The Ultimate Poop Setup

If this is not already a thing for you, I’m here to make it a thing. 

In the most ideal situation, you should just sit on the toilet, and your poo should slide right out. However, as we all know that’s not going to happen every single day and through every stage of our lives, I see a lot of women who struggle with constipation so I’m here to give you my top tips to help.

The biggest favor you can do for yourself is preventative action. The first place I like to start with is our intake. 

First things first, you need to be drinking enough water. Half your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking at least 75 ounces of water a day. You can even add one cup per hour of intense exercise. If you are pregnant or nursing you may even be thirsty for more. Keep grabbing that water bottle and slowly nurse it throughout the day.

Next up is fiber intake. The general guideline is to take in between 25-30g of fiber a day. Some pretty easy ways to get it in are by making lentil soup, having an apple, or adding refrigerated ground, flax seeds to things like yogurt smoothies or salads.

My next recommendation is going to be a Squatty Potty. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a stool that goes around your toilet so that you can have your feet elevated. This helps our alignment and shortens our puborectalis muscle, which wraps around the rectum, and makes it more difficult to make a solid #2. Having our knees elevated is actually the most ideal position to poop in! If you don’t have a squatty potty at home, you can elevate your feet on any step-stool. You can purchase one here and use code MILLIE10 for 10% off your order.  

Now let’s move onto talking about what we can do if we are already constipated.

The first thing I’m going to recommend is going for a walk early in the morning. Starting your day with some movement can stimulate gut motility for the day and get things moving. Start with 15 minutes and work your way up to 30.

Next up is the "I Love You" or ILU massage. This is a massage that works wonders. I usually have patients, jumping off the table to go to the bathroom when I do this for them.  You’re going to lie on your back and start on the upper left side of your belly. Put some gentle pressure as you stroke your hand down toward your hip bone. That’s the letter "I". Do this 10 times. Next, you’re going to put some pressure on your upper right belly and move towards your left and then back down to that left hip bone. That’s the "L" and you will do this 10 times. Finally, you’re going to start at your right hip bone work your way up towards the rib cage across to the left rib cage and down to the left hip bone. That’s the "U". Repeat this 10 times. Then you can finish off with 25 small circles over your belly, moving in a clockwise direction. This can help stimulate the small intestine. When you’re done, bring your knees up into your chest and see if you can pass any gas. You may even feel like you have to use the restroom.

Good luck and have a smooth poo 💕