Bad posture is said to affect many aspects of our wellbeing, from our joints to mental health. We asked the experts if slouching could be to blame for bloating and poor gut health.
Drawing your belly button in towards your spine is just one of the common reminders we’ve all heard to correct the hunched posture many of us adopt while working at desks and counters. There’s a clear link between strong abs, better posture and improved back health, but whether or not this extends to bloating isn’t clear cut.
Although the gut is sandwiched between the stomach muscles and the spine, it’s so well insulated that physiotherapist, Lyndsay Hirst suggests, “Bloating is more of an issue with the bowels and digestive system rather than the musculoskeletal system.”
But it doesn’t stop there. Although bad posture can’t be a primary cause of bloating, Phyllis Woodfine, and Osteopath of 28-years says, “poor circulation as a result of poor posture can lead to digestive problems and compression of the digestive system if [you’re] in a prolonged slumped posture.”
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If you suspect your posture is exacerbating your bloating, the first thing to do according to Lyndsay is to “train the back and abdominal muscles as they can help ease discomfort in the digestive system by allowing a better open space in the abdomen.”
She explains that training your abdominal muscles can be as simple as deep breathing exercises, “as when the diaphragm contracts and relaxes it moves up and down which also moves the organs up and down in the abdomen – this movement can help the passage of gas through the digestive tract.”
Another way to ease your bloating through better posture is by taking a walk after a meal, because, according to Phyllis, “There is some evidence to show that digestion is improved in the standing position.”
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