toilet posture

Constipation

Constipation is super prevalent, affecting more women than men. Millions of dollars are spent every year on over the counter laxatives. However, laxatives don’t always work for everyone and they also come with unwanted side effects. So, why not take a more natural approach in treating your constipation?

What does normal poop look like?

Your stool should appear to be firm with cracks (type 3) or smooth and sausage-like (type 4). Soft blobs with clear-cut edges (type 5) is acceptable too, but not ideal. Normal stool should be easy to pass. Separate hard lumps, lumpy and sausage-like, fluffy and mushy, or watery stool are NOT normal. 
bristol stool chart


How often should I poop?

Normal frequency has a huge range- from 3 times/week to 3 times/day.

What can I do about my constipation?

1. Eat a high fiber diet (25-35 grams/day)

2. Do NOT skip breakfast and try to eat meals at a similar time each day to improve colonic motility (movement of food in the digestive tract).

3. Don’t delay the urge to poop. The longer you delay it, the harder your poop will become and make you more constipated.

4. Practice proper toileting posture – sit tall and lean forward a bit by doing a hip-hinge. Also, use a squatty potty so that your knees are higher than the hips. This position will increase the anorectal angle and allow relaxation of your pelvic floor muscles to pass stool easier.

toilet posture

squatty potty (this is the one we recommend)

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5. Abdominal massage (ILU massage) to improve colonic motility

6. Pelvic floor relaxation. If your pelvic floor muscles are too tight when trying to poop, you are going to have a very difficult time passing stool. Not only do tight pelvic floor muscles cause constipation, it causes a ton of other issues as well. Click here to learn the effects of tight pelvic floor muscles. These muscles need to fully relax in order to make stool easy to pass. Learn how:

 

Try these out and your constipation should be a thing of the past. Good luck! 

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