PHOTOGRAPHY: THINKSTOCKVaricose veins
Pregnancy or weight gain can exert greater pressure on legs, triggering
varicose veins, which are essentially enlarged, leaky blood vessels
that often ache or look knotted and visibly blue-green under the skin.
Resulting congestion in calves can cause even more fluid to pool.
“Although a saline solution, injected into spider veins, may clear
them and laser surgery can close off smaller varicose veins, these
treatments don’t address the underlying problem and the vein issues
may return,” says Royal Melbourne Hospital podiatrist Felicity
Morrow. In more severe cases, varicose veins are removed via surgery.
WATERSHED MOMENT: Compression stockings, weight loss and
regular exercise can all help according to Morrow.
Sedentary
Sitting and standing for prolonged periods with little movement are
equally deleterious when it comes to pooling fluid. The impact of
carrying your body weight can cause swelling in thighs, calves, ankles
and feet. Conversely, sitting at a desk for hours on end can impede
circulation, which can also cause fluid retention.
WATERSHED MOMENT: If you’re sitting, stand up every 20 minutes
to stretch and move. Exercises while sitting include stretching legs
in front of you and making circular movements to ameliorate fluid
build-up and encourage blood flow. “It also helps to keep your legs a
little raised on a footstool and avoid crossing them, as this can worsen
fluid build-up,” Morrow says. If you’re on your feet, use breaks to lie
on the floor and creep your feet up the wall until your legs are straight
and hold the position for five to 10 minutes to draw fluid away from
legs and feet. Take evening yoga classes to pull fluid away from
lower limbs.Hormones
It’s common to puff up seven to 10 days before your period as
progesterone and oestrogen levels change, causing the body to hold
on to extra fluid. While fluid gain does register on the scales, fluid
retention does not reflect increased fat or muscle mass.
WATERSHED MOMENT: Curb salt intake and stay hydrated in the
week before your period. Where possible, keep moving, which will
encourage lymphatic drainage and help cells to process excess fluid.Heat
It’s a cruel irony of summer that the heat that makes us want to strip
down to a monokini also induces swelling as vessels dilate in response
to high temperatures.
WATERSHED MOMENT: Stay hydrated and carry a facial spritzer for
cheeks, neck and wrists. Avoid cold showers, which can cause the
body to increase its core temperature, further fuelling vessel dilation.
Instead, try tepid baths or showers.ABOUT FACE
If you’re lean but can’t lose the Bert Newton cheeks, you may
be retaining fluid in your face.
According to dermatologist Ann-Maree Kurzydlo, the
stress on the body caused by alcohol causes production of
stress hormone cortisol, which can trigger water retention
around the cheeks and encourage collection of fat deposits
around the face, she says.
Face bloat can also indicate dietary imbalances, Kurzydlo
says. Low protein levels, for instance, can cause facial
puffiness. Conversely, loading up on carbs – particularly
simple, processed carbs – can also result in puffiness as the
glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles, which
retain three grams of water for each gram of glycogen.
“Glycogen is a hydrated molecule, so it attracts about
three to four grams of water per gram,” Hudson explains. This
is why cutting carbs can make you think you’ll rapidly lose
weight. “That initial weight loss is simply fluid,” Hudson says.
“Eventually, that fluid you have lost will go back on.”whfmag womenshealthandfitness whandfmag whandfmaged