The Gut - A guide for athletes
What we will discuss and uncover...
Gut basics for all, but particularly for those smashing daily training sessions
What does gut health actually mean and what should we be aware of?
Ways to quickly remove the “bad gut” day
Next steps for gut health
Synbiotics - the probiotic and prebiotic synergy - where we are going in the future of gut health and supplementation
For those of us looking to maximise each day, it’s like the elephant in the room, sometimes more literally than we care to share! They say there is more grey matter in the gut than the brain, which suggests that our gut drives us and controls us more than our brains. This is perhaps a leap too far at the beginning of this blog but let's dive into the gut and see what opportunities we can see for that constant progress we strive for.
Back to basics
When we talk about gut health here, we are going to stay covering the whole area. “Gut health” in this instance is the entire system of digestion, stomach and beyond, right to poop. We are doing this because it’s how this subject stays out of deep science and remains more practical, relatable and applicable to everyday life.
If you’ve read much of the Hence blog to date, you will see this theme, we don’t dive too deep and lose the purpose, but try to share an understanding that is practical and usable for those of us smashing life in many areas!
Why is the gut so important?
In many ways, our gut is part of our identity; totally unique and responsible for many of our initial emotions and feelings. Gut issues can affect our day, how we connect to others and our level of self-esteem. Given the power it holds over our wellbeing and performance, it is important that we do everything we can to maximise our gut health.
Primarily, the gut is the process of converting food to fuel, accessing the nutrients needed and handling all the stuff we really do not need. When you frame it like this it sounds super simple, however, in reality, it is one of the most complex processes within the human body! Within the gut is a range of third party bacteria and organisms, helping (or hindering) the breakdown and extraction of the good from the bad in whatever we consume. The gut then delivers the good stuff to the areas it’s needed by understanding which parts of the body are shouting the loudest for what we are putting in. The “gut flora” (or microorganisms that live in your gut) also make up part of your immune system, protecting the body from external invasion.
Remember, everything goes through the gut process. Cheat days, or going “out-out” are all put under the same scrutiny within the gut and the same extraction of good and removal of bad is done. So it’s no surprise at times the gut processes get it wrong and we are put through duress.
In active people, gut problems, or the results of gut problems, look to me to be the most common issues. Almost every athlete at one time or another has had IBS or gut-related symptoms, it’s not something any of us seems to be able to avoid. Given how prolific whey protein use is among athletes, which is incredibly hard on the gut, it's perhaps no surprise! Add to this the stress the body is put under in training and we start to understand why our gut and internal processes may struggle.
Did you know, blood is pulled away from the gut during intense exercise. When that same gut has not been prepared properly for this reduction in function, it’s very likely that it’s going to respond with a warning sign - discomfort, bloating or worse…
Also, outside of those moments of intense exercise, the gut plays a huge role in trafficking the nutrients & supporting the regulation of oxidative stress and inflammation, therefore aiding recovery.
So, if we practice functional fitness, or indeed if we strive to progress in any sport, the gut could be the key we actively ignore!
So Gut health - what is it?
I’d hope you know enough from the last paragraph to have a starter on gut understanding or some potential lines of research and interest.
In many ways, what makes up gut health is unique to each of us, therefore what works for one of us may not work for the next person. Testing ATLAS (Microbiome or “gut health” testing) is the starting point we have discussed in these blog posts before. It’s the snapshot that is sometimes needed to build from. A few hints, unique to you, that provide insight into YOUR gut and enable you to start the gut care process.
Gut health is like fitness, it won’t happen without effort. It is achieved by the steps you actively take in your lifestyle, nutrition and supplementation and it plays a major part of your body’s ability to progress. I’d argue if you had to pick a part of the body to focus on, the gut is the top of my list!
What are the symptoms of an unhealthy gut?
This is a question probably asked by all of us at one time or another. Do I actually have an issue here???
Some signs of an unhealthy gut can include:
Upset stomach - fairly obvious but it’s amazing how much this is ignored daily.
Fatigue on poor sleep score - many attack the time of sleep or the environment, but the gut could be a big part of the issue, and then it’s a spiral as bad sleep can have a huge impact in the gut.
Skin issues or irritation - conditions like eczema or psoriasis can be indicators to a damaged gut. The term “leaky gut” would be associated here.
Unintentional weight change - an unhealthy gut can impair the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, regulate blood sugar or store fat. You may find these indicators overlap with the fatigue indicator too, for obvious reasons.
Food intolerance or increased intolerance - a food intolerance is a result of an inability to digest or absorb nutrients from certain foods. It’s believed that this is due to poor quality or lacking bacteria in the gut.
Autoimmune conditions - this is an area of considerable research, the tie between the gut and autoimmune response, and new evidence is growing. An autoimmune condition is effectively improper functioning of the immune system. Given that the immune system can be hugely impacted by an unhealthy gut, it is clear that for our immune system to function effectively we need a healthy gut.
Remember this isn’t about relativity to your friend or colleague, it’s about you deciding what’s important to you.
The world wants a quick fix, so let’s have it
For all those impatience ones reading, well done for getting this far. Is fasting the answer to a fast restart?
The reason I suggest this is not because it's the golden ticket to good gut health, but because it often breaks the habits that lead to bad gut health in the first place. My personal experience and research shows that the body reacts to fasting as a metaphoric refocusing of the senses. If we stop the constant feeding of the microbiome in the gut, we are effectively giving it a chance to reset. It can allow you to get a handle on all things gut related and rebuild the healthy habits that restart the healing process. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that fasting can even help the helpful organisms in our gut to thrive. Finally, in my experience particularly, it helps you focus on what is and isn’t important to you, and it can help the body, mind and gut recover.
How long you choose to fast for is down to what is safe and practical to you and only you. Personally, as I’ve blogged on in the past, I build up from twenty-fours hours once per month to a slightly longer period per quarter. The key for me is lots of water, some coffee, some salts sometimes, and to stay very aware of how I feel and how it’s progressing. The ideal eating or fasting schedule for each of us is unique, regardless of what the internet may try to sell you!
For those that play the longer game - progressing with gut health
True progress is always longer fought and slower moving and it needs strategy and patience. I am a big believer in getting some control quickly in an intervention-like approach such as fasting, but I think these days we all know for consistent change we need a combination of effort and patience. So, where should you start? As with everything, making a conscious decision to change bad habits and implement healthier ones is the starting point. Focus on:
Sleep
Exercise (moderately)
Eating a wide variety of foods with a known route to the plate and ingredients you can identify (this is really tough initially, so perhaps try implementing it for one of your meals and build up from there)
Greens (and micronutrients)
Making time for relaxation, rest and recovery
Synbiotic supplementation
Synbiotics
Synbiotics are a combination of probiotics and prebiotics, designed to ensure that the beneficial cultures in the probiotics reach where they need to in the gut to survive and thrive, whilst creating an improved environment for digestion and absorption.
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