By popular demand and much interest in the topic, this week we're replaying the episode on Gut Health! Thank you for your interest and support!

Gut health and staying regular is a topic we all need to hear about but rarely discuss openly. Our digestive health impacts everything from our immune system to our mood, and making small changes can lead to big improvements. In this episode of 1000 Waking Minutes, Dr. Wendy Bazilian explores the significance of gut health and its impact on our overall well-being. We’ll discuss practical tips for staying regular, highlight the benefits of a healthy gut, and share mindful exercises like belly breathing and abdominal massage. With an emphasis on small changes and a bit of the history of gut health awareness through media, punctuated by Jamie Lee Curtis' Activia yogurt ads, this episode provides actionable advice on enhancing gut health that can reduce bloating, improve energy, and help you feel better overall.

FROM THE EPISODE:

Your gut health is so much more than probiotics and yogurt. It's deeply tied to your immune system and to your mental well-being. In fact, some scientists call the gut the second brain, and it deserves that title.

Our gut impacts everything from our physical health to our immune system, and even our mood. By the end of today's episode, you'll have a better understanding of how keeping things regular can actually be life-changing.

WE DISCUSS:

(1:21) Introduction to gut health

(3:35) The importance of gut health beyond probiotics

(6:27)  A mindful minute of belly breathing for better digestion

(12:06) An overview of the digestive system

(17:10) The power of fiber: the research and ROI (return on your investment) of getting regular

(29:21) Simple strategies and practical tips for improving regularity

(34:44) Another mindful minute of guided circular massage

(40:08) A question to ponder

(40:44) Final reflection: small changes for gut health

(42:45) Gratitude to my team and you!

CONNECT WITH WENDY

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Visit my website: wendybazilian.com

Email me topics you want covered on the podcast: 1KWM@wendybazilian.com

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Thank you for tuning in to 1,000 Waking Minutes and being part of this journey–together. A huge thank you to our amazing collaborators including our production and marketing teams and Gabriela Escalante in particular. To the ultra-talented Beza for my theme music, my lifelong friend and artist Pearl Preis Photography and Design, to Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen, Joanna Powell, and of course, my family and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes.

Health Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered individual medical or health advice. Always consult with your trusted healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or medical treatment.

Small changes do really add up over time and can make a big

difference in how you feel.

We experience 1, 000 waking minutes on average every day.

How are you spending yours?

I'm Dr.

Wendy Bazilian and you're listening to 1, 000 Waking Minutes.

I can't wait to connect with you here with practical ways to eat

well, move daily, and be healthy.

To optimize every waking minute you live for a happier, healthier life.

Thank you for sharing some of your waking minutes with me today.

Let's get started.

I'm saying yes to better days.

Yes.

I'm on my way.

Yes.

It's gonna be okay.

Welcome back to 1,000 Waking Minutes, where we talk about making the most of every one

of those precious waking minutes each day.

I'm Dr.

Wendy Bazilian, and today's episode, let's just say, is on a

topic that we all need to hear, but don't always like to talk about.

Well, at least not around the dinner table like so many of the other health

topics that tend to converse over.

We're talking about gut health and staying regular today.

And indeed, it's about digestion and how our gut impacts everything

from our physical health to our immune system, and even to our mood.

By the end of today's episode, you'll have a better understanding

of how keeping things regular can actually be life changing.

It's all about small actions, as we know, that make a big difference, right?

And I know that you know this, that you probably have experiences where some

small tweaks have really had payoff.

So I've got some simple, practical ways that you can start doing just that.

with something that we all know about, but maybe don't talk about enough.

So let's start with a throwback.

Do you remember when Jamie Lee Curtis was sitting on her comfy sofa on a commercial

talking about occasional irregularity?

This was some 15, maybe close to 20 years ago.

And it was an ad for Activia yogurt.

At the time, this was almost shocking.

This was, um, no one.

She was making it feel normal, as if you're having

a conversation with a friend.

She was.

And she made it almost light hearted.

Her frank approach to such a taboo subject was so groundbreaking

that some called it 'too memorable'.

And it became the fodder of SNL skits,

and a permanent part of Jamie Lee Curtis's resume,

I'm sure alongside of, you know, all of her wonderful, sometimes

lighthearted performances, of course.

At the time, this ad, what she had the chutzpah, I love that word, in doing

is sort of setting us up for a topic, and what she was doing was groundbreaking.

