Aug
With the cold season inching closer, the time of us getting sick is here. Many people run to the doctor for an antibiotic, but is that always the right thing to do? Science is showing us that it might not always be the best case. One reason is that Antibiotics wipe out your gut health, both the good and bad bacteria that reside in your gut.
Think of your gut as one big snot ball absorbing, assessing, and addressing your environment always. Your gut has good bacteria and harmful bacteria living inside your own internal ecosystem. When I talk to my clients about their gut health, I want them to think of their gut as an ecosystem. We want it vibrant and plentiful, but we also have to understand we cannot micromanage something so vast, but instead need to understand what our guts are telling us because it is, in fact, communicating with you all the time.
The gut is now shown to be your second brain in that it communicates through the vagus nerve to your actual brain. Another cool thing is your gut even has its own nervous system – the enteric nervous system. Pretty cool, right? I thought so as well when I began digging into gut health, even taking a masterclass on gut health because I found it so intriguing. I have been applying some of the knowledge I have picked up along the way and find that most of my clients are clueless about what all their gut health can do for them when it is optimal.
Eighty percent of your immune system lies in your gut. If you have a permeated gut (leaky gut), you will, over time, create low-grade inflammation, which means your immune system will begin working to address this issue, thus leaving you more prone to getting sick. As you can see, it is a cycle that just keeps repeating itself.
One thing I have seen is people replicating diets that are the current trend, which might lend to some gut problems people are experiencing. For example, client X and I go through some gut health questions to which you find out that client X suffers from bloating, gas, and loose stools, to name a few things, but their friend Sue did a high carb diet, and she lost a lot of weight. Well, that is Sue, and you are X. There is a difference between each of you, and with those kinds of symptoms, Client X might have some type of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth other known as SIBO, which is only making her issue worse. How might you ask? Good question.
Diets higher in carbs are richer in prebiotics and fiber that ends up feeding the bacteria inside the small intestine, thus exacerbating her intestinal issues, which are attacking her immune system that might be responsible for her stomach issues. If you are having digestive issues in short, it will hinder your progress with your health and weight loss or weight gain goals.
If you are struggling to lose weight, have intestinal issues, acid reflux, GERD, and bloating, to again name a few things, you should consider the health of your gut. It is your first brain and talking to you. It is the first communicator to what we bring into our environment. IBS, gas, and bloating are just some leaky gut symptoms, which can be healed.
The challenging part is with most Americans eating high amounts of processed food, leaky gut is becoming more and more prominent. It is much like Type 2 Diabetes in that each of us can fix the majority of the issues with time, the right plan, and consistency. By addressing gut health, you will improve your mood, potential hormone imbalances, possible glucose impairment, and your immune system, to name a few.
Remember, it took an effort to let yourself get to this point, and it is going to take action to get where you want to be.
Jeff is a nationally recognized health and fitness coach, public speaker, podcast host for The Excellence Cartel, owner of Iron House Strength & Conditioning, bodybuilder, and Osteogenesis Imperfecta Advocate. He is also a roundtable expert on IntenseMuscle.com.
Today, Jeff works collectively with some of the top coaches in the health and fitness space presenting to other coaches and individuals on health and fitness. He has a passion for leadership and serving others to help them be their own hero. He is recognized for his results, but above all else, the passion he has for the coach’s heart he holds dear.
Jeff is available for in-person or online coaching and speaking engagement send him a message here. You can follow Jeff on Instagram, YouTube, and on his website RelentlessForever.com.
