Creating a Bowel Routine to Help with Consipation
The older I get the more I realize how wonderful a good bowel movement is and how it is something to be celebrated. We give high fives in my household after a great bathroom experience, after washing our hands of course.
What’s Normal Anyways?
Do you know what is normal when it comes to your bowels? Well when our bowels are working well they should be quick and well formed. We should be able to breathe during, feel like we have completely emptied and should be able to feel clean easily afterwards. If we take a peek at our poop it should look like either a smooth or cracked sausage or snake. If that describes your bathroom experience then it is time to celebrate! High fives all around!
If that is not your experience in the bathroom then you may be dealing with something like constipation. Constipation is when your bowel movements are too hard, you aren’t going as often as what is normal for you or it is more difficult to have a bowel movement. Constipation can cause bloating, cramping, discomfort, and overall feeling sluggish.
Why Am I Experiencing This?
There are many things that can feed into constipation. Our diet, fluid intake, suppressing the urge to have a bowel movement, abdominal tightness, pelvic floor muscle tightness or pelvic floor incoordination, hip restrictions, poor toileting posture/positioning, and our daily activity all can impact our bowels. There are other medical conditions and medication that can also be a part of constipation as well.
One of the things we do as pelvic health therapists is help a person struggling with constipation make a consistent bowel routine. Our bowels are creatures of habit. They would prefer that we have a bowel movement in the same bathroom at the same time every day.
How Can I Be More Regular?
Do you have a consistent bowel routine? If not, try it! To create a consistent bowel routine try sitting down on the toilet around the same time every day, even if you don’t have the urge to have a bowel movement. Ideally this would be 30 minutes or so after a meal. This lets us take advantage of the gastrocolic reflex which causes the colon to contract after a meal to move the food through the digestive system and out the body. You would sit on the toilet for 5-10 minutes. After that time period if you haven’t had a bowel movement you would get off the toilet and move on with your day. Consistency is key here because you are retraining your system which can take time. After a while you may be handing out high fives yourself for a successful bathroom experience!
Still Having Issues?
Have you tried a consistent bowel routine and are still struggling with constipation? You would benefit from seeing a pelvic health therapist. We will evaluate the reasons behind your constipation and create a plan based on your needs. Are you ready to celebrate in the bathroom? Call our clinic to schedule your evaluation with one of our providers!
We offer:
- Free Pelvic Floor Screens
- 1:1 visits
- Therapeutic Massage
- Trigger Point Dry Needling
Need more pelvic health, prenatal and postpartum support, nutrition, and workouts from home? Join Thrive by Taylor Wellness!!
Led by a team of experts, Thrive provides you with a full library of workouts, nutrition guidance and recipes, and pelvic health content! Whether you are expecting your first baby or post-menopausal, Thrive will have valuable content specific for your life stage.
Click here to learn more: www.taylorwellnesseducation.com/thrive
Written by Dr. Jesse Rapp