Have you ever woken up, your body feels really sluggish, and you are not sure what is going on with you? It may sound silly to you but if you have not been having regular bowel movements and been having trouble going, that could be your problem.
As time goes by, and we stop having regular bowel movements, everything we eat gets stuck, or I should say compacted, like a cardboard machine that compresses cardboard into small bundles.
That is what happens when we don’t listen to the signals our body gives when it tells us to go. Once that happens you get the pressure of having to go and nothing is volunteering to come out.
For some people, it is easy to correct this situation by drinking more water and eating something fibrous. But for others, it is more serious and leads to much bigger problems.
Some people don’t have any bowel movements for days or even weeks, while others feel blocked, not being able to pass any stool.
Constipation has many causes from medication to dehydration, even poor diets can cause problems. There many reasons we suffer when it comes to our bowels.
My question is this:
What can we do to prevent constipation?
Well, the first thing we need to know is how we get it in the first place.
Our body takes out the liquid from the food we eat. Once that is done, it discards it. Sends it down the colon to the rectum, where it passes it.
But when this system slows down, and that would be when the body takes out too much of the liquid and the stool starts to get hard and dry, that is when you get constipation.
There are many things that we take that cause this and that includes medication, lack of fluids, feeling the urge and not going, lack of exercise, not enough fiber, even pregnancy can cause constipation.
Now that we know some of the causes, let’s see what helps to prevent it.
All plants and fruits have fiber. How much should you eat per day? For men, it’s thirty-eight grams and for women, it’s twenty-five grams. But as we get older we need less, twenty-one for women, and thirty for men. But we don’t even eat half of the recommended grams.
Simple changes can help improve and relieve constipation.
For example, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, instead of reaching for the chips or cookies. Make a salad, cut up some apples, carrots, and celery, and start eating them as healthy snacks.
For meals, use fewer meats and more vegetables in stews, or stir-fried foods. Make sure you drink plenty of liquids. Cut down on sugary drinks like sodas and sweet juice, natural fruits smoothies, or juices would be great.
Let us not forget to exercise. At least thirty minutes a day will help keep the constipation away. So, keep active and moving and everything should stay on track.