The Smelly Truth

Today I am going to share a little information about everyone's favorite topic. Poop. If you read my previous post, the Magnificent Seven, you will have found that as uncomfortable as it may be to talk about, making sure that you are having regular bowel movements is very important for your health.

The fact is that Americans spend over three-quarters of a billion dollars a year on laxatives. This statistic was put out by the American Gastroenterological Association. In 2004 it was reported that about 1 in 7 adults were constipated (Ref 3).

If we are going to take a very simplistic approach to our bowel movements, what goes in and isn't used as fuel, must come out. I have talked to people who only poop sometimes once or twice a week. When on vacation and not in a comfortable place to "go number two," they might go over a week without having a bowl movement. 

Conventional medicine considers less than two or three bowel movements a week constipation. However, one to three bowel movements a day is considered healthy.

Why is it important to be having daily bowel movements? Bowel movements are your bodies way to excrete toxins and waste. If you are not having bowel movements on a regular basis, this waste is staying in your body. Think of it as the waste basket in your bathroom. It is typically filled with all sorts of gross things which I wont name. If you don't ever take out your trash it overflows onto your bathroom floor. Gross.The same concept happens within your body. When you don't "take out the trash" or have a bowel movement, the toxic waste sits in your body and is partially reabsorbed into your blood stream. Don't think about it too hard... it's really gross.

Here are a few ways you can naturally make sure you are having regular bowel movements:

• Drink more water!! As I talked about on my post on hydrating, your body is over 70% water. If you aren't drinking enough water your body will pull water from different organs to make sure your vital organs, i.e. your brain and heart, get enough fluid... If your bowels are all dried up, they aren't very likely to move very well. 
• Eat plenty fiber rich foods. Vegetables are a great source. I personally enjoy eating large amounts of salad. 
• Exercising is also a great natural way to increase circulation in your body improve bowel function. 

For additional help: 

• A high-quality probiotic will help make sure you have healthy gut flora and balance the bacteria in your gut. 
• Magnesium is also a supplement that can help naturally help soften stool and help bowel movement. 

Hopefully, rather than avoiding this topic, I have helped you see the benefit of making sure pooping is a priority (I really just wanted to say that).

Until Next Time,
Hope
xoxo

Reference
(1) http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band130/b130-3.html below