Have you ever had one of those days when you woke up but were hit by a sudden bout of acidity as if the last night’s dinner had not properly been digested? Well there is certainly a chance that that is the exactly what happened. The worst thing of such a feeling is that it will take a toll on your entire day. Now you’ll be dreading all the plans you had made for the day because of how inactive and lethargic you are feeling.
However we have compiled some ways that can help you improve your digestive system and you won’t have to sit around all day wearing your comfortable sportswear or yoga pants waiting for the dreadful feeling to go away.
Everyone experiences some kind of a digestive symptom in their life. For some people it’s much more occasional than others. Digestive symptoms can include disruptions such as:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Acidity/heart burn
- Gas
- Constipation
Experiencing any of these can ruin a person’s day and sometimes prolonged symptoms can prove to become a real health hazard, thus it is never advisable to ignore even the slightest reoccurrence of digestive problems.
There are ways in which you can improve and avoid having to suffer through digestive problems.
Physical Activity
Being active and regularly working can do wonders for your digestive system. The blood circulations you get from working out helps regulate your digestive systems and make them perform better. Exercises such as:
- Walking/jogging
- Cycling
- Crunches
- Sit ups
- Push ups
- Abdominal Exercises
All these different forms of exercises have an effect on your digestive system and they help improve your system.
Mental Activity
Your mind has a lot more effect on the way your digestive system performs than you realize. Conditions like the Irritable Bowel Syndrome are caused by stress and anxiety. The mindset with which way you consume food affects the way you digest it. Hence it is very important to try and be attentive of the way your mind is working. Some things that can help you align your eating habits with your mental peace can be
1. Watchful Eating
When you eat your food, always try to prepare it so you know the ingredients that went into it. When you take part in preparing your own food you become one with the process of arranging a meal and that gives more meaning to the food you are consuming. You will have invested your time and energy into something and that will help you feel relaxed and in some cases even elevate your mood.
Watchful eating also includes concentrating on eating that food. Try to avoid watching television or being occupied with other activities while having your food. This is because you will then get distracted from doing something that is very important for the nourishment of your body. You should try and be as aware of chewing and consuming that food as much as you can. It might not mean a lot or make a lot of sense but mindful eating helps a lot to improve your digestive systems.
2. Manage Stress and Anxiety
If there are things going on in your life that is causing you to be stressed or anxious, then it will come as no surprise that your digestive system will react to this. Stress and Anxiety are two common things that will disrupt your digestive systems. Try to do activities and meditations that will allow you to lower your stress and anxiety levels.
3. Yoga and Meditation
Exercising meditation and doing yoga will definitely help reduce stress and anxiety levels. But more than that they will help you become more aware of your body and its needs. Such activities broaden your experiences and allow you to concentrate on your own needs. They help you become one with your body which further allow you to stop doing things that will compromise your health or cause you any harm. This will make you want to do everything to improve your health.
Food Consumption
Of course if we are discussing the digestive system that you can’t ignore the key opponents that directly affect it. What you eat plays a very important role in how well your digestive system is responding. So try to consume foods that are:
- High in fiber such as nuts, seeds, vegetables and whole grains
- High in good fat such as nuts, chia seeds, salmon, sardine and mackerel
- Water
- Fresh juices
- Milk