How To Have a Great Poo, Every time
How to have a great poo, every time. It’s a common problem that most avoid talking about. I on the other hand, love discussing constipation, particularly because it can be a big indicator of your current health. Constipation has many causes, from poor diet and fluid intake to the presence of a pathogen (bacteria, fungi), emotional imbalance and so on.
Here Are My Top 16 Ways To Get The Bowels Moving…
1) Express Yourself
Holding onto past memories or emotions can lead to anxiety and amplify stress. During stressful times it is common to hold onto our poo as well. In Chinese medicine the large intestine AKA our garbage collector, and the lungs when out of balance are associated with an inability to grieve and let go. As a result our bowel movements become sluggish and we store and recycle our waste, collecting toxins, bad breath and all sorts of funky conditions along the way.
2) Fiber
Every meal should contain a portion of fibrous food such as brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, berries and avocado. Fiber helps move waste through our digestive system and is also food for your gut bacteria. A healthy, diverse gut flora is important for how to have a great poo every time. See our PaleoFiber RS with resistant starch that stays in the GI tract to help keep you regular.
3) Prebiotics, Resistant Starch & Probiotics
These guys are food and fertilizer for gut bacteria. Stimulating their growth and encouraging regular bowel movements. Good sources are asparagus, artichokes, green (raw) banana, brown rice (that has cooled down), kombucha, fermented vegetables, sauerkraut, kimchi and apple cider vinegar. Gradually include probiotics such as fermented veggies, sauerkraut and kimchi otherwise you might experience digestive upset such as wind while the gut adjusts to a new bacterial environment. Start with 1 tsp with meals, increasing to 1 tbsp. See our Prebiomed XOS for great pre and probiotics.
4) Water
Purified water has the power to nudge poo out from your colon. The amount will depend on your activity levels but as a general rule aim for 80 to 100oz daily. Add ¼ tsp of Himalayan salt to your water to enhance absorption. Fluids should be warm or room temperature. Warmth loosens, unblocks and welcomes muscle relaxation. Cold seizes and constricts.
5) Routine
Routine can dramatically improve constipation. To promote a healthy evacuation, you’re morning may look like this; 1tbsp of apple cider vinegar in warm water upon rising, followed by a smoothie rich in MCT fats and fiber. Relax for 15 minutes post breakfast, calmly plan your day ahead, read a blog post or engage in calm conversation. I stand following breakfast and read a blog post. Standing helps move things along faster than sitting.
6) Herbs & Spices
Certain herbs and spices nourish the organs of digestion and elimination, such as the liver, kidneys, stomach and spleen. This in turn improves overall breakdown of foods and can dislodge the waste that clings to your intestinal walls. Add them to your meals, smoothies, tea, slow cooking and salads daily. My favourites are turmeric, cayenne, ginger, oregano, black pepper, rosemary, coriander seeds, cloves and cumin.
7) Yin Yoga
Yin Yoga works on improving the health of organs, bones, joints, connective tissue, fascia and mind and incorporates breathwork. A class that works on the lungs and large intestine is a good example of how yin can unlock constipated colon doors. If you have been holding onto grief and are unable to let go and move forward in life, supporting these organs can dramatically change this current reality.
8) Standing Desks
Sitting, particularly after eating can slow digestion down because it compresses the abdominal organs. Sluggish digestion can lead to constipation and an imbalance in your gut microbiome (gut flora), according to Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease. Try standing or using a standing desk post meal instead.
9) Breathwork
When the flow of breath is laboured or short. It is physically impossible to let go. The mind becomes agitated, stress and anxiety are amplified and not enough “life-force”, space and nutrients get to areas in your body like your digestive system. Without breath, there is tension, blockage and resistance. 10 minutes of breathwork daily can help regulate bowel movements. I find deep belly breathing to be most helpful.
10) Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar improves the production of stomach acid, which means a more effective breakdown and absorption of foods and better elimination of waste. Aim for 1 tbsp of ACV in warm water upon rising or 10 minutes before meals.
