By Bobby Edwards and Margaux Khoury
Poop schedules. Unless you’re at a sales convention for the newest line of dentures, It's something we don't often bring up.
Jokes about poop and unicorns might seem hilarious, and they are, but today we are being very serious about this important topic.
Perhaps you'll be eating too much chocolate or drinking too much eggnog this month. (Or perhaps cocktails? )
Either way, if your stomach and colon are speaking to you, there may be some important changes you need to make.
Did you know, our bodies should be eliminating at least two times (if not more) per day? Almost as important as frequency, is the shape, color, texture of the stool as well as the ease of bowel movements. (Yes, you need to look at your poop once in a while).
Moving your bowels shouldn't take much effort. It's should 'flow' smoothly, effortlessly. Like a river running over smooth rocks.
What's 'regular' and What Should Our Poop Look like?
What's 'normal' to one person, may not be normal to another person. Bowel habits vary. The question is "what's regular for me".
Normal range is considered three bowel movements per day to three per week.
The following Stool Chart can help us learn what's 'healthy' and what's not.
Ideally, your stool should be Types 3, 4, and 5, "like a sausage or a snake", "smooth and soft" to "soft blobs that pass easily."
FYI...Type 4 is the Holy Grail.
Take a lookypoo:
"Quiet and gentle dive into the water... Your poo should fall into the bowl with the slightest little "whoosh" sound – not a loud, wet cannonball splash that leaves your toosh in need of a shower. " ~ Dr. Mercola
Yes, we went there.
Not that we love bringing on the fear, but it's a fact that sudden changes in your bowel habits might be a sign of a problem.
Factors that can affect regularity:
~ diet, travel
~ medications,
~ hormones
~ our sleep habits
~ frequency of exercise
~ general health, illnesses
~ surgery
~ pregnancy and childbirth
~ stress
If it has been many days (or even over a day) since your last bowel movement, if your poo looks funny or smells worse than usual, pay special attention to the following information.
What's not normal:
~ Straining to poop (constipation has been linked to kidney disease)
~ feelings of incomplete elimination
~ bloating
~ cramps
~ sluggishness after going
HOW ARE YOU POOPING?
The best Pooping Position. We need to talk about this one. Just as important as using healthy, natural personal care products to eliminate toxins, we must consider our body’s complete digestive health and elimination process. Most of us have been taught to sit to poop.
Sitting on the toilet will:
~ impact the ease with which you eliminate
~ increase your risk of bowel and pelvic problems (constipation, hemorrhoids, etc)
~ forces straining
Natural squat position is still used by a very large population in the world. When I (Margaux) lived in Japan, everyone squatted to poop. I remember North Americans visiting there thought this was very strange and quite uncomfortable.
Little do they know...
Bowel diseases are very uncommon (or even non existent) in societies where people squat. Unlike most western societies. 'Modern' toilets are designed to place your knees at a 90-degree angle to your abdomen. In a squatting, however, your knees are close to your torso which changes the space even in your intestines which makes eliminating so much easier and effortless.
"...after a few years of some colon issues we were seeking a natural and inexpensive solution that would help correct and heal the problems we were experiencing. That's when we found a wonderful and simple solution.... “Squatting!” ~ Bobby Edwards
Squatting can be tricky for us, if we're not used to it. For children it comes very easily, but adults have lost the strength and flexibility needed to squat.
Go ahead, try it now. There are now special stools that get your body into a more "squatty" position can help you get closer to the ideal even if you've been sitting for decades.Squatting relaxes your rectum, allowing for a smoother exit.
As you can see from the diagram below, squatting aligns your body to promote emptying of the bowels. This avoids bowel problems later on.
Benefits of squatting to poop:
~ Squatting helps make elimination faster, easier and more complete. It helps prevent "fecal stagnation," which is a factor in IBD, colon cancer and appendicitis
~ Squatting protects the nerves. In this way, the bladder, uterus and prostate won't be stretched and damaged
~ When sitting (instead of squatting) to poo, our valve is unsupported and could leak. This can contaminate the small intestine.
~ Squatting helps to relax the muscle which normally chokes the rectum in order to maintain continence
~ Chronic straining on the toilet can cause hernias and pelvic organ prolapse, so squatting uses the thighs to support the colon and prevent straining.
~ Treatment for hemorrhoids, as shown by published clinical research
~ For pregnant women, squatting every day helps prepare the mother for natural birth. By squatting, we avoid pressure on the uterus when eliminating.
~ When elimination is easier and complete, your skin, nails and hair become healthier. As well as your entire body.
And there you have it. Did you think you could learn so much about poop?
References:
http://www.naturesplatform.com/health_benefits.html http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/03/toilet-squatting-position.aspx http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314059.php
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/447496?dopt=Abstract https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9647901
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BIOS:
Robert Edwards, Creator and CEO of Squatty Potty, the No. 1 Toilet Stool for Healthy Toilet Posture.
He is a man on a mission to change the way we poop...one 'stool' at a time.
As an avid hiker, he enjoys his time in the red rocks of southern Utah.
Margaux is the CEO of one of the most popular organic, natural, cruelty-free deodorant companies, “The Best Deodorant In The World”, a product she started out of her kitchen that can now be found in stores and online world-wide. Her passion is helping families understand the importance of eliminating toxins, living sustainably and using amazing, natural products that don’t harm our bodies, animals or planet.
Margaux consults with parents on how to start a company like hers from scratch, and how to create an income while staying home with their children. When she is not with her husband and 3 children, much of her time is spent with parenting experts, birth practitioners, medical professionals and natural living celebrities, helping them spread their message to increase their exposure and boost sales.
Margaux has built close friendships with many of the world’s most accomplished and respected practitioners, authors, speakers, doctors, midwives, doulas, parenting experts and celebrities in the birth, parenting and entrepreneurial spaces.
2017 will reveal the launch of her newest brand the “Thriving Family Project”
