Cody and I are taking a mini vacation a couple of days to the beach this weekend with my family and that means wearing a bathing suit and hopefully relaxing by the water. Unfortunately, my summer workout plans have not gone accordingly…as in I’ve barely done any working out at all aside from a hike or two and a lot of yin yoga. We have both been busy at work, running around to different commitments, spending time with family, and trying to eat healthy, but probably drinking a bit more alcohol than our guts would approve of.
But there are a few things that I’ve been able to stick to pretty closely, and will be abiding by all week to help beat any extra bloat before the beach.
- Celery juice
I heard about the many major benefits of celery juice through the wellness grapevine, tracing back to the Medical Medium. Not only does drinking 16oz of celery juice every morning really help clear out my system, detox my body, and noticeably improve my gut health – which in turn has been helping to chase away my stomach bloat – but there are so many other reasons to give this a try. You can read about how amazing celery juice is for you and your body here.
- Warm lemon water (& sometimes adding in some ginger or ginger tea)
Lemon water is a natural diuretic, assisting with digestion, cleansing, and chasing away bloat. I sneak in some lemon juice anywhere I can – in water, dressings, hummus or guacamole recipes, etc. As for the ginger, it’s “a particularly effective carminative, helping to alleviate gas, bloating and cramps, according to James A. Duke, author of “The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods.”” - Sipping kombucha or a taking a good probiotic
If you’re sensing a gut health theme by now then you’re completely right. A healthy functioning gut is key to a flat tummy and beating that pesky bloat. “Probiotics are live bacteria or yeasts found in fermented foods or supplements that, when consumed, take residence in the gut and improve health.” Kombucha is delicious and has built-in probiotics, but these bubbly drinks can also get expensive. Sometimes I opt for a little bouch, but lately to save some money I bought some good quality probiotic pills that I keep in the fridge and take daily.
- Drink lots of water
I find that at first, of course, I tend to gain a bit of water weight and bloat, but after a week or so of drinking around 64oz or more of water a day my body evens out and my system clears, giving me more energy and a flatter tummy. It can be hard to remember to keep drinking water throughout the day, but once you get into the groove it becomes second nature. I opt for room temperature or warm water because I find that it’s better for my body and my gut. - Limiting dairy products
As much as I love cheese, dairy just does not agree with my gut, causing discomfort and major bloat. Dairy products are highly inflammatory, so I’ve cut out many dairy products (except when I really need nachos or a cheese and wine combo of course). But when prepping for a beach trip or big event I steer clear of all dairy products at least a week in advance and I find it to be very effective.
I hope you found some of these tips helpful! I’d love to hear what you do to beat bloat or prep for a beach vacation in the comments below!
I’ve never heard of celery juice before, that’s really interesting! I’ve noticed that when I drink my peppermint tea regularly I don’t feel or appear as bloated, so that may be something to consider as well 🙂
Yes! Peppermint tea can definitely help with bloat for sure!
Where are you getting celery juice? Can you buy it or do you juice your own?
I’m sure you can get it at a specialty juice bar but I haven’t seen it in any stores so I’ve actually have been making my own. I don’t have a juicer so I chop it all up and put it in our Ninja adding just a tiny bit of water to get it going, blend it really well, then pour into a cheese cloth and squeeze it all out into a cup. Takes a bit of work but I’m buying organic and doing it myself so I know its pure and gut healthy!