Perhaps you are like me and many of the people I work with who suffer from bloating, inflammation, weight gain, brain fog and overall feeling pretty bad?
You’ve gone to a doctor or doctors plural, tried supplements, researched online and tried methods that say they “work” but nothing seems to help. You still feel sick and now more frustrated.
I’ve been there – I know how awful this feels!
And, at the same time, maybe you’ve been hearing a lot about the gut microbiome?
Just what is the gut microbiome and how important is it for your everyday health (hint; when it’s healthy we don’t bloat, get constipation or IBS among many other symptoms that make us feel awful and disrupt our lives)?
And, when the gut is imbalanced we feel really bad.
👉An unhealthy gut microbiome can make us constipated, bloated and/or struggle with gas and/or an upset stomach.
👉We suffer from colds, flus and other illnesses.
👉Brain fog, inflammation and exhaustion take over our body and mind daily.
👉We feel (and are) too sick to enjoy our life’s pleasures.
👉It’s really challenging to lose weight so we pack on and keep the extra pounds.
👉We react strongly to upsets and stress only to make our symptoms worse. Our risks for chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease and diabetes increases.
And, to top all that off – most if not all – of what we try to eat makes us feel sick!
So what is our gut microbiome, why is it so important and what’s one thing we can start doing today to help it heal?
Like all of our body and mind – our gut (gastrointestinal tract) is really cool and amazing!
A healthy gut contains healthy bacteria and immune cells that ward off infectious agents like bacteria, viruses and fungi. A healthy gut also communicates with the brain through nerves and hormones, which helps maintain general health and well-being. How cool is that!
And here’s some more cool stuff our gut delivers; its other role is to contain some 60 to 70 percent of the body’s immune cells, meaning it functions as the immune system’s “control tower” while still serving as a digestive organ.
Your bacterial health largely impacts your immune system which is responsible for all inflammation in your body, as well as your ability to fight disease and ward off colds, congestion, flus and viruses. Plus when bad bugs inhibit your gut, you can suffer from digestive issues like Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), Dysbiosis, and/or Large Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (LIBO) to name just three.
Conclusion: Your body is AMAZING! And, your gut microbiome needs to be and stay healthy so you do too! When it is healthy, your gut microbiome provides many vital functions so that you feel great and thrive in your life.
And, there’s so much you can do to promote a healthy gut microbiome and feel better with your digestion.
Here’s one tip I teach all my clients, and allllll notice a difference! Really.
So simple, so effective.
Deep breathing.
Deep breathing (deep into your belly, exhales longer than your inhales) is one of the only scientifically proven ways that you can consciously put yourself into your parasympathetic nervous system.
Your parasympathetic nervous system is otherwise known as your “rest and digest.”
This is the part of your autonomic nervous system that controls your digestion: Ie how much stomach acid you release, the movement of food through your digestive tract by your migrating motor complex, how many and what kinds of enzymes to release… so much!
So often we are on the go in our life and living in stress mode…in our sympathetic nervous system, ie our “fight or flight”.
This fast-paced lifestyle shuts down our digestion. With your belly breaths, you’ll turn on your body’s calming system – the parasympathetic nervous system – and digest your food better. But, don’t believe me!
Try this easy ten day challenge: for the next ten days, take ten deep breaths morning and night through your nose and into your belly – as if there’s a balloon in your belly expanding. Then, exhale longer – through your nose as well.
Take note of how you feel before and after these 10 days then decide for yourself if you think it’s worth it.
There are endless opportunities to start showing your gut microbiome some love – belly breaths are just one.
So good.
Lots of love,
Breathing deeply and living healthy,
xo, Christine
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