Naomi

Hi Gabrielle

Like so many others above, I was hugely relieved to find this thread after searching for answers to months. I have been doing hot yoga for about 2 years & teaching for about 9 months. I currently teach 5 classes a week & take a class a day, usually the class that follows mine. I have noticed fairly substantial swings in my weight, along with “puffy knees” frequently over the last year (since I started my first teacher training). I can easily put on 6pounds overnight & I now know it is connected to hot yoga: I recently visited family in the UK meaning no class for 9 days, eating & drinking normally I weighed 123 pounds when I got home, 4 days later I weighed 128 & could feel the fluid in my legs. Initially when I took class 2-4 times a week I was drinking coconut water for balancing electrolytes but with teacher training I realized this was not enough & started adding Liquid IV on days I was in the heat for long periods of time.  At first this seemed to work but as my teaching hours increased it seemed to stop working. I switched to LMNT with the higher sodium content but if anything it got worse so I deduced maybe now too much sodium which would cause the fluid retention?  In hindsight I had also stopped taking the magnesium supplement at night that I’d started to help with sleep during menopause – but does magnesium effect fluid retention?

You have mentioned getting levels tested – do I do this through my GP? Which electrolytes are most likely to cause fluctuations like this? is it possible to be imbalanced in one & not another? I really need to understand & get this sorted. Hot Yoga has been a turn around for me at a time when I had to stop most of the other forms of exercise I loved due to issues with my neck & teaching has given me a new purpose  – I can’t stop!

Namaste

Naomi