Water Retention
I want to first thanks Hodge for giving me the opportunity to guest post, about water retention, on his awesome blog.
I am just an average guy that is trying to go from fat to fit. A long the way I have learned some things that have worked for me. Some of it is through personal experience and some of what I have ingested is advice and wisdom from my personal trainer. So here is my take on water retention and how it affects the body and your look as well.
We all need water in our body. That is a given fact. Water retention is basically caused by excess sodium. What happens is that the water we ingest adheres to the sodium molecules in our body. This builds up fluid retention which locates itself under the skin which covers the muscles. Thus covering up the toned muscles and hiding the definition that is really there; while adding some extra weight as well.
So what needs to be done is that this excess water that is covering the toned muscles has to be eliminated by your body and this can be done in a number of ways that I have listed here:
- Drinking more water helps to release the water that is already there.
- Reduce the amount of sodium intake.
- Sweat it out through exercise or by sitting in a sauna or steam room. This also helps to release excess sodium form your body as well.
That’s why you’ll see a lot of professional body builders in there just before a competition. By releasing the excess water they get a more defined look. This of course is only a temporary solution. What works for me is removing the excess sodium from your diet. I achieve it by:
- Reading labels and avoid foods with high sodium levels.
- Try not to consume processed foods because they use sodium to keep the food preserved. I make some foods from scratch, like my salsa.
- When snacking I eat raw and natural cashews or almonds and I stay away from chips.
- I don’t drink sodas. They contain sodium as well.
- Eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. The fiber in these help eliminate the excess fluid as well.
- When cooking replace salts with other spices like black or cayenne pepper or garlic.
I think by following these suggestions one can not only lose weight and get healthy as well, but they also can get a more toned look; the natural way.
On an added note I have to say that our bodies do need some sodium to function and to help with metabolism. So it’s not healthy to eliminate all sodium. I am just suggesting that one should try to avoid excess sodium in your diet. By trial and error you can see what levels work for you and what gives you the results you’re looking for.
Rob is author of the RobFitness Blog - http://robfitness.wordpress.com/
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Comments
It was my pleasure dude. I hope it gave you some useful information. So will you be stop taking Creatine? I know my trainer talked to me about it today and he thinks I should be taking it.
You know, I was just discussing with a workmate in the car why sports drinks always contain so much salt (although they call them electrolytes) when the body actually doesn’t need or want that much salt…
Your description certainly explains why you tend to look more toned after a good sweaty workout!
On the soda side of things, if I drink soda I try to drink Pepsi Max instead of the others, as it contains significantly less salt than pretty much everything else out there. Other than that, I’m not a big fan of salt except on chips so I tend to avoid it!
Nice contribution Rob. Congrats on your first, and very successful, guest post.
Those body builders purposely dehydrate for competition, both for definition and for vascularity. We don’t need to talk about the carb elimination or back-stage sugar popping. And endurance athletes frequently look for ways to retain fluids which is why sports drinks contain sodium — when you’re marathoning or ultramarathoning or participating in any of those extreme physical challenges, you are looking to hang on to fluids.
Now I have to check out some of GroupFit’s stuff. Have a great day!
@Rob. Yeah definitely useful info, I will be taking it on board soon 
I will unveil my new workout routine and goals after the I complete the 4th week of my workouts over the next few days.
A weeks break while working out the new program then which will explain what I will be doing 
Very well researched and written, Rob! I love your strategies for preventing water retention… I do the same!
Thanks for the comments guys. I enjoyed writing this piece.
@ Hodge..looking forward to seeing your new plan when its due.
@Luke… I try to eliminate all sodas mainly for the sodium, sugars and artificial sweeteners. None that are to good for the body. I guess one here and there can’t kill you though.
Hey Rob,
This is a good subject, when you consider that we live in a processed world; processed food is so readily available that we seem to grab that first. My slant to the whole thing is to cook like grandma did, use natural foods and season for health, not necessarily to taste. Fact is, if you know how to cook, the taste will be there anyway, without having to add an abundance of salt and seasonings. I have followed your blog for a long time and I like how you always seem to slip in hints that suggest that we need to know our bodies. Know how much sodium is “Too” much, was the hint for today and the same goes for Carbs as you’ve posted before. Know your body and know how sensitive it is to the things that could be destructive to your goals. I had to borrow your words there, hope you don’t mind. Nothing quite like asking the author for permission after the fact. LOL Anyway, you have been an inspiration to many of us and I feel that I have made some good changes due to your influence. Not many people may tell you this (though they probably want to) but, Thank You for sharing your knowledge and experience with us; it will make the world a better place.
Keep The Peace
James
Rob, I’ve been waiting to read this post! I’ve always wondered if the water retention can make a person feel sluggish and not perform as well with the workouts.
What is this about the creatine? I’m not a fan (because it’s processed) but I’ve heard some people swear by it and others say it’s crap for your body. Maybe Hodge or another guest poster could cover that topic??
Thanks a lot for the great post Rob.
I will be implementing some of these suggestions in my next program