My journey with constipation & loose stools
Yay! I know… A poop conversation. I thought we got over this fixation in elementary school. Maybe we should have kept talking about it but in a more mature manner with vibrant health as the focus. If you are not pooping, it is the earliest sign of dis-ease in the body according to Ayurveda. Luckily, we can fix this situation with a little troubleshooting!
Firstly, let us see what Ayurveda says is a healthy poo. The perfect poo is 16-18 inches long, you want to clear out the descending and the transverse colon. It should happen first thing in the morning - in the first hour of waking up (before sunrise ;D) and ideally, within the first few minutes. You are looking for the ripe banana shape. The fecal matter should be slightly oily, not sticky, float and have a very mild odor.
I do not know about you, but those are high standards in today’s society where many of us aren’t even eating real food. I’ve had a hard time getting this situation under control. My elimination was either loose stools or constipation. Once I starting my health coaching process I knew I would need to focus my energy and efforts on becoming a rockstar pooper.
First I started adding more liquids to my diet to see if I was dehydrated. That helped. Then I starting investigating what food made my body want to eliminate. Turns out beets work pretty well for me. I encourage you to look at your family history and see what your ancestors were eating and try that. For some people it is prunes, for others it is beets. We are all unique and you want to know what helps your system flush.
The biggest thing that helped me become regular was not drinking anything but warm lemon water until I pooped. I am talking about 5 glasses some days! You want to eliminate without a stimulant like caffeine triggering the morning action. I would move my body and drink, A LOT of water. Twisting yoga poses help, sometimes I like to do a handstand for less than a minute, just to flip the system upside down and shake things up.
Why is this important? You do NOT WANT to carry yesterday’s toxins into your new day. It negatively effects your mind and body. (which of course has an impact on your spirit) If you eliminate regularly, your colon absorbs nutrients better, your metabolism is stronger, your cells hydrate faster, your lymphatic circulation improves which helps your Immune system.
There are supplements you can take such as magnesium. Or herbs like triphala, which can help get things going, but as in the case of coffee and stimulants you do not want to rely on them. The best things to do are: eat whole foods diet, use a squatting stool, try more liquid diet if constipated, add nutmeg if your stools are loose, do not eat between meals and have only 2-3 meals a day.
Make the new normal version of you a pooping champion! You have the ability to be your best healer. If you are not a rockstar pooper, I invite you to embrace a new identity on a subtle level and find out what you need to do on a gross level (lol) to have a perfect poo. I wish you the best and support you on your elimination exploration!