Let’s Talk About Bowel Habits: What Every Body (and Pelvic Floor!) Needs to Know
As pelvic floor physical therapists, we talk about poop—a lot. While it might not be the most glamorous topic, healthy bowel habits are essential for your pelvic floor and your overall health. Whether you're dealing with constipation, pelvic pain, urinary leaks, or you're just trying to feel your best each day, your gut plays a huge role.
Here’s what we want you to know about how to poop well, support your body, and set yourself up for smooth-sailing mornings.
1. Stop Straining—Your Pelvic Floor Will Thank You
Straining on the toilet puts unnecessary pressure on the pelvic floor and can lead to issues like hemorrhoids, prolapse, or worsened pelvic pain. Instead, use your breath as a tool.
Try this:
When you feel the urge to go, sit on the toilet, relax your belly, and exhale as you bear down gently—like blowing through a straw. This helps coordinate your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to let go, rather than tighten.
2. Posture Matters: Use a Squatty Potty
Your body was made to poop in a squatting position. When we sit with our knees lower than our hips (like on a standard toilet), it creates a kink in the rectum, making elimination more difficult.
That’s where a Squatty Potty or footstool comes in. Elevating your feet brings your knees above your hips and straightens out the path for stool to pass more easily. Think of it as giving your bowels a little runway.
3. Hydration Is Non-Negotiable
Your colon’s job is to absorb water from the stool. If you’re dehydrated, your stool becomes hard and dry—hello constipation.
Aim for about half your body weight in ounces of water each day, more if you’re active or breastfeeding.
Bonus tip: Start your morning with a glass of warm lemon water. It can help stimulate your digestive system and get things moving.
4. Eat for Elimination
Fiber is your best friend, but not all fiber is created equal. You want a balance of soluble and insoluble fiber to bulk up your stool and keep things moving.
Try adding these to your day:
Oats, chia seeds, and flaxseeds
Berries, apples, pears (with skin)
Leafy greens and cooked veggies
Beans and lentils
And don’t forget fermented foods (like sauerkraut, kimchi, or kefir) for gut-friendly probiotics.
5. Don't Sit and Scroll
If you’re spending 20 minutes on your phone on the toilet, it’s time to change the habit. Sitting too long on the toilet puts pressure on your rectum and pelvic floor, even if you’re not straining.
Set a limit: 10 minutes max. If it’s not happening, get up, walk around, and try again later. Your bowels will thank you.
6. Create a Morning Bowel Routine
Our bodies thrive on rhythm. Try setting up a consistent morning routine that includes:
Drinking warm lemon water
Light movement (even stretching or walking)
Sitting on the toilet around the same time daily
This helps train your body and encourages regularity.
7. Move Your Body, Move Your Bowels
Physical activity increases gut motility—the natural movement of your digestive tract. You don’t have to run marathons. Just aim to move your body daily:
A brisk 20-minute walk
Gentle yoga or stretching
Deep diaphragmatic breathing (bonus: it helps relax your pelvic floor too)
8. Mind Your Mind
Stress and anxiety can wreak havoc on your gut. The gut-brain connection is real, and chronic stress can contribute to IBS, constipation, or urgency.
Incorporating breathwork, meditation, or journaling into your day can help regulate your nervous system and your digestion.
In Summary: The Good Poop Checklist
Hydrate, especially in the morning
Eat a fiber-rich, gut-loving diet
Use a squatty potty
Exhale—don’t strain
Avoid long toilet sits
Move your body daily
Support your nervous system
Keep a consistent morning rhythm
Final Thoughts
Pooping should be simple, regular, and pain-free. If you’re finding that it’s not, know that you’re not alone—and you don’t have to just live with it. Working with a pelvic floor physical therapist can help uncover the root of the issue and get your body back in sync.
Here’s to happy, healthy bowel movements—because when your gut feels good, everything else flows better, too.