Suddenly gut health wasn't taboo.

It was mainstream, on mainstream television, on mainstream network

channels, and she made it feel like, it was okay to talk about

something that we all deal with.

This ad really started a lot of conversations, and gut

health has become a hot topic.

It has been for a couple decades.

But here's what I want you to take away.

Your gut health is so much more than probiotics and yogurt.

Um, it's deeply tied to your immune system, to your mental well being,

In fact, some scientists call the gut the second brain, and it deserves that title.

Despite Jamie Lee's breakthrough, many of us though still talk sort of quietly

or in friendly 'code words' about gut health or our slow intestinal transit time.

You know, we're open about talking about probiotics or prebiotics, or we hear

about the word postbiotic, maybe, this emerging arena, but rarely do we go into

the specifics about intestinal distress.

But it is a topic that seems to be on all our minds.

In doctor's offices, in hospitals, in my clinical practice, regularity

is one of the most common problems that people discuss.

and that they struggle with.

In fact, by some estimates, 80 percent of us will experience constipation

at some point in our lives, and nearly 4 million people experience

constipation on a frequent basis.

That's a lot.

So why do some of us still hide the box of prunes under the

groceries in our shopping carts?

I've always said that I wanted to offer a class, and I've pitched it

a few times, called Constipation Nation: All Things Regularity.

It didn't fly, and I can't blame people for not loving the,

the word 'constipation' in the title of a class, but I'm still convinced

that everyone would be interested.

It's just, you know, maybe no one would show up, you know,

no one would really attend.

Or if they did attend,... there was a classroom I used to teach in regularly

that had windows on two sides.

I always sort of pictured that people would attend the class from the outside.

They'd sort of have their soup can or their sort of listening gear, you know,

monitoring and wanting to listen in or write me privately or leave me a voicemail

because they wanted the handouts, but they didn't want to attend the class.

People clearly reluctant to show their faces.

I have a wild imagination on that, by the way.

But in all sincerity, now is our opportunity for us to get

real about this important topic.

So we're going to talk about it here in the hopes that you'll be

more comfortable talking about it.

Perhaps we can answer some questions you've been reluctant to broach, and

I'll offer some remedies, hopefully, some practices and tips that may help you, if

not eliminate your irregularity, at least help, make it less frequent or make

your regularity more regular and hopefully kick some of its side effects like gas

and bloating and pain with digestion.

Boy, would that be a relief!

Alright, so before we dive deeper here, let's do our mindful minute together.

I'm going to call this one a 'gut check.'

For those of you who have listened before, you know that I always build

in some kind of mindful minute,

that brings us in connection with what our topic of the day is, and also a

way to measure one of our waking minutes that we're sharing together today.

This is a simple exercise, and it's one that really brings us

back in connection with our body.

In every episode, I will talk about and prepare you for it.

And then we will spend the minute together.

I'll prompt you just a little bit within that minute.

I'll have a start and an end to the minute.

And then we'll reflect on the minute.

So this is how we prepare:

Take a moment sort of to sit up tall, to get everything sort

of straightened out, especially if we've been slouching for the day.

And now I'm going to have you relax.

So you're going to take a moment now to sit back and relax.

This is something that we do not in a full upright posture, but a little

bit more relaxed and let your belly be loose and then you're going to put

one hand on your stomach and by doing that, I want you to put your thumb on

your navel, on your belly button, and then let your hand just sort of fall

and rest just below your belly button.

I've learned from Jason, my husband, who practices traditional Chinese

medicine, that's called the dantian or the center of the lower belly.

And it's a center of energy as well.

If you've done yoga breathing, yogic breathing, belly breathing, if you've

done any practices in Qigong, maybe you already know this, but this is a

good place to get sort of anatomically situated for some breathing.

And then you just let your palm rest gently on the fabric of your

clothing or on your bare skin.

Now, as you take a deep breath, I want you to breathe into your belly, we're

still not in the minute, I'm prepping you for this, but we're going to breathe

into our belly and feel your belly expand like a little bit of a balloon,

or like an accordion pushing down and letting it expand out, and your hand

sort of pushes out, filling with air.

When you're filled with air, then we're going to hold it for three

pulses.

One, two, three.

You're not doing anything, but I'm going to count one, two, three,

and then we're going to exhale.

