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These are my personal gut goals for 2026. Sharing in case you want to steal any.

You’re exhausted.

I know you are because I was once, too.

You’ve tried the January overhauls.

The restrictive detoxes.

The complicated protocols that hijack your calendar and your mental load.

You’ve tried it all, and nothing stuck.

Here’s what I want you to know: 2026 doesn’t have to be more of the same.

This year can be about simplicity, sustainability, and systems that bring real gut-health progress.

No extremes. No protocols that make you feel like gut healing is a full-time job. Just doable, consistent practices that actually work.

And here’s the best part: I’ll be doing each gut goal right alongside you, month by month.

[Because I need this, too. My gut healing journey didn’t end when my symptoms improved—it’s ongoing, just like yours.]

You’re safe here. We’re doing this together. And it’s going to feel lighter than anything you’ve tried before.

Overview

To sum up the below, here’s exactly what I’m doing in 2026:

1. One monthly gut experiment
2. Three daily gratitudes
3. Mobility as fitness

And then a bonus, if you want more >>> Choose Your Own Adventure: Optional Add-On Goals [all of which I have done/still do and have reaped massive benefits from].

So with that, here it all is, broken down.

Gut Goals for 2026: A Gut Year You’ll Actually Stick With

Click HERE to save this list for later.

The Monthly Gutsy Experiment: Your New Favorite Gut Health Practice

This is the centerpiece of my year. Something I hinted at in my weekly newsletter.

Every month in 2026, I’m running a Gutsy Experiment.

These are 1-3 day gut health experiments with the one main purpose of sharing, learning, and exploring.

No commitment overwhelm. No protocol shame spiral.

Each experiment is just that – an experiment. One in which I’ll gather data about my own body.

Why This Works

Your brain needs small wins. That’s how consistency builds.

When you commit to something for 1-3 days instead of 30 or 90, it feels safe. Manageable. Like something you can actually do.

And when you complete it? That dopamine hit of accomplishment makes you want to keep going.

These experiments also encourage tracking, which aligns perfectly with the “stop guessing” approach that’s central to everything we do here at A Gutsy Girl.

You’re not just doing things blindly—you’re observing, noting, learning.

Plus, there’s community.

When women join in together each month, sharing their experiences and results, it creates momentum.

It makes you feel less alone.

Here’s What I’ll Be Experimenting With

Each month, I’ll do the experiment, give you all the information, and share my personal results.

I’ve brainstormed out 18. I’ll do one each month (maybe more, if I’m super eager!)

Here’s a list of my top 18 experiments to try [12 of which I’ll do for sure]:

1. Eat Local, Not “Safe” (3 Days): [January in Vietnam]
2. 1L / 34oz water before any coffee
3. Fiber bump challenge: Increase fiber by 5g daily for 3 days (starting at 25g)
4. 15-minute walk after every meal
5. 3 days 100% strict Keto
6. Raw garlic clove test
7. Castor oil pack on stomach overnight
8. 1-day liquid fast
9. Raw Carrot Salad daily for 3 days
10. What my Lumen tracker told me after 3 days of tracking
11. Protein bump challenge: Increase protein by 7g daily for 3 days (starting at 96g)
12. Chew every bite 20 times for 2 days
13. Drink an “Adrenal Cocktail” that I create each day for 3 days upon waking up
14. 10 minutes of meditation every morning for 3 days
15. Probiotic mega-dose for 48 hours
16. Mouth taping every night for 3 nights
17. Lemon water first thing in the morning + last thing before bed each day for 3 days
18. Jump rope for 10 minutes daily for 3 days

Click HERE to save these ideas for later.

How It All Works

Every month, I’ll share the experiment upon completion.

I’ll tell you exactly what I did, why I did it, and what my personal results with you—the good, the bad, and the “well that was weird.”

My goal is to share the “during” via Instagram, TikTok and/or YouTube.

I don’t know what I’ll do for each month yet, except for January.

I know for sure I’ll do 3+ days > Eat Local, Not “Safe” while in Vietnam. And I’m going to prove to you that eating like that, while on vacation (especially in another country) is the only way to go!

Okay, moving on……

Three Daily Gratitudes: The Gut-Brain Reset You’re Skipping

I can already hear some of you groaning. “Gratitude? Really, Sarah?”

Yes. Really.

But not because it’s fluff.

Because nervous system health matters just as much as food choices when it comes to gut healing.

Gratitude isn’t woo-woo. It’s nervous system regulation. It improves vagal tone, which directly affects digestion.

It’s a small, daily way to break the health anxiety loop that so many of us get stuck in.

When you’re hyper-focused on symptoms, you train your brain to notice everything that’s wrong.

Gratitude retrains your brain to notice improvement.

And for those of us who’ve been symptom-fatigued for years, that’s vital.

How to Actually Do This

Write three gratitudes per day in your Gut Healing Journal. [Or in your phone notes. Or on a sticky note on your bathroom mirror. Whatever works.]

In case you want to know exactly how I’m doing this, here ya go:

1. I bought THIS notebook. [I had a similar one for 2025, in which I documented a year of quotes. So fun to have these now!]
2. Each day, I’ll write THREE things I’m grateful for that I noticed during that day. Not things from a year ago. And not things I’m hoping for. Things that were and are in the here and now.

