It’s very easy for the gut microbiome to be thrown into disarray. Gut health is influenced by diet, lifestyle, stress, sleep, or substance abuse. That is not taking into consideration that some have gut issues because of the genes they have and their body composition. The gut bacteria are constantly playing a game of see-saw. When the beneficial bacteria are in plenty, gut inflammation is kept at bay, and the ensuing health problems do not show up. However, when the pathogenic bacteria are in charge, health begins to decline, and autoimmune diseases make an appearance. The latter situation is called dysbiosis. This affects the gut wall and its ability to stop toxins, bacteria, and undigested food particles from leaving the intestines. When these undesirables enter the bloodstream, you have leaky gut syndrome and the start of inflammation, here are the Signs and Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome that you should watch out for.
There are several signs of dysbiosis. You can use the following as a checklist.
- Acne, skin rashes, or psoriasis
- Joint aches and inflammation
- New food intolerances
- Gas and/or bloating
- Weight gain or loss
- Rectal/Vaginal itching
- Urination troubles
- Stomach cramps
- Chronic fatigue
- Heartburn and/or acid reflux
When dysbiosis is left unchecked, it lays the foundation for several chronic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, and several other medical conditions. In the long run, this will definitely affect your immune system, mental health, and sleep patterns. The smart move would be to arrest dysbiosis and make better gut health choices. Since the bacteria living in the gut are responsible for several health benefits, it is your responsibility to ensure that the bacteria have a healthy and amiable home. And there are several natural ways to do this.
Natural Ways to Prevent Digestive Issues and Boost Great Gut Health
The first step to restoring gut health is to do so naturally. Instead of running to doctors and swallowing pills, a natural reset works better and is the start of a lifetime of good habits.
- More Plant Foods: Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains have a high nutritional value and have several health benefits for the body and the gut microbiota. These foods are also high in fiber – which is what the good bacteria use as food. Plant-based foods are also rich in polyphenols which aid in keeping the body and the gut microbiota healthy. But here is a list of vegetables that are considered bad for your gut, and thus should strictly be avoided for gut health.
- Probiotic Foods: Foods that include live bacterial cultures are best for keeping the good bacteria numbers up. Fermented foods are an extremely rich source of probiotics. Find out the difference and importance of Probiotics and Prebiotics for your Gut.
- Limit Fats: A high-fat diet is not good for cardiovascular health and the gut. Omega 3 and omega 6 fats are good for you – they can be found in low-mercury fish, nuts, and olive oil.
- No to the Sweet: Artificial sweeteners and gut bugs are not on friendly terms. This is true also for sugar on the whole. Sugar is a source of nutrition for unfriendly or harmful bacteria and they hurt the gut. Staying away from soft drinks, candy and sweets would help keep metabolic disease away.
- Antibiotic Use: Antibiotic medication cannot differentiate between good and bad gut bacteria. Once it is in your system it destroys bacterial strains regardless of their contribution. Take antibiotics only when unavoidable.
- Stress: It is always good to keep stress in check as it can disturb the microorganisms in the gut. And stress also affects sleep. When the circadian rhythm of the body is disrupted, it influences gut health as well.
- Dental Hygiene: The mouth is the entry point of all bacteria. When dental hygiene is checked, it can help decrease the number of bad bacteria in the gut. Brush and floss often.
- Exercise: You may not believe it but exercise can influence the gut and digestive health. Let’s take a closer look at this.
Exercise Benefits Gut Health?
Gut health is not a new concept which is why there are several approaches to keeping the digestive system in shape. Diets, foods, supplements, potions, and several other methods have been proposed to keep the digestive tract hearty. Exercise has proven to be a rather beneficial approach to gut health.
If you were looking for another reason to hit the gym, you have it now. Exercise can change the composition of the gut microbiome. Research has proven that as little as six weeks of exercise can have a massive impact on the gut makeup and its health.
- The researcher discovered that cardiovascular exercises along with abdominal muscle crunches and certain yoga poses could not only improve digestion but changed the gut composition in most of the subjects.
- Participants experienced an increase in the bacteria that create short-chain fatty acids – reducing the risk of inflammatory diseases.
- A decrease was also found in the bacteria that affect the gut wall through the excretion of cytotoxins.
The study concluded by stating that regular high-impact exercise positively impacts the gut microbiome and overall bodily well-being as well. The study also stated that the gut microbiome only showed positive changes while the subjects were engaged in exercise regimes. Once they returned to their sedentary behavior and lifestyle, the gut environment reverted to its previous state.
