Why your microbiome is important for achieving athletic goals 

Many scientific studies show that sporting activities have a positive influence on our gut. Conversely, a healthy microbiome can have a beneficial effect on our physical performance. So if you want to achieve athletic goals, it makes sense to take care of the health of your microbiome. 

How exercise benefits your gut health 

Some studies have shown that athletes have a higher microbial diversity. Diversity describes the diversity of the microbiome and shows whether the different types of bacteria are evenly distributed in the gut or whether some are dominant. High diversity has been associated with many health benefits, while low diversity has been associated with many diseases and symptoms. It could therefore be argued that sport increases diversity in the gut. 

But your gut bacteria can do much more than that

The little inhabitants also have a great influence on our immune system and brain health. When our little inhabitants are doing well, it can demonstrably lead to an increased sense of well-being, which makes us move significantly more in our everyday lives and leisure time.

Building muscle with the right gut bacteria 

You probably wouldn’t expect it, but your microbiome also has an influence on your muscle building. An athletic microbiome has a positive effect on carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. This in turn can lead to better muscle development and a healthier body composition of muscle mass and body fat.

Maximum oxygen uptake increases fitness 

Researchers have shown in various studies that regular exercise increases the number of butyrate-producing bacteria and thus the bacterial metabolite butyrate, which has subsequently been linked to increased cardiorespiratory fitness – also known as maximum oxygen uptake. Cardiorespiratory fitness is a measure that describes the ability to transport oxygen from the air into our muscles. Those who have a high maximal oxygen uptake provide their muscles with sufficient oxygen for energy production and thus increase their physical performance. Maximum oxygen uptake can in turn be improved through training.  

Athletic performance and gut health belong together 

Those who want to increase their athletic fitness should not only exercise sufficiently and regularly, but also pay attention to a high diversity in their gut. The more diverse our trillions of microorganisms are, the better our mental as well as our physical performance.

Introducing Natascha Grillo – who writes here anyway? 

My name is Natascha Grillo, we (Team Crossfit Coblenz) and I have been involved in sports and nutrition for over 8 years. We have a great interest in ensuring that our athletes move beautifully and eat healthily. 

In our holistic coaching we often work with the myBioma microbiome analysis. With this we want to get to the bottom of acute problems such as digestive disorders, abdominal pain or flatulence, or simply find out how our athletes’ intestines are doing in order to improve their performance in training. Depending on the results and the myBioma team’s suggestions for improvement, we then adjust nutrition and/or nutritional supplements. Stress management has also been taking up more and more space in our coaching for some time now, which is directly related to gut health. 

In our holistic coaching we often work with the myBioma microbiome analysis. With this we want to get to the bottom of acute problems such as digestive disorders, abdominal pain or flatulence, or simply find out how our athletes’ intestines are doing in order to improve their performance in training. Depending on the results and the myBioma team’s suggestions for improvement, we then adjust nutrition and/or nutritional supplements. Stress management has also been taking up more and more space in our coaching for some time now, which is directly related to gut health. 

I’m a big fan of the capabilities of our gut microbiome and find it fascinating how it all affects our daily performance. And it’s not that hard to move a little bit for it every day.

You can follow me directly on my Instagram account (@coach_taschi) and send me a message if you have any questions

Author

Anni Grimm

Über den Autor

Listen to your gut!

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