We're going to repeat that breathing method where we take an inhale, feel

your belly rise one, two, three, as you hold it and then exhale out again.

And that's how we're going to take the minute together.

Now, before we start, let's sit up again, readjust, get, get relaxed.

Okay.

You can close your eyes if you're in a place where you can do that safely, so you

can really focus on the breathing and also feeling your abdomen rising and falling.

Now let's begin.

Take a deep breath.

Let your belly rise.

Feel it expand like a balloon.

Accordion of your lungs going down.

One, two, three.

Slowly exhale and your belly gently fall.

We're going to repeat that.

Inhale.

One, two, three.

Three.

Slowly exhale.

You continue the breathing.

And think about how your body is feeling right now.

Do you hear or feel any gurgles?

Can you feel your diaphragm pushing on your intestines?

If not, imagine this happening, the lungs going down.

Breathe in deep and low into the lungs.

Do a couple on your own.

About five seconds.

That's our minute.

Now, take a few moments to reflect on your experience.

How did it feel?

Is your breathing calmer or slower now?

Did you feel anything happening in your abdomen when it happened?

There's no right answer to this, by the way.

Did you feel any tension or unease?

And how has that changed?

Did you maybe feel your breathing go from higher up in your shoulders and chest,

move down and really fill your lungs, fill your lungs and get into the belly?

That kind of belly breathing helps relax the digestive system and

also help it work more efficiently.

It's simple, but it's so powerful.

So taking that one minute and you'll come to see how many,

full slow breaths that is for you.

For me, it's about seven when I'm relaxed.

I can see when I'm a bit more wound up, I get, it's a few more and sometimes

it rises to my chest a little bit.

If you've ever watched a musician on clarinet or

oboe as I used to play, or saxophone or a woodwind instrument.

or if you've done that yourself, you've likely, seen or heard

coaching about moving the chest, breathing into the belly breathing

so that you can extend the note.

You can play through the phrasing so that you have more endurance

and stamina for playing.

And since yoga is so popular today and other mindful exercises, the

concept of belly breathing may not be foreign to you, but maybe you haven't

given so much thought about the fact that it helps with digestion too.

Actually, mechanical digestion.

I'm going to talk about the mechanics of your gut health

because of how you're breathing, you're actually helping peristalsis

and helping the flow over time.

Thank you for sharing that mindful minute with me.

So now, let's dig into why gut health matters so much.

We know that staying regular is important for digestion,

but it's much bigger than that.

Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria.

That number just boggles my mind.

It's more than a 'bazilian' which is my last name. Trillions, and it's the,

what we call the gut microbiome. You know, the environment, the ecosystem of our gut.

This community of bacteria does more than just help us break down food, of course.

It influences our immune system, our brain, even how we manage stress.

We'll have other episodes to come with topics on, you know, like the

pre and post and,probiotics, cell senescence, which is an emerging space,

um, that is when aging cells stop dividing and start creating problems in the body.

There was actually just a great article, in the most recent

issue of Today's Dietitian that talk about cellular senescence and that

phenomenon and the impact it can have on the gut and the brain and more.

But today is really about the basics and it's not basic, it's critical.

A healthy gut movement, the regularity and working on your balance there impacts

your overall health in a variety of ways.

So here's a fun fact for you.

Did you know that your digestive system is about nine meters long?

That's 27 feet on average from mouth to colon.

Your digestive system starts in your mouth and it runs all the

way down, of course, to where

you exit at the colon in your pelvic area.

That is long enough, if you stretched it out, to go the width of a tennis

court, to give you some perspective.

And the surface area of our gut, flattened out, would cover

the size of a football field.

It's tremendous, it's enormous, and it's all packed between your shoulders, well,

your mouth, down... shoulders, and most of it between the ribs and your pelvic bones.

That's how much work your gut does every day for you.

It's working 24/7, all along the channel.

In fact, it's a bit of a machine.

I like,... it makes me think of the body machine.

I don't know if you know about Schoolhouse Rock, or if you, like

me, used to watch Saturday cartoons and see the Schoolhouse Rock gang

teach through music, but there used to be a song called the body

machine and it went like this.

I used to sing this sometimes at the beginning to introduce a class

on metabolism or something, but it goes "when you look down the street,

what do you see the street is overflowing with lots of machines.

Now I don't mean the buses, the trucks or the cars.

We're talking about you people.

