Meet, my new best friend. His name is Squatty Potty. I met him while seeking out new methods of elimination… WHOA! I know. I’m very open with talking about this. Didn’t you read “everyone poops?”?

I would guess that most of you out there suffer from some degree of IBS or constipation of varying degrees. Constipation can be caused from a variety of factors: stress, lack of sleep, eating habits, dehydration, low fat diets – the list goes on. Constipation can also be the cause of sickness and fatigue. One of the reasons I turned to eating Paleo was to try to find a lifestyle that would aid in my own constipation problems. Thankfully, since switching to Paleo, I’ve found relief in that area of my life – in more ways than one! 🙂

Taking care of your digestive tract is a serious matter. To better explain the effect that constipation has on the body, I’ve inserted an exert from Paul Chek’s blog, titled “Tips for Pooping Better”:

“When you are constipated, dangerous bacteria have time to come out of spore and form and proliferate in your intestinal tract, as do parasites…In addition, if a person is dehydrated (the most common cause of constipation), toxins concentrate in the colon. Since the colon is the first place the body tries to harvest additional water in a dehydrated person, as the body squeezes water from your stale old poop, it also takes in very toxic liquid that puts a huge burden on the liver and detoxification systems in general. This leads to a wide variety of confusing symptoms, often resulting in a plethora of unnecessary drugs being prescribed to address the symptoms of autointoxication.”

How do I maintain a good flowing GI tract?

• I eat lots of raw and cooked vegetables.
• I eat fermented foods, such as Sauerkraut, Kimchi, and other fermented veggies.
• I drink as much water as I can.
• I make sure to eat when I’m hungry, and not starving so I don’t scarf down my food.
• I’ve made lifestyle changes to make sure that I get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
• I allow myself time to relax (which is very hard for me to).
• I don’t get stressed if I skip a day of going to the bathroom. Worrying will only make it worse!
• I make sure to eat a diet high in good fats and nutrient dense foods. (a year ago I was easting a completely non-fat diet, and now I eat a tbsp of grassfed butter at every meal, and I haven’t gained an ounce)
• Last but not least, I use the SQUATTY POTTY!

This little magical bamboo contraption makes eliminating a breeze. Check out this image below:

When you are upright, your rectum is sharply bent at a 90 degree angle, aka anorectal flexus. Your rectum stores the feces, and the anus releases them. The puborectalis muscle that wraps around the rectum makes sure that everything remains continent. When it’s time to eliminate, however, this sharp angle makes us strain. When we squat, meaning that our knees are ABOVE our hips, then the  flexure relaxes along with the puborectalis muscle, and it becomes easier to eliminate. Bockus Gasteroenterology states:“The ideal posture for defecation is the squatting position, with the thighs flexed upon the abdomen. In this way the capacity of the abdominal cavity is greatly diminished and intra-abdominal pressure increased, thus encouraging expulsion.”

For some people, eliminating is no problem at all and they might not even think about it. But, the muscles are still being strained, which can take a toll after a while and possibly lead to hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are extraordinarily common in the US (many of you have probably experienced them), and there’s a great deal of evidence to suggest that squatting can eliminate their frequency.

So: if you’ve had hemorrhoids in the past, if you’re constipation prone, or even if you want to enjoy easier bowel movements, this post is for you.

The squatty potty fits discreetly around your toilet bowl. At first I thought it looked weird, but now I think toilets look naked without one! It’s a breeze to to assemble and it props your feet about either 7″ or 9″ above the ground, which is considered to be the authentic squatting position. It takes some getting used to, but definitely worth the try. You don’t have to use the official Squatty Potty if it’s not in your budget. You could always use a trashcan or box. The Squatty Potty also comes in plastic for a more economical option. I decided to spoil myself a little and get the bamboo. My colon deserves it!

Check out this video below. It’s pretty funny. I was about as a excited as he was when I received my Squatty Potty in the mail!!