Constipation, Unusual Connections, & How To Go

After miscarriage I struggled with constipation for several months. It was honestly sheer agony not having had ever dealt with irregularity much before other than a few weeks in pregnancy. Now being far on the other side and being able to go 2-3 times a day, I’m honestly very thankful. It was scary not being able to poop, for the first time in my life using glycerin suppositories, getting magnesium injections, and not feeling like I was ever going to heal. When we aren’t able to have bowel movements we literally cannot think straight or properly because we are carry waste that we are no longer supposed to in our intestines.

I realize this is an unfortunate common issue with so many people and such a huge hindrance to health. It’s not normal or healthy though. Today I’d like to discuss some ideas and connections that are not often made in reference to this topic. My desire is to help those who are struggling while going beyond the typical recommendations. I go deeper with my clients, but here I at least would like to get you started with things to think about for your own healing journey.

Health Disclaimer: Everything in this blog is for educational purposes only. It does not replace medical care or speaking with your practitioner of choice before making any changes.

The regular suggestions to staying regular that you will hear from various sources such as doctors to dietitians are eat more fiber, drink more water, and just move more. While I don’t exactly disagree with any of these suggestions, they are too general, and miss a lot of important markers that aren’t even being discussed. I’ll dig into those and then talk about the less mentioned about items as well.

A theme I want to stress as you read this post is a warm body is a healthy body. A warm body is a fed body. A warm body is a moving body.

Fiber

First let’s talk about fiber. This is a hot topic in the nutrition space. I am pro-fiber, but not necessarily for regularity, at least it’s not that black and white. I love plant foods and fibers because of the vitamins and minerals they provide as well as the fibers feeding the good bugs in our gut. If someone’s gut is inflamed, and if someone is constipated, their gut is inflamed, the last thing you want to do is shove a ton of fiber done their mouths and expect that to fix it. Plants foods, especially raw plant foods, are difficult to digest, especially vegetables. If you cannot poop, we do not want to be downing salads. I’m not anti-salad either. There is a process here though, and you need to go slowly. In this case to begin we want to think warming foods, easier to digest foods, like soups containing meats and veggies cooked in nourishing homemade meat stocks. Sauteed or steamed veggies with healthy animal fats like grass fed ghee, butter, or tallow. These fats aid in the digestion of the cooked veggies as well as nutrient absorption. The fats also lubricate the intestines. If dairy is an irritant right now, then coconut oil is fine. Animal fats are crucial though for so much in the body. Get comfortable with soups for breakfast or drinking meat stocks along with some ground beef and eggs. Cooked fruits will be easier to digest over raw fruits or cold smoothies. Think stewed pears, apples, or berries. Feel free to add butter and a good salt to the cooked fruit. You can try this for a week or two and see how you feel. Warm foods for the win!

Eventually, you can consider adding in lacto-fermented foods like homemade kefir and properly prepared sauerkraut, but not at first. While these foods are powerhouses of nutrition and good bacteria, you need to be ready. When you decide to take that step, and I highly suggest considering it because these really aid in a healthy gut, go small, especially if you are not used to these foods. By small I mean a teaspoon at a time and then building from there. Sometimes too much of these powerful medicinal foods at once can cause an awkward detox response in the body. I also cannot stress homemade enough because store bought quality cannot even compare to what you can produce at home. I have sauerkraut tutorials on my Instagram Highlights.

Water

Okay now let’s talk about the popular drink more water. Man is this a loaded topic. The amount of water everyone needs is different and going by the blanket 8 glasses a day couldn’t be more generic and unhelpful. Not to mention all water is not created equal. I am team water don’t get me wrong, but long gone are days of thinking that we are properly hydrated just by drinking water. Our bodies are more complicated than that, not that we need to over complicate hydration, nor do we need expensive electrolyte packets. I understand many people do not drink water at all so I do understand the recommendation, but we need more information than that honestly. Today the truth is that the water coming out of most of our taps is unfit for drinking due to the amount of chemicals used to supposedly used to purify it, neurotoxins like fluoride, pharmaceuticals dumped into the water ways, and heavy metals released from cloud seeding. Do your own due diligence and go beyond what the city or town is telling you. The very pipes our water goes through are fairly gross. That being said, we need to filter our water. The type of filter you use can be debated. What I will tell you is regardless of what you choose, you do need to remineralize it, and ideally structure it, but that’s some serious water talk, that I’ll try to keep simple. I won’t go over structuring today.

