Exercise & Gut Health

Gut health stems from more than just what you‚re eating and drinking. Your gut is directly impacted by your overall physical health. By letting this aspect of your life slip can result in an unbalanced gut. So what can you do to bring your gut back into balance?

Movement

If you‚re like most of us, you work in an environment that is not conducive to movement. Many of us sit in our cars, at our desks, and home. Maybe if we‚re lucky, we have an hour or so that we can dedicate ourselves to exercise. We need to make sure that the small amount of time that we commit to exercise is as efficient as possible. According to astudyconducted over six weeks by the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Turku in Finland, an increase in endurance exercises, with no other changes to lifestyle, resulting in a decrease in proteobacteria- a gut bacteria that has the potential to increase inflammation. Exercise also increased Akkermansia, a bacteria that is associated with a better metabolism. Anotherstudyhas suggested that Akkermansia may be the key to fighting obesity. So what are endurance (aerobic) exercises, and how can you incorporate them into your regular exercise routine? We‚ve outlined some simple moves below to help you get started:

• Walking at a swift pace
• Running or jogging
• Dancing
• Swimming
• Biking
• Taking the stairs
• Sports such as Tennis, Basketball, Soccer or Football

Small changes in your routine can make an impact on your overall health, and in turn, your gut health. Taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator, taking a brisk walk during lunch, or adding a physical hobby like Tennis are all ways to help increase your endurance. So how much exercise do you need to make a real impact on your health? The American Heart Association recommends starting with 10-15 minutes a day and building up slowly from there. As always, please make sure that you check with your primary care physician before adding exercises to your routine.

Gut/Weight Connection

We mentioned earlier that studies have shown that Akkermansia, a strain of good gut bacteria, can help fight off obesity. So what is the connection between gut health and your weight? Having healthy gut bacteria enables you to absorb more nutrients from the food you eat. It also helps keep hormones in check and your blood sugar in a healthy range. Having a healthy diet is essential to maintaining a healthy weight. If your body is unable to absorb the nutrients from the food you‚re eating, then you are not reaping the full benefits of your healthy choices. In addition to nutrient-dense foods, you can include fermented foods, such as kefir or kombucha, that contain probiotic strains to help balance your gut bacteria. Balancing your gut bacteria can help to heal your intestinal lining and improve your ability to absorb nutrients from all of your healthy eating habits. This ensures that your body can both use those nutrients to make energy to sustain your workouts, as well as repair itself after your workout is complete. Supporting healthy gut bacteria through regular exercise, nutrient-dense food choices, and adequate sleep and water intake can help to maintain a healthy weight, and assist you in reaching your fitness goals. If you‚re looking for a gut-healthy shopping list, we have compiled oneherefor you.

Give Your Microbes A Boost

Aside from practicing regular aerobic exercise, there are several other ways you can support your gut microbiome. We‚ve included some quick tips for you below:

• Eat seasonal, organic, and local. Shopping your farmers market or local organic options in your grocery store are easy ways to ensure that you are getting fresh, seasonal food.
• Be mindful of chemicals in your makeup, skincare, detergents, hand soaps, and lotions. Your skin is your largest organ, and it is often an afterthought when it comes to exposure to harmful chemicals. Staying mindful of what you put on your body is equally as crucial to be aware of what goes inside.
• Add a probiotic to your diet, like the strains found in ourDigestive Vibranceformula. The 12 strains in Digestive Vibrance are scientifically formulated to help repair the gut and support digestion.

Final Thoughts

There is a delicate equilibrium inside our bodies. Getting enough (aerobic) exercise, getting adequate sleep, eating nutrient-dense foods, and drinking enough water are all critical in cultivating and maintaining a healthy gut. Read more about how to improve sleep here. DISCLAIMER: This information is not intended as a substitute for advice provided by a competent health care professional. You should not use this information in diagnosing or treating a health problem. No claim or opinion in this blog is intended to be, nor should be construed to be, medical advice. If you are now taking any drugs, prescribed or not, or have a medical condition, please consult a competent physician who is aware of herb/drug interactions before taking any herbal supplements. The information presented herein has not been evaluated by the FDA or the Department of Health and is not intended to diagnose, prevent, cure, mitigate or treat any disease or illness.