How to Reduce Inflammation for Plus-Size Women With Fitness and Diet

Women who are obese are more prone to chronic inflammation than their female counterparts who are not. Even in comparison with overweight men, plus-size women suffer more from inflammatory conditions than these men (Liqiang, Fang-Hui, Minghui, and Haichun, 2023). Guess what? There is a best way to reduce inflammation for plus-Size women, whether acute or chronic (Scripps Health, 2024).

So, if you are an overweight woman looking to reduce inflammation and boost your well-being, this guide will help. Anti-inflammatory meal plan ideas will also be provided to help reduce your swollen body. You also need the best exercises to support your efforts. Now discover how plus-size women can reduce inflammation naturally with tailored fitness routines and an anti-inflammatory diet:

Inflammation is a normal part of your body’s response to injuries and invaders (like germs) to promote healing and welness. Inflammatory cells travel to the site of injury such as a cut or infection and start the healing process.

But inflammation that happens without injury can harm healthy parts of your body and cause a range of chronic diseases (Cleveland Clinic, 2024). There are two types of inflammation that can affect obese women which is either acute or chronic.

Acute inflammation is your immune system’s response to a sudden injury or illness. And this may last for a few hours to a few days, depending on your condition (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).

Chronic inflammation occurs when your body continues to send inflammatory cells even when there’s no danger. For example, in rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory cells and substances attack joint tissues. This leads to inflammation that comes and goes and can cause severe damage to your joints (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).

With chronic inflammation, processes that normally protect your body end up hurting it. Chronic inflammation can last for months or years. You may have periods when you get some relief and other times when it gets worse. Chronic inflammation has been linked to diseases like diabetes, heart conditions, and arthritis. These health conditions have some associated symptoms such as fatigue, pain, and other health issues (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).

The good news is that you don’t need to become a gym member to reduce any inflammation disturbing you. So, there is a way to achieve inflammation relief for overweight women. Here are some beginner-friendly and joint-friendly exercis.

• Walking is a low-impact exercise that can improve your blood circulation, lower stress levels, and reduce inflammation. Take a walk is also important to achieve weight loss which will result to inflammation reduction. Start with a 10-minute stroll and work your way up. So, you must not cover a long distance at the beginning; even walking your dog can be very effective (Jones and Valente, 2020).

• Yoga is excellent for improving flexibility, reducing stress, and calming inflammation. There are some beginner-friendly poses that can help overweight women to reduce inflammation. Yoga exercises such as Downward Dog, Child’s Pose, and Cat-Cow are perfect examples that can relieve your discomfort (Jones and Valente, 2020).

• Some plus-size women may not like sweating during their workout routine. Water aerobics offers resistance and cardiovascular exercise with zero joint stress, which is also fun to splash around while swimming. So, swimming exercise is mild to your joints.

• Building muscle can reduce inflammation by lowering blood sugar and improving overall fitness. If you are a beginner, use light weights or resistance bands to start to make it easy for you (Frazier, 2024). Therefore, low impacts strength training improves your fitness and health.

• Gentle stretching routines can help keep your muscles loose and reduce stiffness linked to inflammation. Stretching is also great for mobilizing your joints and making your movement less painful. So, you can try some stretching exercises.

• If cycling is nice to you, then ride on because you will benefit much from it. In 2023, AACR studied some people who participated in three, 45-minute cycling classes each week for a full year. So, the result revealed that they had fewer signs of inflammation as determined by blood tests (Frazier, 2024). Therefore, doing exercises that reduce inflammation for plus-size women will also improve your health status.

• But you don’t have to go to a high-intensity spin class to see the benefits. Whether you decide to get outside and ride or choose a stationary bike, your inflammation will improve. Riding a bike is a great choice for people with joint pain and arthritis since it is a low-impact workout. And cycling promotes range of motion at both your hip and knee (Jones and Valente, 2020).

