If you are one of the 74% of Americans suffering from digestive distress you know how uncomfortable that can become. Indigestion, gas, bloating, constipation, nausea just to name a few, are the most common digestion related symptoms people complain about these days.
Whether your symptoms are due to eating a SAD diet (Standard American Diet), stress, insufficient digestive enzymes or due to a more serious gut illness you can find some relief with these easy to implement – holistic practices you can add into your daily routine without much effort.
1. Start out your day with a glass of warm water and lemon
This practice alone helps you start your day feeling invigorated. It flushes out toxins accumulated over night, alkalizes your body and stimulates digestive juices, which helps you better digest the meals to follow.
Heat a glass of water to about 140◦F and squeeze in the juice from about a quarter of a lemon. Sip on it slowly first thing in the morning. Your gut will thank you!
2. Deep breathing exercise
According to Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. “Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.”
Dr. Weil recommends a few different breathing techniques, but my favorite is the 4-7-8 exercise. Ever since I learned this technique it has become my new daily habit. This is a simple practice you can do from wherever you are.
Place the tip of your tongue on the ridge of your upper teeth and inhale deeply while counting to 4; hold it for 7 counts and release it during 8 counts. Repeat this up to 4 times. You might have a lightheaded feeling at the end, especially in the beginning if you are not used to doing regular breathing exercises.
By doing this practice regularly not only will you calm down your digesting system, but you will feel an overall sense of peace and wellbeing.
3. The hot bottle routine
Fill up a plastic or glass bottle (ideally a flat one) with hot water and place it over your abdomen. The heat emitted soothes and relaxes your gut, calming any tummy discomfort (this is good for calming menstrual cramps as well). If you have consistent abdominal discomfort, try to do this routine every evening for long term benefits. This is also a great way of relaxing your entire body and easing your way into a good night sleep.
4. Ginger tea
Ginger is known for its great anti-inflammatory benefits. Therefore, among many other things, it is used for soothing the inflammation of the gut, calming nausea and stimulating digestion.
Sip on a cup of ginger tea daily after meals, for easing the digestion of a heavier meal, or in between meals for stimulating the digestive juices prior to your next meal.
5. Yoga Pose to ease digestion
While yoga is rejuvenating for your mind, body and spirit, certain poses are really beneficial for soothing your gut. If doing an entire yoga session is a bit too much to fit into your schedule, I strongly recommend settling for doing at least these 2 yoga poses daily. It only takes a couple of minutes.
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Child’s Pose: Maybe the easiest and most relaxing pose in yoga is the Child’s pose. At least that’s my favorite, as that’s when I get to relax my body after more challenging poses. But the truth is this pose is also beneficial for calming the digestive system. By pressing your belly into your thighs the internal organs are getting a massage, which stimulates your digestion. Take a few deep, slow and long inhales and exhales while in this pose to activate the massaging movement of your abdomen into your legs.
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Downward facing dog: This is another classic pose in yoga, which can be done daily for improved digestion. By lowering your head below the heart level stimulates blood flow, which aside from energizing your body stimulates digestion.
Now I’d love to hear from you. Do you have any simple tips for soothing your gut? Share in the comments below.
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