As far as filtration I like to at least suggest one for the kitchen either counter top or under the counter as well as shower filters. I find that Aquasana is fairly priced and does a good job. A whole house unit is out of price range for many people, so you just need to weigh out what works for you.

After filtration, we need to put back in what was lost. You can get really fancy here or go basic. Please do something and do not drink naked water, water that has not been mineralized. For the sake of budgets, I like to at the very least make sure we add a good sea salt rich in many minerals like Baja Gold (use discount code KHW), which I also cook with, along with good old cream of tartar for extra potassium. This is for everyone by the way, not just people who are constipated. You can try adding a healthy pinch of both the salt and cream of tartar to every glass you drink. You can also try according to the bottle using a multi-mineral supplement like Eidon or Quinton Minerals each day if that’s in your budget.

When it comes to the amount of water, that’s really dependent on the person. You can try half your weight in ounces as a starting point, but you may need less or more on a particular day. Listen to your body.

Also keep in mind water is not the only way we hydrate. Whole raw milks, fruit, meat stocks/soup, fresh juices, coconut water, and herbal teas all hydrate. Consider all that as well. Wonderful herbal teas to integrate are nettle, oatstraw, slippery elm, and marshmallow. The first two are very mineral rich and the latter two will aid in healing the gut. The more warm drinks the better!

Hot Tip: Hydrate with 8-16oz mineralized warm/hot water before eating or coffee first thing. Brush your teeth, and then go fix up your water. Warmth creates movement, cold causes tightness and constriction. We want happy, warm bowels to start the day. Feel free to add a lemon slice or fresh ginger root to the water. Sip on your water while getting to the next part of your morning routine.

Move More

Well, this couldn’t be more irritating because what in the world does that mean? Lets talk about this and how true it is, but what it might mean for you. Depending on how active you are really dictates how much more you need to move. A great way to gauge how much movement you are getting in to use a pedometer. I like an old fashioned one, here’s the one I have. I don’t prefer to carry my phone and Oura rings are not in everyone’s budget. While having a particular number of steps for everyone can vary by age and other activities being done, it be an interested collection of data to see how many steps make you feel best and contribute to regularity for your body. I have found I feel really good between 8500-12,000 steps. I tend to sleep better, feel energized, etc.

Increasing our movement doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do formal exercise, but it does mean being more intentional with when and how we move. As far mobility is concerned it’s more profitable for body to spread movement throughout the day rather then all at one time, and then be sedentary for the rest of the day. If you have to sit a lot at work, take movement breaks, put reminders on your phone if needed to build healthy habits.

Hot Tip: Okay this is huge, if you can make this a habit, it will benefit you so much! Walk for 10-15 minutes after every meal. By spreading your movement throughout the day this way, you will have daily walked 30-45 minutes cumulatively, helped to regulate your blood sugar, and further warm your body aiding your digestive system in processing your food, thereby creating more regularity.

Obviously, depending on your day and the weather, sometimes you may have to be extra creative with movement. Deliberately parking farther away from our destination door, squatting and doing other types of movement sprinkled in the day also promote overall mobility which is extremely important for total health. Squatting specifically really helps the digestive system and making it a point do intermittent squats throughout your day can make a big difference.

Other Connections

Now we will dive into some less discussed areas that in my experience and research have contributed greatly to me regaining regularity.

Breathing/Breath

While we may not consider breathing a part of the digestive system and rather a part of the respiratory system, everything here is connected. Every body system assists the other. Digestion begins in the mind with the food we are thinking about, then with our eyes what we see, and then with our noses from what we smell, then in our mouths the salivary glands get warmed up as the food goes into our mouths.

If our bodies are stressed, the nervous system is tense, then digestion becomes less important, and things in our abdomen begin to tighten. It is never optimal to eat in a stressed state. If you are recovering from a stressful event in your life like I was at this time with miscarriage, one of the best things you can do to reset your nervous system is to work on your breath.

