If you’ve ever googled “effective tips to relieve constipation” or “how to prevent constipation” we feel you. Dealing with constipation in any of its forms, is not fun and is also something most of us will experience at least once in our lives. Keep reading to learn all the reasons the body can become constipated and how to address them for optimal health.
Why Must Constipation Be Addressed?
Beyond being uncomfortable or life-disrupting, and even if it only feels minor, your bowels not eliminating is a critical health signal. It is never “normal” to not go or to strain to go or to poop pellets. It is your body sending a signal that it wants your attention. Before we dive into tips and resources on preventing and reversing constipation, let’s start with what you should know about being constipated.
What Should We Know About Being Constipated?
While it is technically defined by organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as fewer than three bowel movements a week1, missing even a day of bowel movements or having other issues as we will discuss below, is a flag for constipation.
Bowel movements can be evaluated in three ways: frequency, effort, and consistency. To learn more specifics about each of these get the BNP guide to constipation (available in any of our memberships and use code POOP to get it for just $19 as well as access to live sessions with our experts to clarify any questions and get personalized support).
Constipation can occur whether you are male or female, young or old, and can even be seasonal or life-stage dependent. Medications, supplements (even ones to help digestion), foods, activities and other factors will all impact your bowels!
“Discovering why you are constipated is the most important first step in constipation relief”
What Are Effective Tips and Strategies to Prevent and Relieve Constipation?
You have likely heard that it is about fiber. Maybe. While fiber plays a key role – and the types of fiber are as important as the amount – it is not the only factor. Almost all your daily choices and planned or unplanned life events impact your bowels including hydration, travel, surgery, motility, stress, nutrients (magnesium & vitamin C), medications, movement, stress, caffeine, smoking, supplements, hormonal shifts and insufficient fats.
Here is our proven process to relieve and prevent constipation developed by Ashley Koff RD and used to support thousands of patients over twenty five years to not just get un-constipated but also to enjoy optimal health.
Step 1: Know Why
You cannot know how to relieve constipation before identifying why you are constipated in the first place. Especially if you are dealing with chronic constipation, you do not want to relieve symptoms, you want to get to the root cause of the problem and address it. Immediately resorting to over-the-counter laxatives is not a true solution; it is a band-aid. Everybody and every BODY is different. In some cases, finding the cause of constipation may include lab testing, but often, it is doable with a good digestive evaluation (click here to try ours). A digestive evaluation is a comprehensive assessment where we thoroughly analyze your digestive system’s health and function. It helps pinpoint the root cause of the problem and, therefore, personalize any intervention or treatment plan based on your exact digestive issues.
Step 2: Personalized Experiments to Tune Up Digestion
Once you know the why, a digestive tune-up targeting your why (or whys) is in order. Over the course of 30 days, by following a specific food and supplement plan, your body will be able to get the support it needs and craves without the irritation to relieve constipation. The tune-up can include a combination of dietary modifications, lifestyle changes, and supplementation if needed. This is not just to stop constipation; it is to stop and fix what was causing it in the first place. Think of constipation as an alarm for a dysfunctional or unbalanced gut. The tune-up is to set you up for better gut health and long-term healthy habits.
You can do this on your own with our resources as part of any of the BNP Health™ Memberships. Use code POOP for $20 off your first month of any membership!
Get the relief you are seeking as well as a plant to prevent future constipation and enjoy optimal health! Don’t take it for granted, and never overlook constipation; the proof is always in the stool!
