MUSCLEBLAZE

The Link Between Gut Health and Skin

September 22, 2025 by MUSCLEBLAZE Leave a Comment

Hello Ziddis! They say beauty starts from within. This is not just a philosophical ideology; in many ways, it does start from within. More than just digestion, your gut plays an important role in your immunity, mood and even the health of your skin. If you struggle with acne, eczema, dryness or dull skin, the answer might not just be in your skin care creams and serums but also what is happening inside your gut. Let us understand this fascinating link between gut health and skin and how you could nurture both.

Gut Skin Connection

Your gut and your skin are connected through what is often called as the gut-skin axis. This is a two-way communication that runs between your digestive system and your skin. This is impacted by any factors like your immune system, your hormones and even the microbes like bacteria and fungi that live in your gut.

When your gut is balanced, the nutrients are absorbed well in your bloodstream, and the inflammation is under control. This gives your skin a clear, healthy glow. But if there is an imbalance called dysbiosis and it shows up as flare-ups, acne, redness, premature ageing, irritation and puffiness.

How Gut Health Affects Skin

There are many ways in which your gut health affects your skin. Some of the impacts of bad gut health that show up on your skin are:

Inflammation, which triggers excess oil production and clogged pores
Acnes flare-ups
Immune system issues since 70% of your immune system resides in your gut.
Eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea due to leaky gut, toxins and undigested particles entering the bloodstream
Nutrient absorption of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants from food
Dehydrated skin due to lack of absorption of key nutrients like zinc, vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids.
Stress and hormone fluctuations can upset gut balance and show up on skin as breakouts and dullness.

Gut Health Diet for Clear Skin

If you want radiant and glowing skin, you need to eat your skincare and feed your gut well. A gut-friendly diet is also the best skin care routine. Here are some guidelines for it:

Eat fresh foods
Eat more plants like fruits, leafy greens, legumes, nuts and seeds
Add probiotics to your meals
Check for lactose reaction on your skin and find lactose-free alternatives
Foods like garlic, onions, bananas and asparagus are a great prebiotic support system.
Fats are important, but in the form of omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseeds, walnuts or salmon. You can also start using omega 3 capsules.
Make sure you have a vitamin-rich diet, and if you find it inadequate, start with vitamin supplements.
Limit processed food and sugars
Stay hydrated

What Foods Improve Gut and Skin Health

If you are looking to make your grocery list skin and gut-friendly, here are some of our top picks for you:

Berries for their antioxidants, which fight skin-ageing free radicals
Leafy greens like spinach, kale and fenugreek to help detox
Fermented foods like saucerkraut, kimchi and kombucha
Chia seeds and flaxseeds for additional fibre
Avocado, salmon and walnuts for healthy fats
Turmeric for its natural anti-inflammatory properties
Ginger for better digestion and reduced bloating.

Takeaway

Your skin is a mirror of your gut, so it is important to have healthy eating habits for clear, healthy and glowing skin. Your gut is very closely associated with your skin, so eating your skin care is always better than applying expensive serums. The next time you look in the mirror and wish for healthier skin, remember: the journey begins in your gut.

How to Avoid Bloating During Workouts

September 16, 2025 by MUSCLEBLAZE Leave a Comment

Hey Ziddis! Exercises should ideally feel energising and not uncomfortable. So many people experience bloating, gas or cramping during or after workouts. The good news is that with the right nutrition and habits, you can minimise your workout-related bloating and keep your fitness sessions running smoother than ever. If you want a solution to your pre- or post-workout bloating problem, you are at the right spot. Let’s go!

Working Out Without Bloating: Is It Possible?

It is ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE to exercise without feeling gassy and bloated all the time. The key lies in understanding what is triggering your body to bloat. Once you understand that, you can adjust your pre- or post-workout nutrition and habits to fix it. It could be hydration, food choices, timings and more reasons that could play a huge role in making you feel bloated and gassy.

Workout Bloating Causes and Solutions

Let us understand some of the common reasons why you might be feeling gassy or bloated while exercising. Keep a lookout for the habits that feel familiar to yours.

