Bloated, Sluggish, or Just ‘Off’?
When we think about gut health, we mostly likely think about the role of food, stress, and maybe even sleep.
But have you considered how you move might also play a role?
Movement patterns can have a major impact on your digestion and gut health. You might be eating “well,” but still feel bloated, sluggish, or backed up. And it often comes down to how (or how little) you’re moving.
So let’s break it down a bit.
Gentle movement helps things flow.
A short walk after meals, a bit of hip mobility, or even some gentle twisting can stimulate your gut and support the body’s natural peristalsis (that’s the wave-like muscle action that moves food through your digestive tract).
Your posture matters too.
Sitting hunched over a desk all day compresses your midsection, which can interfere with digestion, organ function, and even breathing. Over time, that adds up and your gut can start to feel the effects.
Movement lowers stress and your gut listens.
Your gut and brain are in constant conversation. When stress levels are high, your body shifts blood flow away from digestion and into ‘fight or flight’ mode. This is why so many gut issues are made worse by stress. Targeted movement can help signal your nervous system to calm down so your digestion works better.
It also supports your lymph system, your body’s internal clean-up crew.
Your lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump like your heart, it relies on muscle contraction and movement to keep things flowing. If lymph gets sluggish, your body can struggle to clear waste, and that can affect your gut too. Gentle massage, bouncing, diaphragmatic breathing, and mobility work can all help keep your lymph moving.
This is the kind of thing we dig into in functional health sessions. Whether we’re looking at food triggers, hormone shifts, gut infections, or nervous system patterns, movement is nearly always part of the puzzle.
So if your gut has been feeling a bit ‘off’ lately, take a look at how you’re moving. It doesn’t need to be intense. Just intentional.
And if you’d like support figuring out what your gut is really trying to tell you, you know where to find me.
