing gross liquid.

Heat and Water
Before slipping into bed, take a hot shower. Make sure the bathroom door is closed and the fan switched off so you can breathe in as much steam as possible. Take a washcloth, run it under the hot water, place it on your face and gently massage your sinuses to loosen up mucus. If you have a neti pot, use that in the shower to drain your nasal passages. If you're weirded out by flushing warm salt water through your nose, use an over-the-counter saline spray.

Keep reading to learn three other natural ways to get cold relief before hitting the hay.

How to Prevent Bridal Bloat

Michele Foley — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:49:49 PDT

The last thing anyone wants to deal with on the day of a big event - like your wedding! - is being uncomfortably bloated. While the best way to a flat belly is through cardio and ab work, feeling bloated is a whole other beast. Here are some tips to banish the bloat on your big day.

Eat the right kinds of foods. Certain foods like whole grains and pineapple actually help ease bloating because they keep the digestive system on track. It's also important to stay hydrated. When dehydrated, your body retains fluids, which is a surefire way to get a little belly bump.
Stay away from certain foods. While pineapple might banish that balloon belly, there are a host of foods that do just the opposite. Before the big day, try to limit your intake of foods that cause bloating. These are foods that cause the body to feel too full and/or gassy like beans, broccoli, pears, and cabbage. Salty and fatty foods are also big culprits, and so are carbonated beverages.
Eat slowly and chew your food. Often the reason we feel bloated is that we're swallowing air while we eat. A surefire sign that you're eating too fast is if you get the hiccups. Slow down and take time to really chew your food. You'll feel fuller sooner, swallow less air, and make things easier on your digestive system.

If you've done all of the above but are still feeling out of sorts, you can always take a cue from Eric Damon - the costume designer for Gossip Girl. Whenever the girls on set are feeling bloated, he puts them in Spanx. Keep in mind that when your wedding day arrives - Spanx or no Spanx - you'll be the most beautiful woman in the room.

Banish Belly Bloat

FitSugar — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:26:26 PDT

We all know that the best way to a flat belly is by burning calories and fat through cardio, especially interval training. Bloating, on the other hand, is its own beast, and nothing kills a day at the beach than feeling super bloated.

Luckily, there are easy ways to reduce bloating so that you can show off that tummy you've been working so hard to get. Check out these easy ways reduce bloating for bikini season:

Stay away from salt. Too much sodium is not only bad for your heart, it will cause you to retain water and feel bloated.
Drink water. Being dehydrated is a sure way to cause you to retain water, so be sure you drink enough water to keep your body hydrated.
Limit gassy foods. Some foods (such as lentils, artichokes, wheat bran, carbonated drinks, and more) create more gases in your body than others, so you may want to limit them if you're about to suit up.

There are three more, so

Eat fiber. Fiber helps everything move through the intestines more quickly, which prevents constipation and bloating. If you're not accustomed to eating enough fiber, then slowly add more and more fiber to your diet; go too fast, and you'll feel even more bloated than before. Also make sure to drink plenty of water with all the fiber.
Eat more slowly. One small cause of bloating could be that you're swallowing too much air when you're scarfing down your meals; this is why some of us get the hiccups when eating too quickly. Slow down when you eat and really chew your food. Remember what mom said: close your mouth when you chew.
Get tropical. Eating pineapple can ease bloating too.This tropical fruit is high in the enzyme bromelain, which helps break down protein and eases digestion, helping to banish the bloat. Skip dessert and nosh on some pineapple instead.

Remember, good posture will help you rock your bikini, too. Have a great tip to prevent bloating? Share it in the comments section below.

You Asked: Is Holding In Gas Bad?

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 08:00:06 PDT

Dear Fit,
I'm not embarrassed to admit that I'm an extremely gassy person. I know it's a natural bodily function, even though I seem to do it more than the average person, but now I have an embarrassing problem. I used to work from home, so it didn't matter if I let my gas pass, but I just got a new job where I work in a big office. All our desks are in one big room, so there's absolutely no privacy. I've been there for a week now, and have just been holding it so my co-workers don't know my smelly secret. It's been hurting my belly a little, and I'm wondering if this is really bad for my body not to let it out.
- Full of Hot Air

Although most wouldn't like to admit it, we can all relate to your problem of being gassy in public. I don't blame you for not wanting to let 'em go at your new job, or any job for that matter. Who wants to admit that they're the source of smelly gas? I have some suggestions on how to curb your flatulence, so

I really don't recommend holding it in; as you've already said, you end up with a bellyache. Plus your muscles are only physically able to hold it in for so long. So as soon as you relax, it's bound to come out at a surprising time, which can be more embarrassing than if you knew it was coming. To avoid other people knowing, when you feel the gas building up, head to the bathroom and do your business there.

All people pass gas, and it's impossible to stop flatulence altogether, but here are some things you can do to decrease the gas your body makes:

Chew your food slowly. Swallowing air when eating is a major cause of gas.
Avoid chewing gum because it encourages you to swallow air.
Avoid bubbly beverages as the carbonation can also cause gas.
Know which foods trigger your gas. Beans, apples, dairy products, eggs, wheat, broccoli, and onions are known to be gas-producers. If they cause you gas, eat them in small amounts, or avoid eating them while at work.
Eat lots of fiber-rich foods like veggies, fruit, and whole grains to prevent constipation, which can cause bloating and gas.

If none of this helps, it may be worth a visit to your doctor, since excessive gas can be a symptom of conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), lactose intolerance, bowel obstruction, Crohn's disease, or celiac disease. It's worth getting checked out for peace of mind.

Bloated? These Foods May Be the Culprit

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:00:07 PST

The gift of a bloated belly isn't only reserved for women during that time of the month. Sometimes it's the foods we eat that can cause that full, gassy feeling. Here's a list of foods that may be contributing to your balloon-like belly, so you may want to think about limiting or avoiding them.

Dairy products: Lactose intolerance can range from mild to severe, but either way, gas is usually a symptom. Try limiting the amount of milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream you eat and see if that helps. If it does, you don't have to ditch dairy altogether. Drink lactose-free milk, or take Lactaid pills to help your body digest milk products.
Apples and pears: These fruits contain about four grams of fiber per serving, so they're an excellent source of soluble fiber, but they can also wreak havoc on sensitive tummies. Don't avoid them entirely though. Eating half or a quarter of these fruits along with other foods will allow you to enjoy their flavor without paying the price.
Beans: This magical fruit contains oligosaccharide, a type of sugar which is not normally digestible by our bodies. When this sugar reaches your large intestine, the bacteria go to town eating it up, and the gas you produce is an unfortunate byproduct.

To see what other foods may be causing your bloated tummy

Broccoli, cabbage, and asparagus: These highly nutritious veggies are often avoided because many people don't appreciate the odoriferous outcome. The reason these veggies cause gas is due to raffinose. This sugar goes undigested until it reaches the large intestine, where it's fermented by methane-producing bacteria. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to cut down on the gas they produce, but eating them in moderation and with other foods should help prevent a bloated belly afterward.
Fatty foods: According to the Mayo Clinic, "Fat slows down digestion, giving food more time to ferment.'" It also increases the sensation of fullness.
Salty foods: Sodium may not cause gas, but it definitely makes you retain water. Cut back on the salt you add to foods, and be a label reader to make sure you're not exceeding 2,300 mg a day.
Gum and hard candy: When you chew or suck on these, you end up swallowing more often, which means you're probably swallowing more air.
Carbonated beverages: Bubbly drinks such as soda and beer release carbon dioxide which can translate to bloat.

Tell me, do you avoid foods that make you feel bloated or cause gas?