If your diet hasn’t changed but your clothes are suddenly feeling tighter, this one’s for you…
As I write this I’m still so excited by Southampton’s awesome weather! I know I’m very fortunate to be able to take my work outside (these past few weeks have included outdoor training sessions for all my personal trainer clients, as well as the regular outdoor Boot Camp classes) but something I wanted to address today is how the heat and humidity can leave us with water retention.
I’ve been there and it’s horrible, especially when you want to be rocking as little clothing as possible! Fortunately, there are plenty of steps we can take in order to avoid the dreaded bloat (each of which I’ve had sufficient experience of not doing, so can confirm they DO work!)
Shady Workouts
If you’re a fellow sun worshipper like me, you may have taken your training outside. There’s no problem with this, just be aware that if you’re losing excess water from sweating but the body can’t cool down sufficiently (which it’ll struggle to do in direct sunlight) it is likely to hold onto excess water in an attempt to hydrate you.
We’re blessed with a beautiful breeze at Boot Camp, and I always train my clients (and now myself!) under a huge parasol in summer. So unless there’s enough cloud cover or its first thing in the morning, avoid training in direct sunlight!
Hydrate
As in drink way more than you think you need to. If you’re not a fan of water, I recommend adding some cucumber, mint, orange or lemon slices to it for a natural healthy alternative to squash.
I’ve previously written about foods that help cool us down; salt and caffeine also dehydrate us and can cause water retention so are best avoided. Cooling mint tea is a great alternative to coffee/regular tea.
Get twisty
As in make sure your workouts include some twists! This is a great way of encouraging smooth digestion and waste elimination (and the reason my boot camp classes always include some twisting/rotational moves!) Yoga is another great way to get started, my good friend Aimie Smith has a great selection of yoga videos online called Move and Nourish.
Watermelon!!!
Couldn’t leave out my favourite fruit now, could I?! Its super hydrating, rich in electrolytes and its diuretic qualities help us remove excess water (you’ll find yourself peeing more often) as well as flush out excess sodium. And if you’re not a fan…then all the more for me!