Physical fitness is essential when playing sports and get good performance. But if performance is concerned, not always the physical form is everything, since many times there are another series of variables that can directly interfere with our athletic performance. Two that we must take into account are heartburn and flatus . That’s why in this post we want to stop at these two points and delve into why it appears and how it affects us to be able to end it.

Both phenomena are one of the fears that most of us who practice sports have. Although we do not realize, both phenomena end up slowing down our performance , since they directly affect the development of the activity that we are going to carry out. It is therefore important to know perfectly why they appear and how we can tackle or control it.

Flatulence and stomach acidity have nothing to do with each other, since they are produced by different causes , but both are an impediment when giving everything we can. The malaise that it generates makes us feel weaker and unwilling to continue. In fact many times, and depending on the intensity of the discomfort, it is necessary to stop exercising.

An approach to flato to get to know it better

In the first place we are going to stop in flatulence . Around this phenomenon there are many theories and none is conclusive , since many times it has been associated with bad breath, the intake of too many liquids while we play sports, a low physical form, an excessive vibration caused by the bounce run…

As we have said, there is no conclusive theory when it comes to flatus. What is clear is that it is an abdominal pain caused when we practice sports . For a long time it was thought that it was due to an accumulation of gases in the abdominal area caused by poor breathing or excessive fluid intake. We are going to be based on a study published by the Andalusian magazine of Medicine in sport .

Theories about flatus

According to this study, the theory that gains more strength is that it is a pain caused by the oscillations that are caused when playing sports . This has its explanation that flatus does not always appear in the same place or in the same way in all people. Therefore it can be derived from how we face a sport and how our body responds to this situation.

The theory that forces more is that the muscles that connect the stomach with the diaphragm and that are in the thoracic area, when doing sports they tense and pull down. This situation causes the pain known as flatulence to appear. Hence, having a full stomach, the pain can be more acute and occur more easily.

Another theory is that when we exercise the body requires more blood at the muscular level, which makes these muscles located between the stomach and the diaphragm receive less blood , making it possible to appear the dreaded pain known as flatulence. Both theories are totally valid and have a certain basis in a certain way and therefore are taken into account to explain this phenomenon.

Prevent flatus

In spite of everything, flatus can appear in any person, sex and age. First of all we must bear in mind that it is something that is often linked to exercise and that is why it is necessary to know how to prevent it and stop it when it appears. For this we will highlight some points to take into account when preventing its appearance :

• Control breathing when it comes to sports is essential. Maintaining a rhythm and a deep breath will help us to maintain the oxygenated organism and avoid the hypofixia that makes the organism of priority as far as blood supply is concerned and is when there is a risk that the muscles of the stomach and diaphragm can be seen affected and appear flat.

• Eating a balanced and healthy diet is essential to avoid heavy digestion and make the stomach heavier.
• Improving the running technique and avoiding excessive oscillation when running is essential to avoid irritation of the thoracic area and the aforementioned muscles. For this we can use a suitable shoe that absorbs well the impact, choose well the terrain where we are going to run is necessary to opt for less rigid surfaces that allow us a more comfortable race and with less impact.
• When it’s time to moisturize while doing sports, it ‘s better to do it constantly and in small sips of water. Avoid long drinks is essential when preventing flatus, it is not good to make the stomach weigh more than it should in this type of activities.

End the pain of flatulence

If flatus appears we can end the pain by stretching the affected area . We can simply lie on the floor face up and stretch the whole body, or simply stretch the affected area. We can also give a light massage in this part to relieve the tension of the area. If it does not stop, it is best to leave the activity and rest until the pain disappears.

Stomach acidity and risk in athletes

Another evil that we can not ignore is heartburn . Sometimes it is caused by ailments such as gastritis, stomach ulcers … In this case it is best to go to a doctor to treat the ailment if it does not go away and is very persistent. But other times the acidity appears without more and it can ruin a training day.

Acidity usually appears about an hour after eating and occurs because there is a malfunction of the lower sphincter of the esophagus, known as cardia. This ring serves to separate the stomach from the esophagus, allowing the food to pass from the esophagus to the stomach and not vice versa. But sometimes its operation is not appropriate and does not close completely because it weakens or does not work as it should for several reasons. If this happens the walls of the esophagus tend to become irritated causing the so-called heartburn.

This situation seems simple, but it is due to many situations, both nutritional and physical. Therefore it is necessary to know what is due and what we can do to avoid the appearance of acidity especially when we play sports, since the effort often intervenes in the operation of the cardia, causing it not to close properly.

Prevent heartburn

To avoid the appearance of heartburn we will stop at some points of prevention:

• Caring for meals is essential , since acidity has a lot to do with what we put in our mouths. Avoiding fats and consuming more protein and vegetables is a good alternative. the same with the exciting substances as caffeine, theine … that irritate the esophagus and make the digestions heavier.
• Respect meal times, chew food well , make several meals while avoiding copious meals is essential. In the end, what we should look for are simple and easy digestions, because the heavier a digestion is, the worse the operation of the cardia. Which increases the risk of heartburn.

• Despite making regular meals (about 5 per day) we must respect the digestive process , because if we do not do the risk of malfunction in the area is high. The same happens with the exercise, it is not advisable to go to train with a full stomach, since we can alter the digestion and make the dreaded acidity appear.
• Avoiding processed foods with an infinity of ingredients and additives is essential. The best thing is to resort to simple dishes, to be able to be cooked by ourselves is the best to avoid the acidity.
• You should also know that some foods relax the cardia and promote acidity such as onion, garlic, chocolate, soft drinks, cheese, tea, coffee, cured or fermented foods, alcohol …
• Stress situations promote the dysfunction of the cardia. For this it is necessary to relax and one way to achieve it is through sports, which will help us to alleviate tensions. Also, if we feel stressed we can always relax by breathing deeply for a few minutes. This will help us reduce the risk of suffering from heartburn.

Decreasing acidity is simple if we know how

If the acidity makes an appearance we can reduce it by helping the digestive process with the use of infusions such as chamomile, ginger, sodium bicarbonate, aloe vera, licorice, anise … All these substances will help us improve digestion, control the secretion of gastric juices by the body and avoid excessive inflammation of the esophagus.

When doing sports it is better to avoid exercises , especially abdominals, in which we force the part of the stomach and the esophagus. Contractions that are too concentrated in this area can end up irritating the area and generating stomach acidity. Therefore, if we already suffer from this ailment or are prone to it, it is better to leave this type of abs aside. It is best to make them simple, on the floor and simply contracting the worked area, avoiding movements too long that end up overloading the entire abdominal part.

Both ailments are uncomfortable and can appear at any time and to any person. Therefore, knowing them, detecting them, and knowing how to prevent them is essential to be able to live with them in the best possible way, and above all to prevent them from negatively affecting the performance of the sports activity in question.