There is also a school of thought that propounds that the gut microbiota doesn’t directly respond to exercise but is affected by the bodily changes that occur after high-intensity exercise bouts. Exercise is good for the body – it reduces the risk of heart disease, curbs the development of obesity, prevents insulin resistance, and helps to eliminate toxins from the body. It is a possibility that the gut microbiota is affected by these changes in the body and not the exercise per se.
You and your gut bacteria share a symbiotic relationship. You provide an environment conducive to bacterial health and the bacteria supply your body with fatty acids, vitamins, and amino acids – all of which support a healthier body. Exercise can hasten this process by increasing the number of friendly bacteria in the gut.
Whatever the reason, your gut and the body, as a whole, positively respond to exercise. So, let’s get moving.
Some Added Health Advice
When you begin to exercise, a lot is going on at the same time- there is a redistribution of blood flow, more oxygen reaches the brain and there is more oxygen in the blood, your body temperature goes up and there is a release of endorphins into the bloodstream. All of these changes positively influence the gut microbiota and the bacteria that live there. This, in turn, aids healthy digestion, supports the immune system and improves mood.
Before we move on to the exercises that can aid digestion and gut health, you must understand that exercise alone cannot do much. Exercise must be bolstered with a healthy diet and a modified lifestyle. It is only then that gut health can recover. Also, certain things must be kept in mind before you begin exercising for gut health.
- Staying indoors while you exercise might defeat the purpose of improving diversity in the gut microbiota. Exposure to various ecosystems and the bacteria that live there is critical to changing the composition of the gut. Use parks, beaches, fields, or, if strained for natural ecosystems, the roof.
- Nothing is fixed overnight, therefore, begin slow and small. Asking your body to do 25 abdominal crunches on day 1 is slightly unfair. Start the regime by just warming up or by doing just leg lifts while lying down on your yoga mat. Give your body time to adjust to a moderate exercise routine before you start a high-intensity workout.
- For gut health, cardio works better than resistance training.
- “I’ll do it tomorrow.” – this won’t do anymore. For exercise to have any real impact on health and the gut, you need to be consistent and regular.
Best Exercises for Gut Health
The best exercises are usually the simplest ones. And for most of them, all you need is an exercise mat.
- Walking
One of the easiest things to fit into your hectic day. Just don’t take the car. Taking a walk to the grocery store or the bank can easily be done. You could even go for a walk during lunch hour. For it to be effective, walk for at least 30 minutes and stay hydrated. Walking aids the digestion process and it can help to regulate bowel movements. When walking, the digestive tract is stimulated to contract to have food or waste make its way through the intestines. You would see fewer incidents of gas, bloating, and constipation. Walking is especially good for those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. - Cycling
Apart from burning stubborn belly fat and gaining stronger legs, cycling can promote digestive health. It is a smoother option for exercise which is why it could calm the stomach down and aid gut health. A study conducted on women showed that when engaged in high-intensity interval training, cycling not only improved overall fitness but also boosted certain gut microbes like Akkermansia – which can protect the gut lining and control gut permeability. Cycling can even improve the consistency of stool making it easier to pass. - Crunches
Crunches are the easiest way to get your abdominal muscles back in shape. There is a technique to doing them. If not done properly you could end up hurting your back.
Also known as sit-ups, this exercise routine can tone your core and abdominal muscles and strengthen your abdomen. It also supports intestinal function and bowel movement.
This is the exercise to try when you feel backed up and unable to eliminate. If you have a visceral fat issue as well, this should be your go-to exercise. All you need is an exercise mat but don’t forget to warm up beforehand. - Pilates
If you are new to the exercise scene, you may not be familiar with Pilates. Developed by German instructor, Joseph Pilates, this exercise affects whole-body strength and core strength. It is a method to improve general fitness, posture, flexibility, and balance and they work on stomach muscles too. Pilates can even influence gut health and it does so by encouraging deep breathing and most exercises massage the stomach organs. There are four exercise routines you could follow. - Pelvic Clocks: This routine involves your pelvis and using it to touch the numbers of the imaginary clock in front of you.
- Criss-Cross: An excellent detoxing method for the elimination of digestive tract issues, Criss-Cross involves touching your elbows to your knees while lying down.
- Roll up: This helps to improve core strength and stretch out your stomach.
- Bridge: Bridge requires you to form a bridge with your pelvis while keeping your head, shoulders, and feet firmly planted on your exercise mats. If have not engaged in Pilates before, have someone spot you for the first few days.
