Just like our wardrobes, our routines, from self-care to nutrition and exercise, need a switch up after a winter of being cooped up inside, fighting off colds and indulging in more comfort foods and drinks. That’s why your apartment isn't the only thing craving a rejuvenation as the seasons change, your microbiome is due for a spring cleaning too. As the days warm up and extend, make a few key tweaks to your daily health and wellness routines to reset your microbiome, and reap the benefits for your gut and your holistic health.
4 Ways To Improve Your Gut Health For Spring
Get 8 hours of sleep a night
Even just losing an hour of sleep can take a toll. Beauty sleep is a very real phenomenon, as sleep is the time when the body repairs itself. For good sleep hygiene, three hours before bed avoid eating (you don’t want the body to be burdened with digestion and absorption while you’re sleeping), watching TV or scrolling on your phone in bed, and try and maintain a regular bedtime. Instead, cozy up with our activated probiotic to maximize these regenerative powers as you wind down. The immune system is more inactive at night, allowing the bacteria to colonize and provide benefits as you sleep.
Eat seasonally for spring
Farmers market season is upon us again, making it an ideal time to eat seasonally! This means to change your diet in accordance with the fruits, vegetables and grains that are readily available as the cycles of nature intended. This time of year, savoring dark leafy greens like spinach, fennel and arugula that are in peak season helps provide a constant source of new and beneficial bacteria for health-giving microbiome diversity. And, as always, eating a diet rich with fiber is a surefire way to support the microbiome and create a healthy gut environment where probiotics can thrive. When your schedule doesn’t permit cooking or eating well for every meal, Flora Code supplements your diet with the digestive and immunity benefits to gently get back and stay on track.
Exercise is your (gut) power
Regular physical activity helps the food you're digesting move through the intestines better – stimulating the gut, increasing intestinal activity and aiding digestive functioning. Exercise can alleviate symptoms of constipation by stimulating bowel movements and promoting regularity. Physical activity has also been shown to enhance immune function, which is closely linked to gut health. A strong immune system helps defend against pathogens and maintains the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, reducing the risk of infections and inflammatory conditions. Thankfully, springtime weather can be the best motivator of all to get up, get outside and jumpstart a new fitness routine that you actually look forward to.
Reduce stress
With the arrival of spring, days become longer and sunlight exposure increases, making it an ideal and natural moment to refocus on reducing stress in your daily life. As many people who have experienced anxiety will know, it's frequently linked with gut issues. Although they are often treated that way, the mind and the body are not two separate entities— when you experience stress, the body tends to create tension, pausing digestion and leading to diarrhea, nausea, or constipation. Conversely, lower stress levels can have a positive impact on gut health since stress has been shown to disrupt the balance of the gut microbiota and exacerbate gastrointestinal symptoms. Our go to mind-body remedy in spring looks like morning journaling, a 30-minute walk outdoors in the sunlight, and our activated probiotic, served up in a soothing tea to reclaim mental and digestive balance.
