While all of these things are certainly indicators and tools for health and wellness, there is onehuuugean often overlooked contributor – your gut. You may not be able to see it, measure it on a scale, or record it in a workout log, but your gut actually affects many areas of our overall health. Does that sound important? The answer is, yes. So, to help you keep your gut healthy and happy, I’ve put together some of the best things you can do.
Hydration, Hydration, Hydration.Drink 2-3 liters of water every day!
One of the best places to start is to make it a habit to drink 2-3 liters of water every day! Dehydration is a major cause of occasional constipation and is your gut’s way of telling you it needs water. Water helps move waste through your digestive system, flushes out toxins, and really makes your whole body work better.
While there may be other factors in digestion problems, increasing water intakeisis associated with a healthier gut and bowel movements.
Eat a diet rich in probiotics.
You have hundreds of different types of microorganisms in your gut, called the gut flora. Your gut flora also has good and bad bacteria that need to be kept in balance for overall health, and the foods you eat play an important role in the balance of these bacteria. Foods rich in probiotics can help keep everything in balance, while the wrong foods can cause an imbalance that can lead to many other health problems and leave your body open to disease. Probiotics, whether taken in a capsule or through probiotic-rich foods, can also help with maintenance.
Fermented foods such as kombucha, sauerkraut, kefir and yogurt are excellent sources of probiotics.
Footnote –Limiting alcohol is also a very good call… I know?
Take your time at the table.
Digestion begins long before food reaches your stomach – it actually starts in your mouth! Saliva plays a key role in digestion and when you chew slowly, your body is able to produce more of it. Saliva contains enzymes that help break down your food, so the more saliva you let your body produce, the better it can digest and absorb the nutrients from whatever you eat!
We live in such a busy, fast-paced world, and taking time out while eating can feel impossible at times. But while it’s such a small change in your habits, it can help your gut a lot!
Stock in sleep.
You may never know it, but sleep and your gut health go hand in hand, influencing each other. If you’re not getting the right nutrition, which leads to digestive problems, it can be harder to get a good night’s sleep each night, which could lead to other health problems. Crazy cycle, right?! If you’re stuck in this poor diet-poor sleep cycle, the best way to stop and get your body back on track is to focus on nutrition first (go back and read #2 for help with this!) and prioritize sleep . Every body is different, but I always recommend 7 or 8 hours a night, at least. Just because you can “function” on 5 hours of sleep doesn’t mean your body only needs 5 hours a night! Remember that sleep is the only time our body can regenerate, so the more time you give it, the more it is able to do this!
You may never know it, but sleep and your gut health go hand in hand, influencing each other. If you’re not getting the right nutrition, which leads to digestive problems, it can be harder to get a good night’s sleep each night, which could lead to other health problems. Crazy cycle, right?! If you’re stuck in this poor diet-poor sleep cycle, the best way to stop and get your body back on track is to focus on nutrition first (go back and read #2 for help with this!) and prioritize sleep . Every body is different, but I always recommend 7 or 8 hours a night, at least. Just because you can “function” on 5 hours of sleep doesn’t mean your body only needs 5 hours a night! Remember that sleep is the only time our body can regenerate, so the more time you give it, the more it is able to do this!
Lift your gut.
I’ve dealt with occasional constipation my whole life (TMI, butso muchimportant) and I know how much it can affect my overall well-being. I’m a big believer in starting from the inside out. Fueling your body with the right kinds of foods, slowing down, staying hydrated, getting plenty of sleep and exercising regularly affect your gut in the best ways and can be a complete game changer. but sometimes you can do iteverythingcorrectly and still occasionally experience constipation. So when this happens to me (and it does sometimes – especially during busy travel periods), I use a non-stimulant laxative like Dulcolax Liquid to help. Tools like this are amazing for relieving my body of occasional constipation and are vital to getting my body back on track when it’s dealing with the rough stuff. It’s smooth and it workswithfor my body to create a solution to my temporary digestive jam without making me feel out of control.
Now that you have the tools you need to start prioritizing a healthy gut, you can incorporate these easy things into your routine and start seeing results for yourself! We’ve all heard ‘beauty starts from within’, but I bet you had no idea just how much! I wish you a happy and healthy gut, baby! It will make the world of difference!