Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hi everyone...I wanted to know if any of you have experienced bloating immediately after exercise?

My husband has noticed that every time I get home from Crossfit, running, or any other exercise, that my stomach gets really bloated, then subsides after a few hours. Sometimes though, it stays bloated the rest of the day.

I have heard it might be the muscles retaining water, but mine is strictly in the gut area. I do sweat a ton when I work out, not sure if that makes any difference. i read somewhere it could be caused by the release of toxins, but that is not a documented fact.

Any thoughts?

flag	asked Dec 23 2011 at 23:24 Kelly 253●3●11

	you said your husband noticed it, that sent off alarm bells in my head because i supose it should be you that notices it. – coprophagous Dec 24 2011 at 20:42
	I would love to see a real explanation of this. For years, strenuous exercise would make me seriously gassy. I never could explain it, but it was just further incentive to not do any. – Kelly Jan 6 2012 at 2:09
	Hi Kelly. My abdomen gets really swollen after cardio-type exercise, especially running. In fact, sometimes it becomes bloated as soon as I start running. In my case, I don't think it's gas because it doesn't feel painful. It goes away the next day, though, so I'm not too worried :D – LQ Jan 10 2012 at 0:23

Matthius · Answer 1 · 2011-12-24 16:11:17Z UTC

Strange, I find the opposite to be true; I'll often go for a run if I'm feeling bloated, and the bobbing movement tends to force the trapped gas to...erm...move on through.

Could it be related to what you're eating or drinking post-exercise? Sometimes if I reward myself with a carbonated drink after a run I'll immediately suffer the consequences.

corey · Answer 2 · 2012-01-06 01:10:08Z UTC

During heavy exercise, digestion can be put on hold temporarily. Blood that was being used for digestion can be diverted to the muscles to supply more oxygen which is more immediately useful to power your muscles than the contents of your digestive track.

If you are heavily stressing your body during these workouts, the cortisol that is released to rebuild your body can induce a prolonged state of inflamation.

Tell-tale signs would be that your next pass is not fully digested or your blood pressure remains high for several hours after working out. That is probably an indication that you are over training, which can be extremely easy to do with standard crossfit.

I'm definitely no expert. But I hope this was helpful.

Knarf · Answer 3 · 2012-06-20 23:54:11Z UTC

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I would say it's cortisol. Cortisol levels rise and then fall an hour or two after exercise. I've experienced the same thing. Hour or two of sitting around, and it goes away after.

answered Jun 20 at 23:54

Knarf
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Renee · Answer 4 · 2011-12-24 19:37:01Z UTC

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Are you drinking from a water bottle? I find it impossible to drink from one (esp a narrow-mouthed one) without swallowing air, which could be the source of the bloat.

answered Dec 24 2011 at 19:37

Renee
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Bill · Answer 5 · 2011-12-24 21:09:36Z UTC

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Could be a cortisol issue... I got this same reaction from fasting too much and exercising during the fast.

answered Dec 24 2011 at 21:09

Bill
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josh · Answer 6 · 2011-12-26 00:30:15Z UTC

I'd look at your daily context before you exercise. Do you sit much during the day or typically after you eat? It could just be the moment you exercise your body metabolism is getting fired up and stomach is emptying from whatever food you've eaten that day. All that moving loosens stuff up.

EH · Answer 7 · 2011-12-26 17:27:51Z UTC

I occasionally get the same thing - distention in the gut area, but no gas. I haven't figured it out either, but since cutting fruit out of my diet and upping fat intake I must say it occurs less frequently. Just another one of those trial and error things to figure out the cause.

James · Answer 8 · 2012-01-05 18:31:02Z UTC

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Are you taking whey or anything else pre/post workout? I've heard of it with whey. But it's a bit weird if you're not taking anything at all.

answered Jan 5 2012 at 18:31

James
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Ron · Answer 9 · 2012-08-14 22:25:15Z UTC

Hi there,

I have the same experience. It looks many things, more than ten, could cause my bloating, such as exercise, hungry, overload of food, dairy, nervous, upset, angry, and so on. I suffer whole life asthma, but I always think the asthma is not noly caused by lower lung function, it is caused by the bloating after exercise. Maybe too much CO2 could not release from my lung instead it goes to my intestine after exercise.

Ron

sharin · Answer 10 · 2013-02-08 22:11:01Z UTC

Hi, I have the same thing I workout every morning 4 days rows and don't work out 3 days rows.. my stomach bloating really bad. I drank a lot of water and eat health veggies.. Still wonder why I am still bloating for 1 weeks and sore AB area after running and sit up.. Still bloating..

Bloating after exercise

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