Sometimes you are running, sometimes you are walking, but we have all experienced that little stitch in your side that slows you down and makes you walk around like an idiot with your arms above your head.
The dreaded side ache. Dun, dun dun.
Side aches are caused by an insufficient warm up. When you do cardio exercises, your blood flow is shunted from the abdominal area in order to deliver it to the exercising muscles. This results in vasodilatation, or increase in diameter, of the arterial blood vessels (the ones that deliver blood to the exercising muscles) and vasoconstriction, or decrease in the diameter, of the blood vessels that supply blood to the abdominal area. That pain you get is when blood flow is cut off too quickly from the abdominal area. A nice warm up will give you a gradual redistribution of blood flow, which will eliminate that stitch in your side.
Other benefits of a warm-up:
• Slows the accumulation of lactic acid which will prevent high intensity exercise for long periods, and also cuts back on muscle soreness.
• Causes a gradual increase in muscle temperature, which prevents injuries and pulled muscles. Think cold taffy: if you pull it, it snaps, but if it’s warm, it stretches.
• Increases the elasticity of the connective tissues (ligaments, tendons) preventing injury of those areas.
Your warm up should last about 5 minutes and be a lower intensity form of what you will be doing as your exercise. Stretching comes AFTER your warm up. Remember the taffy analogy.
If you do happen to experience a side ache during exercise, slow down, but don’t stop. Keep moving and allow the blood to redistribute itself. Some claim putting your arms above your head helps drain the blood back to your mid section, but there is no proof of it.
You should always warm up before working out to avoid injury, and you should always cool down afterwards to help that blood return to your midsection. Warm up and cool downs are often over looked in exercising until it is too late.
Heh- I’d always figured that when I get a stitch in my side it’s because I worked myself extra hard, not because I hadn’t had a sufficient warm-up! Now I’m really glad that I don’t get them too often- I guess normally I do a good enough warm-up.
Thank god for this! I’m happy that I finally figured out what that was! I had it earlier today in fact!
used to get these all the time – when i used to work out! need to get back to that
good to know the reason why though. always knew warming up was a good idea – more for not wanting to pull muscles, etc. – but it’s good to know that it helps prevent side aches too. always hated those!