Move to Improve: The Power of Daily Movement in Constipation Relief
If you don’t move, neither does your gut.
According to the American Heart Association, the number of sedentary jobs has increased by 83% since the 1950s. This means physically active jobs make up less than 20% of the workforce in the United States.
A cross-sectional survey conducted by Stats Canada found that the average Canadian who works full-time is sedentary for 68.9% of their day. That's 11 to 12 hours per day when you factor in 7 to 8 hours for sleep each night.
The same survey found that about 8 in 10 Canadians are not meeting the recommended guidelines for daily physical activity, which is 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity per week. (Moderate activity means breaking a sweat and getting your heart rate up – an activity where you can talk but have trouble singing the words to your favorite song.)
This means both Canadians and Americans are exposed to long sitting hours through work, and we are just not moving our bodies enough. This increases risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some types of cancer, but it also has a significant impact on your gut.
When it comes to constipation and other digestive complaints like gas and bloating, most people focus all of their energy on diet or simply turn to supplements and laxatives as an answer. They don’t realize the importance of daily movement for gut health!
Picture your digestive system as a river. When you move your body, that’s like a river with a steady source of water: clean and flowing. But when you sit all day, that’s like damming the river. And, without movement, the water becomes stagnant, it lacks oxygen, and it becomes murky allowing harmful bacteria and algae to grow.
The same thing happens in your gut when you don’t move: blood flow to your digestive organs decreases along with oxygen, and digestion slows down. Regular movement acts like removing the dam and allows digestion to flow freely like the healthy, clean river.
How Sitting All Day Hurts Your Gut
Now, many people believe that as long as they get their 30 minutes of physical activity a day, that’s enough. But even with the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity every day, what you do the other 23 hours of the day matters just as much.
Sitting for prolonged periods causes compression of the muscles in the abdomen and slows blood flow to your digestive organs. This can slow down the passage of food through your digestive tract. Slow digestion is what leads to bloating, heartburn, and constipation. And, a 30-minute workout doesn’t counteract these negative effects if you are sitting for the remaining hours of the day.
High-Intensity Exercise Doesn’t Make Up for Lack of Movement
While high-intensity exercise (or other forms of endurance training) has its benefits, using it to compensate for a sedentary lifestyle can also be counterproductive.
Extreme exercise such as HIIT, Tabata, or Cross-fit, can stress your nervous system. The same goes for endurance-type exercises where you engage in cardiovascular work for a longer duration, such as long distance running and spin classes. These forms of high-intensity exercise place additional stress on your body.
Your autonomic nervous system, which regulates fight or flight and rest and digest responses, can become overwhelmed by the high energy demands. This leads to inflammation and activates your immune system, which may result in slowed digestion and symptoms of bloating, gas, and constipation.
While high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be part of a balanced exercise program, it’s important not to rely on it exclusively, especially if you struggle with constipation, bloating, and gas. Moderation is key – balance intense activities with other low to moderate-paced activities that promote relaxation and digestive health.
What You Should Do Instead
To promote healthy digestion and avoid constipation, it’s important to incorporate regular movement throughout your day. Here are some of the best forms of exercise for constipation:
Walking
Walking is one of the best forms of exercise to promote healthy digestion. Just 20 minutes of brisk walking most days of the week can increase the number of beneficial microbes in your gut and help alleviate constipation. Walking after meals also stimulates digestion, propels food forward, and can relieve gas.
Walking engages your core abdominal muscles which gives your digestive organs a gentle massage and promotes motility. A study in 2003 found that gas moves more quickly through the intestine when you are standing and moving, indicating that walking can help alleviate bloating and discomfort.
Yoga
Yoga stretches the body and applies gentle pressure on your gut and organs, helping move food along your digestive tract. It can also alleviate tension in your abdominal muscles, making it easier to have a bowel movement.
Poses like cat-cow, camel pose, child’s pose, sun salutation, seated side bend, seated side twist, locust pose, and bow pose are particularly beneficial for digestion. As you move and twist in yoga, you increase blood flow to your digestive organs, promoting digestion and motility.
(For a simple at-home yoga practice, my personal go-to is Yoga with Adriene. She has hundreds of short and simple yoga sequences for all levels of yogis, including specific practices to improve digestion.)
Dancing
Don’t negate the impact of turning on your favourite tunes and dancing it out in your living room. This is exercise, too! In fact, dancing involves a lot of body movement and engages your core abdominal muscles. This physical activity can promote the contraction of intestinal muscles, aid in the movement of food through the digestive tract, and improve motility while reducing the risk of constipation.
It’s also a great activity for reducing stress and anxiety because it lowers cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and increases endorphins (the "feel-good" hormones). Lower stress levels can positively affect gut health, as stress is known to exacerbate gastrointestinal issues.
Practical Tips for Increasing Movement
If you sit at a desk all day, here are a few tips for increasing movement to reduce the impact on your gut:
Take Movement Snacks: These are small, frequent breaks to move around during your day. A "movement snacks" can be as simple as standing up and stretching, walking around your office, going up and down a few flights of stairs, or doing squats at your desk. Practice regular movement snacks for 2 to 3 minutes every 1 to 2 hours.
Take Advantage of Breaks: Use your breaks to move around. Take a walk during your 15-minute coffee break or walk over to a coworker's desk instead of sending an email.
Set Alarms for Movement: Set an alarm to remind you to get up and move every hour. Even microbreaks of a minute or two can help increase blood flow to your gut. Raise your arms over your head, bend over and touch your toes, do some squats at your desk, or take a walk to refill your water.
Sit with Good Posture: A straight spine with shoulders back helps decrease pressure on your digestive organs and improves blood flow compared to a slouched position.
Use a Standing Desk: If possible, use a standing desk to reduce the amount of time you spend sitting. Standing allows your abdomen to stretch out and your gut to work more efficiently. Standing also allows gas to travel more quickly through the gut, reducing symptoms of abdominal bloating.
Incorporating daily movement into your routine is crucial for promoting healthy digestion and relieving constipation. Avoid the common mistakes of sitting all day and relying solely on high-intensity exercise. Instead, focus on regular movement throughout the day with walking, yoga, and frequent movement snacks. Balance intense activities with moderate-paced exercises to keep your gut happy and healthy.
Remember, the most important part is finding activities you enjoy. This way, you’ll be more likely to stick with it and look forward to your daily movement routine. So, get up, get moving, and give your gut the support it needs for optimal health!