Now you know who you are.

I'm a machine.

You're a machine, everybody that you know, you know, they are machines.

To keep your engine running

you need energy, for your high powered revved up body machine."

Well, I just went off tune there, but you get the point! But

there's a part where it starts in,

and though some people have critiqued it for not being a hundred percent

accurate, it starts with "first, the saliva is kind of like a driver

move to the rear of the mouth."

And what I think is so relevant is that that teaches kids, and

maybe we've forgotten, that digestion starts in the mouth.

And that is the only place along your digestive tract that you have control.

And I want you to get this in your mind because when I've worked with individuals

and taught classes on this, this has, you know, been obvious once I pointed

out, but sort of like a surprise moment.

It's the only place where you get to say what goes in, how

much goes in, and how much you're going to chew before you swallow.

And you leave it to the magic that happens, the chemistry, the

compounds, the antioxidants, the enzymes, the hormones down below.

So, in your mouth, it's super important, you've got these white,

hard, enamel substances called teeth.

They tear, they grind, they masticate and mush. They

make the food ready to go down.

But not only that, certain digestive enzymes are secreted in the mouth.

Amylase is one, and there are others that start actual digestion in the mouth.

The more you chew, the more you get that pre opportunity to help your digestion

along the way before it hits your stomach, which is often likened to a soup pot.

Or in traditional Chinese medicine, they call it the cauldron.

The soup pot down below.

You only get 3 to 6 inches of 27 feet where you're in control.

And then what do you do?

You cross your fingers and you hope it all works out.

You swallow and then let the body machine do the rest.

So it's important to think about those initial points, and that will be

built into one of our tips for today.

So what we do have control in this process is how we eat.

So eating well is part of that process today.

But there are some other things beyond eating well and making choices that

can help us with our regularity.

But in thinking about eating well and the choices that we make,

there are different foods, different nutrients that can impact

our regularity, the timing, and more.

But the one I really want to focus on today is fiber.

Here's the problem.

Less than 5 percent of Americans, and it's not that much better globally, get

the recommended daily, amount of fiber, the amount, the 25 to 38 grams per

day that's recommended for fiber intake.

Most of us are falling short, not a few, and it does

contribute to a host of problems.

Some have predicted that a lot of our health issues, especially ones

of the gut, could be

decreased by simply- it's not simple all the time - but simply adding

the fiber or getting enough fiber.

And even more serious issues like increased risk of colorectal cancer,

has been linked to fiber consumption.

Many of us are already working to improve our gut microbiome.

You may have maybe taking probiotics or eating for a healthy microbiome,

It's a topic we'll talk about

in other times, but it all starts with our regularity and getting

into a semi consistent pattern.

That is what regularity means.

So why does it really matter?

And then, so what can we do?

That's what we're going to talk about.

So let's talk about the return on investment, the ROI,

as I always call it, the benefits.

of keeping things regular.

You might be surprised at how much it impacts your life.

Many of us think that irregularity is dictated by our constitutional

health or genetics, our health picture, but that's just not the case.

Except in cases of chronic disorders, IBS, irritable bowel, that is...

celiac, certain conditions of the gut, you can take charge of a lot of

the issues with regularity. And if you can't fully, fix it, you'll

certainly can improve the symptoms, even with some of the chronic conditions,

you can certainly improve some of the symptoms that you might struggle with.

So what are some of the ROIs?

Number one is banished bloating.

A lot of people complain about bloating.

And when things are moving smoothly, you can feel it.

When they're not moving smoothly, you get crampy, you get gassy, you get bloaty.

All those things.

Saying regular, you can reduce that discomfort and feel lighter.

And more energetic.

And interestingly, my daughter came, she was learning about homonyms,

and she was doing things like dear, like 'my dear friend' versus deer the

animal, and ewe, the female sheep, and you versus, like, you and me.

And she, out of the blue this morning, said, "You know, Mom,

the word 'pooped' means tired.

And of course 'poop' also means, well, you know what, I guess they're homonyms."

But what was curious to me... that was a good observation, I

thought, out of, out of her mind.

but what I thought was curious was, we do say, "I'm pooped" when I'm tired.

But if you get more regular, guess what?

You're less 'pooped.'

You're less sluggish and generally more energetic when you get more regular.

That can be a positive side effect.

Another benefit

of regularity is reduced risk of colon cancer.

