Gut health for fitness

Your gut doesn’t just take care of itself. You have to make an effort to ensure that you have a healthy gut, which in turn will help improve your athletic performance. 

What does it mean to have a healthy gut?

There is a single layer of cells that protect your body from everything that passes through your gut. When it functions properly, this cell layer allows all the nutrients, amino acids, and healthy compounds from food to be absorbed into your body, while other compounds, such as waste products and toxins are kept out.i Having a healthy gut contributes to a strong immune system, effective digestion, better heart and brain health, improved mood and healthy sleep.ii 

How does this affect your athletic prowess?

Here are five ways your gut bacteria can help support your fitness.iii



1.Support a healthy weight 

Your gut bacteria are one of the components that can dramatically impact your weight by influencing how your body absorbs nutrients, creating the hormones associated with feeling full and also balancing your blood sugar. 



2.Improve nutrient absorption

You could be eating the healthiest food in the world, but still not getting the nutrition you need if your body isn’t able to absorb it and use it properly. Balancing your gut health is a hugely important as it determines how well your body is able to breakdown, absorb and utilise nutrients. This in turn ensures that your body gets the raw materials it needs to produce energy and repair itself after a workout. 



3.Boost your immune function

When you’re training intensely, the last thing you want is to have to stop because you are feeling under the weather. Endurance exercise and heavy training can suppress your immune system, leading to upper respiratory issues which could hinder training. Fear not, you can offset this by giving your gut health a little support. Making sure you have enough good bacteria in your gut can support your immune function, working to reduce potential unwanted effects from heavy training. 



4.Optimise post-workout recovery After you work out, your body immediately goes to work to repair itself, rehydrating, rebuilding muscle tissue and balancing out your blood sugar levels. Your gut bacteria are an essential component of the recovery process, helping to ease soreness, balancing your blood sugar levels and promoting nutrient absorption so your body has the materials it needs to rebuild itself. 



5.Amp up your energy and endurance 

Studies show that athletes who supplement with probiotics have better energy levels and endurance than those who don’t. This boils down to the effect that good bacteria have on blood sugar regulation, how well your body builds up muscle tissue, and also your immune function. 

What should you do to take care of your gut?

 

• Make sure you’re eating whole foods high in plant-based fibres that are ideally seasonal, local and organic. This consideration should extend to your fitness supplements as well, as most often the powders, bars and drinks that are marketed as fitness aids are full of sugar and synthetic ingredients that can mess up your gut. 
• Avoid exposure to things that can kill the good bacteria in your gut, such as antibiotics and antimicrobial cleansers and soaps. Many common household cleaning and hygiene products that come into contact with your skin can disrupt the balance of your skin microbiome and by extension your gut. 
• Consider supporting your microbiome with probiotics which contain strains specifically selected to increase performance in athletes. 

A healthy gut is a good start to a more active lifestyle. When training for So Sri Lanka IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo, it is important to take care of your gut so you can increase your endurance.

Footnotes

i http://main.poliquingroup.com/rticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/2643/How_To_Train_Your

_Gut_For_Better_Athletic_Performa.aspx 

ii https://www.healthline.com/health/gut-health#the-takeaway 

iii https://www.hyperbiotics.com/blogs/recent-articles/7-surprising-ways-your-gut-health-affects-your-fitness