Global Health Trax News: How to Maintain a Healthy BM

Aug. 9, 2011 - PRLog -- Maintaining healthy bowel movements can prevent problems like constipation, hemorrhoids and anal fissures, or small tears in the anal opening. Prevention of these disorders involves dietary changes, regular exercise and several guidelines when going to the toilet. Keeping bowel movements healthy is easier than treating constipation once it occurs. Creating new habits to ensure the health of bowel movements will help you have healthy bowel movements frequently.

Step 1

Choose a time of day that is most convenient to have a bowel movement when you are less likely to be interrupted or feel rushed. Having a bowel movement after a meal is often a good time because your body is more likely to naturally want to defecate during that time. Once you begin having a bowel movement at a certain time of day, your body will often pick up on that and begin to go around the same time every day.

Step 2

Pay attention to the feeling that you have to use the toilet. Ignoring this urge can make your stools more compact and difficult to pass.

Step 3

Change your diet to include high fiber foods, such as whole grains and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Because fiber is not absorbed into the body and remains within the digestive tract, it adds bulk to stools and promotes intestinal contractions and the movement of fecal matter. In addition, fiber has the ability to absorb water, which can soften stools, making them easier to pass. According to FamilyDoctor.org, foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. By increasing the proportion of these foods contained in the diet, constipation sufferers can have healthier bowel movements.

Step 4

Drink a minimum of eight ounces of water each day and avoid caffeine as much as possible. Water helps to keep stools soft and easy to pass while caffeine can pull water out of the colon and make stools hard and more difficult to pass. When there is an inadequate amount of water in the digestive tract, fecal matter can create dry, hard stools that are difficult to pass. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, adults should have a fluid intake from water and other beverages of between a half gallon and a gallon per day.

Step 5

Exercise for at least 30 minutes each day. Exercise helps the bowels to move consistently and helps prevent constipation. You should get at least some aerobic exercise, such as walking, daily as a way to relieve constipation and to keep your bowels moving. Yoga is another option that improves bowel functioning. Yoga masters believe that several yoga postures aid in digestion because of their focus on breathing, stretching and core strengthening of the muscles of the abdominal cavity. As with anything else, moderation is key. There are instances where vigorous exercise can actually over-stimulate the bowels and trigger diarrhea.



What to Avoid

Certain prescription medications and over-the-counter supplements can also create symptoms of constipation. Calcium and iron supplements have been known to cause constipation as well as prescription drugs that can decrease intestinal motility. In addition, the frequent use of laxatives can decrease intestinal muscle tone and lead to the development of chronic constipation. Patients should speak to a physician with concerns regarding chronic and frequent constipation.

What to Embrace

Vitamins and probiotics really help your digestive tract. There are some probiotics that are designed specifically for digestive health, such as Active Digestive Enzymes, that will allow you to have healthy bowel movements and digest food as you consume it.
ArticleSource: http://www.livestrong.com/article/344484-how-to-maintain-...

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