Wellness
7 Ways to Decrease (and Prevent) Bloat Naturally
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We’ve all been there—unbuttoning our jeans after a big meal, changing into leggings as soon as we get home, bending over in pain from built-up gas. There’s nothing fun about feeling uncomfortable. Here are some methods we’ve found helpful for decreasing and preventing the (dreaded) bloat.
FOR DECREASING BLOAT
Use essential oils.
Try creating your own at-home blends using essential oils like ginger, peppermint, fennel, and lemon. If you don’t have these oils handy, buy premade blends created specifically for gut health (we love Saje’s Gutzy roll-on). Rub these directly on your stomach for instant relief!
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Use essential oils.
Try creating your own at-home blends using essential oils like ginger, peppermint, fennel, and lemon. If you don’t have these oils handy, buy premade blends created specifically for gut health (we love Saje’s Gutzy roll-on). Rub these directly on your stomach for instant relief!
Drink tea.
Drinking hot tea feels fantastic on a bloated belly—and can help reduce swelling. Stick to teas like peppermint, chamomile, lemon, or ginger for optimal relief.
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Drink tea.
Drinking hot tea feels fantastic on a bloated belly—and can help reduce swelling. Stick to teas like peppermint, chamomile, lemon, or ginger for optimal relief.
Try yoga.
Although you probably want to go into Corpse pose when you’re feeling extra bloated, it isn’t the best for releasing trapped air. Try these yoga moves to help relieve tension and get things moving (if you know what we mean).
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Try yoga.
Although you probably want to go into Corpse pose when you’re feeling extra bloated, it isn’t the best for releasing trapped air. Try these yoga moves to help relieve tension and get things moving (if you know what we mean).
Go for a walk.
A little bit of light exercise after a heavy meal can help reduce your overall bloating. You don’t need to hop on the treadmill every time you eat, but a short walk right after lunch or dinner can do wonders for your belly.
FOR PREVENTING BLOAT
Now that you’ve learned a few ways to take care of bloating once you’re already experiencing it, let’s talk about how to prevent it!
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Go for a walk.
A little bit of light exercise after a heavy meal can help reduce your overall bloating. You don’t need to hop on the treadmill every time you eat, but a short walk right after lunch or dinner can do wonders for your belly.
FOR PREVENTING BLOAT
Now that you’ve learned a few ways to take care of bloating once you’re already experiencing it, let’s talk about how to prevent it!
Practice mindful eating.
Do you ever feel bloated after you inhale your food? Whether you’re *extra* hungry or scarfing down a meal on the go, eating fast (or chewing with your mouth open) takes in a lot of extra air, which causes you to feel bloated or uncomfortable. Remind yourself to chew your food thoroughly, take smaller bites, and take your time finishing meals (it can be hard!).
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Practice mindful eating.
Do you ever feel bloated after you inhale your food? Whether you’re *extra* hungry or scarfing down a meal on the go, eating fast (or chewing with your mouth open) takes in a lot of extra air, which causes you to feel bloated or uncomfortable. Remind yourself to chew your food thoroughly, take smaller bites, and take your time finishing meals (it can be hard!).
Choose your foods wisely.
The types of foods we put into our bodies have a significant effect on the way we feel afterward. From beans to wheat, try to stay away from these 13 foods if you have been experiencing frequent bloating.
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Choose your foods wisely.
The types of foods we put into our bodies have a significant effect on the way we feel afterward. From beans to wheat, try to stay away from these 13 foods if you have been experiencing frequent bloating.
Avoid bubbles!
This one may seem obvious, too, but super carbonated drinks—such as soda, beer, and champagne—can lead to a buildup of gas in your stomach. Maybe think about skipping the mimosa at brunch on an extra “bloaty” morning (but if you don’t, we won’t judge).
7
Avoid bubbles!
This one may seem obvious, too, but super carbonated drinks—such as soda, beer, and champagne—can lead to a buildup of gas in your stomach. Maybe think about skipping the mimosa at brunch on an extra “bloaty” morning (but if you don’t, we won’t judge).
