4 Tips to Improve Your Poops!
Do you know how to poop properly?... Probably Not!
Believe it or not there is a strategy to having healthy poops that a lot of us are not using. When it comes to healthy pooping, there is more to it than just getting it out. So what helps create healthy bowel habits and techniques? Keep reading!
How often should we be pooping?
It is normal to be pooping in a frequency that ranges from a maximum of 3 times/day to a minimum of 3 times/week. It is not considered constipation as long as the frequency does not represent a change from your usual and the process is not associated with discomfort.
Here are 4 factors you can address to help improve your pooping experience!
STOP Holding Back the Urge!!
Do you find yourself ignoring the urge to poop because of pain or lack of privacy? Chronically ignoring the urge to poop can lead to a decrease in the brain recognizing when you need to poop. Soooo…. basically you are training your body to be constipated! Not to mention when you hold in the poop your muscles get tighter, which can lead to a chronically tight pelvic floor. Sometimes we have to use certain bowel training schedules to learn to listen to your body to assist with establishing regularity.
Fun fact: The urge to poop usually only lasts around 10 mins. After 10mins the internal sphincter tightens up which decreases the urge and then we have to wait until this muscle releases in order to have another urge.
2. Pooping Posture!
How we position our body when we poop can impact how easily the poop comes out. In general, bowel movements should be easy to pass and should really be a passive task. Meaning the poop just slides out within a minute or two without needing to hold our breath, strain or contract our abdominal wall. Pooping posture can help you achieve this. Check out this picture!
Let’s break it down:
Knees above hips. In this picture I am just using a light weight folding step stool but a squatty potty is another common way to get the correct posture.
Lean slightly forward and prop your forearms on your knees for a long and RELAXED spine.
Take a few calming breaths to relax the pelvic floor, butt, core, and neck.
Inhale to gently open/drop the anus and as you exhale gently keep the anus open.
(This is a technique I often work on with my clients!)
3. Assess what your poop looks like, it’s telling you a lot!
Ever wonder what your poop is telling you? This is when the bristol stool chart comes in handy. We want our stool to be consistently in the range of type 3 - type 4. If your stool is consistently type 1-2, even if you poop everyday, it means your poop is taking a long time to get through the digestive system. If your stool is consistently type 5-7, it means your stool is moving too rapidly through the digestive system. Your bowels are telling you a story on your gut health and understanding how your diet impacts your poop can be an excellent place to start.
4. Mental health check in!
Increased secretion of cortisol from stress/anxiety can increase symptoms of bloating, gas, cramps, food sensitivities, aches/pains, and slow bowel motility (movement of poop through the intestines). Start to consider how your mental health/sleep quality could be impacting your bowel experience.
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In health,
Emma Lengerich PT, DPT, OCS, CMTPT, PCES, Doula Foundations PelvicPhysio, LLC Orthopedic & Pelvic Health Physical Therapist & Birth Doula Instagram: @emma_pelvichealth Subscribe to my newsletter: Click Here!
For more information on bowel health, check out my instagram post!
