The gut is also known as the second brain. The gut microbiome consists of over 100 trillion bacteria that affect our skin health, sex drive, energy levels, and hormone balance. In fact, the gut possesses its own nervous system, referred to as the enteric nervous system (ENS), which primary function is to regulate digestion. It is also closely connected to the brain.
It is crucial to keep bacteria living in your guts happy because they help regulate your immune system, mental health, and digestive system. Aside from probiotics, another viable way to keep the bacteria happy is through gut strengthening exercises.
What kind of exercise is good for the gut?
Research has shown that in addition to preventing heart diseases, cardiovascular exercises also boost gut bacteria strength. A strengthened gut bacteria promotes proper digestion, hormonal balance, and excellent mental health.
The simple exercises that can help boost your gut health include:
1. Walking
One of the easiest exercises suitable for gut health is brisk walking. Regularly practice taking a brisk walk in the morning, during a break at work, or in the evening. This exercise will immensely strengthen your got community. Brisk walking also helps regulate bowel contractions, so endeavor to engage in thirty minutes or more working constantly. It aids your digestion immensely and keeps your gut microbes happy.
2. Cycling
Riding a bike is an effective way to eliminate excess belly fats and improve your digestive health. Regular riding of bike smoothens your digestive function and boosts your health condition.
3. Yoga
Yoga is a gentle exercise that helps you slim down, tone up, and gets healthier. Various yoga poses are highly potent for relieving stress and fostering gut health. Also, yoga provides many benefits for digestive health. Yoga is perfect for adults and children. It stretches stomach muscles and helps improve intestinal mobility.
4. Crunches
Crunches promote gut health because it strengthens the abdominal muscles, and burns belly fat, which causes inflammation. Reduced inflammation makes your gut function more efficiently, and you prevent common digestive issues like gas and bloat. You can try out various forms of crunches like vertical leg crunches, long arm crunches, and reversal crunches for excellent gut health.
5. Breathing Exercise
Proper breathing is essential for optimal gut health and general well-being. Breathing exercise promotes good digestion, thereby preventing issues of heartburn, acid reflux, and bloating. Always sit up straight and inhale and exhale slowly. Be sure your abdomen is moving, not your chest. This indicates deeper diaphragmatic breathing, which helps manage stress, inflammation levels and improve digestion.
6. Tai Chi
This is a gentle exercise that originated from China. It is an exercise that can be used to treat many health issues like digestive problems. It helps relieve constipation and fosters proper digestion.
In conclusion, it’s fundamental to note that the key to ensuring any selected exercise has a positive impact on your gut is consistency. Select an activity you can keep at constantly not on that you stop doing after some time. Also, you could combine any of these exercises if you have the ability.