If you’re feeling sluggish or heavy after the holidays and you’re struggling to have regular bowel movements, you are not alone! While it’s something that may not be the most glamorous to talk about, most of us actually deal with these symptoms and struggle with constipation on a regular basis.
And yes, while it’s not cute to admit, recognizing when your body is actually backed up and understanding how it got to that point, is a crucial part of being able to keep your body functioning properly.
Everyone is different, but as a general rule of thumb, you should be having about 1-3 poops per day to keep your bowels flushed out and detoxed. This may sound like a lot, but it’s actually the normal amount you should be going to the bathroom daily. If you’re not, it’s most likely that you are indeed constipated.
Another big sign of constipation are physical symptoms, as well as how you feel. If your stomach is extended slightly or significantly below your belly button, or if the lower half of your stomach feels hard to touch, then that is another clear sign. If you feel sluggish, weighed down, heavy, and slightly overstuffed for no reason, this can be another sign your bowels are backed up.
So, you’ve read the symptoms above, you realize you're constipated, and maybe you're not feeling too hot. The cure? We'll get there, but first let’s unpack what brought you to this point, especially post-New Years, as that will shed light on what you need to do to get your bowels flushed out and back on track.
Changes in Routine
Your daily routine has a big influence on how your body operates. This is because your gut bacteria, as well as your body as a whole, thrives on consistency and is very sensitive to change. Rhythms and routines in your day to day, such as when you wake up in the morning, when you go to sleep, meal times, and exercise habits, are super important for keeping your body running smoothly.
During the holiday season, your normal routine is most likely disrupted, whether it’s from all day family gatherings, festive parties, staying up late, champagne and cookies, or lacking the time to fit in your daily workout. While these changes are normal and to be expected, they cause the balance of your body and your gut microbiome to suffer, leading to irregular bowel movements, constipation, and other digestive issues.
Indulgent Food
With the holidays, it’s normal for you to enjoy yourself and consume more sugar, alcohol, and fatty foods than you usually do in your regular diet. The problem is, along with containing more fat and sugar than your body is used to, these foods generally are also low in fiber, which is a crucial catalyst for keeping your bowels regular.
The combo of these factors results in slowing down your digestion, as well as fueling the bad bacteria in your gut. Together, this creates imbalance in your gut microbiome, backs up your bowel movements, and prevents your body from properly eliminating waste daily.
Less Water
Staying hydrated is essential for helping your body successfully detox daily and for keeping your colon flushed out. In the holiday months, you most likely drank less water than you usually do, and on top of that, you may have consumed more alcohol, caffeine, or sodium rich foods that lead to increased dehydration in your body.
When you are dehydrated, your intestines can’t bring in enough water to help your body have a smooth bowel movement, which results in constipation.
More Stress
Stress impacts your health a lot and physically manifests in your body, primarily affecting your gut. As much as the holidays are full of fun and good times, increased stress is also highly likely.
When you stress, the environment of your gut microbiome changes, increasing inflammation and the permeability of the lining of your intestines.
Additionally, stress releases the hormone cortisol in your body and diverts blood away from your digestive system towards your vital organs. This slows down your intestinal movement and digestion, making you more perceptible to constipation.
Maybe your post-holiday constipation came from one of these factors above, or maybe from a mix of all them, but whatever the cause, understanding the formula that created your problem is exactly what is going to solve it for you. Everything that causes constipation, also serves as the solution to constipation when you flip it around.
So, to get your bowel movements back on track now, try to focus on creating a consistent daily routine for yourself, adding more fiber rich foods into your diet, decreasing your sugar and fat intake, drinking more water, and finding a way to successfully manage your stress levels. All these things will work together to bring your body back into balance and boost your ability to flush out your colon daily.
In addition to implementing these lifestyle changes, adding supplements to your routine can also be extremely beneficial in supporting your regularity. If struggling with constipation or if feeling slightly backed up is normal for you, taking magnesium will be an absolute game changer for your body. Specifically, try magnesium oxide, as this specific type of magnesium helps to relax the intestines and brings water in to help move your bowels and flush them out. Also, there are specific probiotics, digestive enzymes, and natural herbs that work great to support your digestive system and gut health as a whole, which benefits and reduces the likelihood of constipation as well.
To learn more about which specific probiotics, enzymes, and herbs are best to take for constipation, check out our Gut Glo supplement - It contains an effective blend of each of these crucial elements, designed specifically for gut and digestive health, combined with magnesium oxide to give you the most efficient solution for constipation, poor gut health, digestion issues, bloating, and more all in one supplement. Check it out here!
