How to improve your gut health

How to improve your gut health

Dealing with tummy troubles? We bet you’ve had a gutful of gastric distress. Did you know that your gut has a huge influence on your wellbeing? In fact, your gut plays a major part in both your physical and mental health. Here’s what you need to know to look after it and to reduce inflammation naturally.

Why gut health matters

Your gut breaks down food and absorbs nutrients into your body.

It does that using tiny living things called microbes, which live together in your microbiome. When your microbiome is off balance, it impacts your metabolism, as well as your immune system. 

Sometimes referred to as your “second brain,” your gut can also impact your mental health. So, like we said earlier, a healthy tummy can have substantial benefits to your wellbeing.

Feed your gut

How do we achieve balance in our microbiome? One word: variety. Your best diet for gut health includes a wide range of ingredients, which will give you a good mix of prebiotics and probiotics. 

Let’s talk prebiotics vs probiotics

Prebiotics are your microbes’ favourite food, and luckily, they are found in many good old fashioned fresh fruits and veggies. Getting your 5-a-day adequately feeds the good bacteria in our gut. 

Probiotics add more living microbes to your system. Think of fermented foods like kimchi, miso, and sauerkraut, as well as yoghurt and kefir.

Simple habits for better gut health

Stay hydrated

Water helps your gut digest your food. If you struggle to get enough water in each day, try motivational bottles, apps with reminders and personal challenges.

Eat a varied diet

Maintaining a healthy gut is all about striking the right balance. There’s no need to overhaul your whole diet. Instead try tiny tweaks which add up to make a big difference.  That could look like adding yoghurt to your muesli, or kimchi to your rice bowl. 

Stay active

We know you saw this coming, but staying active really does help your body function at its best. An exercise rut can affect your gut in many ways, including slowing digestion. Starting off with 30 minutes of exercise a day, can build regular habits. And for those who hate doing the same thing every day, Virgin Active’s class timetable has a range of exercise classes that we’re sure you’ll love. Go from boxing on Monday to yoga on Tuesday! 

Manage stress

Pay attention to that “nervous tummy.” Stress and anxiety can reduce the good bacteria and cause inflammation in your gut. Try breathing exercises as an simple and effective way to reduce stress and inflammation naturally. Trust us, your gut will thank you. 

What else can disrupt your gut? 

A highly processed diet is a big gut disruptor, so try to make the switch to more fresh and fermented foods. It might be tempting to follow trends and start fibremaxxing your gut into oblivion, but you can have too much of a good thing. Introduce new foods slowly and in moderation to give your gut some time to adjust.

Stress, lack of sleep and general inactivity can also wreak havoc on your poor tum, so don’t neglect exercise and mental health activities.

Trust your gut

Small, consistent habits and a varied diet can help your gut over time. Chat to your GP or nutritionist to tailor your best diet for gut health and talk to a Virgin Active trainer about an exercise plan that can help you feel you best – both inside and out.

Start looking after your gut today by grabbing a nutrient rich, balanced smoothie or meal from Kauai orÜ Health, at Virgin Active Australia.