I need exercise in my life and my absolute favourite is cardio. It’s only recently that I’ve understood why it’s important to include a variety of types of exercise in terms of gut health. No more doing only adrenalin pumping cardio, for me!
Exercise & the gut – what’s the connection?
Daily physical activity helps keep us regular. Keeping regular is important – you don’t want to keep hold of your waste for any longer than necessary. Exercise helps your intestines naturally contract and pass out waste. Therefore, exercise plays a huge role in keeping your digestive system working.
It has been shown that, exercising for 30 minutes, three days a week, for six weeks straight, can increase certain microbes in your gut that help reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases as well as type II diabetes.
But why the need for a variety of exercise?
During high intensity workouts, blood moves from your digestive tract to your muscles, to power you through. The knock-on effect is that your digestive system slows down. If you are prone to digestive issues, you may be better off choosing low-intensity exercise alongside an effective probiotic.
Exercise such as yoga and Pilates can help heal your gut microbiome (your collection of bacteria) through stress reduction.
High intensity exercise can cause inflammation. If your gut microbiome is balanced & happy, then a little bit of inflammation can actually be beneficial.
When your body tries to deal with this inflammation it not only contributes to increased performance, but also boosts your immune system. How cool is that!?
A massive 80 percent of your immune system is found in your gut; the exercise-gut connection is a wonderful thing.
Over 100 trillion good & bad bacteria live in your gut and they contribute to preventing disease and improving your overall health. So let’s think about this…..consistent exercise improves your gut health, which in turn improves your immune system, which keeps you healthy.
What a lush thought to have in mind during those pre-exercise nerves or that conversation in your head about whether to get up early to fit in your workout for the day!
Finding the right balance for you is key. Combining gentle exercise to keep the stress hormones under control, as well as active exercise to keep the body fit with a strong immune system, sounds like a beautiful plan.