Constipation is the condition of infrequent bowel movements, usually hard or difficult to pass stool, which can cause discomfort. Symptoms may include abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating, flatulence, straining during a bowel movement, and/or premature cessation of bowel movements. Individuals may also experience a sense of rectal fullness or pain, a feeling of incomplete evacuation, hard stool in the rectum that is difficult to expel, or feelings of incomplete evacuation after defecation. However, not everyone is affected by constipation.
What causes constipation?
Many factors can cause or worsen constipation. Some common causes of constipation include dehydration, low dietary fiber intake, lack of exercise, stress, hormonal changes (such as those associated with pregnancy and the period after giving birth), medications including sedatives and diuretics (which can increase urination frequency), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and certain health conditions.
There are many possible causes of constipation. The most common include decreased dietary fiber intake, lack of physical activity, side effects from certain medications, dehydration and/or a lack of fluid intake, hormonal imbalances, or irregularities in the gastrointestinal tract.
Apart from a lack of fiber and water intake, dehydration is one of the main reasons for constipation. To stay hydrated, try consuming more fluids and eating water-rich fruits and vegetables. You can learn more about the importance of staying hydrated from this article on abdominal pain when walking or standing.
List of Tips and Exercises That Help You Poop
Aerobic exercise helps you poop
I learned that aerobic exercise is the kind of exercise where your heart rate gets into the “metabolic zone” range. In other words, you’re breathing hard and working your muscles. This is a critical part of helping you poop. You should do aerobics two hours before your poops.
Some people feel the urge right away. But the urge can come 20-30 minutes after you’ve started to exercise. So if you have to poop after your workout, it helps to be in aerobic training before starting the actual exercise.
If you don’t know what aerobic exercise is, don’t worry about it. You can do any kind of physical activity or movement that gets your heart rate up and keeps it up for at least 30 minutes.
Calculating your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) can help you determine the number of calories you need to consume daily to maintain your weight and also to recover the bowel movements. Use our BMR calculator to find out your BMR and how many calories you need to consume to keep functioning optimally.
Strength training is suitable for your bowels
A strength-training program involves pushing and pulling a weight around. To make things even easier, you can do this type of program with your hands cupping a pair of weights and then squeezing them out like you’re pooping out some really stinky gas. This is called “squatting.” Squatting with weights is especially hard on the stools and helps to push them out.
Here’s a good rule of thumb: Any strength-training program that you can do for one set of 8 reps with a weight that you can easily lift for eight reps is strong enough for your bowels.
I’m not going to explain how to squat; I’ll just tell you one way to do it. Start by standing with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Put your knees into the bend of your legs and then bend forward at the waist so that your chest touches the floor.
Strenuous physical activity, such as running, biking, or weight lifting, increases stool frequency.
That means that if you get up and go for a run or lift weights, then you’re more likely to poop later in the day. But if you exercise right before bed, don’t expect to poop that night.
This is because the body has a natural rhythm that determines when you’ll poop.
The best time of day to increase stool frequency is in the morning
Your body’s natural rhythm determines how much fiber you need to eat every day. If you eat a lot of fiber before bedtime, you’ll poop in the morning.
Your gut bacteria play an essential role in how often you poop. The more bacteria you have in your gut, the more fiber your gut will need to break down and absorb that fiber to make it available for digestion. That’s why fiber is so essential to make sure there are enough bacteria to make poops go away.
You can increase your fiber intake by eating lots of different kinds of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.
Warm-up thoroughly before you exercise and stretch well afterwards
This helps to get more oxygen into your blood and makes it easier for your digestive system to handle pooping. You can warm up by walking for 5-10 minutes before you start exercising. And stretching is always important, so make it a part of your plan.
When you work out, it causes your body to sweat. This is good because it helps cleanse your internal organs and helps flush out your digestive tract.
Many people have found that waiting 3 hours after eating makes it easier to poop during their workout. But it’s essential to have something in your stomach when you’re exercising, so choose a snack with fiber, water, and protein. For example, a slice of toast with peanut butter or some carrots.
To prevent injury while exercising, it is important to warm-up thoroughly before you begin and stretch well afterwards. Check out the 6 safety exercise ball workouts for seniors to help improve your stability, balance, and strength.
Avoid sitting for long periods while exercising to prevent constipation
When you’re exercising, it’s essential to get your heart rate up. That means you’ll be breathing hard and sweating so you can stay warm. Go for a walk instead of sitting for long periods. Or do a few light exercises instead of going for a long run or ride in the bike lane, or jogging on the road.
Drinking plenty of water is also a good idea when you exercise because it flushes out toxins from your body and helps with digestion.
On average, men need to drink 2 quarts of water each day, and women need 2 quarts.
But everyone is different. You should always be able to pee at least a few drops of clear urine after you urinate. If you can’t, that means you’re not drinking enough water and should get more fluids into your system.
Eat a diet high in fiber (for example, cereal with bran and whole-grain pieces of bread)
Because high fiber diets can help prevent constipation in some individuals who are not already constipated.
Try to eat plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans to get more fiber into your system. If you’re not used to eating this much fiber, you’ll want to do it gradually. For example, try adding a piece of whole-grain toast with peanut butter for breakfast. Then add some fruit and then a cup of bran cereal for breakfast the following day. It’s best to add 4-5 grams of fiber per day to increase your fiber intake.
