Gut Health – Rest & Play.
Movement isn’t just good for our muscles and the cardiovascular system it is also good for our Gut Health.
Studies show that taking in part in daily exercise, even just walking or cycling can increase your good bacteria.
Consistent exercise improves our gut health which improves our immune system which therefore helps us stay healthy.
Consistency is the key!
Researchers have found that those who included regular exercise or movement in their lifestyle increased their good bacteria over a six week period, however, they also found that the benefits didn’t last and the gut reverted to its prior state if the exercise didn’t continue.
How much is enough?
30 minutes a day is recommended. The Nhs website has some ideas to get you going.
- How much, structured, movement do you do currently per day?
- How could you increase this?
- What habits could you implement over the next 6 weeks to improve your gut health and then continue consistently – for life?
My advice is to take it one day at a time. Build slowly and consistently. Ensure that what you choose to do fits into your lifestyle OR make small changes to your lifestyle consistently to fit your new exercise/movement activities in.
What about sleep?
Sleep loss can almost immediately change the composition of your Gut Microbiome.
Everyone has an internal body clock. This circadian rhythm (also known as your sleep/wake cycle) is a natural, internal system that’s designed to regulate feelings of sleepiness and wakefulness over a 24-hour period.
Recent studies show that our gut bacteria play a huge role in regulating our body clock. Lack of sleep affects how well our microbes work.
Gastrointestinal issues can stop you from getting to sleep or wake you during sleep, so this is a vicious cycle.
Some good news is that feeding your gut bacteria with prebiotics as discussed in previous posts can actually help you to sleep.
Rest
Make sure you take time out during your day to rest. Just 5 minutes break sitting quietly, taking a short walk, stretching or a short meditation can help reset you to carry on with the activities of the day. Stress is a factor in Gut Health. Have you tried meditation?
There are so many free meditation resources out there, try Youtube or your favourite podcast provider. Try one, if you don’t like it, try a different one, there is plenty to suit all tastes! Just 5 minutes can have a restorative effect on your body.
The 4 Pillars of Health and Wellness
As you can see if you have followed this series of Gut Health posts, everything is interconnected.
- Nutrition
- Movement
- Rest & Recovery
- Emotional Health
It is a continuous cycle whereby you need to juggle all the balls all the time, keep everything in balance. Too much of one will lead to neglect of the other.
It isn’t easy but as a Nutrition and Life Balance coach, this is where I can help you.
If you are interested in finding out more, follow this link to arrange a FREE 3o minute consultation and find out how I can support you and help you achieve your health and wellness goals.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this series and have found the information I have shared on the topic of Gut Health helpful.
The Theme for March is Self Care. I will be looking at how this is an important part of the 4 Pillars and not something to do if you can find time!
With love, Sue x