Making Sh*t Happen!
We all know that satisfying feeling after a good poop. Who doesn’t want that feeling more often? Well you’re in luck. In this month’s newsletter I’m making #2 the #1 priority.
Your poop matters!
🩺 Your bowel movements are like a report card for your health. They give you a grade for what you're putting into your body as well as how your pelvic muscles are working.
Most people know that what they eat and drink affects their poops, but what many don’t realize is that their hip and pelvic floor muscles play a HUGE role in how well things come out! This is why poop problems are a whole-body issue and are regularly linked with hip, low back and abdominal pain.
So read on to learn how to listen to what your poops are saying (shit talk?).
What's normal when it comes to pooping?
💩 You should have a bowel movement most days
💩 It should take <10 mins on the toilet
💩 It shouldn’t hurt & you shouldn't have to strain
💩 Your poops should look like this ↴
From the Bristol Stool Chart. Watch my 30 sec. explainer here.
When I'm solving poop problems with my patients, I'm considering both what's going into the body and how the muscles are working to get things out of the body.
What goes in...
🥤 Are you drinking enough water throughout the day?
Many of my patients with poop challenges fall into one of two camps: those that are drinking more caffeinated beverages (dehydrating) than water throughout the day, or those that bulk drink water at specific times of the day. In both cases, the body isn’t getting enough hydration spread across the whole day, making it difficult to maintain adequate hydration within the intestines. This can lead to poor nutrient absorption and dryer/harder stools that are difficult to pass.
So sip on water throughout the day instead to keep things moving! And don’t worry about hitting some magic number of ounces. Keep it simple and look at the color of your urine to tell if you're well hydrated. If it’s a light yellow color, you’re on the right track.
🥦 Are you eating enough fiber throughout the day?
You want to be eating about 30 g of fiber per day and ideally we want to space that out to around 10 g per meal. The average American only consumes about 10-15 g each day! Similar to hydration habits, many of my patients are either way under on their fiber intake or are trying to eat all their day’s fiber at one meal. Spread it out across your meals for the best results.
Try adding a cup of raspberries (8 g fiber) to your breakfast, an avocado (10 g fiber) to your lunch or 1/2 cup of beans to your dinner (8 g fiber).
💊 Are you taking medications?
Pain meds, antidepressants, antihistamines/allergy meds, diuretics, and blood pressure meds can have some sh*tty side effects. So if you take any of these it’s even more important to be prioritizing these poop health tips.
..must come out
🚽 How's your pooping posture?
In order to poop well your pelvic floor muscles need to lengthen & relax. This happens most easily when in a supported deep squat position, meaning knees higher than hips.
Most modern toilets, marketed as "chair height" or “comfort height,” are too high off the ground, preventing your pelvic floor from fully relaxing around the rectum and leading to straining, incomplete emptying, and increased time on the toilet.
Yes you read that correctly, your comfort toilet is making you uncomfortable. The good news is there's an easy hack to get your feet up so your knees are higher than your hips. Learn my pooping posture tips.
🤔 Are your hips tight?
Most people don't know that their hip muscles and pelvic floor muscles work together. When you have tight hips, it creates tension in the pelvic floor, preventing it from being able to fully relax during a bowel movement. (This muscular tug-of-war creates challenges with peeing too, as discussed in my previous newsletter.)
So in order to address this I put together a hip-opening routine that you can sprinkle in throughout the week or do just before you have a bowel movement. PS: these movements often improve low back and tailbone pain too!
Thanks for Reading! Please forward this newsletter to a friend and help spread the word on pelvic health! Questions, comments, requests for future newsletters? Send an email to info@pelvicsavvy.com.
Your pelvic health matters,
Dr. Chris
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I want you to have the knowledge & tools to make great health choices for yourself. Ideas shared in this blog do not constitute medical advice.