Do not consume excessive amounts of coffee or carbonated drinks because they can make you more dehydrated and cause you to be constipated.
Coffee can also be dehydrating, which can make constipation worse. Dehydration makes stool soft and challenging to push out. And carbonated drinks are high in carbonation, and that’s not good because it encourages the gas to build up in your digestive system.
If you do drink coffee, try to avoid adding sugar because it can make you even thirstier because sugar dehydrates your body even more. And drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
Do not eat dried fruit such as raisins as they also cause dehydration and make you more likely to be constipated.
Dried fruits are high in sugar, which can cause you to be dehydrated. And dried fruits are hard to digest, which can make constipation worse.
Do not drink fruit juices, such as orange juice or grapefruit juice, because they are filled with sugar and can make you more likely to be constipated.
Try adding a little bit of apple cider vinegar to your water or juice. Apple cider vinegar is one of the best remedies for constipation and heartburn, and it’s very inexpensive. You can find it at most big grocery stores near the spices in the aisle.
Plan your meals and snacks and try to get the most amount of fiber from your food.
For example, you could eat a bowl of whole-grain cereal with skim milk for breakfast. Then add some whole-wheat toast with jam or peanut butter and an apple for lunch. Then have some more fruit and yogurt for dinner.
You should aim for 2-3 grams of fiber per meal and snack if you’re not used to eating that much fiber.
Avoid alcohol, which causes dehydration and makes you more likely to be constipated.
Alcohol also dehydrates your body, so it can make constipation worse.
In addition, alcohol can cause abdominal bloating. If you drink a lot of beer or wine during the week or weekend, you may want to avoid alcohol during the week because of this.
It would help if you tried to have a night or two during the week where you don’t drink alcohol. This will help your body get used to not having alcohol and hopefully prevent bloating.
And if you enjoy drinking, choose dark beer and red wine over clear drinks such as light beer and white wine because dark beer and red wine contain more antioxidants than clear beverages, which are suitable for your heart.
FAQs
What are the best exercises for constipation?
Answer: There are many causes of constipation. One cause is a lack of movement in the bowels. We move our bowels about 60 times a day, but we only move them about ten times a day.
Take this example: you are walking down the street, and you take four steps and then stop. Then you take another four steps and stop.
If you’re suffering from constipation, exercises that can help you to pass stool include stretches, aerobic exercises, and massages. Try doing strengthening exercises for your Serratus Anterior, which can help to stabilize your ribcage during breathing exercises and abdominal contractions that promote bowel movement.
How often should you exercise?
Answer: There is no “magic number” of times you should exercise. What is important is that you do it 3-4 times a week.
Can exercising increase bowel movements?
Answer: Yes, yes, and yes. Exercise increases the volume and frequency of your bowel movements. Therefore, the more often you move your bowels (even just from exercising), the more it will increase the frequency of your bowel movements.
What is the best form of exercise for constipation?
Answer: Aerobic exercise (such as running, walking, cycling, swimming) that excites the abdominal muscles. Throwing a football back and forth with a friend also helps, but not as much as doing aerobic exercise.
Regular exercise can improve bowel movements and prevent constipation. Cycling is a low-impact exercise that stimulates the digestive system and may help improve bowel function. Learn more about the benefits of cycling for constipation relief and the different forms of cycling by reading our article on cycling for constipation relief.
How do you get rid of constipation?
Answer: There are options, but the best long-term option is exercise. If you do not exercise regularly, you will have to take laxatives and enemas all your life. And that is not a very enjoyable life.
Alternate Answer: Exercise and water, of course. But if you are in a hurry, go for “Fleet” enemas (they work best).
What are the symptoms of constipation?
Answer: The most common symptom is an infrequent bowel movement – sometimes fewer than once a week. Other symptoms include feeling bloated and having painful bowel movements (a lot of people mistake these for heart disease or other conditions).
Can exercise make your constipation worse or improve your constipation?
Answer: It is not possible to worsen your constipation or improve it. The only thing exercise can do is increase the volume and frequency of your bowel movements. So, if you already have a terrible constipation problem, exercise will also make it worse.
Looking for ways to improve your constipation? Try adding regular physical activity to your routine. Exercise can help stimulate the digestive system, improving bowel movements and reducing the risk of constipation. Consider checking out these exercises to get rid of cellulite for workout inspiration and added physical activity.
What are the most unusual causes of constipation?
Answer: Constipation can be caused by anxiety (about your bowel movements), depression, smoking, being overweight, or one of many other things.
What are the best medicines to treat constipation?
Answer: Laxatives and enemas do not cure constipation. All they do is make your life more convenient. But exercising regularly does cure it, so stop taking laxatives and enemas.
What are the best natural treatments for constipation?
Answer: Drinking water and exercising regularly will naturally heal your constipated colon. And it is straightforward – you just have to remember to drink a lot of water.
What are the side effects of exercising and what is the right balance to get rid of your constipation?
Answer: Exercise can sometimes cause bloating, dehydration, and sometimes diarrhea. If this happens, drink more water (or sports drinks) and exercise less for a while.
Wow! That is a lot of questions, but all are very important. This article will give you the most important information to get rid of constipation and improve your bowel movement significantly.
