When water or fluid is trapped inside the body, it is known as water retention. This condition is also called edema or fluid retention. One would observe swelling on legs, ankles, feet, and hands due to retention of fluid in the cavities and tissues of the circulatory system. Mostly water retention doesn’t indicate any major ailment and may occur during pregnancy, before menstrual cycle, and also due to sitting in the same position for very long duration.
However in some cases, this common health condition also points towards some critical health issues related to kidney and heart. Those suffering from severe and sudden water retention may therefore seek immediate medical help.
Constant water retention also causes concern amongst the weight watchers as their weight would not budge a little even after indulging into regular exercise and strict diet. If you are trying to shift weight that isn’t water retention, look into the BetterMe WorkOut app for increased results. Those aiming weight losses can use the following ways to get rid of this trapped fluid if it is not associated with any underlying health condition.
- Drink more water – You may think that how can one benefit by drinking more water when the problem is of storing water? But, this is true. Water flushes your system. When you drink more water, it helps in flushing your organ systems. You tend to discharge more urine and hence remove excess salts from the body. Flushing of kidney and digestive system would keep it free of ions that may otherwise get trapped in the cavities. Water detoxifies your body and may give your skin a healthy glow. If you are a runner for example then you are going to need to ensure that you take on enough water to replace lost fluids, check here for some simple solutions to this
- Reduce salt intake – Salt contains sodium. The key task of sodium is to store and balance the fluids within and around the cells. Excess sodium intake may trap more fluid inside and around the cells. Those suffering from water retention may therefore limit the salt intake to stop further trapping of water. Processed and ready to eat food options have too much of salt in it, hence one may avoid consuming these foods.
- Consume more potassium – Potassium decreases the effect of sodium in the body. It also increases the urine discharge. Increased potassium intake keeps your body to stay active and may positively affect the heart health. Potassium rich foods like tomatoes, bananas, mango, and avocado may be included in diet to get the best results.
- Sweat it out – Your body has the natural cooling mechanism. It sweats when it is heated and hence regulates the body temperature. The salty water is discharged from body due to sweating. This way your body gets rid of extra salt and water trapped in cells. Fluid trapped in the body during water retention is also salty water and the one you discharge while sweating is also salty. Hence, sweating is very helpful. Opt for steam, sauna, and rigorous exercise to sweat it out.
- Increased magnesium intake – Magnesium is required by your body to keep running. Studies have revealed that about 200 mg magnesium intake daily may bring down the water retention due to PMS in females. One may include dark chocolate, nuts, leafy greens, and whole grains to get sufficient amount of magnesium.
With the help of above tips, get rid of trapped fluids in your body as it unnecessarily adds to your weight and also affects the activity level. Reduce water retention to get the lighter self!
Author Bio:
Carol has been writing for various health and fitness websites for almost a decade. This has turned out to be her hobby, profession and passion. She also shares her knowledge about health, fitness and weight management with Nutra Pure HCG to spread awareness about weight loss and homeopathic HCG drops.
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