How Often You Should Poop (Plus, 7 Ways To Train Yourself To Get Regular)
Time to get regular.
getty If you're a living being, pooping is a daily part of your life. It's the sort of thing we don't really talk about in polite company, but if we're not regular, it's really going to mess with every aspect of our life. It's important and, ideally, we want to poop like a pro.
How often should you poop? According to Indhira Santana, co-owner of My Wellness Solutions, "We all do it and hopefully two to three times a day, but in reality what many of us think are 'normal' bowel movements are one to two times every few days. If you do not have bowel movements at minimum of two times a day, you suffer from constipation. About 42 million Americans, or 15 percent of the US population, suffer from constipation."
But what is normal? And how do we achieve this elite level of poopage? Here are some ideas for giving your colon an extra push for healthier bowel movements.
1. Chew your food in its entirety.
We pay so much attention to what we eat but so many of us totally overlook the how, which is just as important.
"Food that cannot be digested (i.e., anything you swallow that isn't chewed thoroughly) isn't necessarily eliminated, which results in bloating, weight gain, and inflammation. When you chew your food until it becomes liquid, your belly has less work to do, which means you'll be going and flowing more often," advises Robyn Youkilis, wellness expert and author of Go With Your Gut.
2. Eat more fermented foods.
"I love fermented foods, and strongly recommend them. When I started eating them, so many of my digestive health issues, like bloating, started to magically disappear, as well as my strongest sweet cravings. Why? Fermentation jump-starts the digestion process. Plus, fermented foods contain probiotics, those good-for-your-gut bacteria that boost your digestive health," says Youkilis.
3. Get your butt to the gym.
Physical movement helps your organs move and function, too. This includes your digestion. "Physical movement gets the blood pumping, the juices flowing, the energy going," Youkilis says.
4. Give yourself an enema.
You can find an enema kit at almost any pharmacy. "These at-home kits are called enema fleets and help to hydrate the bottom-most portion of the colon to help it evacuate its remains," suggests Indhira.
5. Get a colonic to remove bad bacteria.
Colonics (colon hydrotherapy) are a safe, effective method of removing waste from colon by introducing filtered and temperature-regulated water into the colon. The end result? The waste is softened and loosened, resulting in evacuation through bowel movements.
6. Add more fiber to your diet.
Incorporate superfoods, like ground flax, chia, hemp seeds, pumpkin, avocado, and high fiber veggies to sweep you clean. If you're feeling bloated, go easy on the rough vegetables that might be tough to digest, like broccoli or cauliflower, and stick to ground flax seeds.
About a tablespoon nightly mixed into a small amount of water will help you the next morning.
7. Replace your lunch and dinner with green smoothies.
These smoothies are packed with flax seed and chia seedst. A quick recipe is spinach, ginger, celery and a cucumber. This will be pulpy and thick, but yummy. Try this daily smoothie from My Wellness Solutions:
- 1 scoop Love & Peas Protein Powder
- 2 cups kale
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cantaloupe
- 1 dime size ginger
- 1 orange, peeled
- Boost it with chia or flax seeds
Aly Walansky is a NY-based lifestyles writer who focuses on health, wellness, and relationships. Her work appears in dozens of digital and print publications regularly. Visit her on Twitter or email her.