With many people suffering from constipation, haemorrhoids and other digestive issues, knowing how to best poo can be helpful.
First of all, when you have to go – go! If you hold on, your poo can become dry and hard to pass. You’re also teaching your gut bad habits.
If you drink plenty of water, eat a healthy & balanced diet, exercise and you still strain when going to the toilet, you might want to try changing your sitting position.
You see, sitting on the toilet with your feet on the ground is not actually ideal for your gut. Your rectum has not been designed to stay open when you sit. Your clever body has a muscle that holds and pulls your gut in a direction like a lasso, causing a kink. This is a clever design so that you don’t have to do anything to keep your poo inside. Now you probably know what happens if your water hose has a kink? The water stops flowing, right?
The best position to relax this muscle and get rid of the kink is to squat. This is one of the reasons why you won’t find much haemorrhoids and diverticulitis problems in those countries that do not use toilet seats. But don’t worry – I won’t ask you to squat on your toilet seat :). There is another, easy way to achieve this position. The key is to elevate your feet. You can use a toddler’s step stool, waste basket or whatever you have got sitting around at home.
If you still struggle with your digestion – give me a call. I would be happy to help you.