Gut Health Mini Series: Part Three

The last post in this mini series delved into the importance of hydration for gut health along with practical tips to increase fluid intake.

In part 3 of this gut health mini series, we are going to discuss the importance of movement and how regular, daily movement can significantly impact the health of your digestive system.

We can no longer ignore that exercise is good for us; there’s simply too much evidence to support its beneficial effects on our health and longevity, and there are too many people shouting about it for us to bury our heads in the sand and pretend we can’t hear them. But because movement and exercise isn’t directly related to what and how we eat, it can easily be dismissed as unrelated to gut health, however, there is an increasing amount of evidence that points to its helpful relationship to gut health especially in aiding motility.

Exercise can have a beneficial impact on the microbiome; a diverse world of microbes living within the gut. Studies such as this one,have shown that increases in exercise can actually increase the diversity of our microbes and can also increase the production of beneficial metabolites such as short chain fatty acids which in turn can improve the health of the gut lining!

Not only does exercise affect the microbiome but it also influences gut transit time, meaning stools pass through the gut quicker leaving less time for them to sit in the gut and promote bacterial overgrowth. Shorter transit times are generally associated with better health, more effective nutrient absorption and lower risks of constipation; a condition that impacts almost 15% of the UK population.

While we should all be getting a range of exercise which includes moderate and vigorous activity, light movement such as walking can have a positive effect on digestion and transit time. A walk first thing in the morning can help to get things moving, while a walk after a meal can help to relieve digestive upset such as gas and bloating. Yoga has also shown to be beneficial for digestion which is likely due to the many different poses it promotes throughout the practice including twists, inversions and forward folds as well as deep breathing into the belly.

More vigorous activity such as dancing, running and other high cardio activities are linked to lower levels of inflammation and improved mood as well as better digestive health according to studies.

Adding movement into your day has multiple benefits on your health, but we're now starting to understand how movement and exercise can influence the health of your gut which is super exciting!

Whether it’s a brisk morning walk or a twisty yoga flow, a sweaty HIIT session or a steady swim, your digestive system and your microbiome will thank you! How will you add in some more movement this week?