Habit	Reason	Fix
Eating too close to your workout session	Large meals right before your workout can slow your digestion	Have a small but nutritious snack before you work out to fuel you up instead of slowing you down.
Having too many high-fibre or fatty foods	Beans, broccoli, fried veggies or dairy (if you are lactose intolerant) can cause gas	Stick to the required amount of fibre that your body needs.
Drinking carbonated drinks	Fizzy sodas or sparkling water can fill up your stomach with air	Avoid fizzy sodas and drinks altogether. They do worse than just make you feel bloated
You are dehydrated	Lower fluid intake can slow your digestion and cause discomfort in your stomach	Stay hydrated and drink at least one litre of water during your workout session
Swallowing air	If you breathe too heavily, chew gum, or drink with a straw, it can cause gas buildup, making you feel bloated.	Drink water from bottles or glasses instead of straws. Avoid chewing gum and do some breathing exercises before workouts to regulate your breath.

A simple, quick fix to all your bloating complaints is to stick to easily digestible foods 1–2 hours before exercise, and stay hydrated with plain water.

How to Prevent Bloating When Exercising?

You can prevent bloating when exercising by fixing each step of your workout. Here’s how:

Pre-Workout Tips:

Eat a small but nutritious snack like a banana, oatmeal, rice cake or peanut butter about an hour before your workout.
Avoid gassy veggies, fizzy drinks and artificial sweeteners.
Sip water instead of chugging it.

During Workout:

Take small sips of water after every set instead of gulping your water all at once
Avoid energy gels or drinks with excessive sugar in them since they can cause energy spikes and drops and cramping.

Post-Workout Tips:

Go for a light and protein-rich meal, always like chicken with rice, smoothie with protein powder and L Carnitine or yoghurt with fruits.
Start using a fat burner in your weight loss phase.
Add electrolytes if you sweat a lot
Avoid salty snacks
Stretch and cool down with gentle movements and breathwork to help digestion and reduce gas

Bloating Prevention Exercise

Can exercises actually help with reducing your bloating and discomfort? You bet! These simple exercises and habits can help you:

Gentle yoga poses like child’s pose, cat and cow, and supine twist can help release the trapped gas.
Walking post your meals, even for 10 minutes, can improve digestion and reduce the chances of bloating.
Deep breathing exercises calm the guy and prevent swallowing excess air.

Takeaway

Bloating during a workout is common but avoidable. By timing your meals smartly, choosing light and digestible foods, hydrating yourself and adding some gentle stretches can help you lose your gassy discomfort. Small changes and adjustments to your everyday life can go a long way in keeping your fitness routine.

How to Build a Night Routine That Supports Fitness Goals

August 30, 2025 by MUSCLEBLAZE Leave a Comment

Hello Ziddis! Most of us have fitness goals. What we do at the gym and outside the gym is important to reach those goals. While morning routines often get the spotlight, a night routine can make or break your progress. Nights, or the resting times, are usually for restoring our body, giving it the much-needed calmness and rest, and sometimes to grow in strength and endurance.

Night Routine for Fitness

Night routines are often misunderstood to be feminine. The truth is, you can have a night routine that calms you down, and everyone deserves it. Here is how you can build yours:

Wind down with light stretching or mobility work. This helps release muscle tension, especially after a hard training session.
Pair this with hydration and a protein-rich snack such as Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, or a small protein shake to provide your muscles with the fuel they need to repair overnight.
Aim to sleep and wake at the same time every day. This stabilises your circadian rhythm and regulates hormones like cortisol and growth hormone. Growth hormone, in particular, plays a major role in muscle repair and fat metabolism while you sleep.
Make sure the room is cold and dark.
Switch off the electronics at least an hour before your bedtime.
You can try aromatherapy to calm your senses.

Wellness Routines

Your wellness depends on how you move throughout your day. You are active all day, so the night is for your rest. Simple wellness practices can help you experience peaceful sleep.

Dim the lights an hour before bed
Limiting screen exposure
Taking a warm shower can cue your body that it’s time to slow down.
Incorporate mindfulness practices such as journaling or breathing exercises.
Writing down small wins from your workout that day can be motivating
Deep breathing helps reduce stress hormones.

Taking notes of these simple things can lead to better recovery, improved digestion, and higher-quality sleep. This will support your fitness goals.

Self Care Routines

Self-care routines are basically intentional care for your own self. Self care routines can be of different kinds, such as:

Skincare- using skincare products to help skin repair itself
Intellectual- reading a calming book
Physical- enjoying a soothing herbal tea.
Habit stacking- laying out your workout clothes like tank tops and joggers, or prepping for meals.

