The Pushup

 
The pushup is a good way of gaining muscle strength and definition in the chest if you know what you are doing. For anybody who has ever been in the military, they know “The pushup” very well. I am certain of this. Over and over again, day in, day out. Some military trainees may despise of the very word - the pushup. But at the end of the day,  you feel much better about your pushups. And for those trainees who have that up and coming PT (physical fitness) test, it can be a bit of a confidence boost.

The idea of the military’s use of the pushup is to get the soldiers fit for battle. But you don’t have to be a military trainee to adopt the pushup as a means of shaping up the chest muscles. You can incorporate pushups into your weekly arsenal of chest exercises. In fact, pushups can be a great alternative to the bench press. Instead of 8 repetitions (reps) in 4 sets of your regular weight, you can perform 4 sets of a combination of the diamond pushup, or the wide grip pushup, or even incline pushups.

This is what I usually do. I use these as my platforms of keeping my chest in shape, and maintaining my chest’s strength.

1. Close grip pushup
2. Wide grip pushup
3. Diamond pushup
4. Regular pushup
5. Incline pushup
6. Decline pushup

 
The idea is that I want to push myself to ”muscle failure”, until I can no longer do anymore. I start by doing regular pushups – as many as I can do in under 1 minute.  If I cannot perform anymore reps in the 1 minute time frame, then I drop to my knees and perform the rest.  This I consider my  ”warmup” set. Next, I go to the close grip pushup. Once again, if I cannot force myself to maintain the pushups until the 1 minute has expired, I will drop to my knees and continue.

Acid Reflux

 
Anyone a sufferer of acid reflux? do you experience heartburn frequently? Apparently, you are not alone. At least 20% of the US population suffers from acid reflux. Acid reflux is a disease of the stomach which is also called “gastroesophageal reflux disease” (GERD). Many times, lifestyle plays a major role in determining who gets this disease. If you are overweight, you are increasing your chances of getting acid reflux disease, or if you eat large meals a lot, or if you are an alcoholic. Acid reflux is also said to be inherited, so if your father has it, you stand a good chance of getting it as well. If you experience heartburn or any symptoms of acid reflux disease more than 2 times per week, then you should go and see your doctor. I have been a sufferer now for a few years and I know how much of an inconvenience it can be. but with the proper care and medication, it can be controlled, or all together, prevented.

 
The causes of acid reflux are a lot of things. One of which are foods. Foods like chocolates, mints, garlic, and spicy or fatty foods. Another cause is “hiatal hernia”. What happens in this case is, the upper part of the stomach and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) move above the diaphragm. The diaphragm is the part of the body that separates the stomach from the chest. Alcohol is another common cause of acid reflux.
 
On the positive side of all this, there are many things you can do to prevent (or at least control) acid reflux. If you are overweight. You can get involved in a cardio regimen to begin the fat burning process and avoid this inconvenient disease. Trade that glass of JD for a 1 year membership at “Gold’s Gym”. If you frequent the all-you-can-eat buffet, start eating your meals in smaller proportions. You can even eat more meals per day if you decrease the size. This way, you are not hungry between meals and so you don’t risk the chance of over-eating. Try sleeping in a chair if you take naps during the day.
Antacids, like Alka-Seltzer, Maalox, Mylanta, or Rolaids, can help control the symptoms of acid reflux, like the dreaded “burning” sensation of heartburn.