What Does Mobility Have to Do with Your Gut Bloat?
Often, I have conversations with clients who refer to ‘normal bloating’ when I ask about gut function. Let’s be clear, while bloating may be common and you may get it often, let’s not accept it be ‘normal’.
Bloating is one of those frustrating things that can sneak in and take over your day. Your jeans feel tight, your energy drops, and sucking your tummy in doesn’t help. Most people go straight to blaming food (and yes, what and how you eat plays a big role), but what often gets overlooked is how you move, or don’t move.
Get this: your gut relies on gentle movement to function well. If you’ve ever felt sluggish after sitting all day, you know this. The intestines don’t have a pump system like your heart does; they rely on surrounding muscles and tissues to keep things moving along. When you’re stiff through your trunk, hips, and spine, it’s like putting a kink in the hose. Things back up, pressure builds, and bloating gets worse.
Simple, low-level movement like twisting, bending, lengthening stimulates your gut. It gives your digestive system a little nudge. Even a few minutes of movement can increase circulation, release tension around the abdominal wall, and help your body shift from “stuck and sluggish” to “moving and processing.”
Now, I don’t want to get carried away and say bloating and gut issues can be solved by simply moving. These issues can come from a mix of things. Food sensitivities, intestinal health, microbiome imbalances, stress, and hormones all play a part.
Movement alone isn’t a magic bullet. That’s why I combine functional health protocols with mobility and strength work when I’m helping clients. Addressing the gut directly (through a thorough understanding of health history, testing, gut support, nutrition shifts, and stress management) makes the biggest difference. But when you add movement into the picture, the improvements stack up faster.
So if bloating has been dragging you down, don’t just think about what you’re eating, think about how you’re moving. Try standing up from your desk and doing a few slow trunk rotations. Add in some side bends. Move your shoulders. Breathe deeply while you do it. These little shifts tell your body, “It’s safe to process and let go.”
Your brain listens. Your gut listens. And your whole system feels the benefit.
If this is something you’ve been struggling with, I can help you look at the bigger picture so you don’t have to guess what’s going on. Get in touch and we can chat about what support might work best for you.