While constipation has not been directly linked to an increased risk

of colon cancer, many of the factors that cause irregularity also elevate

the susceptibility to cancer, including things like poor eating habits,

excess weight gain, a lack of physical activity, being inactive and sedentary.

And lifestyle changes like these, remember eat well, move daily,

be healthy... lifestyle changes can safeguard against both,

helping us eat more fiber can help.

And fiber has been linked to lower risk of colorectal cancer.

So this is sort of a powerful motivator to get some

of those fiber rich foods in.

Also, another benefit, it's more immediate, but not so publicly

discussed, is decreased straining when you're going to the bathroom.

Not only is straining for stool uncomfortable when you're in the

bathroom, it's one of the primary causes of hemorrhoids, which can cause

itching, swelling, and even bleeding.

More people have experienced them, and the benefit of lifestyle changes

and some of the simple practices you can make to get you more regular

are bigger than you even think.

If you've heard of Preparation H, always, it's always been assumed,

but I, I've sort of read somewhere that it maybe hasn't been conclusively

that the H stands for hemorrhoids.

When it first came out in the 1930s, it was generally to reduce inflammation

and foster healing in affected areas.

But the primary area that Preparation H has always been used.

is for hemorrhoids.

If you've seen some of the TikTok or beauty hacks, you may

have seen some off label uses.

Number one of them being reduced puffiness under the eyes.

And I want you to exercise caution if that is ever something that you consider doing.

Under the eye, is very fine skin and can be extra sensitive.

So be careful if you do that.

I am not advocating that as a choice.

And I think that there are actually better things to de puff under the eyes.

The eyes that may be safer if you care to try it, but Preparation

H has been used for that also.

Also the newer formula, which may be decades old, I don't know exactly

when it changed, has a vasoconstrictor in it, which may have the impact

now on hemorrhoids as well as other things that it's used for.

Another ROI benefit is immune system.

It can help foster a healthy immune system and support a healthy immune system.

If the gut is considered a regional immune system, this

makes all the sense in the world.

And further to that, the foods that we know impact our immune system,

the antioxidants, the phytochemicals, the vitamins and minerals, the carbs,

fat, fiber, all of those things affect our immune system and

they pass through the mouth and they pass through the digestive system.

That's how we get our nutrients.

So there's no question that we've become more familiar with

gut health and talking about it.

But there's been a growing body of science on the topic and also

revelations about this gut brain access, the connection between the gut and the

brain and our emotions, you know, that, that saying, "I've got a gut feeling."

There may be something to that as well as the immune system.

Another very clear benefit from becoming more regular is

less reliance on medications.

Number one, and in particular.

regularity can reduce the need for over the counter medications

like laxatives and, antacids.

You know, the other one that people take for heartburn or digestive upset.

Some of these medications can also have side effects that are unwanted

or uncomfortable or interact with other medications you're taking.

So getting regular could help with that.

And finally, the benefit I want to share, which is not tongue in cheek, there's

actually research on this a little bit, but, getting regular could improve

your social life, you know, you might be saying "say what?" to that, but it's

true, not because directly that you say, "well, I, you know, I'm more

regular, therefore I'm more social," but feeling good in your body means

you're more likely to be able to be active and social and engage in life.

You might be more able to take the longer walks or engage in a sports, sport or

team sports or get up and go.

So regularity can help you feel better physically and emotionally, and it

makes it easier to enjoy life's moments.

So another little story before we talk about practical tips today,

and that's about Uncle Sam's cereal.

When I first started out in private practice a little over 20 years

ago, I was often on the lookout, I still am, for foods that had good

ingredient lists, good nutrient facts, And convenient fit the lifestyle

of the people I was working with.

And I'm among those people because let's face it, not everyone is able to eat

a whole foods diet where we make all our recipes from scratch every meal.

And in active lives, people have different choices and I respect that.

Um, they should feel good about eating what they choose to eat, eating healthy.

And, we know that there are some good foods on the shelves.

We certainly know that there are some foods that we are over processed, ultra

processed, packaged foods, but let's focus on the positive for a minute.

Well, I was working with one person who was looking for a cereal, and it was

a convenient solution for breakfast.

I know that not everyone has cereal for breakfast, but this

person was, and a lot of people do.

And I'm all for cereal in the right context.

Cereal can be a great thing.

