My 12-Minute, No-Brainer Hack for Daily Physical Movement
Let’s talk about a major mover of the gut: physical activity, exercise, or any other kind of movement (cleaning your house counts ;-).) Physical activity helps keep your gut healthy and… well, moving things along.
The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) considers physical activity to be one of the 12 categories of life-nourishing primary foods.
Wait, what are primary foods? Primary foods are more than what is on your dinner plate. Sometimes we are fed not by food but by the energy in our lives. Healthy relationships, regular physical activity, a fulfilling career and a healthy home cooking practice can fill your soul and satisfy your hunger for life, and are each considered an important primary food.
When primary food is balanced and satiating, your life feeds you, making what you eat secondary. Prioritizing physical activity is an act of self-love and self-care. By carving out time to move your body, you’re giving yourself the gift of energy, focus, and strength. YOUR approach can be whatever works for you, and it will change and evolve according to your life’s circumstances.
Physical activity also plays an important role in the health of our gut. Here are just a few of the ways moving your body can impact your digestive system:
It supports a healthy vagus nerve (the longest cranial nerve, connecting the brain to the digestive system) by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system (your rest and digest state) and disengaging the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight mode).
It supports healthy motility, directly impacting gut peristalsis and healthy bowel movements.
It regulates appetite by influencing the hunger hormone ghrelin and the satiety hormone leptin.
It increases insulin sensitivity and encourages cells to absorb glucose instead of "resisting" it, which can cause inflammation, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes further down the line.
It increases gut microbiome diversity which is essential in the digestive process, immune function, and weight management.
How do you incorporate movement into your day? The thought of starting a new workout regimen is daunting and simply not feasible for many of us, and I’m here to tell you it’s also not necessary!
I have a no-brainer movement hack for you that requires just 12 minutes of your time, zero equipment, and is exactly what I do to maintain a consistent home movement practice that I truly love. Here’s what it looks like for me:
I have a space in my home that is at all times ready to use with my exercise equipment: a yoga mat rolled out and ready, a Bosu, a step, yoga blocks and straps, a Pilates ring, a fitball, and my yoga silk hanging from the ceiling (you do not need to replicate my setup but likely already have equipment of your own that works perfectly for you). For me it is important that this is always in place and kept free of clutter so that I have to make zero effort in using it.
I open my favorite music streaming app, Pandora, and pick an upbeat or relaxing station depending on how I feel at the moment. Usually, I select stations like Zumba music, Groove Armada, Hed Kandi, Camila Cabello … anything that makes me want to groove and move ;-).
This next step is important. I COMMIT TO PLAYING THREE SONGS ONLY.– It’s during these three songs that I will be moving my body. That is an approximate time commitment of 12-16 minutes. That’s it!
I design my workout on the spot – lunges, squats, Bosu balancing work, a short step routine that fits the beat and gets me out of breath, planks, Pilates, work with a band or Pilates ring, ab exercises, stretching … anything that I have learned in my fitness education, practiced in a Pilates class, or have been taught by a professional and therefore know how to safely execute. I string these together in a fun and balanced manner and just enjoy moving to the music!
Depending on how I feel that day, I may extend the time if I feel like it, so long as I am performing the tasks safely and with good form.
And voila – I moved, I had fun, I energized my body and soul and made use of accessible equipment in just 12-16 minutes. (That may otherwise have been utilized scrolling through social media feeds instead ;-).)
Can you commit to 12 minutes a day? Involve the kids in having a dance off? Work around the cat or dog on the yoga mat?
Shift your mindset from having to schedule time for exercise to just moving more each day. If you use my method, that’s 12 minutes closer to your weight management goal, to achieving a happier mental state, supporting gut function, strengthening muscles to support your joints, and injecting some fun into parenting.
Remember to start slow and with gentle warm up exercises before a more rigorous routine, and always check with your healthcare provider if you are starting a new exercise routine. Happy moving!
References:
IIN Gut Health Course materials