About Exercise and IBS
There is less evidence of the benefits of exercise for relieving some IBS symptoms than for certain food restrictions and stress management. More research of a longer duration is needed. However, low to moderate exercise has been shown to reduce stress and improve digestion, both good management tools for IBS.
Everybody's IBS is different and exercise can be a helpful management tool for some people. Exercise is also good for so many aspects of overall good health, that it's worth getting moving to find out if it works for you!
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Why Exercise for IBS?
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Moving your body is good for your overall health. Getting your heart pumping with aerobic exercise and building muscle with weight bearing exercise can help to manage weight, lower blood pressure, control blood sugar, strengthen bones and improve balance and coordination. And the list goes on.
But exercise is also key for proper digestion and it could help you manage your IBS symptoms.
So if you need some incentive to get moving, read on!
Fights Inflammation
Research is showing that chronic, low-grade inflammation of the inner lining of the intestines is involved in the disease process of IBS. Exercise can help to fight inflammation.
To find out more go to the Inflammation and IBS section.
Boosts Circulation
During exercise, your heart pumps harder and faster to deliver extra blood and oxygen to your muscles.
This improves circulation throughout your body, including your gut . Good blood flow to your GI track makes it stronger and healthier and provides the extra oxygen needed for proper digestion.
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Healthy Metabolism
Exercise helps you maintain or speed up your metabolism, which is the process of turning calories into energy. Digestion requires a fair amount of energy. If your metabolism slows down and you have less energy, your body will send energy to vital organs like your heart, lungs and brain. Energy will be diverted away from your gut and digestion will slow down.
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Bowel Regularity
Your digestive tract has its own rhythm that keeps things moving. Too fast you're running to the bathroom and too slow you’ve got bloating, gas and pain. Regular exercise helps your gut to find its perfect pace.
Your digestive tract is a muscle and moving your body is good for all your muscles. If you're physically inactive, the muscles in your gut become less active too. Over time, they can lose their natural coordination and strength.
Improves Gas Clearance
Just moving your body can be enough to cause farts to happen and any exercises that involve physical bending or twisting can cause the air in our digestive tract to be literally pushed out.
Clearing gas means less bloating and probably less pain due to hypersensitivity in the gut.
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Good for the Gut Microbiome
Exercise has been shown to be good for your gut microbiome. Research is ongoing and the relationship between the two is still not completely understood. Good circulation bringing nutrients and oxygen to the gut, a healthy metabolism providing energy and removing waste products, bowel regularity and reducing chronic inflammation all play a role in the health of your gut microbiome.
To find out more go to The Gut Microbiome section.
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Stress Management
Different kinds of exercise can help you manage stress and protect against the harmful effects of stress. For example, aerobic exercise can lower levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol and increase production of endorphins that elevate mood. Mind-body practices like yoga and tai chi use movement, breathing and meditation to promote relaxation.
Physical activity can become mediation in motion if you concentrate on the rhythm or repetition of your movement. Focusing on your body may help you take your mind off your worries.
To find out more go to the Stress Management section.
Improves Sleep
There are many associations between physical activity and sleep quality. For example, lower stress levels, regulation of your circadian rhythms and the release of neurotransmitters involved in relaxation could all help you sleep better. Good quality sleep is great for your gut and your gut microbiome.
To find out more go to the Sleep and IBS section.
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Mental Health
Regular exercise has been shown to improve mental health by reducing anxiety, depression and negative moods and increasing self-esteem and cognitive function. Anxiety and depression are often linked to IBS.
And of course everything is connected. For example, the gut microbiome, stress and sleep can affect your mental health and anxiety and depression can affect your gut microbiome, stress levels and quality of sleep.
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Move Your Own Way
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Most of us aren't high performance athletes and many of us have some limitations to movement, especially as we age. If you are a high performance athlete or favour intense exercise, make sure you check out the next section.
The good news for IBS sufferers is that low to moderate activity seems to be best for easing symptoms, especially if the focus is stress reduction. There's lots of different ways to move, the trick is to find ones you like and adapt them to your level of ability. The best exercise is one you can stick to and enjoy.
Work around your physical limitations. Try beginner, senior or chair classes. Use aids and props and modify exercises to suit your needs. Don't worry if you can't do every move or exercise in a class. Rest if you get tired.
Walking
Walking is one of the best forms of exercise to support digestion. It's a free and simple way to reduce stress, boost your mood, help you sleep, clear gas and promote regularity. Try scheduling a mindful break in your day to appreciate nature or discover your urban neighbourhood.
If you need some inspiration, check out some Guided Walking Meditations.
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Meditation in Motion
Gentle movement linking the mind, body and breath has been shown to ease IBS symptoms, mainly through stress reduction and massaging the digestive organs. Yoga, tai chi and qigong are great examples of this meditation in motion.
