Healthy Living Blog

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since my last post! It's not my fault....really! ;) I've been extra busy with everything from home, work, parenting, being a wife, exercising, eating healthy and now I'm doing a mixed martial arts self defense class for women two days a week! It's AWESOME and I love it! I've never felt so empowered before plus it's just plain fun. In fact, I feel guilty because it's that much fun!

My weight has been fluctuating a lot lately. One day I've lost 5 pounds and then 5 days later I've gained 6. My only conclusion is that I haven't been drinking enough water lately and I've been retaining fluid. That brings me to our topic today! Water retention!!!

Facts about water retention:

Did you know that most people retain a little water and that's not uncommon? Women especially. What can you do to prevent this water retention?

1. Drink more water. Ironically! Water retention is common when we are dehydrated or low on water. The body tends to conserve water and will retain some in order to keep us hydrated. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water/day helps shed extra water thus reducing water retention.

2. Reduce your sodium intake. Lowering your overall sodium intake will help reduce your water retention. Most packaged foods contain some level of sodium so be mindful of the amount of sodium you are ingesting in your diet. And stay far away from the salt shaker! Those extra shakes of salt can contribute towards your water gain. Usually buying fresher foods and preparing them at home will go a long way for keeping your sodium levels in check.

3. Caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic by nature however too much caffeine can have a reverse effect causing dehydration and water retention. Coming from a person who LOVES diet coke, it's best to just stay away from caffeine altogether!

4. Other foods. Some foods have a bit of a diuretic effect such as lemon in your water, cranberry juice and nearly any food high in vitamin C has natural diuretic properties.

Well, that's all about water retention. I'm off to get a glass of water with lemon now! :)