5 Things I Do To Decrease Inflammation In My Body Naturally
Fitness has been a huge priority in my life for the last 5+ years.
Prior to that, I was always active and ate well, but it wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles that I started to take my health and fitness seriously.
As a woman, I have always struggled with bloat and inflammation; I just never understood why or how to — well, not struggle with it.
I hated going to bed looking like I was 8 months pregnant. I was beyond tired of going about my day to day life inflamed and feeling fat all the time when I was doing everything in my power to lose weight.
I needed to make a change, so I started trying everything I possibly could to learn about what I could do to fix my bloat and inflammation.
For those of you who might be wondering exactly what inflammation is or looks like — chronic inflammation is indicative of water retention, foggy or slow cognitive abilities, mood instabilities, poor skin health and an unnatural watery look to your physique (in other words, you look extremely soft and fluffy).
Inflammation can be caused by many factors but at the end of the day, the majority of these factors are lifestyle induced which is great — because it means we’re in control and it can be achieved through various lifestyle changes.
While everyone is different, there are a few strategies that have personally worked for me that will hopefully help you on your healing journey.
With that said, let’s jump in.
If You Are Chronically Inflamed — Do This.
If you’re someone who is consistently inflamed, then follow a strict anti-inflammatory diet for at least 30 days.
The goal is to reset your body and give it a break, so cut out all processed foods and sugars, and follow a diet that is rich in wholesome foods and nutrients.
The fastest way to treat inflammation is not by adding in anti-inflammatories, but removing the inflammatories.
These are preservatives, dyes, refined sugars, emulsifiers, glyphosate, artificial sweeteners — etc.
Prioritize foods that don’t come in a box or a wrapper. Opt for fruits like berries which are loaded in antioxidants; high quality proteins and healthy fats like Omega-3s from fatty fish such as salmon, trout, and sardines.
If you struggle with coming up with meal ideas, check out Pinterest for paleo recipes, as those are typically clean and wholesome.
This will be a month of trial and error, and it’ll suck for a while because you’re getting rid of all the foods you normally like to consume, but it’ll benefit you.
Depending on Your Lifestyle — You Can Either Implement This or Minimize It.
Exercising is taxing on your body.
If you’re someone who goes to the gym 6–7x a week and you never prioritize recovery, the chances of you being inflamed are sky high. Add on the stress of everyday life, work, kids, spouses, etc. — that’s more stress on your body, resulting in more inflammation.
I’m someone who gets stressed out quickly and easily. The gym is my therapy, so while I go 6–7x a week, I have to prioritize low-impact exercises so that my body has a chance to recover from the high-impact workouts I do.
You could be doing everything right, eating well, drinking plenty of water, exercising regularly, and you’ll still look inflamed if you’re not giving your body a chance to recover.
So if you’re someone who exercises frequently and goes at it hard every single time, then implement a rest day or an active recovery day into your split.
Alternatively, if you refuse to skip the gym — implement low-impact workouts.
Now if you’re on the opposite side of the spectrum and you don’t exercise, then start.
Regular physical activity will drastically help reduce systemic inflammation; if you’re not into weight-lifting, learn to like it.
Your body will thank you for it later, and you don’t need to do it every day.
2–3 solid, full body weight training sessions and a couple of long walks (45–60 minutes) will make a world of difference.
Stress Reduction — What’s That?
As someone who is always stressed, as I mentioned, I can tell you that I understand how hard this point is to address.
I can also confidently tell you that your body will transform when you start implementing stress management techniques into your life.
Chronic stress leads to inflammation — while I’m not a big meditator, finding healthy ways to manage stress has drastically helped me when it comes to inflammation.
Try things like yoga, deep breathing exercises, or journaling to see what sticks.
For me, journaling every morning is something that really helps me get my thoughts out so that way I don’t waste time ruminating over them and stressing throughout the day.
Exercise is a fantastic way to relieve stress, as mentioned earlier, but abusing it will not benefit you in any way. Opt for long walks, hot yoga, or engaging in hobbies and activities that you enjoy to take your mind off thing.
Romanticize your morning if you’re constantly stressed from waking up early and always hurrying and being go go go. Unplug in the evenings if you’re overwhelmed with your daily work.
