Beany Brain #40: Fart Walks

Author

Abigail Munday
May 07, 2025

Beany Brain: loving our jumping-bean brains!

Welcome to this issue of the Beany Brain! I hope today’s newsletter will bounce us up as we contemplate the upsides and challenges of being neurodivergent, a little beauty, some creativity, and just general yeehawesomeness.

Table of Contents

Photo by Abigail Munday

Fart Walks

The smeller’s the feller!

(At least, according to my mom.)

Hey, everybody. It’s my 40th Beany Brain newsletter and I thought I’d make it extremely…um, TMI (too much information).

Maybe not over-the-top TMI, but enough to get your attention.

Do I have it? Good! Let’s gooooooo!

Let’s go for a walk.

We recognize that gastrointestinal problems are very common in the population of individuals with autism. And that's true at all ages, from childhood to adulthood. The frequency of GI issues in individuals with autism is greater than the general population. It's perhaps 2 to 3 times more frequent to see gastrointestinal problems in this population than the general population.

Yep, that’s true for moi.

You probably don’t want to know details..

TMI, as I said.

Well, I’ll just briefly and whisperingly mention it.

IBS.

It’s fun. Real fun.

(But I’m doing a lot better on some natural medication for it from my GI doc.)

I’ve always loved walking, but now…dun dun DUN…

May I introduce the fart walk!

This article from The Independent explains more:

It may sound silly, but physicians say farting on the street following a meal can help to improve long-term health.

“Crop dusting” the patio, avenue or boardwalk can improve intestinal function, according to Dr. Tim Tiutan, an internal medicine physician at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

“Walking after meals does promote intestinal motility,” he explained in an Instagram Reel, “or movement of our intestines to get rid of gas and prevent constipation.”

This kind of exercise directly after a meal can help:

  • Lower your blood sugar.

  • You age in a healthier way.

  • Lower your cancer risk.

  • Balance the hormone insulin better.

  • Lower your risk for diabetes.

Even 5 minutes of exercise that raises your heart rate after a meal can be a boon.

And if it’s doing all those great things, as a neurodivergent person you can also feel better knowing that the abovementioned “crop dusting” is helping your gut work in a more efficient and happier way.

Cheers! Here’s to wacky walking and gleeful gutsiness.

Photo by Abigail Munday

Beyond Lonely, a BBC Sounds Podcast (Episode 3)

Professor Jason Arday continues with his Beyond Lonely 5-part podcast series. He’s autistic and a professor of the sociology of education at Cambridge, and he’s studying loneliness and its effects on himself and others.

If you’re interested in reading my takes on episodes 1 and 2, check out my previous two Beany Brains.

In this episode, Dr. Arday confesses that he likes being alone with his own thoughts and the stillness of nighttime. He says being a black person in academia is already lonely, and his current research is the overlap of loneliness and depression.

His friend who is also a counselor, Rotimi Akinsete, says that the pandemic led to more of us working from home, which can be isolating. He suggests a reframe: If you’re working from home, you might be alone some of the time, but you are working with and within a community with common goals.

And make sure to balance things out with some in-person contact.

Holly Cooke moved from a different part of the UK to London for work and didn’t know anyone, and everyone at work was much older than she was. It led her to start the London Lonely Girls’ Club. Holly says that at first it was kind of tongue-in-cheek and they were kind of laughing at themselves, but 6 years later that club is still ongoing and providing many folks, Holly Cooke included, with much-needed friendship and support. (It’s now a national organization in 4 UK cities with over 100,000 members!)

She says that social media is performative and creates a toxicity that makes people think they should have the life that everyone else has. Holly Cooke says often the problem is that you just haven’t met your people yet. According to Holly, loneliness is an extremely common problem.

Jason Arday really respects Holly and “the intervention she had for herself and for other people.”

Does anyone else need a loneliness intervention?

Can you brainstorm a few ideas?

Is there any reframing you can do?

Here’s my hand of friendship and support to you. (Did you feel my handshake? If that’s not your thing, I hope you felt my prayers and intentions for you.)

Oh, and maybe grab someone for a Friend Fart Walk.

Photo by Stephen Munday

Yeehawesome!

Yeehawesome! is a happy-brain roundup in each issue of Beany Brain. What’s happening that’s good in brain land? What’s bringing me joy?

  1. A coffee klatch with my friend Alison here in the UK led her to tell me about another Little Free Library here in Marlow that I didn’t previously know about (on the opposite side of town)! It’s not listed on the official Little Free Library website, but it works just like one. And this one is in an old upcycled phone box! It still had the prices of various kinds of calls listed on the inside. What tickled me even more is that I got so engrossed in looking at all the book titles that Stephen had to tell me that there was a guy queuing up waiting for his turn (and of course, he was holding a cup of tea and two books). He was very gracious and told me to take my time. What a treat. I will definitely be back there again. (You can’t see but on the left side there were also rows and rows of more bookshelves and enticing books.)

  2. All the fantastic flowers bloomin’ marvelously right now in the UK. It is amazing.

  3. A dad in the UK has designed a sensory-friendly coat for his 13-year-old autistic son and it’s now for sale online. The coat has a lining of sherpa material, is weighted, has high-vis stripes for better visibility, and fidget toys built into the pockets. And neurodivergent kids are also happy that the hood is big enough for their ear defenders. Way to go, Dad!

Beany Brownie Points and Extra Bonus Funniness

Wonderful Wednesday

Wonderful Wednesday was a day once a year in college when they would suddenly and surprisingly call off all classes and we’d play all day. The cafeteria provided special fun food and we’d do stuff outside like slip ‘n slides and jello wrestling in sumo suits. This segment of Beany Brain is dedicated to that memory of silliness and fun—no words, just a photo from the week that I’ve taken or found that reminds me to let the joy in. Since Beany Brain is published on Wednesday every week (at least, Wednesday in Japan), I hope you enjoy this Wonderful Wednesday.

Photo by Abigail Munday

Today’s Beany-full Summary:

  • Go on a Fart Walk and experience the joy of helping your gut and lowering your blood sugar.

  • Loneliness is a very common problem. Is there any brainstorming you can do? A lady named Holly Cooke started the London Lonely Girls’ Club and it’s been a great hub of friendship and support for her and many other women.

  • Go forth in Beany joy. What will help you feel yeehawesome this week?

Thank you for reading this installment of Beany Brain! You’re very welcome to hop on by any old time.

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