by Eliza Sterling

A glimpse into a serene landscape, featuring a woman walking amidst the serenity of nature, encompassed by trees, underneath a celestial blue sky.

We concur with the immense significance of movement for a balanced lifestyle, from enhancing our mood to boosting our cardiovascular health. However, have you ever wondered about the special effects of walking on one’s gut health? While munching on healthy food shows an immediate impact on your microbiome, latest research suggests that physical activity can also significantly contribute towards maintaining a robust gut health. Recent studies conducted by the top-notch Endobiological Institution of Ireland have discovered a fascinating connection between the composition of athletes’ microbiota and their chosen sport, underlining exercise’s impact on gut health.
Any physical activity, be it as energetic as strength training or as calming as yoga, can serve as a blessing for your gut. However, there is something about walking, a low impact activity, that seems to greatly amplify the health benefits for your gut. Let’s delve into the key ways walking promotes gut health, alongside some handy tips you ought to know.

A Deep Dive into the Seven Gut-Health Promoting Impacts of Walking

1. Walking: An Elixir Against Gut-Detrimental Stress

As renowned nutritionist and strategy enthusiast Abigail Ireland states, “All parts of your body, including your gut, inherently belong to nature. Hence, taking a nature walk offers natural therapy for your gut health.” A tranquil nervous system results in a flourishing gut. However, stress triggers a fight or flight mode in your body, detracting attention from digestive processes, leading to bloating and indigestion.
Researchers from Regina’s University have found that just five minutes of enjoying nature scenes can alleviate the fight or flight response and switch to a more restful and digestive mode. Therefore, take a breather and go for a walk whenever stress seems overwhelming.

2. Walking: Your Ally in Weight Management

Regular exercise can boost the balance of good gut bacteria by an astonishing 40%, according to research carried out by Rutgers University. Particularly, walking elevates the levels of the phylum Bacteroidetes, which is linked with improved metabolic health and protection against obesity, claims nutrition expert, Dr. Maroula Natsi.
Research shows a higher concentration of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia hominis and Akkermansia muciniphila in individuals possessing a lean body mass. Dr. Natsi further mentions, “Coupled with this, physical activity suppresses the population of bacteria linked with Type 2 diabetes and inflammation.”

3. Picking Varying Walking Paths for a Diverse Microbiome

A study by Abigail Ireland, the nutritionist, states that children raised in environments dense in microbes, such as farms, have a rich and varied gut microbiota, resulting in better health. However, you don’t need to uproot your city life; merely diversifying your walking paths will do.
Walking in diverse natural surroundings exposes you to a greater variety of microbes and bacteria, thereby diversifying your gut microbiome. This subsequently results in a healthier internal environment and a strengthened immune system.

4. Walking Assists in Preventing Leaky Gut

Regular walking escalates the strains of F prausnitzii and R hominis in your gut, these strains promote the production of butyrate – a short-chain fatty acid produced when fibre ferments in the colon. This lining helps prevent conditions such as leaky gut. According to Monash University researchers, it may even help guard against colon cancer.

5. Walking Reinforces Your Immune System

Walking in plant-rich areas can introduce beneficial bacteria into your system. For example, inhaling or absorbing phytoncides from plant-based compounds while walking in leafy areas improves the activity of immune cells in your gut, as per research from Nippon Medical School.

6. Seaside Walks – Bonus for Gut Health and Mood

Taking a walk by a water body is beneficial in building an even more robust microbiome, and it’s great for your mood too! According to an article in BMC Psychiatry, the meeting of water particles with oxygen in the air emits an energy associated with lower levels of depression – a phenomenon known as “negative ionisation”.

7. Elevate Your Walks for Cleaner Air and a Healthier Gut

The higher the altitude of your walks, the purer the air you inhale. Taking deep restorative breaths while hiking helps expand your lungs, improve digestion, and fill your lungs with cleaner air. This can make a big difference for your gut health.
As we understand more about the gut and overall health, walking seems to knock on the door of a healthier you.
Gut health, Exercise, Walking, Nature, Stress management, Weight management, Microbiome, physical activity, hiking, nutritionist, microbes, bacteria