The Pursuit of Happiness

Do you know where serotonin (the happiness hormone) lives in your body? Your gut microbiome houses 95% of what I call my favorite hormone. So right there in the old bread basket is where your happiness, sex drive, sleep health, and mental health hold space. Maybe that is why comfort food is so comforting. You may be wondering what is a healthy gut microbiome and how do I get one or is my gut already healthy? Let’s unpack this and come up with some strategies for improving or maintaining a healthy gut microbiome.

health·y – adjective- in good health “I feel fit and healthy”

gut – noun- the stomach or belly

mi·cro·bi·ome – noun- the microorganisms in a particular environment (including the body or a part of the body)

A Tale of Two Brains

Healthy is an individual feeling. Its outward appearance can look different from person to person but inwardly it is an overall feeling of well-being. Thousands of years ago Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors recognized the importance of a healthy digestive system to overall health since the production of “Qi” vital energy for the body relies on healthy gut conditions. Western medicine has begun to study the connections between the mind and gut calling gut flora “the second brain.” What are some things we can do daily to nourish our guts?

Staying hydrated

This is such a crucial step and one of the easiest to master. It can begin as simple as having a glass of water before you have a cup of coffee in the morning, switching out the diet soda at lunch for a glass of water, to having a glass of water with dinner before you finish with a glass of wine. Water just makes everything work better and you will see results in the quality of your skin, how shiny your hair is, the ease of eliminations, and better sleep.

Eat the Rainbow

Unfortunately, I do not mean the popular hard candy. On your plate make sure there is a variety of colors. A colorful diet can provide adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals as well as fiber, probiotics, and prebiotics.

No Stress, Baby

No stress… even I roll my eyes at this statement but there are several ways to manage stress and managing stress is so very crucial to your overall health. Recently I finished “The Book of Moods” by Lauren Martin, a good read I highly recommend it. Lauren recalled meeting a 70’s something colleague for the first time and marveling at how amazing she looked. Out of this meeting, my takeaway was the way the colleague looked at her to-do list as “things she gets to do not things she has to do.” Let that sink in for a minute while you take some deep breaths in through your nose with the back of your throat open. Breathe deep into your gut and hold it then slowly let it release through your nose. Try this a couple of times and note how you feel. Meditation is also a solid practice for dealing with stress. Find what relaxes you and take time throughout your day to take a moment and de-stress especially when you start to feel a tension in your shoulders. Keep in mind that unless your shorts are on fire there is nothing so pressing that you can’t press the pause button for a couple of minutes for some self-care.

Dailies

Moving your body regularly through exercise really is fundamental. Over the past 3 years, I have tried and failed to prove this statement as false. Exercise had always been a part of my day. As a kid I played, hiked, ran, barefoot in the woods behind my North Carolina home. In high school, I weight trained and became a bodybuilder. In adulthood after the kids went to bed, I would hit the Stairmaster and the exercise ball. In my 40’s I am struggling to find a routine I enjoy that I can stick with and through this struggle, I have watched my overall health decline and my mid-section expand.

We all want to be healthy, fit, feel good in our clothes but physical fitness and the routines designed around it are not one size fits all. Exercise has to be personal and enjoyable. I am a gamer you can follow my gaming life on Twitter @LadyGamerMom. Last Christmas my wonderful family gifted me with a Nintendo Switch. My birthday falls in January and I gifted myself the “Ring Fit Adventure.” I love it! I am gaming and working up a sweat 2 things I love.

The key points are:

· Exercise is crucial to balancing hormones and having more Serotonin.

· Don’t get discouraged keep searching until you find a routine you love.

· Remember we want to be healthy not an Instagram model. Don’t stress this.

Some Suggestions

I have been taking health coach courses from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and I love it. Below is an excerpt from an IIN Blog post entitled “Four Exercises to Support Your Gut Microbiome” written by Nina Zorfass. Nina holds a bachelor’s in dietetics, nutrition, and food sciences from the University of Vermont and is a graduate of IIN’s Health Coach Training Program.

These are her suggestions for healthy gut exercises. Perhaps you will find something you love.

Four exercises to improve digestion and support gut health

Here are four of the best exercises that support a healthy and well-functioning microbiome. Be sure to check with your healthcare practitioner before starting a new exercise regimen, especially if it’s more vigorous than your previous regimen:

Yoga

Yoga connects breath with movement and is a mind-body practice that encourages you to tune in to how your body feels in space and within the corners of your yoga mat. In general, yoga can be an opportunity to de-stress, which is important for gut health, but there are several specific yoga poses that can promote digestion and detoxification:

Child’s pose – By letting your stomach relax between your legs, this pose can help ease any gut discomfort and can feel very soothing for your gut in general.

Low lunge – Our body is an interconnected system of parts, especially the muscles around our gut that can impact digestion and gut health. According to Kristin McGee, celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor, tight hip flexors can restrict the muscles in the abdomen and thus restrict digestion. A low lunge can stretch the hip flexors and relieve some abdominal discomfort.

Reclined revolved abdominal twist – “This is a great pose to help promote a healthy gut!” says Jacqui Bongiovani, RYT 200 and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. “The twisting action wrings your abdominal muscles, improving circulation to vital organs.” The post is done by lying on your back with your arms in a T and bringing one knee across the body at a time. “The twist rotates your spine to stretch the muscles in your back all while stimulating the digestive tract.”

Seated spinal twist – By gently twisting from left to right, you apply gentle pressure to the organs that facilitate digestion and can stimulate proper motility. Straining during any type of twist will be counterintuitive, though, so be careful not to overdo it.

Tai chi

Similar to yoga, tai chi is also considered a mind-body practice. Rooted in Chinese philosophy, tai chi’s main goal is to improve the flow of qi, or energy, throughout the body while also promoting balance. It’s a low-impact exercise with a multitude of health benefits, such as improving strength, flexibility, balance, and proprioception, our awareness of our body in space, which declines as we age. Tai chi can decrease stress, which can improve immunity and support gut function!

Strength training

While high-impact exercise, such as cycling, running, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can actually slow down your digestion, strength training can still provide a cardio boost without negatively affecting your gut motility, the movement of your intestinal tract for proper elimination. High-impact exercise that gets your heart rate up for an extended period is still beneficial for your health, especially heart health, if you’re able to do so. But if you’re experiencing digestive distress, like constipation, low-impact exercise mixed with some strength training may be the way to go.

Breathwork

Breathing is something we likely take for granted – we don’t even have to think about it! – but many of us may not be breathing deeply enough to have a therapeutic effect on our gut. Diaphragmatic breathing, or deep breathing, is a technique that can be used on a daily basis or when you’re experiencing acute discomfort. It involves inhaling to fully expand the belly, then exhaling to contract the belly. This rhythmic breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system (“rest and digest”) and reduces muscle tension, including the muscles responsible for supporting digestion and elimination.

Bonus Content

Sleep is also crucial to a healthy gut microbiome but if you can stick to the suggestions above and develop a good sleep hygiene routine, I think you will find that a good night’s rest will occur naturally.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog and feel like you have some healthy gut tools you can use. If you have other suggestions, please share those in the comments below. Enjoy the rest of your day and remember to be Healthy by Choice.

About Heather N. Abbott:

Heather is the COO at “Self Care Awakening.” Heather is an IIN Certified Health Coach. "I create a sacred space for you to become your best self."
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Heather is a founding member of Ladies Leading Ladies a group dedicated to training and empowering current and future Wellness business leaders.

I am an independent Nikken consultant. I work with a team of consultants. I nurture client relationships. I love building new relationships. Let’s connect. I enjoy working from home.

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