Find healthy ways to manage your stress.
Think Quality — Not Quantity When it Comes To This.
Sleep is a crucial part of reducing inflammation and keeping it low throughout the day.
When you sleep, your body goes into super-recovery mode. It’s actively repairing damaged tissues, restoring your energy levels, and regenerating your cells.
Hormonal regulation is a big part of sleep as well. If you’re not getting high quality sleep, hormonal instability is inevitable. This leads to inconsistent mood stability, insulin resistance, water retention, brain fog, and increased levels of hunger.
Sleep is also one of the first things you should address if you feel like you’re not recovering properly from your workouts or if you’re feeling chronically fatigued all the time.
Remember, quality — not quantity is key here. You can get 10 hours of sleep, but if it’s crappy sleep, there is zero benefit.
Focus on going to sleep at the same time every night, create a comfortable sleep environment, and avoid stimulants and blue light before bedtime.
I TRY To Do This Daily —
I’m not the biggest water drinker, it just always felt like a chore to get up and refill my water bottle, but a few months back, I decided enough was enough — and I made myself drink 90–100oz of water daily.
The changes I saw in my body were insane. I felt so stupid for not doing something as basic as consuming enough water.
Sometimes, the most basic answer is the best answer.
Just drink your damn water. Proper hydration supports your body’s natural detoxification processes, and it’ll help reduce inflammation.
Additionally, watch your energy levels skyrocket because my energy levels went up drastically once I started hydrating myself properly (coffee doesn’t count).
I used to feel beyond irritable and fatigued by the evening, but on the days I’m properly hydrated throughout the day, when six o’clock rolls around, I feel pretty damn good.
This Can Be SUPER Helpful—
Incorporate anti-inflammatory supplements in order to optimize your health and nutrition.
I don’t take a billion supplements a day, but there are certain things I swear by. For example, I love taking turmeric supplements with curcumin. Do I take them every single day? Absolutely not, but they’re helpful.
I’m also a huge tea drinker, and while I don’t consider tea a supplement, certain teas, and herbs can truly help you when you’re feeling inflamed.
A few of my personal favorites are:
Dandelion root
Turmeric & ginger
Fennel tea
Detox teas, in general
Also, adding certain herbs and spices with anti-inflammatory properties to your meals, like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, can help as well. I opt for ceylon cinnamon and almost always add it to my coffee, yogurt, or oats.
Bonus:
Take some time to understand what foods and diets truly work for you.
After years of tracking foods and trying various diets, I’ve learned what my body does like and what it doesn’t. For example, I know I don’t feel all that great after eating any type of Asian cuisine — I’m always bloated and crampy afterward.
Does that mean I never have it? Of course not, but I’ll do specific things to negate the bloat and inflammation because I have a solid understanding of what my body is used to.
When it comes to eating, incorporating a culturally appropriate diet helped me a lot. A lot of the foods I consume on a daily basis are things I grew up eating, things my mom grew up eating, and her mom, and so on and so forth.
Your body loves eating foods that are as close to your culture as possible, especially if that’s what you were raised on.
In Conclusion —
To reiterate, as someone who struggled with bloating and inflammation for years, these things drastically helped me:
30-day reset (follow a paleo diet and cut out everything but wholesome foods)
Either implement exercise into your lifestyle or decrease it by doing more low-impact workouts
Try stress reduction techniques — life is stressful, which means your body will get stressed out too. Try a yoga class, journal, read a book in silence, decrease your cortisol levels by focusing on creating a peaceful environment for yourself, even if it’s for a couple of hours.
Focus on getting quality sleep — limit drinking throughout the week as it affects your sleep cycle. Don’t scroll on your phone before sleeping.
80–100 oz of water daily!!
Utilize natural supplements and herbs
Focus on eating foods that you grew up eating (while still minimizing processed foods and sugars).
You won’t permanently get rid of bloat or inflammation, and that’s okay because, if we’re being honest, being bloated is natural — especially when you’re on your period or you just ate a big meal.
However, my tips are geared for those who struggle with it on a daily basis.
If that’s you — I hope you try these out.
