Exercises for a Slimmer waist and Stronger Gut Microbiome
While many of us exercise to slim down our waistlines, we may not realize just how beneficial this is for our gut microbiomes. Following exciting new research studies, many people have started to turn their attention away from their waist circumference and are focusing on their gut health instead. We’re learning more every day about the gut’s influence over the entire body, including the brain, and that it can also be influenced by a number of factors, not just the food and drinks we eat and consume.
The Power of the Gut
There are trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa in the gastrointestinal tract. Collectively, they make up what is called the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome plays unique roles in digesting food, stimulating the development of neurotransmitters, helping control the immune system, and may even influence our mood, energy, weight, blood sugar, inflammation, and help prevent the onset of certain diseases. Without getting too deep into the nitty-gritty (if that’s what you want, check out this episode of The Healthy Gut Podcast), what you need to know is that nearly every health goal could and possibly should start with an emphasis on the gut.
Of course, not all bacteria are welcome visitors to the gut. When we eat a wide variety of foods containing pre and probiotics, limit the consumption of added and unnecessary sugars, exercise regularly and keep antibiotic use to a minimum, “good” gut bacteria can flourish and our little ecosystems are happy and healthy. When this delicate balance becomes uneven, “bad” bacteria can start to take over and impede healthy function in the rest of the body. There’s literally a never-ending battle between good and evil going on in the GI tract.
While diet is the most prominent influencer of our gut health, new studies have pointed to exercise as a great method of improving gut composition.
Why the Gut Loves a Good Workout
Numerous new studies have pointed to exercise as a way to increase the diversity of microbiota and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. One particular study called “The athletic gut microbiome” compared the gut microbiomes of athletes and professional rugby players to those of sedentary individuals who perform little to no daily exercise. Though the results could also be due in part to diet, the results showed “significantly greater intestinal microbial diversity among the athletes” than the sedentary individuals. The athletes also had higher counts of short-chain fatty acids, some of which have been linked to decreased inflammation, improved gut health, and decreased risk of obesity. The athletes also showed increased production of amino acids and improved carbohydrate metabolism which fuels the body throughout the day and especially during exercise.
Another 2017 study conducted on women found that just three hours of light exercise per week increased levels of beneficial bacteria such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Roseburia hominis, which are linked to reducing inflammation, and Akkermansia muciniphila which is associated with lean BMIs.
So here’s the scoop. When paired with a healthy and diverse diet, exercise can be another effective way to strengthen your gut microbiome and increase its biodiversity. This has benefits for your overall mental and physical health and may even benefit your physical and athletic performance as well.
Related article: HIIT vs Long distance cardio for Fat loss
Guts to Glory: Exercises for a Slimmer waist and Stronger Gut Microbiome
Studies have linked microbiota composition to cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy young adults and may be an indicator of the types of workouts that can strengthen the gut. If you want to optimize your workouts for better gut health, here’s where to start:
Keep strength training low to moderate intensity and low impact: During strenuous or high-intensity workouts like HIIT and circuit training, blood flow is diverted from your digestive tract to your muscles in order to keep you firing on all cylinders. Though necessary for crushing your PR and breaking a sweat, this shift in blood flow can cause digestive issues after your workout. By all means, lift weights, just take it slow and with sufficient rest time between sets and exercises.
Related Article: Rep ranges for fitness goals - should you go high, medium or low
Endurance over speed: Cardio is a must for good gut health. Similar to how HIIT can redirect blood flow away from the gut, so can sprints. Aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as hiking, brisk walking, cycling, and endurance running every week. This type of moderate-intensity exercise can also stimulate intestinal contractility, helping to pass stool through the colon and relieve GI stress.
Related Article: Take a hike, lose some weight: Strategies to burn fat while hiking
Crunch it out: Abdominal exercises like traditional crunches, situps, vertical leg crunches, reverse crunches, and Russian twists can help bring blood flow back to your core. A six-pack and strengthened gut microbiota? I’m in!
Yoga: Certain yoga poses can help stretch out the stomach, improve digestion, and even burn stubborn belly fat. The boat pose, seated side bend, child's pose, supine spinal twist, cat-cow, downward and upward dog, and bow pose are all great for strengthening tummy muscles and improving digestion.
Consistency is key: The same studies that found the impressive benefits of exercise for the gut microbiome also pointed out that once exercise ceases, gut health reverted back to its original state. So, whether you’re looking to build bulging biceps, reduce your waist size or for better gut health, make sure to make exercise a priority long term.
Add a pre and probiotic to your diet: Prebiotics feed probiotics and healthy bacteria in your gut. Whether in supplement form or through your diet, prebiotics are a necessary precursor to probiotics. Performance Lab’s Prebiotic is a 2-in-1 probiotic + soluble fiber supplement. On top of delivering new “good” bacteria to the gut, it’s filled with fiber to support digestion, immune function, fat loss and more that you don’t get from probiotics alone.
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References
Studies by National Library of Medicine:
The athletic gut microbiota
Differences in gut microbiota profile between women with an active lifestyle and sedentary women