Number one, you can find ones that have great ingredient lists,

start with the whole grain.

And fiber, we already know that fiber is one of the nutrients

of concern that certainly most of us aren't getting enough of.

And cereal can also be a great vehicle for other good foods, like

fruits, like blueberries or bananas come to mind that I always put in

my cereal when I have a cold cereal.

And also, what do we eat our cereal with?

We eat it with either dairy milk or plant based milk that is

fortified, hopefully, with calcium.

So it becomes a source of calcium and maybe even potassium, other nutrients of

concern that we're not getting enough of.

So anyway, I was shopping the cereal aisle, and this was back

in the, a couple decades ago, and I came across Uncle Sam's cereal.

It was sort of nostalgic, like, I didn't grow up with it per se, but

I remember it from my childhood.

And I looked, and it's been around even longer than that.

It's been around probably as long as anyone in the world

has been around at this point.

116 years. It came out in 1908.

And there it was looking at me on the shelf, and I'm smart enough to know that

when I pick up a package that's compelling on the front, even though it was very

traditional, the, the label and the, the packaging, it looked like it

probably had looked for a long, long time.

I grabbed it and I turned it over, because the first things that I look

at are the ingredient list first.

Do the ingredients stack up?

How do they look?

Am I okay with those?

And then the nutrient facts.

And in this case, I was happy.

There was... a whole grain was right at the front.

I was very happy when I saw 10 grams of fiber per serving.

Awesome.

But then shocker, I started looking at the marketing on it and oh

my gosh, this is what it said.

'A National Natural Laxative.

It's Uncle Sam's, so it's got the 'national' part in it.

'A National Natural Laxative.'

That was on the box!

So, yeah, fiber was already a thing, but I don't know of any other -

please, write me if you know another -

food item that was being marketed into our meals of the day that actually

use the word laxative on it, you know, there's usually a separation

there, or we euphemistically say, "I'm trying to get more fiber."

And we all know what we're talking about there.

Plus, I like to lead with flavor or that you enjoy the food.

Anyway, this was even well before Jamie Lee Curtis was talking about,

you know, the 'occasional irregularity.'

Uncle Sam's cereal had it right there on the box, laxative.

Well, I don't know how many decades it had been there, maybe since the beginning, but

I came to find a few, a few years later, I was looking for another box that,

you know, to, to see it and to match it up, and they had taken that marketing off.

I think that probably someone internally, hopefully a dietitian, I

didn't even think of that, maybe, sort of said people are looking for the

words whole grain or high in fiber.

And so those are the things that are called out today when you

look at an Uncle Sam cereal box.

So, how can we start supporting our gut health today?

I'm going to give you a few simple tips and I hope you can

use one, two, three, all of them.

And I've wrapped them up in five different areas.

One is boost your fiber.

I mean, I've talked about it already.

I led in with Uncle Sam's cereal just now to preview into the tips.

Aim to get more fiber.

Now, this is not to say that you can't have your sourdough bread or

your white bread or your white rice.

I'm not saying that you always have to have it, but on your regular or

frequently eaten meals, and food items like crackers and bread, your

everyday foods, try to get three grams of fiber or more per serving.

Seek out the fruits and vegetables and make sure they're

on your plate at every meal.

You know, raspberries have 8 grams of fiber in one 50 calorie cup.

That is outstanding for a fruit.

Look for chia seeds and flax seeds and whole grains and things like

oats, to add to your day.

I'm going to focus on chia for a second because it is really a powerhouse.

It has soluble and insoluble fiber, and it's been shown to benefit

cholesterol and cardiovascular health and a host of other things.

Um, I also do consult with a Chia company down in Chile.

Their name is Benexia, meaning 'Good Chia', Benexia, that I adore.

They do regenerative agriculture, they're 50 percent farmer owned,

they're eco friendly on every level, and they do ingredients that are, you

know, all the best quality from Chia.

But the reason I bring up Chia for fiber is because it has this

quality that it can be integrated into things like Chia pudding.

Like, chia jams.

Maybe you've been seeing jams, jam recipes.

The last couple books of mine, I've had a chia jam recipe, and

those date back over a decade.

where you basically just take, fresh berries or frozen berries

and you cook them on the stove to make sort of a sauce or compote

and they become mashed up.

You add a few tablespoons of chia, it gels up because the chia has a mucilage,

a gelling like property, sort of like pectin, but it's a different property.