When we take the time to work on breathing properly, which can take some practice, this aids in how we digest our food is such a tremendous way. When we take the time to breathe slowing and deeply the proper way, we relax. When nervous tension begins to dissipate, we can let go. In essence we should eventually be able to poop.

Hot Tip: Our diaphragm is a muscle, part of our respiratory system, that’s on the bottom half of the rib cage. Ideally when breathing, we utilize our diaphragm. When you put your hands on your ribs you should be able to feel expansion there when breathing in, and reduction when breathing out. That is the proper way to breathe along with your tongue on the roof of your mouth. If you are not used to breathing this way, it take some time to get used to it. I practice what is called box breathing often. I do this 1-3 times upon waking, before eating, and before going to sleep in bed. You breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts, and hold for another 4 counts. Here is a helpful video.

Posture

Optimal digestion is affected by our daily posture. While it’s not something we’d necessarily think about over time having poor posture can really slow down motility of the gut. I think just becoming aware of our posture while standing and in chairs can be really helpful.

Strengthening our core muscles is really helpful in building proper posture. I am a big fan of Pilates exercises. Not only do you strengthen, but you work on your breath here as well since every movement is propelled by a deep belly breath. So it is like a two for one. If you can work in 20 minutes 2-3 days a week, it can really help. I love the IsaWelly YouTube Channel for Pilates. This will bring more warmth to the body.

It is ideal when sitting that we have both feet on the floor. When standing we want to have our head over our shoulders, and be cognizant of not leaning over. Cell phone and computer usage can contribute to poor posture. So just be aware and make corrections throughout your day.

Hot Tip: When actually sitting on the toilet, you want your knees a little higher than your hips. To achieve this you can use a stool, squatty potty stool, or even a small bathroom trashcan if you don’t have anything else available.

Sunlight/Natural Light

I am so glad that the sun is finally getting it’s day so to speak and many people are learning about circadian health. I have always been a fan of the sun. Even so, I’m not certain many realize yet what a huge deal the sun is or the part it has to play with our whole health, and specifically gut health, digestion, and pooping. We are electric beings and run off of light, specifically natural sunlight. When we lack this important nutrient: sunlight, our bodies simply run poorly. Lack of natural light inhibits metabolic function.

It has been long known that sun exposure produces hormone-vitamin D3 on our skin. The skin needs to be exposed without sunscreen in order for the D3 to be produced. It’s made in our skin sebum/oils and then is absorbed. It can take up to 48 hours for it be absorbed so it is advised by Dr. Joseph Mercola to not shower after sun exposure if you are trying to absorb D3.

Studies like this one and this one speak to D3 supporting gut health. Our digestive systems works hand in hand with our immune systems. You can use the D-Minder free app on your phone or device to see when you can go outside where you live to get the most D3. Supplementation is not like getting it from the sun. In fact, a healthy relationship with light is so important that if we don’t get enough sunlight into our eyes each day, it reduces our absorption of D3 supplements. The over supplementation of D3 can reduce much needed vitamin A in the body. The Weston A. Price Foundation advises eating foods rich in vitamins A and D along with regular healthy sun exposure. When it is possible we want to allow larger parts of our body like arms, legs, and abdomen to be exposed.

Hot Tip: Early morning light beginning at sunrise to 9am is a great place to start with resetting your circadian rhythm if the need is there. The need is there for many people today due to overuse of devices. Catch the sunrise if possible, and depending on weather bare as much skin as possible, do not wear sunscreen or sunglasses, and aim for 5-30 minutes. The longer the better. You do not have to stare at the sun, just expose yourself to the light. After forming this habit begin to add in mid afternoon light, and sunset light.

What can also hinder our relationship with natural light is artificial blue light. Ways to mitigate artificial light exposure inside is:

Investing in blue light blocking glasses (These are the ones we use at home.)

Swapping out LED bulbs for incandescent bulbs (Use discount code KINGDOMHEALTH)

Use lamps instead of over-head lights

Use beeswax candles to get firelight in your eyes

Shut down device 1-2 hours before going to bed

Conclusion

For anyone suffering with constipation, I really want to offer something different to be truly helpful to you. Often constipation is a deeper issue and takes time to resolve. I know there are about one million products on the shelf said to solve constipation, but truth is, we shouldn’t have to take anything to have a bowel movement. Habits probably need to change and the body requires healing and patience.

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