Category Archive: Health and Fitness

Do you suffer from any of the following symptoms: bloating, gas, burping, diarrhea, constipation or acid reflux?  If your answer is yes, I am sure you have been trying hard to be very careful with the type of food that you eat, when you eat them and even tried to reduce the portion, only to have the problems revisiting you time and again.

Have you ever taken the time to look at your posture?

Bad posture is the new first-world problem that is causing more mental and physical health complications than most people realize.

The human body was designed to move and  not to sit on a chair or couch for several hours at a time. Look at the cavemen. They moved around to hunt for food.  They were fit, trim and lived over a hundred years of age.

I have always been experimenting on different postures whenever I have a distended abdomen with gas — sitting and walking upright vs sitting and walking with a slouched back.  I find that I feel better when I sit and walk with a straight back, with tummy tucked in. Of course this takes more effort but if we do it continuously, over time, it becomes a habit that we carry ourselves with a straight back.

Over time, bad posture habits lead to fatigue, depression, pain and headaches. There’s the reason why your mother told you to sit and walk straight as poor posture causes a host of ailments. I am sure you never thought of that, except that people with poor posture look sloppy.

Sitting does more than just constrict your heart and lungs, it also constricts your intestines. This can make digestion uncomfortable and cause a host of issues. If you are experiencing digestive distress, you may want to take a closer look at your posture and how much time you are spending sitting each day.

Digestive problems are a very common reason people alter their diet. But specific foods aren’t the only reason why your digestion might be in trouble – and one of the other potential factors is posture.

Bad posture constricts the blood vessels, starving the organs of oxygen and nutrients, cramping digestion. Posture defects may compound existing health problems such as indigestion and asthma by compressing the lungs and stomach.

Many of us have a sedentary lifestyle. We spend too much time sitting at our desks, in cars or watching TV. We tend to slouch and slump as the lower back muscles tire. Eventually, our hunched positions fossilise as the muscles give in and reluctantly adapt to the demands placed on them.

When it comes to the digestive system, proper posture allows the internal organs in the abdomen to assume their natural position without undue compression, which can interfere with the normal flow and function of the gastrointestinal apparatus.

Standing up straight not only allows the abdominal organs to function better, but it also improves the shape of the body in ways that are immediate and profound. For instance, one of the major complaints of mature women (and men) is a growing “belly pouch,” an abdominal distention that afflicts even thin people as they age and that can’t be resolved by liposuction or sit-ups alone because it is due to the protruding viscera pushing against the abdominal wall.

By straightening up the body you can trim several inches from the waist simply by increasing the distance between your lower ribs and the pelvis, allowing greater volume for the internal organs to spread, and instantaneously reducing an unsightly “beer belly” or a grandmotherly bulge.

I have to remind myself to sit and walk upright all the time to look and feel better.  If you slouch, slump on your chair or have bad posture, make the change today too!

A few weeks ago, I had a sharp pain on my left knee cap each time I squatted down.   Sometimes there was a cracking sound and the knee felt cold and numb. The pain went on for about 10 days. The funny thing is that when I did my usual run in the morning, I did not feel the pain. The pain only came about each time I squatted down.   I was really upset and worried, fearing that I may be in a similar situation as the mil who has pain in her knees. I thought that my knee cartilage needed help or that I may have developed a mild osteoarthritis of the knee. I googled for an answer and found out that I had Runner’s Knee. So much for my love for running all my life, I have now succumbed to Runner’s Knee!

The hubs advised me to pop his Glucosamine tabs but I was reluctant. I eased the duration and intensity of my run each morning. Instead of running 5 rounds each morning, I brisk-walked 3 rounds and jogged 2 rounds at our condo jogging trek. I also spent some time doing knee exercises before I started running. On some mornings, I just did 4 rounds of brisk-walking and 1 round of running. After approximately 10 days, the pain was gone when I bent my knees! I was so relieved! Now that it is the school holidays, the timing is right for me to use the gym.  I now spend half an hour on the air-walker every morning.   Air-walking does not put so much pressure on the knees as running and jogging. I can also increase the duration of my exercise and sweat more when I work out on the air-walker.

What is Runner’s Knee
As the name suggests, runner’s knee is a common ailment among runners. But it can also strike any athlete who does activities that require a lot of knee bending — like walking, biking, and jumping. It usually causes aching pain around the kneecap.

Runner’s knee isn’t really a condition itself. It’s a loose term for several specific disorders with different causes. Runner’s knee can result from:

Overuse. Repeated bending of the knee can irritate the nerves of the kneecap. Overstretched tendons (tendons are the tissues that connect muscles to bones) may also cause the pain of runner’s knee.

Direct trauma to the knee, like a fall or blow.

Misalignment. If any of the bones are slightly out of their correct position — or misaligned — physical stress won’t be evenly distributed through your body. Certain parts of your body may bear too much weight. This can cause pain and damage to the joints. Sometimes, the kneecap itself is slightly out of position.

Problems with the feet. Runner’s knee can result from flat feet, also called fallen arches or overpronation. This is a condition in which the impact of a step causes the arches of your foot to collapse, stretching the muscles and tendons.
Weak thigh muscles.

Symptoms of runner’s knee are:
Pain behind or around the kneecap, especially where the thighbone and the kneecap meet.

Pain when you bend the knee — when walking, squatting, kneeling, running, or even sitting.

Pain that’s worse when walking downstairs or downhill.

Swelling.

Popping or grinding sensations in the knee.

What’s the Treatment for Runner’s Knee?
Regardless of the cause, the good news is that minor to moderate cases of runner’s knee should heal on their own given time. To speed the healing you can:

Rest the knee. As much as possible, try to avoid putting weight on your knee.

Ice your knee to reduce pain and swelling. Do it for 20-30 minutes every 3-4 hours for 2-3 days, or until the pain is gone.

Compress your knee. Use an elastic bandage, straps, or sleeves to give your knee extra support.

Elevate your knee on a pillow when you’re sitting or lying down.

Take anti-inflammatory painkillers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like Advil, Aleve, or Motrin, will help with pain and swelling. However, these drugs can have side effects, like an increased risk of bleeding and ulcers. They should be used only occasionally, unless your doctor specifically says otherwise.

Practice stretching and strengthening exercises if your doctor recommends them.

Get arch supports for your shoes. These orthotics — which can be custom-made or bought off the shelf — may help with flat feet.