And it gels up and it makes a terrific no-added-sugar jam.

But chia can be baked with.

You can eat the seeds. If you don't want the seeds - your gut

digests them beautifully - but you can grind them if you want... to integrate

them into baked goods. They can be used in a variety of ways.

But the tip really is eat more fiber and focus on fiber on a daily basis.

Second tip, walk after meals.

We dedicated an entire episode, episode 3 of 1,000 Waking

Minutes, to walking after meals.

The benefits are so important.

A simple stroll after eating, 700 steps

even, can help move your food through your digestive system.

They can help prevent heavy bloating.

It can help your diaphragm start to massage your gut because

of how the breathing happens.

Your posture stands up.

Gravity gets in.

This is a, another point of mechanical digestion.

Your torso twists.

When you walk, and you start moving that space between your ribs and

your pelvic area, and it feels good.

So, there's lots of reasons... Episode 3 has more about walking after meals. But

when it comes to regularity and digestive health, this one is really a slam dunk.

And this is a 'Move Daily' tip.

into being more regular.

Hydration.

This may sound obvious, but I can't repeat it enough:

drinking plenty of water.

Water comes in many forms, so it can be flat or bubbly, it can be in juices, in

fruits, in vegetables, it can be in soups.

You can think of water being in a lot of different places.

20 percent, or up to 20 percent, of our hydration can come through our

food, so really use that as a tool.

And we know that staying hydrate softens the stool, so it makes passing stool

easier, constipation less likely, and it helps keep things moving through

the system, not only through the weight of water, but it helps consolidate and

move through and help peristalsis out.

The next tip is to chew more.

I call this chewing consciously.

Do you know how many times you chew?

Maybe,... maybe not.

Most of us don't.

So more than you did before is what I'm encouraging you to do.

And how you can get to know that is just, you know, count how many

chews you do and then do a few more.

Chewing, and remember this is the start of digestion.

This is where you have an opportunity to make some decisions

about helping digestion happen.

You literally

can mush up the food and make it easier to digest, which ultimately

impacts digestion down below.

Chewing is an incredible opportunity also down to, down the path

to slow your 'speed of feed'.

So you only have six to eight inches, let's say, maximum in

the space of your mouth where you get some say so in digestion..

in 27 feet, six to eight inches maximum.

So take advantage of chewing, slowing down.

There are really good mindful eating, sort of exercises,

to experience like slowing down.

And if you want a number, everyone always says, well, how many

times should I chew? Aim for 20.

It's a little bit arbitrary, but 20 is, is more than you think.

So as you're chewing, it makes you engage.

And instead of gulping it down, it forces you into recognizing

your chewing behaviors.

And the final tip I want to encourage you to think about and

try, in fact, we're going to do it together, is circular massage.

This is one that can help mechanically, again, or physically with our digestion.

We can help our gut out.

This is something that I learned from my husband, Jason.

It's a practice adapted from TCM, from traditional Chinese medicine.

And I'm going to call this today our "Mindful Minute Number Two", pun

intended. Circular massage.

It's a gentle abdominal massage.

I encourage you to do it at least once a day and to practice it.

We're going to do it for one minute, but I encourage you to do it two to five

minutes or however long it feels good.

But two to five minutes is plenty to get things started.

And I practically guarantee that this is going to be your new favorite

secret trick that you do to help, to help your digestion become

healthier, more comfortable.

And you'll start to also identify some trouble areas in your gut.

We all seem to have them, where things seem to get, like, sort of stuck, or

clogged, or tied up, or painful at times.

Okay, so I'm going to describe how we're going to prepare to do this, and

then we're going to do it together.

First, I want you to sit up straight again, and then relax, just like

we did with the belly breathing.

And this time again, if you're in a place where you could actually lay your

body down, that could be a good way where, and then you put your knees up

so you can totally relax your abdomen.

Otherwise, relax where your feet are on the floor, you can really relax into

a chair and let your belly be soft.

This time I'm going to encourage you to, use your left fist so that

we're all on the same side and you're going to take a gentle fist and put

it right on top of your belly button.

So now we're a little bit higher up, and then you're going to gently wrap

your right hand over your left fist.

Now we're going to imagine that there's a clock on your stomach between your

ribs and your pelvic bone where your legs bend and meet to form a lap.

