If you’ve ever experienced bloating or slight weight gain after a hard workout, you’re not alone.  As frustrating as it can be to have your pants feeling a little snug or to see the number on your scale increase slightly after you killed it during a challenging workout, it’s a completely normal and temporary reaction of your body.

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Why it happens and what you can do.

If you’re just beginning a fitness routine or if you’ve recently made your routine more challenging, your body could be retaining water after exercise for a number of reasons.

Dehydration is the most obvious reason your body retains water.  When you sweat, you lose both water and sodium, causing your body to conserve as much water as possible to prevent dehydration.  Heat and humidity can contribute to losing excess water and sodium during your workout, so avoid outdoor exercise in the heat of the day and stay cool while you workout in FitClub’s air conditioned facilities.  Increasing your water intake before, during and after your workout should help.  If you notice that your sweat leaves white marks on your workout clothes or tastes salty, you may also want to consider adding a small snack containing salt to your pre-exercise snack.  Be mindful of your snack size and sodium content, though.  A little sodium goes a long way!

Occasional post-workout bloating may also be the result of inflammation in your body.  After a new or challenging workout, your body sends extra fluid to your tissues to help your body repair itself and rebuild muscle tears.  This is not only a natural phenomenon, but absolutely essential for improved fitness and optimum recovery.  Make sure you allow for enough recovery days and get adequate rest to help your body heal and repair quickly and efficiently without added stress or prolonged bloating.

Although bloating after a challenging workout is normal, if bloating is accompanied by pain, dizziness, fatigue, or weakness you should contact a medical professional to make sure that you’re not suffering from a medical condition.

Bloating after a tough workout may be frustrating, but it’s completely normal and temporary.  Most bloating that results from your workout will be temporary and resolve itself in two weeks as your body adapts to the added demands you place upon it.  To encourage recovery, improve your fitness, and allow your body to adapt to a more challenging program, it’s important to be consistent.

Has this ever happened to you?  What’s your response to occasional post-exercise bloating?