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1) Healthy Fats
Our intestinal cell walls are made up of fat, therefore they need fats to function well. Healthy fats such as coconut, olive and macadamia oil, avocado, oily fish, butter, nuts and seeds lubricate the bowels and help move waste through the colon. See our Omega 3,6,7, and 9 product Omegavail Synergy
12) Ileocecal Valve Massage
Sometimes the ileocecal valve, located between the small intestine and large intestine does not work well, which can lead to a backlog of poo in the small intestine and constipation. Dr David Williams explains how to have a great poo every time by learning to massage reflex points to improve its function here:
- Massage your ileocecal reflex points. Manipulating specific acupressure points and reflex areas will often provide almost immediate relief from symptoms of constipation, and help the valve function normally again. Oftentimes you’ll actually hear a “gurgling” sound in the area of the valve after manipulating these points. And it’s not unusual to see a noticeable improvement within half an hour or so. The areas illustrated below should be massaged with firm pressure for about 10 to 20 seconds each. (It is not beneficial to rub the points any longer than that. In fact, it may negate the effect.)
13) Magnesium
Magnesium is a muscle, (intestinal wall muscles included) and nervous system relaxant, making it perfect for constipation, stress and anxiety. I use magnesium bisglycinate as it is absorbed well and therefore gets to the areas I want to target before conducting its magic.
14) Avoid excessive protein
Stick to a palm portion of quality protein per meal. 
Undigested protein can putrefy (rot) in the bowel and stimulate the growth of bacteria. This toxicity can over-burden the liver, reducing it’s ability to effectively remove toxins and metabolic waste from the body. This can lead to chronic disease. Excess protein can also over-tax the stomach, reducing its ability to produce enough stomach acid to digest and use nutrients well.
15) Colon Massage
Colon massage is an at-home procedure that can help return bowel habits to normal and help you learn how to have a great poo every time. Keep in mind that it works best if underlying causes (like those listed above) are addressed.
Colon massages have been utilized by alternative health practitioners for centuries. But, like many other natural techniques, they have fallen out of favor and been replaced by pharmaceutical products.
There are several approaches to colon massage and each might have slight differences. But they all involve moderate pressure massage at the start of the large intestine down toward the rectum. There are a few points to keep in mind.
- You should be lying on a flat firm surface, like the floor.
- Start the massage roughly 20 minutes or so before you are likely to have a bowel movement. Establishing a pattern of regularity is important.
- Always massage in the direction that follows the path of the colon.
- The procedure should only take about 5 minutes.
- Lie down on a flat, firm surface like the floor.
- Start the massage beginning at the lower right-hand side of the abdomen, at the front of the right hip bone, and stroke upward to underneath the right side of the rib cage.
- Stroke across from right to left, underneath the rib cage, then down to the lower left side of the abdomen, and finish with an inward stroke toward the middle of the lower abdomen.
- Repeat this upside-down U-like motion 5 to 7 times.
- Next, place your hand on the lower right-hand side of the abdomen. Press down with moderate pressure, and scoop you hand in an upward C-shaped stroke 3 to 5 times.
- Repeat the same stroke below the right-hand rib cage, the left-hand rib cage, the lower left side of the abdomen, and the lower middle abdomen, 3 to 5 times in each position.
16) Squat or use a squatting platform
When we use the common seated toilet we 
push poo up, against gravity. Squatting or using a squat platform such as Squatty Potty allows for a more natural angle and pressure. This straightens the anorectal angle and unkinks the sigmoid colon and creates an easier passage for poo to leave the colon. Therefore helping us with how to have a great poo every time.
This list is not conclusive. No doubt you have some other things that have helped you regulate your BM’s? Please leave a comment below I would love to hear how you have successfully gotten into a groove with your poo 🙂.
This article is brought to you by Tiffani. She is a fully qualified Pharm.D/Herbalist and Mayo Clinic Certified Health and Wellness Coach with over 20 years of experience in the health industry. Tiffani specialises in detoxification and weight loss. She has extensive experience in running healthy, effective and sustainable weight loss programs and has expertise in investigating and treating the underlying causes of weight gain and metabolic problems. If you would like to book a consultation with Tiffani, CLICK HERE