Constipation is a shitty situation.

How do I know?

I’ve been there, many times. And many times I was told that it was “totally normal.” Yes, there are definitely times when things can become a bit jammed, perhaps you have an upcoming presentation or public speaking event and tense up just thinking about it, maybe you’re traveling, or maybe you’re spending a weekend away in a very small hotel room with a new significant other.

This shows how powerful our thoughts and actions are in relation to our digestive functions and its regulation.

Trust Yo Gut & Think Positive Thoughts

Your digestive tract, or gut, has now been officially recognized as your second brain. There are 100 Million nerve cells lining your gut from head to, ahem, butt Source. So, it should come as no surprise that when anxious, stressed, sad, and, yes, even happy, your digestive tract might react.

Basically, what I am trying to tell you is there is scientific evidence behind the saying “I laughed so hard I pooped my pants!”

All silliness aside, constipation is a frustrating uphill battle for many and still such a taboo subject. And I get it— not many want to sit there and discuss their bathroom habits, but there are so many impacts on your health when you’re not eliminating, it’s something that should be taken seriously. And while going three times a week may still be considered “okay” and “normal,” I, personally, feel best when I go AT LEAST twice a day.

This is the first thing you see when you google “How many times should I poop in a week”

I like to use the (very obvious) analogy of a garbage can. You don’t have to empty it every day and you might not feel its effects for a few days, but at a certain point it hits its limit and becomes a bigger problem with bacterial overgrowth, uncomfortable smells, leaking…you get the picture. Why not be proactive and “take the trash out” a bit more frequently?

Here are a few tips and tricks to keep your day happy & crappy!:

Start your morning with a few deep breaths and some warm lemon water. The deep breaths center yourself and keep you in a parasympathetic state for optimal digestion. The lemon h2o helps to stimulate the liver and gallbladder to release bile, which is like the rinse cycle in your small intestine and colon, and gets things chugging along.
Eat some beets! Beets and beet greens (their leafy tops) are a superb bile thinner. Bile is the unsung hero of the GI tract, it helps emulsify fats, which then allows them to be digested properly. Bile also helps to regulate intestinal flora, help rid body of waste (duhhhhhh) and acts as a defense against certain organisms that may end up in your digestive tract. What are you waiting for? Turn up the beet.
FERMENTS. Chock full of fiber, enzymes, and fuel for your gut microbes, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, etc bring in reinforcements in the form of prebiotics and probiotics to help support the native flora in your system and get things back on an even keel.
Go tropical and grab a pineapple. Pineapples contain the enzyme, bromelain, which helps digest proteins. If I’ve had an particularly meaty (?) meal, I’ll grab some pineapple an hour or so later to help keep things moving. No #meatsweats here.
It seems like a no-brainer, but stay hydrated! Not only does this help keep your blood flowing, but it delivers essential minerals to your system that can help relax your GI muscles and get things back on a positive flow.
Cut down on your Omega 6 fatty acids and processed foods/sugar. All of these add to your inflammatory response and could be hindering normal GI function because your body is stressed from the inflammation load. We have a an overabundance of Omega 6 fatty acids in our modern, more processed diets, so it is wise to intentionally cut down on them—you’ll be surprised by how many foods have omega 6 in them.* *Note: this is not me villainizing omega 6 fatty acids—they’re an essential part of our diet and aid in proper inflammation response and hormone production. My argument is that we already get more than enough in our diet, so it would be wise to cut back, not eliminate. We should be consuming a 1:1 ratio of omega 3’s and omega 6’s. The current ratio in the western diet is 15:1. (Source)
Soothe you digestive tract with some fresh aloe vera. Fresh aloe is chock full of fresh enzymes to help break things down. It is also very soothing and can help with inflammation, which can give your system a break and get back to the business of doing your “business.” I’ve seen these big stalks at the more obvious establishments like Whole Foods and other natural food stores/markets, but I have been surprised to see them popping up at more conventional grocery stores as well. My other go-to if I can’t find a grocery store with fresh aloe is to look for a Mexican market, as aloe is a huge part of their culture and is used for exactly this purpose!

Hi, I’d like to buy my way out of this problem:

While I’m never one to immediately encourage supplements, I GET IT. If you’re traveling, or in a lot of discomfort you’re probably like “THAT’S GREAT KENDALL I LOVE PINEAPPLES AND KIMCHI BUT I NEED TO GO NOW”. I’ve compiled a few of my supplements that I lovingly refer to as train conductors, as they keep that locomotive moving.

Here are a few of my go-to’s to GO:

Electrolytes—many times hydration can be a contributing factor to constipation, or lack there of. Unfortunately, by the time you start feeling the sensation of thirst you’re already partially dehydrated. So that is why I always bring along electrolytes when traveling and I am away from my regular hydration routine. That way the water I am drinking is getting readily absorbed with the added benefits of the powerful electrolytes. When I’m at home, or sometimes when traveling, I use a pinch of this salt in my water as a cheaper electrolyte alternative!

Digestive Bitters— much like the discussed beets, digestive bitters can help stimulate the liver and gall bladder, which will help get those juices, including bile, flowing. Taking them a few minutes prior to a meal can have a very desirable effect later on and it’s giving your body natural cues to help amp up its digestive fire. Luckily digestion is not on a negative feedback loop like hormones, so this supplementation is merely that: supplementation. Your body is still doing the work to digest.

Smooth Move Tea—this tea is very soothing to the digestive tract, with the licorice root and other calming herbs, but they really do pack a punch. I believe this has the herb Senna in it, which has some controversy behind it. I haven’t investigated the details, because personally, I have not had a problem with it and do not have a dependency to the product to go.

Colon Max—Usually used as an overnight supplement to help get things moving. I take this proactively when I know I might be stopped up i.e. the usual suspects: travel and/or stress. This stuff is STRONG so definitely start with the recommended dose. My whole family loves this stuff, in fact, one year “santa” put it in all of our stockings.

Calm—I think we’ve all experienced that post magnesium citrate “ride.” It can be quite a surprise to someone not prepared, but very beneficial if you need some progress. Again, this works best overnight, but I’ve used it during the day, now that I know my reaction time to it. I haven’t tried these, so I can’t speak to their efficacy, but they also make a gummy form of the Calm supplement.

Proteolytic Enzymes—this can be more bio-individual, but has worked for me. These enzymes specifically help to digest proteins in the digestive tract. When taken during or directly after a meal they help to break down the ingested protein. I usually use supplemented bromelain, which if you remember is an enzyme found in pineapple, so this is just a more concentrated form of what I talked about above with pineapple. When taken on an empty stomach the proteolytic enzymes can help to digest and move along any leftover protein matter in the digestive tract, aka inflammation. Source.

Castor Oil Packs—Do not be intimidated by this practice; it’s easier than it sounds! Castor oil helps to bring blood flow AKA movement to the areas where it is applied, thus a castor oil pack on the abdomen can be a wonderful facilitator in feces (sorry). I keep an organic wool cloth in the fridge (so that the previous castor oil doesn’t go rancid) and when I need it, I add 2 tbsp to the cloth and apply to my abdomen. I either add a hot water bottle or a Biomat for heat to help absorption. I plan on doing a more in depth step by step on castor oil packs, but until then Wellness Mama has a great guide.

A great litmus test to see where you fall on this pooping dilemma is the Bristol Stool Chart. It’s very visual, so you should have no problems classifying where you stand.

If you’re brave….comment below your Bristol number….I’m a 2 :)

DISCLAIMER
The information on this website is intended as educational advice only and should not be used in place of a medical provider to diagnose or treat any illness.