Best and worst exercise for IBS sufferers

Getting regular exercise for IBS is one of the best ways to manage your symptoms. But not all exercises are going to benefit your gut…

IBS symptoms can make exercise more challenging, so I’ve outlined the best and worst exercises for IBS to make sure you get the most out of your workout session.

Exercise is an important part of managing IBS symptoms because it helps improve your overall physical health and well-being. Regular exercise can:

✅Help gas escape as you move

✅Reduce stress and anxiety

✅Help with weight loss

✅Combat inflammation

✅Improve sleep

✅Reduce constipation

✅Strengthen muscles

✅Build mental resilience

No doubt about it, exercise is good for IBS, but if you’re having symptoms/flare-ups during or after exercise, there are ways to help. Use these tips to avoid cramps, pain, and diarrhoea during and after exercise.

What type of exercise is best for IBS?

Ultimately the best exercise is one you can stick to and enjoy, and we should all aim to move our bodies for 30 mins a day, in any way we can, but here are a few tips for what types of exercises are best for your IBS, and why:

 1. Walking is great for IBS

The gentle motion up and down inside your stomach could help encourage a bowel movement by moving food through the system. walking also encourages gas to escape which can help with bloating.. 

If you’re not currently doing any exercise, then walking is a great place to start. It’s free, low impact, and easy for most people to start from their home. 

• The gentle motion could help encourage a bowel movement.
• Daylight exposure is good for your circadian rhythm.
• One study found increasing your daily step count to 9500 steps from 4000 steps could result in a 50% reduction in the severity of symptoms 

2. Yoga helps the gut brain connecton

There are many studies linking yoga and improved digestive health. Yoga for IBS is effective, safe and supports physical and mental wellbeing. It can help with strengthening and mobility.

• Stretching your torso can help ease the movement of gas, bloating, and gastric motility.
• Many people report a reduction in depression, anxiety, and quality of life with regular yoga practice.
• Deep breathing helps stimulate the vagus nerve, supporting ‘rest & digest’ mode.  

3. Swimming

Swimming can be an accessible and low impact exercise that helps get you moving. And you’re always near a toilet so unlike cycling for 10 miles you aren’t far from the bathrooms!

• Swimming moves your whole body so is a great all round exercise
• Being in the water can be soothing for sore bodies
• Many people find swimming relaxing, you can’t stop to check your phone all the time, so you’re cut off from notifications for half an hour. 

4. Cycling is good for IBS

You can vary the intensity of your cycle ride which is useful if you’re building up your strength and fitness

• Getting out in the fresh air can be helpful with IBS to help improve your sleep. 
• Increasing exercise from 3 to 5 hrs a week gave 54% of people a clinically significant improvement in symptoms 

Having some control of your symptoms through being physically active can also help a lot of people with IBS. When you feel nothing you change with your diet makes a difference, it’s good to have another angle to try.

Worst exercises for IBS

You might start a new exercise regime, only to find it flares up your digestive symptoms and leaves you exhausted, with stomach cramps. All exercise supports your health, but you may find very strenuous exercise makes IBS worse. This is likely to do with short term inflammation caused by your body working hard.

If you’re already physically fit, there is no need to give up exercise you love.

You might find gut symptoms worsen with:

• Running – frequently triggers diarrhoea, even in people who otherwise don’t have gut issues. The other challenge is running for a long time and being far from a toilet, which can be very stressful. You can read more about my tips for better running with IBS
• High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – can draw blood away from gut causing cramps, bloating and pains. If you get on well with this type of exercise then you can continue, but it wouldn’t be the first place I’d suggest starting if you have IBS.
• Endurance exercise (e.g. triathlons) this puts a strain on your body and there is a potential for the short-term inflammation to impact your digestion.

Build up your tolerance and fitness slowly. Overdoing it is more likely to lead to digestive issues. If you start slowly and gain tolerance for high intensity exercise, then you can enjoy all kinds of movement, even with IBS.

How to start exercising with IBS

Whether you’ve been dealing with digestive issues for years or have recently discovered that your stomach has a mind of its own, I can help you find a way to manage your IBS so you can stop panicking about the nearest toilet or embarrassing gas.

Through years of training and clinical experience, I have developed the Gut Reset, to help people resolve their digestive issues like bloating, constipation, and IBS flare-ups.

Let’s discover what’s causing your gut to go into overdrive and work together to find a solution.

The good news is that there are many ways that food can help put the brakes on the unwanted symptoms of IBS so you can get sustainable relief without restrictive dieting.