Your gut and your health
In Nutrition for Beauty, we consistently highlight the importance of gut health as a key factor affecting our overall well-being. This encompasses various aspects, including digestion and elimination, mental health, and more. While the concept of a healthy gut varies from person to person, it can be broadly categorized into two main components: physical care and mental/emotional well-being. Physical care involves practices like regular exercise and dietary choices, while mental/emotional well-being encompasses stress management, anxiety reduction, and adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors.
Taking care of your gut health through food and lifestyle could look like. Eating a varied and colorful diet that can provide adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals as well as fiber, probiotics, and prebiotics
- Moving your body regularly through exercise that works for you;
- Staying hydrated;
- Managing stress and anxiety, whether through meditation, breathwork, or meeting with a mental health professional regularly;
- Creating an environment that supports your well-being, including nurturing positive relationships and a safe and healthy home;
- Refraining from excessive alcohol consumption and smoking.
A combination of many or all of these things provides a solid foundation for a healthy gut microbiome.
Movement for a healthy gut
The amazing thing about movement and exercise is it can benefit both physical and mental health, especially gut health. Regular exercise reduces inflammation, the root cause of chronic health conditions such as metabolic syndrome (comprising of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer).
One big study actually demonstrates that exercise can positively influence the composition of bacteria residing in your gut microbiome, in addition to reducing inflammation markers. Inflammation is also associated with conditions like leaky gut syndrome, where the lining of your gut wall weakens and fails to safeguard your gut from substances that shouldn’t be present (such as harmful bacteria).
The gut, your primary source of the happiness hormone, serotonin, responsible for regulating mood, can be dysfunctional due to a poor diet or lack of physical activity. Consequently, your mental health can be negatively affected.
Four exercises to improve digestion and support gut health
Here are four of the best exercises that support a healthy and well-functioning microbiome. Before starting any new exercise regimen, especially if it’s more vigorous than your previous one, it’s essential to consult with your nutrition and health coach.
Yoga
Yoga, a mind-body practice that synchronizes breathing with movement, invites you to connect with your body’s sensations in space and within the corners of your yoga mat. While yoga generally promotes de-stressing, which is essential for gut health, certain yoga poses can specifically aid digestion and detoxification.
- Child’s pose (Balasana) – By letting your stomach relax between your legs, this pose can help ease any gut discomfort and can feel very soothing for your gut in general;
- Low lunge (Anjaneyasana) – Our bodies are interconnected systems of parts, particularly the muscles around our gut that influence digestion and gut health. As explained by celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor Kristin McGee, tight hip flexors can restrict the muscles in the abdomen, thereby hindering digestion. Conversely, a low lunge can stretch the hip flexors and alleviate some abdominal discomfort;
- Reclined revolved abdominal twist (Jathara Parivartanasana) – This pose is fantastic for promoting a healthy gut. The twisting action engages your abdominal muscles, enhancing circulation to vital organs. To do this, lie on your back with your arms in a T shape. Bring your bent knees to one side of your body, twisting your spine to stretch your back muscles while simultaneously stimulating your digestive tract;
- Seated spinal twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana) – By gently twisting from left to right, you apply gentle pressure to the organs that facilitate digestion and can stimulate proper peristalsis. Straining during any type of twist will be counterintuitive, though, so be careful not to overdo it.
Tai chi
Similar to yoga, tai chi is also regarded as a mind-body practice. Deeply rooted in Chinese philosophy, its primary objective is to enhance the circulation of qi (energy) throughout the body while simultaneously promoting balance. As a low-impact exercise, tai chi offers a wide range of health benefits, including improved strength, flexibility, balance, and proprioception, which is our body’s awareness of its position in space and tends to decline with age. Moreover, tai chi can help reduce stress, which can enhance immunity and support gut function!
Strength training
While high-impact exercises like cycling, running, and HIIT can actually slow down digestion, strength training can still provide a cardio boost without negatively impacting peristalsis (the movement of your intestinal tract for proper elimination). Engaging in high-impact exercise that elevates your heart rate for an extended period is still beneficial for your health, particularly heart health, if you’re able to do so. However, if you’re experiencing digestive issues like constipation, combining low-impact exercise with some strength training might be a more suitable approach.
Breathwork
Breathing, a fundamental aspect of our lives, often goes unnoticed and unappreciated. However, it’s surprising to learn that many individuals don’t breathe deeply enough to have a therapeutic impact on their gut health. Diaphragmatic breathing, a simple yet effective technique, can be incorporated into daily routines or used when experiencing acute discomfort. This technique involves inhaling deeply, allowing the belly to fully expand, and then exhaling, contracting the belly. By engaging in this rhythmic breathing pattern, the vagus nerve (a component of the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for rest and digestion) is activated. This leads to a reduction in muscle tension, particularly in the muscles responsible for digestion and elimination.
Finding exercises that work for your unique gut
Don’t be discouraged if an exercise you do often isn’t on this list. Exercise is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle. As long as you’re exercising safely, from monitoring your heart rate to paying careful attention to form, any exercise you choose to do can benefit your health. If you’ve never attempted the exercises we mentioned above, give them a try!
Or if you often opt for high-impact exercise, like HIIT or cycling, and notice you’re constipated, mix in some lower-impact workouts and see how you feel. Be sure to keep in mind how much water you’re drinking – make sure you’re staying adequately hydrated to support your exercise regimen, as well as support your gut microbiome and motility.
I have already addressed the importance of digestive health as we age. The holistic approach to health in Nutrition for Beauty means looking at every area of our well-being, not just the food on the table, but also as a means to how best to live a long, healthy, and happy life.
This is the key aspect of working toward a holistic perspective on a daily basis, which can help you understand how best to support your gut not only through food, but also through exercise, emotional and mental support, and other lifestyle practices.