A Healthy Lifestyle –With or Without IBS

Posted on October 21, 2008

I’ll be away for the next couple of days and my wife Emily will be posting while I’m gone.  She works full-time, is pregnant with our first, and still tries to find time to live a healthy lifestyle.  She’s awesome.  

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  IBS is seen mostly in women and the usual symptoms include intense stomach pains following meals, unpleasant bowel discomforts, and sudden or unhealthy weight gain or loss. 

It is basically when the intestines move in an arrhythmic way when digesting food, causing pain and irregular bowel movements.

When my IBS got so bad that I had a hard time eating without pain, I went to my doctor and I was surprised by what he said…it sounded exactly like what every person should do to stay healthy.  Here are the main things I was told to do:

  • Drink lots of water throughout the day
  • Exercise most days of the week for at least 30 minutes.  Make sure some kind of aerobic exercise is involved as this helps food travel more easily through the digestive tract.
  • Stay away from greasy, fatty, oily, and acidic foods for the most part.  These contribute to digestive discomfort.  Try to stick to foods in their purest form.  Whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables are best.
  • Make sure to eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day.  Avoid getting to the extremes of starvation point or over-eating.  Try to always be between 20 and 80% full.
  • Make sure to get enough sleep (at least 7-8 hours a night).
  • Find ways to eliminate stress from your life as this can cause more sensitive bowels to tense up.  Take time for yourself to go for a walk, do some breathing techniques, or anything else that is generally relaxing.

When I started following the guidelines on this list, I found that my IBS was nearly non-existent.  Now when I start to feel stomach pains, it is usually because I have neglected to stay active.  I think the IBS health plan contains guidelines that we can all use to not only be healthier, but feel better, both mind and body.

Bottom line: Whether you have IBS or not, the above things are good for all of us to do.  A healthy lifestyle is a good lifestyle.  

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Comments

  • http://healthhabits.wordpress.com DR

    Thanks for this post.

    I just passed the link on to a couple of friends who are dealing with IBS.

    DR’s last blog post..Supercharge Your Brain On A Low Carb Diet

  • http://www.myfamilydoctormag.com/blog James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

    thanks for the pracical advice. It should help many people since IBS is pretty common.
    Some people have a problem with a particular food or 2. Stress triggers it a lot.

    Don’t assume you have it until you have been checked out by a health-care provider for other causes of the symptoms.

  • http://alifelesssweet.blogspot.com/ cathy

    My husband has IBS and follows the same general tips that you do to keep it under control. Another one that he’s added to his repertiore recently is taking probiotics, whether through yogurt or supplements.

    Nice post! Tips we should all live by, IBS or not!

    cathy’s last blog post..In search of a good BBQ sauce

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