The goal is to create an environment of calm, free of distractions and unnecessary stimulation. Small steps like these can help reduce decision fatigue and keep your motivation high, even on days when energy feels low.

Summary About Night Routine for Fitness

Fitness is not just about a buffed body and multiple reps at the gym. Keeping your mind and body happy is the first and main purpose of fitness. A thoughtful night routine helps your muscles repair, balances your hormones, and keeps your mind stress-free. Fitness care like stretching and nutrition, wellness practices like light management and mindfulness, and self-care rituals like skincare or tea, you’re setting yourself up for consistent progress.

Rest is not a luxury but a necessity. Romanticise it and experience it fully.

Sources:

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/the-best-workout-routine-to-do-before-bedtime

2. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/bedtime-routine-for-adults

Why You Shouldn’t Skip Mobility Work

August 29, 2025 by MUSCLEBLAZE Leave a Comment

Hello Ziddis! When we think about getting fitter, most of us hop on the treadmill for cardio or pick up the dumbbells for strength training. However, there is an underrated pillar of fitness that we often tend to overlook, which is mobility work. Mobility is your ability to move freely and easily and have a full range of motion. As we grow older, our body restricts our range of motion, which can cause pain when moving our bodies as freely. This is when having stretching exercises as your base will pay off.

Skipping mobility work might not feel like a big deal at the beginning. But over time, it can limit your progress, reduce flexibility and increase the risk of injury.

Stretching Exercises

Stretching is one of the most basic yet powerful forms of mobility work. It helps lengthen muscles, reduce tightness and prepare your body for movement. There are two main types of stretching exercises:

1. Dynamic Stretching- This is recommended to be done before your workouts to move your joints and muscles and warm them up for activity. Example:

Arm circles
Walking lunges
Torso twist
Leg swings.

2. Static Stretching- This is to be done after workouts. You will need to hold a position for 20 to 60 seconds to improve flexibility and relax muscles. For example:

Hamstring stretch
Seated forward fold
Tricep stretch

Even 5 to 10 minutes of stretching before and after your workouts can help keep your joints well-oiled and reduce the chances of getting injured.

Injury Prevention Exercises

Mobility training is one of the most effective ways of reducing injury risk. If you are are athlete or training with weights, mobility training is non-negotiable. By improving the flexibility of muscles and function of joints, mobility work helps your body move the way it is supposed to. This means less strain on tendons, ligaments and connective tissue.

Examples of mobility-focused injury prevention moves:

Hip circles
Cat-cow stretch
Should pass-throughs
Ankle mobility drills
Tread the needle

Mobility work can be considered as the “maintenance” for your body

Benefits of Mobility Exercises

Adding mobility training to your routine brings benefits far beyond just flexibility

Better performance
Increased range of motion
Reduced pain and stiffness
Faster recovery
More stamina
Improved circulation

Mobility Exercises for Seniors

As we get older, joints can become stiffer and muscles shorter and weaker. Ageing is also hard on our balance and general mobility. Mobility work can help slow or even reverse these changes. Some of the easier everyday mobility exercises for seniors are:

Seated cat and cow for improved spine flexibility
Ankle rolls for balance
Wall angels to open up the chest, improve posture and upper body stretch
Seated hip march for hip mobility and circulation

These are low-effort exercises and can be done anywhere. They are safe for most levels of fitness, and even 10 minutes of doing these can make a big difference.

These exercises are low-impact, can be done anywhere, and are safe for most fitness levels. Even 10 minutes a day of doing mobility work can make a big difference.

Read More: Flexibility and mobility: The Often Overlooked Components of Fitness

Takeaway

Mobility work is not optional; it is essential. We will inevitably grow old, but how we age is in our hands. If you want to train harder, recover faster and move without restrictions, mobility work is very important and deserves a place in your workouts. If you need some fitness accessories to advance your mobility work, having lifting straps would be helpful. A flexible, mobile body isn’t just more athletic but more resilient, pain-free, and ready for whatever life throws your way.

The Role of Omega-3 in Fitness and Recovery

August 28, 2025 by MUSCLEBLAZE Leave a Comment

Hello Ziddis! Did you know that omega-3 fatty acids are more than just “good fats”? They actually play a pretty important role in maintaining your overall health and are super valuable for those who have the habit of exercising regularly. But is it really as important as people say? Let us find out how omega-3 is an underrated tool in our fitness journey.

Is Omega-3 Good for Fitness?

