Gut Health Spring Clean Challenge- Not what You Think
PART 1 – Week 1
Are you someone who experiences gut dysfunction?
Brain fog, fatigue, burping, gas, heartburn, nausea, acne, urgency, bloating, constipation…
These are all symptoms associated with digestive dysfunction
There are many more symptoms … and if you want to know them all… keep following along to learn more.
I’m sure you aren’t here for an explanation of ALL the obnoxious, uncomfortable and inconvenient symptoms…
I bet you are here for the solution…
So LET US dive into this 4 week challenge together… (be sure you are following along on Instagram for more @ignitingtransformation)
We will be focusing on the 3 pillars of nutrition, if you are not familiar with them lets do a simple review –
Physical Nutrition: Physical nutrition is what we put into our bodies as well as how we move them
Mental Nutrition: Mental nutrition has to do with the way we process stress
Spiritual Nutrition: Spiritual nutrition ties into our relationship with ourselves, others, God, and or nature
Ready to dive in?
Week 1 Clean Your Space
You are probably wondering what a clean space has to do with your gut health… and I am going to tell you…
I am going to keep this pretty basic – for more detail check out each week on Instagram
First-
Choose a space. This could be your bedroom, office, living room, back porch, backyard, garage, sitting area, and or any space you go to find peace, creativity, joy and or to relax.
Cleaning your space will leave room for increased creativity, joy, peace and opportunities for greater relaxation all of which are important for your gut health.
When there is chaos in your space that will be chaos in your gut… I bet you are thinking “no way, she’s crazy”
There is no way my space affects my gut health… and maybe you are right… BUT…
When your space is in chaos what emotions do you experience? Negative ones … am I right? Stress, overwhelm, frustration and more…
HOWEVER
When your space is clean and organized you typically feel more peaceful, calm, creative and you can relax easier.
If it is clean it is one less thing on your mind you need to worry about…
So how exactly does a clean space affect your gut?
When you are in a state of stress your body is in fight or flight mode
Which means your body is NOT in a state of rest and digest
Stress
- limits the body’s ability to digest properly
- increases gut motility and fluid secretion leading to diarrhea
- stress can also lead to delaying stomach emptying leading to constipation
- affects what nutrients the intestines absorb
- weakens the intestinal barrier leading to gut bacteria entering the body…
A clean space leads to positive emotions… positive emotions decrease stress… resulting in improved gut heatlh!
Another way a clean space contributes to improved gut health is by eliminating toxins that can be harmful to the gut
For example- dust and mold are two toxins that can enter the body and wreak havoc on the gut.
When our space is clean and free from toxins we can experience improved gut health.
Do you have mold in your home… it could be in your shower drain, shower/bath walls. If your home has had water damage that is also cause for mold concern.
Do you have animals in your home that bring the outside inside…
Using an air purifier can help decrease the amount of air-born particles floating around in your space as well and this results in improved gut health-
You never know what you are breathing in that is going to affect your gut in the long run….many toxins will take up residence in your gut leading to diminished gut function and a cascade of crap circulating through your body
An alternative to air purifiers that can be expensive are AIR PURIFYING Plants…
- Snake Plant
- Bamboo Palm
- Devils Ivy
- Areca Palm
- Chinese Evergreen
- Dwarf Date Palm
- Gerbera Daisies (one of my favorite flowers actually helps clean the air- what!)
- Aloe Vera
Check back soon for Week Twos topic of Spring Cleaning for your Gut…
