Jeff Mills Coastal Vacations Club Blog

An upset tummy is something that everyone has had some experience of. Most people really on medications or remedies to resolve the problem, but this is only a temporary cure, there must be a better, more natural and sustainable approach?

Exercise is the answer according to Yale University, who say that those people who engage in regular exercise will not only have more efficient food transit through the body but also have less stomach upsets. James Kernel from the Universities Sports Sciences Department suggests a number of reasons for their findings. Firstly, when people move around they are generally upright which helps food and liquids move down through the body, also when you move muscles in a repetitive motion, like when paddling on surfboards for example, this helps pump blood all around the body and help distribute nutrients that were absorbed in the stomach and intestines. Stomachs tend to have a problem when you are in a sitting position or are inactive for a while as the food cannot move through the body as smoothly.

Secondly, exercise releases important chemicals into the body that regulate glucose levels in the blood. Glucagon and Insulin are the main ones which control how much energy is in a state of storage and how much is in the blood, although there are others that play a part. There are lots of muscles around the digestive tract area that contract in peristaltic waves to move solids and liquids along through the body. The speed and quality of digestion is dramatically compromised if a regular flow of controlled-level glucose is not supplied to them at all times.

So rather than wait until you actually get indigestion or stomach ache before take action, why not buy one of the many second hand bikes around or consider used kayaks if you like the water, and try prevention instead of cure

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Filed under: Backcountry Adventure Travel