As summer ends, it’s the perfect time to reset your health routines—starting with your gut. After months of indulgent BBQs and poolside cocktails, your body might need some love from the inside out. Let’s dive into actionable steps to help your gut flourish and elevate your fitness routine as you transition into the cooler months.
Gut Health: The Gateway to Overall Wellness
You’ve probably heard the saying, “You are what you eat,” but when it comes to gut health, our Head Coach on gut health says “You are what you can absorb”. The gut is often referred to as the “second brain” because it has a profound impact on everything from digestion to mental well-being. Poor gut health can lead to inflammation, fatigue, bloating, skin issues, and cognitive wellness. Naturally, if we’re not in the ‘right’ headspace often, our decisions around how we take care of ourselves might be affected. Hence, a relentless loop. Here’s how we can interrupt that cycle.
Actionables for Gut Health Reset:
- Prebiotics and Probiotics: Not all bacteria are bad! Prebiotics (fibers that feed good bacteria) and probiotics (beneficial bacteria) are key to a healthy gut. Before you go off and spend hundreds on supplements, remember that getting natural probiotics and prebiotics help build a solid foundation. Incorporate fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, sourdough bread, miso and aged cheese into your diet. If you’ve been on antibiotics, adding these foods is crucial for restoring gut flora balance.
- Bonus tip: Get creative when it comes to sprinkling these natural prebiotics and probiotics in every meal.
- Eat the Rainbow: Summer might have been full of colorful fruits, but don’t let that habit fall away. Research shows that consuming a variety of fiber-rich vegetables and fruits can increase the diversity of gut bacteria, essential for a healthy microbiome. This study found that a high-fiber, minimally processed diet reduces calorie absorption and promotes weight loss. Foods you can add to your plate that are high in fiber like leafy greens, berries, and legumes to help support regular digestion.
- Stay Hydrated: Dehydration during hot summer days affects digestion, making your gut sluggish. Drink to quench your thirst, and try to listen to your body to know the right amount of water intake for you. This can vary for everyone so it’s important to listen to your body and drink when you’re thirsty. This article interviewed Dr. Lela Ahlemann, a specialist in dermatology, proctology, and nutritional medicine to share her insights on the seven most common signs you’re not drinking enough water. Include hydrating foods like cucumbers and watermelon in your meals, as mentioned in this blog post. Hydration supports gut lining integrity, allowing nutrients to be better absorbed.
Strength Training: More Than Just Muscles
Strength training goes beyond just aesthetics. As we age, maintaining muscle mass is essential for metabolic health, injury prevention, and overall well-being. Muscle loss is a key indicator of longevity and wellbeing, especially when women experience menopause and men experience andropause (known as the ‘male menopause’). But did you know strength training is also a powerhouse for gut health? This study has found that the gut microbiome may influence performance in resistance training through the gut-muscle axis connection.
Actionables for Training:
- Move Strong and Sustainably: Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and push-ups engage multiple muscle groups and challenge your core, helping to improve both strength and gut health. If resistance training is new to you and you’re wondering how to start – begin with looking at your current lifestyle and where you can allocate dedicated training time. The next step is to have a plan with adjustability. Whether you’re splitting body parts to focus training on different days or opting for full-body workouts on each training day, the success of your ‘training split’ largely depends on your lifestyle and energy capacity. After all, the best plan is the one you can stick to sustainably.
- Frequency and Recovery: Aim for at least three strength training sessions a week, allowing time for recovery. Remember, recovery is where the magic happens. Ensure you’re getting enough protein to rebuild muscles and focus on sleep—more on that in Part Two! (To be released in our newsletter. Subscribe to our inside scoop here.)
- Integrate Mobility Work: Don’t skip this, thank us later. Post-training, spend 10-15 minutes on dynamic stretching or foam rolling to improve circulation and aid in gut mobility. Prefer something more playful and explorative? Experiment with a variety of movement based sessions that incorporates mobility exercises, like the Hong Kong Movement Practice. An agile body also helps ease digestion, reducing bloating and discomfort.
PART TWO of this post will be released in our newsletter “Becoming Limitless”. If you like in-depth insights on becoming your healthiest self, subscribe here.
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