Our GUT is a true magical place. Engineered perfectly to break down and distribute Nutrients to the body as well as neural connections to the entire body which make it our ‘Second Brain’ . From your Mouth down to your Anus, there is roughly 4000 square feet of surface, all with unique roles to play in our health. Like our skin, the tight cell structure creates a barrier from the bad and specifically designed to allow in the good stuff. When the integrity of this structure is broken down anywhere, all hell can break loose. This condition is called LEAKY GUT and here are 3 prominent signs that you may have some degree of it.
1. Foggy Thoughts or Chronic Memory Loss.
This week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition a new study came out from the Ohio State University on Fatty foods and Lack of Focus. The study followed 50 women who were given a meal of High Saturated Fat and one with High Unsaturated Fat. The Saturated Fat meal was designed to mimic hga typical American Fast food meal and the Unsaturated Fat Meal was designed to mimic a low inflammatory meal with high fiber. What the researchers found was that those women who were given the High Saturated Fat meal scored lower on the cognitive and problem solving tests given.
The researchers traced their results back to the GUT. Since the GUT is the gatekeeper of all the nutrients into the body, it is also where inflammation has a direct effect on the systems. High Levels of inflammation in the GUT, Which is essentially LEAKY GUT, cause the breakdown of joints between the cells in the lining. Once food products and undigested food enters the blood stream, then systemic inflammation occurs which is symbolized by foggy thoughts, lack of focus and when chronic conditions are present….. Alzheimers and Dementia occurs.
So if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, instead of reaching for the Ginkiobiloba you should look at your diet and see how you can clean it up.
2. Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Now that we have established that LEAKY GUT is an inflammatory disease, lets now dive into one of the most egregious faults we have in American Society… The Marketing of drugs which are simply bandaids on underlying lifestyle problems!!
Turn on the morning news and chances are you will see a commercial promoting the use of drugs for Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Chrohn’s disease.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is classified as a breakdown of the GUT lining and inflammation which causes improper digestion, cramps, stomach ache, and diarrhea (among other things). The connection to LEAKY GUT is in the breakdown of the lining and cilia that line the GUT. When the lining becomes inflamed, a mucous is formed on the inside of the GUT which inhibits absorption and digestion, thus causing the aforementioned issues.
Referring back to the Point 1, if you experience chronic IBS you need to look at your diet. Consuming High Fiber, Poly Unsaturated Fats, and identifying food allergies can help. The problem is that changing someones diet is often harder than changing ones religion. We are habitual creatures and tend to accept discomfort as the ‘norm’. I plead to you, especially if you are an athlete… chronic IBS is NOT normal and should be addressed before long term damage takes hold.
3. Stress.
Im writing this post in the middle of probably one of the most stressful times of your life, so I feel it is fitting to place Stress in my Point 3. I have covered a lot about nutrition and inflammation but chronic stress can be just as bad for your GUT.
Constant stress unlocks a host of issues in the body like fatigue, acne, autoimmune diseases, and hormonal imbalances. All of said issues can be directly linked to the health of your GUT. Remember how I called our GUT the “Second Brain”? It has as many Neural Connections as your brain does and can be damaged in the same way.
Stress and the hormone, Cortisol, will act on the lining of the GUT, breaking it down and allowing for fissures for bad bacteria and undigested food to enter your blood stream.
Signs that Stress is hurting your GUT include;
-lack of sleep
-diarrhea
-Jondis
-arthritis and joint pain|
-irritability
-lack of productivity.
Managing stress and improving GUT function is done through a reevaluation of sleep patterns, yoga, meditation, fitness, loving relationships and sex.
This topic is gigantic and many of the symptoms I have given you to look for can be related to other ailments and diseases… but where do they all reduce to??? Your GUT.
Take care of your GUT and avoid unnecessary breakdown of its integrity. This is especially true if you are at high risk for immune system compromise and have underlying genetic defects. The good news is that simple lifestyle changes like adding more fiber, beneficial bacteria, and avoiding processed foods is a quick way to repair the lining. You will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of life changes that occur by living for your GUT. Be well and live consciously.
Love,
Eric
Programming Notes 5/18-5/22 ** Shifting from Endurance to Power Training this week with specific exercises and workouts which are designed to express power through the two multi-axial joints. Sprint work on Wednesday is moderate in volume but none the less it demands maximal effort. Train smart and destroy.
5/18
Baseline:
3X
200m Run
8 Bow/Bend
8 Leg Swings
8 Scorpion Stretch
8 Divebomber Push Ups
Clean Warm Up:
7 @ Each
-Barbell Good Mornings
-Barbell Romanian Deadlift
-Barbell Muscle Clean
-Hang Power Clean + Press
-Front Squat + Push Press
-Pausing Squat Clean + Jerk
Strength:
Deadlift
5X5
*Building
Barbell Workout:
20 Clean and Jerks 135/95
20 Toes To Bar
15 Clean and Jerk 155/105
15 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
10 Clean and Jerks 185/115
10 Strict Ring Dips
5/19
Baseline:
5:00 Easy Biking
2X
12 Single Leg Toe Touch
12 Side Step Reverse Lunge
12 Lateral Line Touches
Squat Flow: Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Ankle Roll Out, Bootstraps, PNF Stretch, Squat W/ T Spine Stretch
Strength:
Step Ups
4X8
*Front Rack Kettlebell Preferably
Conditioning:
5 Rounds ; Every 5:00 Minutes
12 Bodyweight Front Squat
12 Burpee Over Bar
12 Cal Bike
5/20
Baseline:
Agility Warm Up @ 10m Each
High Knee Pull
Quad Pull
Squat 180 **stepping the leg high over hip, swing opposite leg to 180, squat
High Knees
Butt kickers
Marching High Kicks
Groiners
Straight leg shuffles
A Skip
B Skip
Fig 4 Drill
Lateral Shuffle
Carioca
Lateral Bounding
Sprint W/ Change of Direction
Sprint Training:
2X 400m Sprints
* Rest = Half of Work Time
3X 200m Sprint
*Rest = double the work time.
Consistency Training:
15 Minute AMRAP
15 Cal Row
15 Wall ball
5/21
Baseline:
4X :30 @ Each
-Squat
-Push Up
-Iron Cross
-Lateral Line Touches @ 8’ cones
-Kip Swings on Pull Up bar
-Flutter Kicks
Aerobic Workout:
30 Turkish Get Ups
(Not Fast, alternate Arms every 3 Reps)
-Rest 2:00-
4X
15 Dumbbell Floor Press 2X (50/35)
7 Devils Press
-Rest 2:00-
100 Pull ups For Time
*Each Time you drop off, run 100m
(preferably with weight vest)
