“All disease begins in the gut” – this is a quote attributed to the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates nearly 2500 years ago and he was on to something.
In our gut there are trillions of bacteria that make up the gut microbiome, which:
- Aid digestion
- Remove toxins
- Keep the immune system strong
- Influence weight and mood
Many of our lifestyle choices impact our gut bacteria, unfortunately, all too often, destroying the good and making space for the bad bacteria to thrive, which causes inflammation.
This inflammation initially causes a cascade of symptoms which are often brushed off, normalised or labelled as hormonal (including skin problems and fragmented sleep) but prolonged inflammation can have a much bigger impact and trigger a number of diseases.
Of course there are actions you can take to improve your gut health and reduce inflammation and here are my 3 favourite:
Make Your Fridge Your Pharmacy (if you’re in the members club and have watched the gut health bundle you’ll have heard this A LOT!!).
- Support the gut and feed the good bacteria by eating a less acidic diet, eat more plant and get your food from as close to source as possible. Eat good fats, quality protein and fibre EVERYDAY. Add magnesium to repair any damage to the gut lining and get sufficient vitamin D & K in.
Move Everyday
- You know I’m a huge fan of moving well for bones, heart and brain health BUT regular exercise improves the quality and diversity of the gut microbiome too.
Sleep
- Whilst inflammation can fragment sleep, better sleep enhances the gut microbiome – don’t worry though because there are plenty of other little tweaks you can make to improve your sleep first (which is a story for another day).
As I share so often one tweak can impact several wellbeing areas, the magnesium that will help to repair the gut lining will also help promote better sleep, the better sleep will enhance the gut microbiome, the happier gut will produce more serotonin (the happy hormone) which will most likely motivate you to make better food choices which will feed the good bacteria… and so the cycle continues!
The days of ‘Eat Less, Move More’ or ‘Working Out to Crush Calories’ are gone and it is time for a different conversation and to create new, easy to implement, sustainable habits that support complete wellbeing.
Poor sleep, feeling totally exhausted, out of balance, detached or suffering with problematic hormonal symptoms is not ‘just the way it is’ and is certainly not the way it has to be.
Sharing simple lifestyle strategies and the most important information women need about sleep, stress, bone/gut/brain health and purposeful movement, the Members Club provides a supportive community to nourish physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
It doesn’t matter what your wellness goals are, there’s plenty in the members club for you. Find out more here…
