In day-to-day life, people usually go through two common health problems, i.e., Constipation and diarrhea, due to an unhealthy lifestyle and other factors. These two problems show that bowel movements are poor, but what exactly is bowel movement? Well, this question will definitely trigger in your mind. But the simplest definition of this term is the removal of left-out food from our digestive system via the rectum and anus from our body. Now, let’s see this term in a comprehensive manner and the factors associated with keeping bowel movements healthy.
Bowel Movement- At A Glance
The food that we take is digested by our digestive system, where nutrients, protein, fibers, and essential minerals are absorbed, and the waste left, i.e., stool, is excreted from our body. If the flow of stool is normal, i.e., 1-2 times a day having a peanut butter texture. Then it is said to be a healthy bowel movement. But if the consistency of your stool is frequent or delayed. Then it may result in diarrhea or constipation, which means bowel movement is not normal.
In addition, the bowel movement depends on various factors, such as food, beverages, geographical locations, and many more. The irregularities of the bowel movement can be traced by the appearance and the color of the stool. For instance, red, green, black, and clay-colored stool shows poor behavior of the bowel, and immediate action must be taken to bring it back to normal mode.
Moreover, the time that you spend in pooping also helps you in determining the bowel movement. If you take more than 10 minutes to pass a stool. It means there is an irregularity in the bowel movement because the usual time to complete the action is only 5 minutes.
What Are The Prime Reasons Behind The Poor Bowel Movement?
Now, that you are familiar with bowel movement and the way to recognize it. So it’s time to know about the causing factors. There are many reasons behind poor bowel movement, such as intake of saturated fat, inadequate water intake, medication side effects, lack of physical exercise, and others. So, working on these factors will help you improve your bowel movement, and below are some tips.
Most Efficient And Effective Ways To Improve Bowel Movement
As stated earlier, bowel movement depends on several factors, including age, diet, and intake of water. However, there are some elements in which you can’t do anything to improve bowel movement, such as age. But there are many more things which you can perform to improve your bowel movements and a few of them are listed below.
1. Water Plays An Important Role In Our Body
We all know that our body organs are made up of cells, and each cell needs water to function. If there is a lack of water in the body, then cells will target the large intestine and extract water from there, which will result in hardened stool. So, water is directly proportional to bowel movement, and that’s why it is always recommended to drink plenty of water to keep your bowel movement healthy.
In addition, intake of 3 liters of water is good, especially for men, and 2 liters of water for women in a day. If your counts fall below this margin, then you will suffer from poor bowel movement. Hence, you must drink an adequate amount of water to keep your body hydrated and fit.
Also Check: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
2. Keep Yourself Away From Saturated Fat And Increase The Intake Of Fiber
The digestive system has to do a lot of work to break down the saturated fat foods, such as cheese, cakes, etc., and as a result, it affects the bowel movement too. So, to overcome this problem, you must ignore foods containing saturated fats and must include fiber-rich foods. The foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and others, give stool a foundation to pass from the rectum effectively and hence improve the performance of bowel movement.
3. Strengthen Your Gut Health
Our gut health contains good bacteria, which helps in digestion and also keeps bowel movement healthy. So, you must strengthen your gut health, and for that, start taking probiotic foods which are rich in good bacteria, such as yogurt, and curd. In addition, you must add some essential foods to your diet, such as bananas, Oats, Whole grains, and vegetables, to keep your gut healthy.
4. Indulge In Some Physical Exercises
Our intestine does a lot of work to remove stool. But if it is taking time, then it simply indicates that your bowel movement is not proper. So, you must start doing some physical exercises where every body organ is involved, such as swimming, running, and many more. The exercises will help the intestine move stool forward effectively, and overall, your bowel movement will be improved.
5. Try Some Alternative Posture For Pooping
While pooping, you might be using the same posture every day. But do you know that changing a pooping posture changes the colon angle which helps the passage of stool effectively? So, you can try this tip for comfortable bowel movement and regarding posture change, you can go with the toilet footstool.
6. Don’t Ignore The Call Of Nature
It is possible that you might get a ‘Call Of Nature’ anytime. However, if you are at home, then there is no issue. But, if you are outside, then you might think to hold poop for some time. But it’s not recommended as this act will affect the bowel movement. So, if you face this situation, then you can use a public toilet to keep your bowel movement comfortable.
Read More: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
Conclusion
Poor bowel movement is caused by several factors, including bad lifestyle, age, lack of water in the body, and others. Due to this, constipation and other health issues arise, and sometimes they become severe. So, you must keep your bowel movement healthy, and for that, you must remain hydrated and eat fiber-rich foods.
In addition, you must indulge in physical activities as this will help you keep your body healthy, including your bowel movements. Now, to know about the bowel movement issue, you can check the color and the texture of your stool. If it is red, green, or clay color, then you must take action and start improving your bowel movement.
References
- Willcox DC, Scapagnini G, Willcox BJ. Healthy aging diets other than the Mediterranean: A focus on the Okinawan diet. Mech Ageing Dev. 2014;136-137:148–162. doi: 10.1016/j.mad.2014.01.002. [PMC free article]
- Chan AO, Jim MH, Lam KF, Morris JS, Siu DC, Tong T, Ng FH, Wong SY, Hui WM, Chan CK, et al. Prevalence of colorectal neoplasm among patients with newly diagnosed coronary artery disease. JAMA. 2007;298:1412–1419. doi: 10.1001/jama.298.12.1412. [PubMed]
