Whether you like it or not, your poop says a lot about you. If you have time to read a book while waiting for numéro dos, there is a problem. If you are rushing to the bathroom because Niagara Brown Falls is crashing in, then you have a problem. You, believe it or not, can have the perfect poop.
In our previous posts, we learned about the intestines and how they work. Today, we’re focusing on what they make! Without further ado, MEET YOUR POOP.
We poop out the trash that your body does not need. Fiber functions as a vehicle to help create bulk to waste to slide through the system and clean the walls as it goes. A healthy poop should look like a soft banana, and you should have one of those a day. It is important to poop regularly so that you can keep up with the intake of food and not get too full through the intestinal tract with waste. The scale of healthy poop ranges from 1 (being little rocks) basically to a 7 (liquid diarrhea). It is hard to expel rocks, and you do not get a productive movement this way. But you also do not absorb your nutrients with diarrhea. You want to be at about a 4, understanding that poop changes depending on what you eat and drink.
Stool should collect in the rectum and as it stretches the wall, you develop the sense of needing to go. Having a bowel movement should be easy. You should not have to strain, your face should not turn red from holding your breath, and you should not feel pushing out in your belly. A strong pelvic floor allows you to efficiently poop a healthy banana. Think about it as the pressure needed to squeeze the toothpaste tube. A weak pelvic floor does not give any resistance and cannot store stool or expel it in an efficient manner. On the contrary, an overly tight pelvic floor will not let anything out (like having the cap still on your toothpaste).
Do not count out the abdominals though! The abdominals create a gentle force to stimulate pressure from above. When you have a good bowel movement, you should be able to breathe, tighten your abdominal wall slightly and relax the pelvic floor. Raise your hand if this is you!! If not, you are pooping wrong.
Need a little assistance? Stands/step stools like the squatty potty are great because they raise the angle of the legs at the hips, which reduces the anorectal angle in the bowels, allowing stool to come out more easily. So, you should not have time to read a book or toil over a bowel movement. You may just need some help. Start with what you are eating and drinking. Check your technique. There are a lot of reasons that this may not be going well, but do not settle for unhealthy poops.
Maybe you need a professional for this vital life function? We can help by discussing your digestive health and physical health. We offer discovery sessions and complete evaluations. It’s your body. Take care of it. It’s the only one you get.