Have you ever had a situation where you go to a friend's house to relax, have dinner together, and when you want to go home, you cannot put on your shoes because your feet are swollen? It happened to me. Surely everyone knows what this is about. In this letter, I decided to talk to you about water retention. Is it dangerous or not? Why does the body retain fluid?
Sometimes in the morning, looking in the mirror, you suddenly notice that your face is slightly swollen – the eyelids are heavy, bags appear under the eyes, and the graceful oval of the face is not the same. Sometimes, due to edema, the shoes become small and the ring does not fit on the toe. Let's be honest, it happened to you, didn't it?
Some of my patients are very worried about fluid retention. Others do not worry, believing that this is something periodic and will go away on its own.
What do I think about this? First of all, I think you should not worry until you know the cause of your fluid retention. Secondly, this is definitely a signal that something is wrong with your body, and you need to determine the cause.
Fluid retention in the body can indicate serious health problems with cardiovascular, lymphatic, endocrine, digestive, gynecological, urological systems, so you should consult your doctor before trying to resolve it yourself.
At the same time, among the causes of water retention, there are some that you can fight on your own:
- lack of physical activity;
- unbalanced nutrition;
- excessive salt intake;
- insufficient water consumption during the day;
- bad habits;
- excessive fluid intake before bedtime.
Based on these reasons, I can share some tips on how to solve the problem of fluid retention.
- Eat properly and regularly – food should be balanced in its nutritional composition and energy value.
There are several foods that will help remove excess water from the body: fresh fruits and vegetables, especially pumpkin, melon, watermelon, beets, strawberries, apricots, nuts and dried fruits, rice and oatmeal, green tea, parsley, sorrel, nettle.
Be careful with diuretic products if you have kidney disease. Excessive consumption of watermelon during such a period will only bring harm.
Reduce your salt intake to five grams per day.
Of course, salt, namely its excess, affects the water retention most of all. So all pickles, smoked meats, canned food, sausages, and hard cheeses will significantly retain liquid and cause swelling.
Give up bad habits.
10 grams of pure alcohol will hold about 100 milliliters of water. Thus, if you drank 100 grams of alcohol, that is, about 300 milliliters of brandy or vodka, then the scales will show at least one kilogram in the morning.
Fluid retention is often the result of smoking, physical inactivity, excess weight, tight clothing and uncomfortable shoes, including high heels.
- Be sure to exercise and move a lot every day – swimming and walking are ideal.
Physical activity helps to remove excess water through sweat and urine and also stimulates blood circulation. Try to walk at least 10,000 steps per day. Go up and down the stairs, avoiding the elevator. If possible, use foot instead of car or public transport. During work, do not sit still for more than one hour (you can set an alarm for control). It is also worth signing up for a fitness center or swimming pool for group or individual lessons.
Visit saunas and baths.
If there are no contraindications, then you can go to such places once a week. In the absence of bathing experience, start your sessions with 5 minutes and then gradually increase the amount of time.
Maintain normal water balance.
It is worth noting that usually the body itself regulates the water balance with the help of two main tools – the feeling of thirst (prevents dehydration) and urine excretion (saves from overhydration – water intoxication). Moreover, it is much easier to gain dehydration than hyperhydration, but if a person consumes enough fluid (at least 35 milliliters per kilogram of ideal body weight), then his body is completely provided with water and there is nothing to worry about.
Last but not least, I would like to tell you what is the most harmful habit, which leads to the appearance of many health problems that could be avoided – it is laziness.
Try at least some of these tips, and you will definitely enjoy the results.