Move Your Body

Move in a way that feels good to you! It doesn't have to be complicated

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Sitting down and being still for long periods of time not only affects our mood, energy level and weight in a negative way, it also compromises our digestion.
 
We need movement to stimulate intestinal contractility, and to speed up both digestion and metabolism (bye-bye lethargy!).
 
Aiming for 20-30 minutes of fun/movement per day like dancing, yoga, walking or swimming will help our digestive system to work more smoothly.
 
If your schedule is so full that you can’t make time for exercise, try setting your phone timer on 30 minute intervals to remind you to get up, stretch, twist, bounce, dance, or walk.

When you get up for a drink or bathroom break – take the long route, walk it twice, or take the stairs to a bathroom on another floor.

Another great way to counteract the negative effects of sitting too much is to use an exercise ball instead of a chair. Moving our pelvis around on the ball is a great way to massage our digestive organs and help them do their job!

One way that I cope with busy days and not enough Me-Time is with my "10-10-10 Rule". It takes just 15 minutes.  It's 10 minutes of meditation and prayer with stretching (practicing letting go!), 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups (2 min) and then I have fun dancing to one of my favorite tunes (3 min)! It's not ideal - I'd love to spend longer at every stage of this - but it's what I can do today, it's easy to repeat and its better than nothing! Plus I start my day feeling a little refreshed and joyful from from the dancing.  
My 10-10-10 Rule for busy days
10 min of Meditation and Prayer while Stretching
+ 10 push-ups (1 min)
+ 10 sit-ups (1 min)
+ Dance to a fun song (3 min)
= 15 minutes and feeling good!
 
So there you have it, 4 simple and DOABLE steps to support our digestion. If you found these tips helpful and are interested in a quick and straight-forward reboot of your digestion, try out the Guts to Heal 7 Day Challenge here.