- Yoga
Originating from India, Yoga is a form of exercise that is slow, and low-intensity but effective. Yoga provides quick and gentle relief from digestive disorders. Even if you do not have any digestion problems, yoga can improve the process on the whole. Because yoga calms you down, the gut-brain axis picks up on this serenity. This provides the gut bacteria with a calmer environment. Those with inflammatory bowel disease find that yoga was able to reduce the severity of the symptoms. Several poses aid digestion and relief from digestive issues and you could find them here:
- Aerobics
Overall health is benefitted when you engage in aerobics. It is the best cardio workout you could wish for. - Aerobics helps you tone your stomach muscles and physical activity can help you with issues like chronic inflammation, obesity, visceral belly fat, and digestion.
- Aerobics also helps you deal with stress as it can lead to the release of endorphins.
- Moreover, aerobics can improve transient stool time – the time taken for stool to move through your system, eliminating problems like gas or constipation.
With several health benefits, it is comparatively easier to do. However, start at your own pace. You could do this activity at home with the help of a video like this.
- Breathing Exercises
Diaphragmatic breathing, as it is called, has proven to have several health benefits; - One of which is gut health and digestion.
- It is also great to keep stress under control. It helps the parasympathetic nervous system calm the body down from a state of high alert. Since stress negatively affects gut health, breathing exercises can only help.
Moreover, using breathing techniques when experiencing gas or stomach upsets seems to have a calming effect. Breathing helps the muscles used for digestion and elimination relax, which could ease cramps. For more breathing techniques that could aid the digestive system go to.
When you hear the term exercise, do not restrict yourself to activities like the ones mentioned above. You can also engage in martial arts like karate, jiujitsu, or Krav Maga. If you live in a multi-story building or house, use the stairs. If you are a homemaker, doing household jobs like laundry or swabbing the floors; even rocking your little one to sleep could benefit overall health.
What Else Can Exercise Do for You?
You now know how regular exercise can influence gut health and the digestive system. But the human health benefits of exercise aren’t restricted to just that. High-intensity workouts or cardiovascular workouts can influence the way you live and could lead to several positive outcomes:
- Weight loss: Exercise keeps obesity and weight gain at bay. This helps the bacteria in the gut to work better. Also, obesity often negatively impacts gut microbiota compositions.
- Improved blood flow: When exercising the whole body receives more blood – more oxygen, and more nutrients. You are looking at increased energy, strength, and a healthier body.
- Freedom from disease: Exercise reinforces the gut, which supports the immune system. You would be healthier than before and have even lesser sick days.
- Great Mood: Because of the endorphins released into the bloodstream, your mood would be better than ever before. Exercise also doubles up as a release for stress and aggression. You would even find yourself a lot more motivated than before.
- Sleep & sex: Exercise would improve the quality of both.
Supplementation Recommendations
- As you engage in gut-friendly exercises to stimulate digestion and enhance microbial diversity, consider supporting your routine with Biotics 8. This supplement works with physical activity to nourish your gut microbiome, ensuring your efforts in physical fitness translate into microbial health.
- Incorporating Yourbiology Gut+ into your wellness journey, especially for women who are active, can be a strategic move. It’s tailored to support the distinct physiological demands placed on the female body during exercise, providing a solid foundation for gut health that complements your gut workout regimen.
Reinforcing the Benefits of Regular Exercise
If improving gut health is the aim then there are certain things that you can do to ensure that you get the maximum health benefits for all the sweat you lose.
- Keep yourself hydrated. For the digestive system to work properly, it needs water and you lose quite a bit when exercising. Sports drinks are ok, now and then. But they are loaded with caffeine and sugar – both of which are not appreciated by gut microbes. Water is the best drink.
- Human health is not achieved with exercise alone. Diet is important too. Processed foods, unhealthy fats, high sugar intake, or heavy red meat intake would do a number on your arteries but would also undo all the benefits of exercise. For a while, at least, stick to steamed, low-fat veggies. And check out the List of Digestive Superfoods, that can be easily added to your daily diet.
- Calm down. We all live hectic lives and sometimes exercise just adds to the pressure. Stress is not good for you, your immune system, or your gut health. Meditate, spend time with friends or talk to your cat – do whatever makes you feel happy.
- There are times when failing digestive health is a symptom of other medical problems. Get a physical check-up done. Just to make sure that your gut health issue is only that and nothing more.
With a healthy diet augmented with exercise and clean living, you should be able to help your digestive system out, and also gut health supplements can also be added to speed up the process, here are the 10 Best Leaky Gut Supplements, also known as Gut Health Supplements that you learn about today. There is no rush and this is not a race. Remember to take it at your own pace – start small with a brisk walk and eventually work up to HIIT. You should see positive outcomes in about six weeks; but only if you are regular and honest about following through with the commitment you’ve made to improve your digestive health.