Morning bloat… no one ever likes to wake up feeling heavy, puffy, and gassy. Unfortunately, this is quite common.
In fact, one digestive survey shows that a shocking 74% of Americans are living with digestive issues like diarrhea, gas, abdominal pain, and yes… BLOATING. So what do you do about it?
5-Step Plan for Fast Morning Bloat Relief
Ok, you just woke up and you’re feeling bloated and downright uncomfortable. No worries; get up, perform your bathroom rituals and then proceed to do the following anti-bloating remedies.
1 Drink this all-natural de-bloating tea.
Cut up some fresh ginger (about 1″ pc) and place in a mug. Add in ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar (preferably organic), 1 tbsp lemon juice, and top this off with hot water. After about 3 mins, plop in 1 green tea bag (preferably organic). If you must sweeten this, add 1 tsp honey (NOT SUGAR).
Let this steep for about 2-3 mins and then sip away! (If you don’t have all the above ingredients in your kitchen, then the ginger and hot water will do.)
Why this works: Ginger aids in digestion (and prevents smelly gas); apple cider vinegar helps balance the pH levels in the intestine; green tea improves digestion and helps expel gas; and lemon juice relieves water retention.
2 Do this air-pushing belly massage.
Carry your de-bloating tea with you, place a yoga mat or thick towel on the floor and do the following belly massage.
Optional: if you have some castor oil or any massage oil, put some on your hands and then rub your hands together to warm them up before you massage your tummy.
Lie flat down with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on the right side of your belly (near the hip bone). Now — applying GENTLE pressure — massage your belly by making small, tight circles in that area. After about 3 rotations, move up, massage 3x, move up, massage 3x, and so on, until you’ve made a full rotation around your belly button.
Next, massage around your belly button by making just one big rotation around it. Repeat this 10-20 times.
Why this works: Abdominal massages help eliminate water retention, alleviate stomach cramps, and aids in ‘moving air’ in this region so that it’s easily expelled.
3 Do these simple, bloat-busting yoga moves.
Well, since you’re already lying down, might as well continue with some wind-expelling yoga moves, right?
Apansana (knees-to-chest). Lie down on your back, legs stretched out. Breathe in deeply and as you slowly exhale, fold your legs and hug your knees to your chest. To maximize the stretch, rock your knees slightly from side to side.
Stay in this position for about five deep breaths but keep these in mind: (1) when you inhale, loosen your grip to allow your legs to move away a bit from your stomach.; (2) as you exhale, tighten your ‘hug’ around your knees.
Ardha Matsyendrasana (seated spinal twist).Start by sitting down and extending both legs in front of you. Bend your right knee and place the sole of that foot on the ground next to your left thigh. Beginning at the base of the spine, rotate slowly to the right, bringing your left arm over and outside your right knee.
Inhale deeply and with each exhalation, try to extend your twist further. Switch sides.
4 BREATHE DEEPLY
Sit up comfortably on your mat (or towel). Keeping your spine tall (imagine a string pulling you upward from the top of your head).
Inhale deeply, feeling the air enter your nose and then imaging that air go down through your throat… all the way down to your belly. As you slowly exhale, imagine that air traveling from your belly back upwards and out through your mouth.
Why this works: Deep breathing helps with digestion, which in turn helps relieve abdominal pain and that full, gassy feeling.
By the way, if you want to get deeper into diaphragmatic breathing, here’s a highly informative video.
5 Eat a light breakfast.
By now you should also have finished your anti-bloat tea. (Feel free to make another serving if you want to 🙂 So now, let’s move on to your bloat-busting breakfast.
By the way, if you’re tempted to skip breakfast… forget it. That won’t help at all! Instead, focus on consuming foods that will help your GUT deal with the bloating.
#1 – Low-carb option: smoked salmon, one hard-boiled egg, and sauteed spinach.
#2 – Probiotic option: Greek yogurt (unflavored), topped with chia seeds, fresh (or frozen) blueberries, coconut flakes, and – if you must – a drizzle of honey.
#3 – Ultra-hydrating, easy-on-the-tummy option: juice together 1 lemon, 1″ ginger, 1 green apple, 2 celery stalks, and a handful of spinach.
Why these work: The above breakfast ideas are ‘easy’ on the stomach, yet promote better gut health. And the better the gut, the faster to de-bloat.