
Health
Exercise & Gut Health
April
11,
2019
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
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.