What to do if you are constipated

Are you constipated?  Signs of being constipated are having three or less bowel movements per week.  As well, if you are constipated, you probably have hard lumpy stools that cause straining and hemorrhoids. 

You also might be experiencing bloating, gas and a feeling as though you haven’t finished having bowel movement.  Obviously, these are not pleasant symptoms and they are probably contributing to overall poor health as well as lower life quality.  Being chronically constipated is a serious situation and one that should be tackled on several different fronts.

Diet is probably the biggest factor contributing to being constipated.  An average American diet consists of refined sugar products and greasy foods.  In order to ease being constipated, you need to add plenty of fiber to your diet and eliminate the bulky greasy food.

Fiber can be soluble and insoluble.  Soluble fiber can absorb water and can be found in oats, fruits and vegetables.  Insoluble fiber does not absorb water and can be found in whole grains, vegetables and legumes.

For maximum benefit, you should aim to consume both types of fiber to make up the 25 grams of recommended fiber per day.  Try switching your morning cereal to more wholesome whole grain cereal such as oatmeal.  In addition, try to get at least 3 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables including legumes on a daily basis.

Exercise is also important to eliminate being constipated.  If you’ve been inactive of late and are experiencing being constipated, try to incorporate at least 20 minutes of daily walking and 30 minutes of more strenuous exercise at least 4 times a week.

If you’ve been constipated, you may look at your daily fluid intake.  It’s highly important to stay adequately hydrated.  The recommendation is 1 ml of water to every calorie consumed which is around 2000 ml or 2 liters for the average American diet.

Fluid intake doesn’t have to come from water alone.  Try to get half of your daily hydration needs from water, but you can also count any juice, tea or coffee you drink as being part of your fluid intake to ease being constipated.

Stress is also a big reason behind being constipated.  By reducing your stress levels through stress management techniques, there’s a good chance you’ll see vast improvement.  Try meditation, yoga and exercise to reduce your stress levels.

Retraining your bowels is another good way to eliminate being constipated.  By attempting a bowel movement at the same time every morning, you are encouraging your bowels to work properly.

Look at any emotional reasons behind being constipated.  Did you have a rough experience as a child during potty training?  Were you teased about bowel movements?  Sometimes, being constipated has a lot more to do with emotional issues than physical issues.

If none of the above help alleviate being constipated for you, you should possibly be evaluated by your physician for any sort of bowel obstruction or underlying medical issue such as diabetes mellitus or hypothyroidism that may be causing your condition of being constipated.

There are also several products that have an overall cleansing effect that can ease being constipated.