Get Pooping With The Squatty Potty

Based on one of my recent Instagram posts (which just so happened to be one of my most popular posts to date) of me squatting on a Squatty Potty, I take it there's some interest around the subject of pooping, yes? To be honest, I'm not surprised. First off, I want to say I'm thrilled! I'm thrilled that people care this much, not only about what is going into their body, but what's going out of it too (which is just as important!).

Constipation is the most common chronic gastrointestinal disorder in adults; even with kids now, too! If you're lucky, I'll tell you a comical story about myself as a constipated child. (Hint: It involved ruining my sister's Winnie The Pooh bathing suit which she still doesn't let me live down to this day). If you don't suffer from constipation, hang tight – there's a golden nugget in here for you as well (sorry, had to go there).As a holistic nutritionist, I'm always looking for ways to improve my health, from the foods I eat, the products I put on my body, how I manage my stress levels to how effectively I'm eliminating toxic waste.

The truth is, if we're not eliminating properly, we're accumulating waste that builds up and remains in our body for days (sometimes weeks or months on end. Some of this waste can actually turn into deposits along the colon wall and if hardened, can become 2-3 inches thick. Yikes! If you've ever experienced symptoms of toxic accumulation, be it constipation, skin breakouts, low energy, weight gain, sleep issues or frequent migraines and headaches, it might be time to consider working on clearing out your elimination channels and encouraging gentle detoxification.

Unfortunately, it's not always easy to eliminate when things like the modern toilet is working against us. Let me explain! When we sit on a toilet, with the intention of eliminating (I'm trying to be classy here, guys!), the sitting posture only partially relaxes the tight muscle around the colon, blocking the flow of waste, creating a minor kink in the colon. Whereas, squatting or using a Squatty Potty fully relaxes the muscle around the colon, allowing the colon to empty quickly and completely. Those that suffer from bloating, straining, hemorrhoids and constipation may also find this alleviates their issues. Need a visual? You got it (don't worry – it's not graphic).

While this might all seem laughable or foolish to you, that we might actually need an additional device to help us poop, we in the Western world are actually the one's that are behind on the times. A squat toilet is the norm in places like India, Japan, Thailand, China and beyond, except their toilets are physical holes in the ground with places to put your feet so you can squat/hover over the toilet. A few people have asked me whether they need to physically sit in a squatted position on the Squatty Potty and hover over the toilet, but that's not the case. Instead, you sit on the toilet as you normally would and simply elevate your feet so your feet are resting on the stool. This will naturally put you in a squatting position, except you don't have to exert any energy or efforts while doing so.

I knew a few people would bounce back saying "well, Rach – I have great poops so I don't need this". I''m going to be a little [read: a lot] TMI for a moment and tell you that I have great poops too! With that said, there's still so many benefits to incorporating this into your life. The first time I used my Squatty Potty for the day, I had 3 healthy [sized] bowel movements. I was amazed at what was coming out of me – I felt like it completely cleared my out, as the squatting position encourages. Experts actually believe that the average person has 5-20lbs of accumulated waste matter in their colon, while someone with a toxic colon can have 40lbs or more. Are you reading this?! That's wild!

Not ready to invest in a Squatty Potty? No sweat! I get it. Start by using two small garbage cans flipped upside down or stacked tissue boxes. See how it feels for you (then report back to me – I'm curious! Haha).

You might get a few questions when guests come over and use your washroom but I promise, only good things will come from it! Since I posted my poop-inspired Instagram post a couple weeks ago, I've had so many people reach out and ask me questions or even send me feedback at how it's totally turned their digestion around! If you're not into the look of it, Squatty Potty offers a few different modelsto suit your needs and preferences.

And because you made it this far, you get to hear my embarrassing story! Lucky you!

As mentioned previously, I was quite the constipated child (I wasn't slurping back green smoothies and loading up on all of the flax, hemp and water like I do now). It got to the point where I wouldn't poop for about 5 days on end until I really had to go. Naturally, that resulted in me becoming very familiar with the toilet plunger at a very young age, which turned into a fear of clogging toilets/pooping in public washrooms. Well the time came for family vacation and we were at Sherkston Shores, a family RV resort with one heck of a waterpark (or at least I thought it was at the time). I was on one of my no-pooping-for-5-days benders once again and immediately found myself overwhelmed by an uncontrollable urge to go (as in, my bowels were saying "to hell with it! we don't care where you are or what you're doing, this shi** is coming out!) I turned to my Mom while we were laying out by the pool with a panicked look of fear. She knew exactly what was up.

She scooped me up and proceeded to start running to our RV. Well, at this point, I had logs coming out of me, sitting in my [sister's] bathing suit and nearly slipping out of the bathing suit. We finally made it back to the RV which was very underwhelming after the marathon my Mom just put in to get me to our toilet as fast as possible, as all the damage had already been done. In my sister's bathing suit. On the bathroom floor.... If only I had known about the Squatty Potty 20 years ago, this would have never happened (haha!).

Please note, this is not a sponsored post. All opinions, ideas and statements are my own and are based around my own beliefs, experience and research.