What Exercise Has to do with Gut Health

Exercise isn’t all about the physical. It goes far beyond muscle tone and calories burned. Exercise affects your whole body, including your gut. Professional athletes show a much more diverse microbiome than their non-exercising counterparts of similar age and weight.

The Gut microbiome it’s affected but numerous factors, from the way we were born, our diet in infancy and adulthood, medications, age genetics, and many other factors. But there are many ways we can improve our gut health including probiotics and prebiotic which I’ve written in previous posts. And another important way is by exercising.

Recent studies suggest that exercise can increase the number of beneficial microbial species and improve the microflora diversity. All these effects are beneficial for the host, us, improving our health status.

They also determine that exercise is able to enrich the microflora diversity; to improve the type of bacteria that could potentially contribute to help us lose weight.

Moving your body helps stimulate the lymphatic system, the system that helps your body to remove toxins and maintain a healthy circulation. Other ways to stimulate the lymphatic system include massage and dry brushing, but exercise is highly effective and has other benefits like boosting mood and cardiovascular health.

Exercise and Gut Health

Exercise helps gut flora by modulating it and increasing diversity. It helps with detoxification and increasing oxygen levels which can help boost energy, a common issue with anyone trying to repair their digestion. When the powerful mood boosting effects of exercise meet those of a healthy microbiome, something amazing happens. We take back our power and realize that feeling food is in our hands.

However, we must keep in mind that while you’re exercising, your body is busy pumping extra blood to feed your working muscles. So, this leaves other systems in your body at lower priority. Digestion tends to occur when you are “resting.” When you exercise, your body switches to “fight or flight” mode, which causes your blood to flow more toward your limbs, facilitating movement.

For some, depending on intensity, this may cause a bit of an upset stomach. My advice is that if you are planning to get some sweat, do it at least an hour after your meal or if your prefer, on an empty stomach.

The good news is that exercise is one of the best ways to reduce constipation and support regularity.

Do something you love

But let’s face it, when you’re suffering from digestive distress, it’s not exactly exciting to go to the gym or workout really hard. That’s fine because all that’s really needed is a brisk walk, a swim, just something to get your blood flowing and your heart rate up. The most important thing is just to move in a way that makes you happy and your gut will be happy too.

If you’re seriously interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy then check out my new comprehensive program Reset and Restore 8-week Gut Health Course that I’m putting together and soon will be available for you to join, details here. In the program, you get a ton of delicious satisfying recipes as well as strategies that will help rebuild your intestinal flora.

Or join me on my FREE Facebook group where I’ll be sharing more information, tips and recipes to help you live a happier and Thrive!.

Love & Wellness