Swollen hands….due to increased exercise????

mlrtri

My hands have been swollen this week. My rings are tight and that used to only happen when I ate out due to salt.

I have not eaten out (for over a month) and since I do the cooking I know I have been eating low sodium (I watch it closely - read all labels and usually use fresh foods). My blood pressure is within normal range.

I have been completing body weight exercises 3-4 times/week and taking walks 5 times/week.

Could the exercise be causing this? I guess it just seems weird for my hands to be swollen. I understand my large muscles needing water following exercise.


Does anyone have any info on this?

Thank you.

mlrtri

Also - I drink a LOT of water. I couldn’t tell you how much. But I have a 16 oz cup I fill over and over and over.

And it is not the time of month where I normally notice water retention. But I can not rule out hormones.

jodear8125

You can drink too much water and drown yourself, no joke. Doctors recommended amount is 2.5lt min - 4 max

mlrtri

jodear8125 wrote: »

You can drink too much water and drown yourself, no joke. Doctors recommended amount is 2.5lt min - 4 max

That is good to know. I will start to track my water. Thank you.

sollyn23l2

There are about 101 different reasons your body can decide to retain water... most are temporary and harmless. If you ate more carbs than usual, being too hot, etc. can all affect it.

kenziestabes

Second the "101 different reason" thing. I have a pollen allergy, and one side effect of it is that my fingers will swell if I'm outside too much on a high pollen day. My face and eyes will also get itchy. I'll usually go inside and wash my face and hands with cold water and it goes away after an hour. But in your case, it could be anything.

I will add that too much water can be harmful if you aren't sweating it all off. You'll need to drink more water on exercise days versus rest days. And depending on water consumption, you may need to increase sodium (of course, per your doctor's advice- not an internet stranger). Our bodies do need sodium, and too much water can flush it all out of your system.

californiagirl1969

I see my doctor for any edema (swelling)

mlrtri

So many variables to think about 😩. Thank you to everyone for your input.
I may be over doing the water. I am going to start tracking that. Definitely hot out so that may be part of it. I have been outside a lot. I read that when you exercise your cortisol levels can increase which can add to water retention. Hopefully I drop the water soon.

AnnPT77

If your arms are a problem specifically, it may help a little if you hold your arm above your head, then gentle-stroke massage your upper arm toward your shoulder for maybe 30 seconds to a minute, then lower arm toward upper arm, hand toward lower arm, and repeat a couple of times.

ETA: I was taught that massage technique by a physical therapist who specializes in lymphedema treatment/avoidance for breast cancer survivors with certain surgical histories (which I am). OP, I'm not saying you're risking lymphedema - no reason to believe that - just explaining where I learned about that so it doesn't seem like I'm making it up. 🙂

I've noticed that - despite being an active person long term, good CV fitness, and not now overweight - that I'll sometimes get a bit of hand swelling on walks during hot weather (presumably because my hands are below my heart, and not much active while walking). For me, even though it makes me look like a weird freakin' idiot, it can help to hold one or both arms over my head for a minute or two a few times during the walk. It's not a radical difference, but a little help. YMMV.

While it's true that you can drink water to the point of literal death, it takes quite a lot, all at one time or close. It truly is important to get enough, especially in hot weather, especially during exercise.

Counting what you drink is possibly a good idea, but a better indicator would be looking at your urine. If it's a dark color, like dark mustard to brown, that's a bad sign, and you need more intake. If it's pale yellow, kind of straw colored, probably in a good range of fluid intake. (It can be kind of fluorescent-bright light yellow if you're getting more than you need of certain water-soluble vitamins, but that's generally not dangerous.) If it's very clear, you're probably getting more than ideal fluid intake.

How much you need can be quite individual. As a person who sweats lots, even when only at moderate exercise intensity and moderate temps, I need more than someone who sweats less, and need really lots if I do intense exercise outdoors in the heat. If the scale fluctuations don't freak you out, you can weigh yourself before and after an exercise session to get a rough estimate of whether you've lost a lot of water through sweat/respiration during the session - whether the water you drink during the exercise is leveling things out more or less. (You don't need to get it to completely neutral water gain or loss during exercise, but a big drop would suggest you might beneficially drink more, and consider electrolytes in the drink . . . though electrolytes aren't typically essential in mild exercise, or sessions less than a hour.)

Keep in mind that pretty much all fluids count, not just water, but other beverages (including tea and coffee, according to the most recent research), plus fluid in fruits, veggies, soups, etc.

spiriteagle99

I can get swollen fingers when I walk when it's hot. Elevating the hands more as you walk can help. A hiking stick or ski pole will raise your hands, or if you wear a day pack or Camelback, put your thumbs into the straps so the hands are at chest level. Some people just periodically stretch their arms above their heads.

If you are drinking too much water, then your electrolyte balance will get off. As Ann said, make sure that your pee is not clear. There should be some yellow. Low sodium and magnesium can lead to cramps and nausea, among other issues.

mlrtri

Such great information. Thank you. I love the ski pole suggestion.