Go to the Twisted Yoga Studio to try a yoga class right now!
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Get a Move On
Looking for other options? Keep in mind that most activities can be meditation in motion if you connect to your breath and practice body awareness.
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Swimming and water aerobics (low impact and moves the whole body)
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Aerobics and stretch classes (try low impact first and work your way up)
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Cycling (low impact and you can vary the intensity of your ride)
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Jogging (can get your heart rate up)
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Body weight work outs (builds muscle and helps your bones)
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Dancing (creative and fun!)
Go to Exercise Classes for IBS for some online options to get you started.
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Too Much of a Good Thing?
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High intensity exercise is not generally recommended for promoting good digestion or easing IBS symptoms. When your body endures physical stress, less blood flows to your gut and this can interfere with digestion.
However, having IBS doesn't necessarily mean you have to stop training for that marathon. Remember that everybody's IBS is different. Increase work outs gradually and monitor your symptoms. Keep going if everything is OK and pull back if you are experiencing a flare up.
If you're an athlete or want to engage in some high intensity exercise and you have IBS, check out some excellent articles written by experts in both sports nutrition and IBS.
Getting Started
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If you aren't an athlete (my hand is up), just thinking about movement and exercise can feel overwhelming sometimes. Add IBS symptoms and it can feel downright intimidating. Gas, bloating and constipation can make you feel sluggish. Diarrhea can make you nervous about being too far from a bathroom. Pain can make you feel like curling up in a little ball on your couch.
But movement and low to moderate intensity exercise may also help you ease those symptoms and the only way to find out is by getting a move on. The hardest part is getting started, so here are a few tips to get you on your way.
Prep for Success
Just thinking about exercise may cause anxiety if you have IBS. You can alleviate some of that anxiety by creating strategies for the things about exercise that make you anxious.
Plan ahead. For example, if you have IBS-D, bring some anti-diarrhea meds with you and locate the nearest bathroom if you're exercising away from home.
Have a Plan A and a Plan B. Let's say you planned to do a moderate intensity exercise class at the gym, but you're feeling super constipated and uncomfortable. Perhaps a gentle online yoga class would be a better fit.
Dress for Success
Wear comfortable clothing, especially ones with a stretchy waistband. Tight clothing can be restrictive, especially if you feel bloated or have abdominal pain.
Make sure you have comfortable shoes. Feet are important for posture, which is also important for digestion.
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One Step at a Time
Start slowly. Pick one new activity and ramp it up gradually, keeping track of how it affects your IBS symptoms. This will help you identify your tolerance and whether or not it helps your symptoms.
Set realistic goals and don't beat yourself up if you don't meet them every single day. This will just add more stress and anxiety to your life, which is a trigger for IBS. If you try to bite off more than you can chew, there is more of a chance you will just give up all together.
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Make it a Habit
Movement and exercise aren't just a one and done type of thing and it's even more important to keep moving as you get older. It's generally better to move everyday, especially for relief of IBS symptoms.
You could try scheduling even ten minutes of movement everyday. Pick a time that's best for you. Put it on your to do list or mark it in your calendar. If you miss a day, just pick it back up when you can. If you're not feeling motivated commit for five minutes and then see if you want to keep going.
Respect Your Boundaries
Exercise can be good for IBS, but everyone's IBS is different and even your own symptoms can change day to day or over time. It's important to listen to your body and adjust accordingly. If you are having symptom flare ups during or after certain exercises, then stop doing them. Try again sometime in the future and see if anything has changed.
During flare ups, try ultra soothing forms of movement like yoga. If symptoms are minimal you can try experimenting with more intense activity.
Make it Fun!
If you're not one of those people who love to exercise (my hand is up again), then do whatever you can to make it fun. Choose activities you like, pick a favourite destination for a walk, get a fitness buddy, track your progress on an app and most definitely reward yourself for meeting your goals!
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Mix it Up
Starting with one activity is a good way to go, but once you've established a habit try mixing it up. Different kinds of exercise are good for different health reasons and some may be better for your IBS symptoms.
You may find that stretching and deep breathing before and after more active exercise can help with stress.
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Hydrate
Proper hydration is important for good digestion, so when you're exercising remember that you may need to add a little extra liquid into your system. Have your water bottle handy at all times.
For more info go to the Hydration section.
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Fuel Timing
The timing of meals in relation to exercise is something you may have to work out yourself, especially because everyone's IBS is different. You may not want to do strenuous exercise or the twists and compression of yoga right after a meal, but taking a walk after a meal can help release gas.
After more strenuous exercise, you may want to wait a little before eating to let your system calm down. Exercise may increase your appetite, so make sure you have some small snacks handy.
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