Happy Being Clean is proud to present this guest posting written by Breanne, a fellow healthy food enthusiast from the UK!  If you want to learn more about her, check out her blog My Healthy Curves.  Thank you Breane, we love hearing your perspective- welcome to the Happy Being Clean community!

Having a healthy abdomen is a basic thing we should all aspire to have and maintain. Unfortunately, we rarely pay attention to our stomachs’ health until we experience certain discomforts like bloating, constipation, and gas. These not just create undue stress but threaten our overall wellbeing. When your tummy is fine, so is the rest of your body.

Luckily for you, I have compiled a list of best exercises that will not only help your stomach functions but also to keep your health intact. Provided you take these exercises seriously alongside clean eating habits, you can easily boost your stomach system, beat bloat, and prevent serious diseases.

Each exercise has a brief description and gives you clear directions on how to go about them. Let’s get to it, shall we?

1. Sit-ups

Sit-ups help regulate bowel movements, as well as ease all bowel-related discomforts. It is one of those multipurpose exercises that deals with a number of issues. In this case, it takes care of most digestive issues including constipation, bloating, and irritable bowel syndrome. So in future before you reach for those bloating tablets, just do a couple of sit-ups and see if you notice a difference.

Performing sit-ups is very easy, to say the least. Lie on the floor with your feet on the mat and your knees bent. Your fingers should be interlocked behind your head. Slowly, lift your head off the floor, with your feet firmly on the ground. Stay up for 1 to 3 seconds, then resume your initial position. Repeat this 10-20 times.

2. Leg Raises (Uttanpadasana)

Each leg raise provides you with various benefits that assist in increasing the definition and strength within your abdominal muscles. They play a huge role in the aid of digestion. Each time you engage in this exercise, you decrease your chances of developing bowel cancer in the future. Here’s how to do it.

Lie flat on a mat with both hands either interlocked behind your head or on your chest. Ensure your abdominal muscles are tightened. Raise both legs as you keep them slightly bent or straight. Gently lower them to the floor to approximately 1 inch. Repeat this process 5 times, ensuring that the abdominal muscles are tight each time.

3. V-ups

Out of all these exercises, you are sure to get the most results from this particular one. Like the name suggests, you are generally reclining your core to a ‘V’ formation. This exercise puts pressure on the stomach and helps release sufficient hydrochloric acid (HCl) to get rid of bacteria and other microscopic threats. This will basically prevent constipation.

Lie on the floor or mat with your head and stomach touching the ground. Slowly lift your head and legs simultaneously, all the while keeping your legs straight. Stay in this position for about 5 seconds, then resume your initial position. Do this 10 times.

4. Apanasana

This exercise is borrowed from yoga. Not only is yoga great for mental well-being, but physical to. Apanasana is Sanskrit, and is a literal translation of the word Apana, which means ‘downward-moving energy’. It is basically an exercise that guarantees you relief from gas pains and bloating.

Unlike other complicated exercises, anyone, adult or child, can perform this. Lie flat on your mat and bring up your knees towards your chest. Place both hands slightly below the knees. Hold for 1 minute, while keeping your breath relaxed. Release both legs with an exhalation and resume your original position. Repeat this process approximately 6 times.

5. Spine twist

Don’t let the name deceive you. Spine twist is not an exercise only for the spine. It benefits all parts of the body, especially the stomach. As you do this, you are actually compressing digestive organs which will lead to a lack of circulation. When you release the twist, a flow of fresh blood will rush through your digestive organs. You can practice this to stimulate digestion, stretch out both hips and spine, and achieve a sense of relaxation.

Lie down, hold your legs close to your chest, and breathe in. As you breathe out, push down your knees to the left gently, using your left hand. Turn your head and switch your arms to the right. Stay in this position for about 5-10 breaths. Take a deep breath and resume your initial position. Do the same to the other side. You can repeat this exercise for as long as you like.