Fitness
Why I’m Stoked Surfing Will Debut in the Olympics
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For the first time ever, the globe will be watching surfing take center stage at the 2020 (postponed to July 2021) Olympics. People from all over the world will be appreciating the sport, many for the first time.
This symbolizes the surfing community breaking through centuries of negative stereotypes. Though conditions play a big part in the sport, the biggest hurdle the athletes will have to overcome to see success is mental. The winner will be the one who chooses their waves wisely with their understanding of the conditions and ability to intimidate and therefore overcome components. Meanwhile, they will be challenging themselves to emerge from crashing barrels, fly into the air, and land on the shifting surface gracefully. No big deal.
You’ve probably heard the invention of a wave pool, which creates the perfect man-made wave. In 2007, Kelly Slater founded his wave company with a passion to build the perfectly rideable wave at his surf ranch. It was debated whether the Olympics should be held in the ocean or on a manufactured wave, with many differing opinions on what would be right. The decision was made, and the event will take place in the sea, at Tsurigasaki Beach in Japan, about 40 miles east of Tokyo, where the rest of the 2021 games will be hosted.
As you watch, take a moment to reflect on the century of effort for this to happen. This initiative can be traced all the way back to the 1912 summer games that took place in Stockholm. Duke Kahanamoku, known as the father of modern surfing, won three gold medals in swimming, and while accepting his medal, he expressed that it was his dream to see surfing be added. To add fuel to the fire, International Surfing Association, recognized as the surfing world's governing authority by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), began lobbying for the inclusion of surfing in the Olympics in 1955.
The magic of surfing
Surfing is a multidimensional sport unlike any other. Nothing compares to paddling out to the serene silence that awaits beyond the breaking waves. Once you get out there, you immediately escape the many annoyances ingrained in everyday life—the constant notifications on your phone and laptop, your back-to-back schedule, answering to other people. You’re no longer on the time that your watch reads, you’re on mother nature’s time. You’re also no longer in control of your surroundings. Now, all you can do is surrender and wait for the next set to come, while trying to position yourself for when it does.
The high from catching the perfect wave is so addicting that surfers would fail on one hundred in a row just to catch that one. After you catch that perfect one, you replay it in your mind for the rest of the day.
A successful session is reliant on so many factors of mother nature—a force way bigger than us. For ideal conditions to exist, a good-sized swell must approach from the right direction, the wind must be flowing offshore, and you have to time your session right with the ebb and flow of the tide.
The sport is always teaching you life lessons. It is humbling, even if you’ve been practicing it for many years. One reason why it takes so long to master is that the conditions are going to be different every time you get out there. You might have caught a million yesterday, but today makes you feel like a kook because you can’t land one decent wave.
The community of people that you become a part of when you surf is special. A shared obsession with the ocean that brings you to dive into the water at dawn to get a session in bonds you quick. When you’re out there, you’ll find yourself interacting with people of all ages and backgrounds. People enjoy sharing the stoke of the sport. When you see someone out there teaching somebody new, you’ll encounter them cheering at the top of their lungs when they catch a good wave, and as you look around, you’ll see smiles all across the lineup. The other day, I caught a long wave in to be met with a cheering crowd of locals who frequent the spot that I do. When I got to shore, a local showed me their secret stash of hot packs to access in case I, or someone else, gets stung by a stingray when they aren’t around.
Being out in the ocean and abiding by her rules gives surfers a deep love and connection to nature. It’s common to see sea animals out there, like dolphins, stingrays, and fish. When you have an encounter, it’s a reminder that we are invading their territory. It sucks when you see trash floating in the water, or on the sand in its route to the water. It’s a sad reminder of the negative impact that humans can have on natural environments. It inspires you to pick up trash and advocate for sustainability so that we, as a collective, can take care of the beauty that we are lucky to have access to.
Tune in to see surfing break into the biggest international sporting event in the world beginning on Saturday, July 24th.
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