We need to be talking about our poo 💩
When it comes to hormones, it's a vital sign
There’s a stigma around talking about bowel movements but I’m hoping to play a small part in changing that! How often we poo, at what time of day and its consistency give us key information about our (hormonal) health.
Over and over again in this newsletter we’ve talked about the need for our bodies to detoxify excess estrogen in order to avoid hormonal imbalance and all of the unwanted short and long term health consequences of estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance leads to, among other thing, PMS (mood swings, headaches, cramps, etc.) in the short term and chronic diseases (like cancer) in the long term.
Pooping 💩, peeing 🚽, and sweating 😅 are essential means through which our bodies detoxify and therefore, we need to make sure they are happening on a daily basis!
What you need to know
⏰ You should be pooing minimum once a day, within about a half hour of waking (and without the need of caffeine)
🕒 Pooing a second time in the afternoon is bonus points
🚽 Several bowel movements a day is a sign something’s off
🥕Your poo should be easy to pass and in a smooth, carrot like form
I have a theory that constipation is a silent epidemic among women 😩. We have a long history of, and are socially conditioned, to hold things in! Expressing our feelings and needs is often something society negatively judges. I never underestimate the connection between our emotional and physical bodies!
What you can do about it
💧Drink more water
🥦Eat more fiber
🏃♀️Factor more movement into your day
💊Consider a magnesium supplement or castor oil packs
💧Believe it or not, most people are in a state of chronic dehydration! Our bodies need to be hydrated in order to properly carry out necessary bodily functions like delivering nutrients to cells and detoxification. Simply drinking more water may be your cure to pooing on the reg and for achieving the smooth, carrot like consistency mentioned above.
🥦I feel like when it comes to the topic of constipation it’s a bit more well known that fiber can be of assistance. Yet still, most of us aren’t getting enough of it. One place to start is by building your meals around fiber, rather than protein as is maybe more typically done.
🏃♀️We as humans were not meant to be sedentary yet that is the state in which most of us live our lives. Regular movement and exercise is non negotiable when it comes to detoxification.
💊Lastly, if you’re still having issues with constipation, you could consult a health care professional about a magnesium citrate supplement or experiment with castor oil packs.
For those of you on the other end of the spectrum, with loose and/or frequent bowel movements, perhaps my 1:1 coaching program is for you or maybe it’s a topic I’ll cover at a later time!
Warm regards,
Donelle