Walking barefoot across the grass (or maybe lying face first in it), an evening stroll along a country lane, or unearthing potatoes from your garden.
These activities all have something unexpected in common…
Every interaction we have with the natural world leaves an imprint on our gut microbiome.
There are microbes in the air, earth, water and on plant life that can colonise and diversify our gut flora.
Spending time outdoors can improve your gut health. From improved immunity to a boost in diversity of your gut microbiome.
But, generally, there’s a bit more to it than simply stepping outside and multiplying your microbes!
8 outdoor activities that can boost your gut health
There are certain outdoor activities and habits that can expose us to a wider range of nature’s microbes.
Here are 8 ways to boost your gut microbiome no matter where you live…
1. Build Your Nature Connection
We’re a part of nature. But in the busy world of blue light, team meetings and responsibilities, we can often lose sight of our connection to the natural world.
Actively re-building a connection with nature gets us outside, and it can have a positive effect on our gut microbiome, but also on our wellbeing and overall health too.
Notice nature...
One simple way to do this is to take some time to actually notice nature. Each day, try to spend at least 15 minutes observing nature. Whether that’s the clouds of a stormy sky, the colors of a sunrise or the birds that visit your garden.
Another way to reconnect with nature is to mark or celebrate seasonal events that relate to nature — like the summer solstice. These natural events can help us tune in to the cycles and rhythms of the natural world.
Related Read | How to Rewild Yourself And Reconnect With Nature
2. Get Green Fingers
Growing your own veggies in containers or tending to a border of beautiful flowers gets us up close and personal with a wider range of microbes.
Unearthing potatoes, planting some echinacea or snipping fresh herbs. These simple gardening tasks keep us in contact with nature’s microbes as we breathe in the earthy aromas of the soil and eat the produce that we grow.
Trimming flowering perennials like lavender or catmint can also expose us to phytoncides (that boost our natural killer cells). These plant compounds may also play a role in diversifying our gut microbiome.
3. Spend Regular Time Outdoors
If gardening isn’t your thing… there are plenty of other ways to bring the outdoors into your daily life. Maybe a lunch break walk, nature photography or an evening stroll with a loved one.
If you live in the city, seek out nearby green spaces that you haven’t explored yet. Or maybe find a walking book filled with local public footpaths that you haven’t discovered.
Spending time in green spaces exposes us to fresh, unpolluted air which can benefit our overall health. But it also exposes us to phytoncides and a natural collection of airborne microbes that could contribute to a diverse gut microbiome.
The wilder the better, as this means less air pollution and more ‘natural’ air.
Related Read | Why Is Nature So Important To Happiness?
4. Create An Outdoor Space You Want To Be In
Do you have an outside space that you actually want to sit in?
Whether you have a wild overgrown garden, a cluttered balcony, or an empty paved patio. Aim to curate a space that makes you want to actually sit outside with a mug of something delicious to listen to the birds or simply absorb some sunshine.
A few tips to make your space feel more inviting…
- • add aromatic plants
- • plant evergreens (so your garden looks good in winter too!)
- • Outdoor lights
- • A comfy outdoor seat with a blanket you can use in winter too
If you don’t have outdoor space, invest in a picnic rug or a portable chair that you can set up in a local park or take with you on the train to the beach.
5. Get Up Close and Personal...
The closer the better! Touching nature can expose us to a wide range of nature’s microbes and diversify our gut microbiome — this is especially important for little ones.
A recent study in Finland recreated a forest floor in a children’s nursery. They found that the children had improved immunity and their skin microbiome was also more diverse (which had the potential to also boost their gut microbiome!).
So on your next walk, take some time to actually feel the texture of leaves, look at the gills of a fungi growing on the forest floor, or maybe run your hands over long grasses in a meadow.
Hand washing before eating is definitely still recommended! But the idea is to simply immerse ourselves in more natural environments.
6. Location & Advocation
When it comes to embracing the microbes in natural spaces, the wilder the location, the better!
There's a difference between the biomes of rural and urban locations. So location makes a big difference.
A study in South Australia found that urban green spaces with more native plants (more like the wild) had a higher microbial diversity when compared to lawns and other urban spaces with a lack of plant variety.
This highlights the importance of access to nature and more ‘natural’ or wild green spaces.
Reconnect. Rewild. Restore
It’s why here at Jamu Wild Water our mission is to inspire people to reconnect with nature.
We also support the work of the Outward Bound UK Trust, which works extremely hard to provide opportunities for young people to connect with the outdoors.
Other ways to boost your gut microbiome...
While time outdoors is critical for improving the diversity of our gut microbiome. It's actually our diet that has the biggest impact on how well our friendly bacteria survive and thrive...
Prebiotic fibre feeds the beneficial microbes in our gut microbiome. So while it's important to boost diversity, it's also important to nurture the microbes that are already a beneficial part of our gut flora.
You may also like to read:
• 6 Ways to Boost your Gut Microbiome
• The Amazing Functions of the Gut Microbiome
• 8 Ways to Sneak More Dietary Fibre into Your Life
• 10 Top Tips to Support Your Gut Health Naturally