Do you know that what you eat is important for reducing your inflammation? Don’t think it is just about eating only vegetables to reduce your inflammation. There are some foods that will help to reduce inflammation for plus-size women. These anti-inflammatory foods for plus-size women are effective in reducing inflammation, especially when combined with an exercise. Here are some tasty and effective dietary tips for inflammation control in obese women:

1. Add More Omega-3s: Omega-3 can be found in salmon, walnuts, and chia seeds. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can help to fight your inflammation without any delay (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).
2. Eat Vegetables: Brightly coloured vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and bell peppers are packed with antioxidants that are effective in managing inflammation. So, eating foods rich in fibres is good. Try to add some vegetables to your diets.
3. Add Some Spices: Among many spices that are anti-inflammatory in nature are Turmeric, ginger and garlic. Sprinkle them on your meals for added flavour and their anti-inflammatory benefits. You know what? These spices are good to your joints’ pains.
4. Reduce Intake of Processed Foods: Processed snacks and sugary drinks can worsen your inflammation. So, taking whole-grain crackers, fruit, and herbal teas will be helpful instead (Scripps Health, 2024). All these fast foods could be dangerous to your health. So, eat healthy foods.
5. Stay Hydrated: Make sure that you maintain copious fluid intake. Water will help your blood to circulate well all over your body, but dehydration can make your inflammation worse. So, you should try to take enough water.

There are some lifestyle changes that you can make to help lower your risk for chronic inflammation in some cases. Here are some things that can reduce inflammation for plus-size women, you can do:

• Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (like walking) per week.
• Avoid smoking and all tobacco products, and stop or reduce how much alcohol you drink.
• Eat mostly fresh or minimally processed foods and avoid highly processed foods (Scripps Health, 2024).
• Maintain a healthy weight with diet and exercises that you enjoy (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).

Beginning a lifestyle that works sometimes may not be easy, especially those that reduce inflammation for plus-size women. So, I believe this simple routine will help to keep you on track, reduce your inflammation, and make you fit. Therefore, you need foods that fight inflammation to enjoy better health.

• Morning: Start with a turmeric latte or green tea and a light yoga session. This an anti-inflammatory diet for plus-size women to enjoy their life.
• Midday: Enjoy a salad loaded with leafy greens, grilled chicken, and avocado. You also need to add a 20-minute walk.
• Afternoon Snack: A handful of walnuts and a piece of dark chocolate will be helpful.
• Evening: Go for grilled salmon, quinoa, and steamed veggies for dinner. You can do stretching exercises to mobilize your joints or a short meditation to relax your muscles.

As you follow your workout routine, you should make it fun. This is because laughing reduces stress hormones, which in turn help with inflammation. So, feel free to giggle when you wobble in yoga class or drop a dumbbell on your toe. Then, what am I saying? Don’t take your fitness journey too seriously to not enjoy it.

How to reduce inflammation for plus-size women is not about punishing workouts or depriving yourself of diets. This involves making small, sustainable changes that you enjoy, which may be a stroll through the park. It may also be a belly laugh, or a colorful plate of food; every choice adds up. You should also try to rest the part of your body that is swollen (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).

1. Liqiang, S; Fang-Hui, L; Minghui, Q and Haichun, C (2023). Threshold effect and sex characteristics of the relationship between chronic inflammation and BMI. Retrieved 6 January 2025 from https://bmcendocrdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12902-023-01396-1#
2. Cleveland Clinic (2024). Inflammation. Retrieved 6 January 2025 from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21660-inflammation
3. Frazier, R.S. (2024). 6 Types of Exercise That Help Reduce Inflammation. Retrieved 6 January 2025 from https://www.realsimple.com/anti-inflammatory-exercise-6754728
4. Scripps Health. (2024). Six Keys to Reducing Inflammation. Retrieved 6 January 2025 from https://www.scripps.org/news_items/4232-six-keys-to-reducing-inflammation#
5. Jones, J.F and Valente, L (2020). 5 Exercises You Can Do at Home to Reduce Inflammation. Retrieved 6 January 2025 from https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7677835/5-exercises-you-can-do-at-home-to-reduce-inflammation/

Author: Ikenna Nathan Ojiegbe. First Published: 10th January, 2025. Last Updated: 21st March, 2025

Disclaimer:
The information is for the purpose of education only. It does not assess individual needs and does not constitute personal advice; hence, it should not replace professional consultations with your health care practitioner or trainer. This information should not be used to make health-related diagnoses or to treat any health problems. Consult with your health care provider before depending on any information in this article or on this website.