SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS: THE FLUID RETENTION DILEMMA

‘Podgy muscles’ is a condition many hard-chargers in time experience. Many of them complain that even despite regular workouts, runs, sport training sessions, their muscle tone is not as good as it used to be. Podgy muscles are the result of stress-based fluid retention.

The muscles become water logged and no amount of exercise will remove this water, in fact, it makes it worse. Why? Because fluid retention in the muscles is caused by calcium deficiency, which is caused by a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles.

Lactic acid builds up in muscles as a waste product of muscle metabolism. The harder a muscle is worked, the more glucose it burns for energy; lactic acid is what is left when glucose is burned for energy. Lactic acid is poisonous and must be neutralised by calcium before it can be removed from the muscles and eliminated through the kidneys.

Precious calcium reserves are soon used up and that lactic acid which is left in the muscle in its free state acts as an irritant. Nature tries to dilute the irritating effect of free lactic acid by sending extra water into the muscle. Any excess of water reduces the tone of the muscle so that its lean, muscular appearance changes to a softer, podgy appearance.

Stressed people have tight muscles. Tight muscles burn more glucose and produce more lactic acid. When heavy physical exercise (aerobics, jogging, weight training, football, swimming) is added to this, more lactic acid is produced.

Rest works wonders. Reduced lactic acid production allows calcium reserves to build up and muscle fluid levels to drop. Hard-charger health buffs are always amazed at how their muscle tone improves with rest. Amazed because their rigidly held belief is that only exercise can give rise to improved muscle tone. While it is true that the use of muscles is imperative for the gaining and maintaining of muscle tone, the ‘over-use’ of muscles due to over-work, over-exercise, anxiety, worry and stress causes reduced muscle tone.

Some hard-chargers also experience significant weight loss while resting. Highly stressed bodies, especially if dogged by allergies, yeast infections and vitamin and mineral deficiencies, will carry excess fluid around the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, as well as in the muscles. This fluid falls away from a resting body much to the amazement of those who rigidly believe that exercise is the only way to keep body weight down.

It takes longer for ‘podgy muscles’ to develop in those hard-chargers who don’t have allergies, Candida infections and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. These three factors are fluid retainers in their own right.

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