On this clock, 12 is at the top, six at the, at the bottom, at your

pelvis, and the hour three is on your left hand side and the hour nine...

the hour nine is over on the right hand side of your body.

And we're going to be doing circles in a clockwise fashion.

Small circles with a little bit of pressure, not hard, not to cause

discomfort, small little circles.

And we're going to make a circle, nine times, and then move concentrically

and start making bigger circles,

always clockwise, making little circles as we move out, concentric

circles, out across our abdomen.

That's all there is to it.

You may find places where there's a little tension or discomfort, and it's okay if

you sort of stop there and keep,

you know, sort of moving.

You're not prodding and poking...

you're not trying to push things along, but this abdominal massage can, can really

be not only so helpful to digestion, but it can really reframe your comfort level

and everything in your digestive tract between your ribs and your pelvic bone.

Okay, we're going to begin and I'm going to just have you breathe in and out,

inhale, exhale gently as we do this.

Let's get our starting position and we'll begin now.

Our fist, our hand is gently over our fist and we're making

small circles on our abdomen.

After about nine circles then move a couple inches out from that and

start making little circles along a bigger circle in your abdomen.

Stop and stay a while if there's a place that's a little ornery

with you or feel, or feels really good.

We're always working in a clockwise fashion because that's

how the final

nine feet or so of your colon travel.

Your ascending colon comes up the right side, comes across the left,

goes underneath your ribcage, and then exits down the left side, the

descending colon, and out of the body.

Four more seconds.

There you go.

Our mindful minute number two for today.

That was great.

And clockwise is always the way to go.

There are indications, I've learned for counterclockwise,

sometimes if you have looser stools or to slow the system down a little

bit if you're having bouts of illness.

But generally speaking, we move in a clockwise fashion.

And if you have a bout of food poisoning, and we've all had

that on occasion, your body's actually trying to get things out.

So we don't necessarily want to slow that down, even though

that can cause discomfort.

This is something that you can do.

At least once a day.

Morning time is a great time when you wake up first thing in the morning and you can

stay in bed for a couple extra minutes before you get up and start your day.

Get your knees raised, your abdomen will be very soft and relaxed at that point.

And you can also do this before bed and anytime in between.

Maybe just not right after a meal.

That may not be as comfortable.

So I hope you enjoyed that extra mindful minute.

So now as we get toward the end of this episode, I wanted to propose a question

as we do in each episode to think about that's related to our daily minutes

and also ties into today's topic.

Today's question is: "As you think about your 1, 000 waking minutes,

what's one small change you could make today to support your gut?"

That supports your digestive health.

Maybe it's adding a little more fiber to your meals, starting to take those

short walks after lunch or dinner.

Or practicing the belly breathing.

Or how about that circular massage?

Small changes do really add up over time and can make a big

difference in how you feel.

So, we have walked the width of a tennis court today, remembering

how long your digestive tract is, those 27 feet or 9 meters.

And we've talked about getting or becoming more regular.

It's pretty basic, but basic stuff is really important

sometimes. This is the foundation of, digestive health.

And I wanted to start there.

We started exploring our gut health, and thankfully, we're a bit more comfortable

today talking about this topic.

And naturally, we discussed some of the real benefits shown from

science, that you can experience from getting more regular.

I provided some tips, hopefully ones you can do now.

Hopefully you'll take one or a few and be able to start them right away.

Everything from adding some chia seeds and whole grains, to walking after meals, to

the, belly massage, circular massage.

Regularity and gut health is part of our overall health, and it's critical.

In the spirit of eat well, move daily, be healthy, this would fall into be healthy,

but we already know that the eating well and the move daily impact it too.

So I hope this episode gave you something to think about.

And maybe even a little inspiration to try one or two of these things.

If you found today's episode helpful, I'd love for you to share it with a

friend and encourage them to listen and perhaps subscribe as well.

I'm grateful.

Well, that's all for today.

I'm Wendy Bazilian, and you're listening to 1,000 Waking Minutes.

Thanks again for sharing some of your waking minutes with me today.

Till next time, be well.

Thank you for tuning into 1,000 Waking Minutes.

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and marketing teams and Gabriela Escalante in particular, to the ultra

talented Beza for my theme music, my lifelong friend and artist, Pearl

Preis Photography and Design, to Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen, Joanna Powell,

and of course my family and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes

and to you, our valued listeners.

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Yeah!