Yes, omega-3 is highly recommended for being beneficial to your fitness. The essential fatty acids in omega-3 help in

Reducing inflammation in our body
Improving the blood flow to your heart to support our cardiovascular health.
Contribute to better endurance and performance
Help minimise the muscle soreness after intense workouts.

What does omega-3 do for fitness?

Omega-3 is an unsung hero in your fitness. Here is how it helps you in many ways:

Reduces exercise-induced inflammation
Speeds up healing
Helps lubricate joints
Lowers stiffness
Reduces chances of injury
Improves the supply of oxygen to muscles
Improves stamina
Increases focus
Improves mental clarity during workouts
Omega-3s can significantly reduce levels of triglycerides
Some studies suggest that omega-3s could raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
Omega-3s can prevent blood platelets from clumping together, which can help prevent the formation of harmful blood clots.
According study conducted a few years ago, intake of fatty acids like omega-2 during childhood can lower the risk of type 1 diabetes-associated autoimmunity later in life.
Higher omega-3 intake can decrease age-related mental decline and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

What Happens if I Take Omega-3 Every Day?

One of the most frequently asked questions is whether omega-3 is supposed to be taken every day. Short answer is: Ideally! A slightly longer answer is that taking omega-3 every day can help your body maintain optimum levels of essential fats. Over time, you will start noticing reduced muscle soreness, more energy and better cardiovascular health. Regularly taking omega-3 is great for your long-term wellness and reduces the risk of heart disease, improves your mood and keeps your joints healthy.

Why do Gym Goers Take Omega-3?

Like creatine, omega-3 is becoming popular among gym-goers. Here’s why omega-3 has found its place in their cabinets and regimes:

Boosts recovery between training sessions
Reduces muscle soreness after high-intensity workouts
Support fat loss by improving metabolic health
Maintain heart health even during cardio-heavy routines.

Takeaway

Omega-3 fatty acids are not only beneficial for general health but also crucial for fitness performance, recovery, and injury prevention. Whether through fatty fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds, or gym supplements, make sure to find a way to incorporate omega-3s into your routine to train smarter, recover faster, and perform better.

How to Train Around Minor Injuries Without Losing Progress

August 27, 2025 by MUSCLEBLAZE Leave a Comment

Hello Ziddis! When you are someone who loves movement, fitness and working on yourself, injuries happen sometimes. But sometimes even the small ones, like sore joints, tight muscles or mild strain, can throw you off your workout routines. The good news is you don’t always need to stop training completely. With the right approach, you can work around minor setbacks, keep progressing and even prevent future issues.

How Do You Train Around an Injury?

Instead of forcing through pain, you should adjust your routine. Here is how:

If one muscle group or movement hurts, you can shift your focus to another muscle group instead of stopping your fitness momentum. For example, if your shoulder is hurt, train your lower body.
Using machines or controlled movements reduces the strain on the injured area.
Low-impact exercises and movements like cycling, swimming or walking can keep your fitness up, especially while you are recovering from your injury.

How to Handle Minor Injuries

Minor injuries do not need to derail you. There are ways to handle minor injuries gracefully in your fitness journey:

Listen to your body because the pain is a signal, not a reward for a workout.
Use the RICE theory, that is, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, to speed up your recovery.
Modify the intensity of weight, reps and sessions to help maintain momentum without strain.
Warm up and stretch
Add movement to your everyday

How Do You Strength Train with an Injury?

Strength training does not have to stop because of an injury. With little care and focus, you can have a safe strength training session.

Use unilateral work to maintain balance and strength
Opt for resistance bands or machines for controlled movements
Shorten your range of motion
Lower the load but increase the sets at a lighter weight

How to Train for Injury Prevention

You may be all set to work out around with your injury, but it is better to prevent injuries. Here’s how:

Prioritise mobility and flexibility with dynamic stretches
Never miss the warm-up to prep your muscles and joints
Use the correct form
Don’t skip the cool-down stretches
Stay hydrated
Use fitness accessories like lifting straps for more safety
Strengthen stabilising muscles like the core and glutes so that they protect your joints
Progress gradually
Do not take recovery casually and schedule recovery days

Takeaway

Getting injured is scary, especially if you have a momentum going on. Injuries, whether major or minor, can derail your progress. The key is adjusting your training, respecting your body’s limits and focusing on recovery. Staying consistent can actually help you feel better sooner.