Your Gut Health Could Be The Secret To Fitness Success
It’s that time of the year again. Summer is teasing us with its arrival and the pressure is on to up our fitness game and have that body “beach ready”. Maybe you are looking to lose a few pounds for swimsuit season or maybe you are working toward long-term fitness goals.
Whatever your intentions are, if summer is your checkpoint then it’s time to kick things into high gear. But, how?
Look no further than your gut health. It may sound a little strange at first, but a healthy optimally functioning gut can make a significant difference. Let’s explore exactly how, together.
Ways Gut Health Impacts Your Fitness Goals
The gut is at the core of the body. It’s not only responsible for breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste, but it’s also connected to several very important systems in the body. This is where great health begins.
Here are 6 proven ways a healthy gut can help you achieve your fitness goals.
- Efficient nutrient absorption
Studies have shown that nutrition accounts for about 80% of weight loss efforts (that’s huge). And, absorbing these crucial nutrients is exactly what a healthy digestive system does.
However, in a situation where the gut is in a state of dysbiosis, or unhealthy, it’s likely that these important nutrients are simply passing through without being absorbed. Of course, this has a significant negative impact on one’s health, fitness, and weight loss journey. In fact, poor nutrient absorption can affect everything from metabolism to hormone balance-both of which are important determinants of fitness and weight loss. - Increased energy levels
Speaking of the nutritional functions of the digestive system, your gut is the only conduit between your food energy sources and the cells where that energy is needed.
With the combination of a healthy gut and a whole food diet, your body will have fast and efficient access to this energy. This comes with a variety of benefits including endurance, the ability to push through intense workouts, and more. It’s amazing what the body is able to do and accomplish when it has the right fuel.
- Reduced bloating
Whether you are on a fitness journey or not, there are fewer things as frustrating as bloating. Gas, discomfort, always feeling full, clothes fitting tighter than they should, the list of negative effects from bloating goes on. And, it’s even worse when on a weight loss journey. Despite all the work you are putting in with nutrition and exercise, bloating can make it seem like you are not making any progress. Additionally, the associated abdominal discomfort can make things like working out feel like a punishment.
When your gut is healthy, bloating will become a thing of the past, and you will no longer have to worry about your weight loss progress being hidden behind a dome of gas. - Increased basal metabolic rate
This may come as a surprise, but a healthy gut could also improve your basal metabolic rate, also known as your metabolism. Ultimately, an improved basal metabolic rate will lead to your body becoming more efficient at burning calories. Theories suggest that this connection has to do with the activities of the gut microbiome and physiologic connections with the nervous and endocrine systems. - A clearer and healthier mind
While on a fitness journey, it is important to have a sharp mind, good moods, and stable emotions. After all, a clear mind will help you stay disciplined enough to see results while good moods and stable emotions will keep you going when things seem unnecessarily difficult. Thankfully, a healthy gut can help you maintain all three of these things.
The central nervous system and gut are connected through something called the gut-brain axis. This connection allows the two systems to influence each other, so when the gut is healthy and functioning properly, it can positively influence brain functions such as cognition and emotions. - Better recovery and immune function
If you have been on your fitness journey for more than a day, you know how much of a physical toll it will take. You will need as much help as you can recovering from all the hard work you put into getting fit.
The gut helps with this in many ways from providing the nutrients needed for recovery to supporting a healthy immune system through the help of the gut microbiome.
Ways To Improve Your Gut Health
It’s no doubt that gut health and weight loss are directly connected. The best part is that it is relatively easy to take good care of your gut. But if you are new to this whole health and wellness journey and need some pointers, then you have come to the right place.
Here are a few ways you could improve your gut health.
- Practice a whole foods-based diet. Ditch the fake foods (chips, candy, ice cream…) and focus on consuming a diet rich in whole foods, foods that haven’t been processed or have been minimally processed (legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, meat and so on…).
- Hydrate with high-quality H20. Shoot for at least half of your body weight in ounces per day, our bodies depend on quality hydration. (So, if you weigh 150 lbs, then shoot for 75 ounces of water per day.) Water helps keep the skin nice, supple, and flexible. In addition to that, it helps your gut with its elimination process.
- Replenish digestive enzymes. Supplement with digestive enzymes daily. Enzymes help us break down and assimilate the foods we eat. In other words, they help convert those whole foods we are consuming into materials necessary to nourish the skin and run the body.
- Rebuild friendly bacteria. Supplement with probiotics daily. These friendly bacteria help keep us healthy in more ways than one. And, as we discussed, help maintain this important gut skin connection.
- Boost nutrient intake. Have you ever heard of organic Wild Microalgae®? It’s a rare type of blue-green algae that contains an extraordinary nutrient profile. In fact, it’s a near-perfect food filled with all 20 standard amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, phenylethylamine (PEA), and antioxidant pigments phycocyanin and chlorophyll.
Support Your Gut With Our 30-Day Gut Reboot
You don’t have to walk this journey of gut health and fitness all by yourself. Join our 30-Day Gut Reboot and be part of a community dedicated to helping each other through all the ups and downs that come with setting out on a fitness journey. In addition to the support and accountability that comes with a community, you will also be provided with information and guidance that will help you succeed.
So don’t wait any longer! Join our 30-Day Gut Reboot group on Facebook so you can start working toward better gut health and achieving your fitness goals.
At New Earth we are on a mission to positively impact the health of every body and soul we come in contact with. We specialize in producing third-party certified, organic whole food supplements including a variety of probiotics, and digestive support. Our supplements feature a rare, yet highly, nutritious superfood, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA). Also known as organic Wild Microalgae®, AFA is a unique type of blue-green algae that is available in many forms including algae tablets, algae pills, and algae powders all designed to help you on your journey to holistic wellness. The best part? We offer a 90-day money-back risk-free guarantee on all of our products. Visit our website to learn more.
