Constipation is a very common ailment that often goes along with other pelvic floor dysfunctions. Being constipated means that your stools are very hard in texture (Think: very large or small pebbles) which are difficult to pass, and/or you go several days between voiding. Normal bowel habits are going to the bathroom 3x per day up to 3x per week. It’s different for everyone!
Do you fall into this category of poor bowel habits?
You’re not alone!
You know you need to drink more water, so you start with an extra glass of water per day and some extra fruit or vegetables. Great! That’s an awesome way to get started. But maybe you start to feel frustrated because you’ve been doing this for 2-3 days and haven’t noticed any changes.
Our bowels LOVE routine! They are also slowwwww to make change. It can easily take 1.5 weeks to begin to notice changes in bowel function following routine and habit changes.
The best way to speed up your bowels is to get them on a routine. Specifically starting in the morning. The reason for this is our bowels function best during rest, so overnight, the digestion process gets a little jumpstart. What often happens is our days become busy and our bowels take a backseat to other activities.
A simple morning routine to start once your alarm clock goes off is the following:
- 1ILU bowel massage to manually help get the bowels moving (Pro tip: keep lotion next to your bed so it’s the very first thing you do AND call us if you want to know more about this ILU massage!)
- 2Start getting a hot beverage prepared (Warm liquids also help stimulate the bowels)
- 3While the beverage is preparing, drink a glass of water (This is a sneaky and easy way to increase your water content for the day)
- 4Get something to eat! (Even if it’s small, chewing helps to jumpstart our digestive system)
Making these changes and establishing a morning bowel routine is key in getting your bowels more consistent and thus reducing constipation. Remember, it can take 1.5-2 weeks to see change. If its sooner, great, but don’t be discouraged if it takes closer to 2 weeks. Be diligent in your routine and soon you’ll start to have more regular bowel movements.
This is just a small part of attacking constipation. There are many other aspects to constipation that a pelvic floor physical therapist can address with you. Please call our office to get started on your constipation-free journey today! We are more than happy to talk with you during a FREE Breakthrough visit so that we can understand what is going on with YOUR body! Can’t wait to help you!!
Emily Selby
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