I encourage at least one gut-specific gratitude daily.

Things like:

• “I ate lunch without pain.”
• “I wasn’t bloated when I woke up.”
• “I had a normal bowel movement today.”
• “My skin looks clearer this week.”

These aren’t small things.

They’re evidence that your body is healing.

And when you write them down, you’re creating a record of progress that you can look back on during harder weeks.

By the way, these can then turn into your personal gut-healing mantras.

Mobility as Fitness: The Movement Your Gut Actually Needs

If you’re still doing high-intensity workouts while your gut is inflamed and your cortisol is through the roof, I need you to stop.

Seriously. THIS is why your workouts are keeping you bloated and miserable.

I stopped, and everything drastically improved.

So I have my workout cadence down to a ‘T.’

But now? Now I want to grow and evolve with overall mobility.

For me, mobility [+ always strength!!!] is fitness in 2026.

It’s low-stress, high-benefit movement that supports digestion, lymph flow, and vagal tone.

It’s perfect for the woman who’s exhausted, inflamed, and time-starved—which is most of us.

Why This Matters for Gut Healing

Mobility supports motility.

[source]

And yes, I’m going to write on this concept in 2026.

Mobility reduces inflammation.

It enhances blood flow to your digestive organs.

It helps regulate cortisol.

And it improves breathing mechanics, which affects your vagus nerve, which affects digestion.

You don’t need to run marathons or do bootcamp classes to be healthy.

You need movement that supports your body’s healing, not movement that stresses it further.

Integrating Mobility

Honestly?

I’m going to research and create a routine for myself.

The goal is to start with just 5-10 minutes in the morning and evening and during/around workouts.

And build from there.

While you can do this with zero equipment [and I will do a lot of bodyweight things], I’ll likely to plan mine to also utilize foam rollers, massage balls, Lacrosse balls, resistance bands, etc.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Optional Add-On Goals

These are completely optional.

You don’t have to do all of them.

You don’t even have to do any of them.

But if one speaks to you, lean into it.

[All of the below are ones I have done and/or still do to this day for optimal gut health. Sharing so that you know they are tried, tested, and true.]

Gut Basics for 2026

If you want a simple foundation to build on, focus on these:

• Hydration plus minerals [electrolytes]
• Blood sugar basics—eating protein and fat with carbs, not spiking and crashing all day
• Morning sunlight [or Red Light Therapy] within 30 minutes of waking
• Meal spacing—not grazing all day, giving your migrating motor complex time to do its job.

These are my Functional Foundations. They’re not sexy. Or trendy. But they work.

Monthly Tracking System

This is the “stop guessing, start tracking” piece I keep coming back to.

Track foods. Bloating patterns. Stool changes (yes, really). Hormone symptoms. Stress and sleep.

The Gut Healing Journal makes this easy because it’s my proven system that’s already laid out for you, but you can also use a simple notes app or a spreadsheet.

The format doesn’t matter—the consistency does.

Foods You’ll Be Leaning Into in 2026

Think about the categories you want to focus on:

• Fiber-rich foods
• Protein
• Low-FODMAP-friendly staples
• Probiotic-rich choices
• Pantry essentials that make gut-friendly eating easier

Because I live by these things, I have a ton of resources to help, should you want to focus on any of them.

Lifestyle Components

There are 3 pillars to ultimate gut healing: diagnosis, diet, and lifestyle.

Lifestyle is the one that you’ll work on FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

It’s simple, and totally not easy.

But focusing on them drastically changed my healing journey.

Ideas for you to consider:

• Upgrading your nighttime routine
• Using Red Light Therapy
• Overhauling your skincare routine [p.s. Start with my 30-Day Eye Cream Challenge]
• Track your sleep
• Get a therapist
• Try these self care activities
• Wear Blue Light Blocking glasses [before bed] and/or throughout the whole day!

Testing and Baseline Data

For my high-achieving women who want to know their numbers heading into the year:

Consider getting baseline data.

• Stool + gut microbiome tests
• SIBO tests
• Food intolerance tests
• Continuous glucose monitoring if blood sugar is a concern for you
• Understand if you’re having issues with FODMAP foods

You don’t have to do all of these. But having objective data can be incredibly helpful, especially if you’ve been guessing for years.

[I run labs on myself regularly, and I always learn something new. It’s not about perfection—it’s about information.]

You Don’t Need a Massive Overhaul

You need micro-habits, practiced consistently, with a community that understands you.

By the end of 2026, women who follow along WILL move the needle.

From symptomatic to supported.

From overwhelmed to in control.

That’s the goal.

Follow along.

Begin your simplest, most sustainable gut-healing year yet.

You don’t have to do this alone. And you don’t have to do it perfectly.

You just have to start.

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy:

1. 36 New Year Resolutions that Have Nothing to Do with Weight Loss
2. New Year Journal Prompts [getting clear on your healing journey]
3. 11 Gut Healing New Year’s Goals to Set

Xox,
SKH

p.s. Want more structure and support? The 21-Day Quick Gut Detox gives you a full meal plan, gut-healing protocols, and personal access to me for questions. And I have just reduced the price from $97 > $49.