HOW TO EMPTY YOUR BOWELS EACH MORNING:
Tips To Help Relieve Constipation & Increase Regularity.
Ideally you should have at least 1-2 bowel movement each day. If you find yourself having difficulty going to the toilet, there are natural methods to encourage a dormant gut to help relieve you and encourage normal habits.
- Lemon/ Lime juice: take a glass of water mixed with the juice of half to 1 lemon or 2 limes, 2 times daily, before bed and when you wake up.
- Drink a pint of water: immediately when you wake up, the increase in water in your gut softens stuck stools and pushes the waste down to be released.
- Olive oil /Coconut oil: consuming 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil or coconut in the morning on an empty stomach can encourage the stools to flow through the gut.
- Fluids: drinking 2.5 litres/12 glasses a day will ensure you are hydrating and refreshing your system, helping to break down any food in the gut.
- Hot beverages: coffee, tea, hot chocolate have a diuretic effect. Diuretics increase the production of urine, meaning that we will go to bathroom more than usual. The hot water and heat help to break down solids, hot water is also great for settling the stomach and encouraging the peristaltic process.
- Avoid foods with a high-fat content: The body has a hard time processing fat. Especially with fast-food processed diets, the bile producing gallbladder (the material that helps break down fat) is stretched to its limit. It will benefit the body to cut down on these unhealthy food types.
- Fresh fruit: increase in fruits like pineapple, papaya, mango, apples etc. fresh fruit has enzymes which can break down food in the gut.
- Dried fruit: is loaded with fibre and is one of the foods that help relieve constipation. Along with water, fibre helps give stool the right consistency to pass easily. Good fruit choices for a constipation diet are apricots, raisins, prunes, figs. Stewed fruits also works great too.
- Positioning: If you have felt the urgent need to relieve yourself but arrived at the toilet only to find you can’t go, you may find adjusting your toilet positing helpful. Have your knees higher than hips and keep a straight back. Place books under each foot or a box, you may find it handy to keep a toilet stool in the loo.
- Deep breathing: inhale for 4 counts exhale for 6 counts, letting go of any stress that comes up, repeat for a few minutes. When the time comes tense the stomach to encourage movement, rather than the rectum. let things go mentally and pyshically.
- Massage: massaging the gut in a clockwise position for 5-10 minutes can soften and stimulate bowel release.
- Dry skin brushing: 10 mins upwards strokes only, starting from the feet and up to the neck, activates the lymphatic system, which then stimulates the bowels.
- Movement: Lack of exercise is a common contributing factor in constipation. People who exercise regularly generally don't develop constipation. The colon responds to activity. Good muscle tone in general is important for regular bowel movements
- Muscle stimulation: also known as EMS, an abdominal muscle stimulator will encourage peristalsis. Peristalsis's a series of wave-like muscle contractions that move food through the digestive tract.
- Prune juice: one of the more traditional remedies for constipation. Prune juice lacks the fibre of the dried fruit, but both are high in sorbitol content, which acts as a laxative. You can also have prune juice in warm water.
16: probiotics: supplementing with good friendly bacteria each morning helps to improve bowel regularity, bloating and stool consistency.
Seek medical attention if you get no relief. There could be underlying issues that needs to be addressed.