Morning Routine for Improving Constipation

Start your day off right with a simple morning routine that supports your gut health! 🌅

Meet Emily, a busy mom who used to rush out the door each morning without taking any time for herself. She often skipped breakfast, grabbing a coffee on the go and relying on snacks to get her through the day.

As a result, Emily was experiencing bloating, constipation, and occasional heartburn. She felt sluggish and unproductive, and couldn’t figure out why 🤯

That’s when we started working together to create a simple morning routine that could fit into her busy schedule. We focused on easy, nourishing habits that would set her up for a successful day

These simple changes made a huge difference in Emily’s gut health and overall wellbeing. She felt more energized, focused, and productive throughout the day.

Now let me share the changes we made, that you can begin to incorporate into your morning routine. 

• Drink 16oz of water
• Go on a 10min walk
• Gratitude journaling
• Eat a balanced breakfast
• Sit on the toilet
• “I love you” massage

Let’s dive into exactly how each of these habit changes for your morning routine help improve constipation:

Drink 16oz of water

Start your day with a glass of water and ¼ tsp of salt to support hydration and digestion. Drinking water is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help alleviate constipation. Here’s how it works:

1. Softens stool: When you are constipated, your stool becomes hard and difficult to pass. Drinking water helps soften the stool by adding moisture to it, making it easier to pass.
2. Stimulates bowel movements: Water also helps stimulate bowel movements. When you drink enough water, it moves through your digestive system and into your colon, where it helps push waste out of your body.
3. Prevents dehydration: Dehydration can cause constipation because when your body doesn’t have enough water, it tries to hold onto as much water as possible, which can result in hard, dry stools. Drinking enough water helps prevent dehydration and keeps your stool soft and easy to pass.

To help alleviate constipation, it is recommended that you drink at least 80-100 oz of water daily. 

We often recommend adding salt to water first thing in the morning to enhance hydration and help with cellular hydration. If you are curious to learn more about this be sure to check out this podcast episode where we dive more into this! 

Go on a 10min walk

Getting out into the sun also boosts our Vitamin D, optimize circadian rhythm, and helps to calm our nervous system, which plays an active role in digestion. When it comes to constipation specifically, walking can help in several ways: 

1. Increases blood flow to the digestive system: Walking helps increase blood flow to the digestive system, which can help stimulate bowel movements and relieve constipation.
2. Promotes movement in the intestines: Walking also promotes movement in the intestines, which can help move stool through the digestive tract more quickly and easily.
3. Reduces stress: Stress can cause constipation by slowing down the digestive system. Walking can help reduce stress, which can help improve digestive function.
4. Promote bile flow: Movement helps to promote gallbladder ejection and bile flow. Bile flow and gallbladder health is essential for gut function. 

Gratitude journaling

Gratitude journaling may not directly improve constipation, but it can help reduce stress and promote overall well-being, which may indirectly alleviate constipation.

Gratitude journaling can also help encourage self-care, which can lead us to also improve sleep, and promote healthy habits such as regular exercise and a balanced diet. 

Pair this with some deep breathing or stretching to help reduce stress and in turn aid digestion.

Eat a balanced breakfast

Swap out coffee on an empty stomach to consuming coffee WITH  breakfast to support adrenals and blood sugar.

Prepare a balanced breakfast that includes protein, fiber, and healthy fats for sustained energy (usually the night before!). A balanced breakfast help constipation in several ways:

1. Increased fiber intake: Eating a breakfast that includes high-fiber foods such as fruits, and vegetables can help increase fiber intake, which can help promote regular bowel movements.
2. Provides hydration: Many breakfast foods such as fruits and yogurt contain high amounts of water, which can help promote hydration and keep stool soft and easy to pass.
3. Stimulates bowel movements: Eating breakfast can stimulate the digestive system, which can help promote bowel movements and alleviate constipation.
4. Helps regulate circadian rhythm: Eating breakfast can help regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, which can help promote regular bowel movements. This is because the body’s internal clock plays a role in regulating digestive function.

Some of my favorite breakfast include: high protein chia pudding, savory eggs with roasted vegetables and avocado and a high protein smoothie with flax and chia seeds. 

Sit on the toilet

Schedule in time in your morning to just sit on the toilet, without rushing to get on with your day. This may sound strange, but trust me. Sitting on the toilet at the same time every day can help create a routine and promote regular bowel movements.

Sitting on the toilet alone may not be enough to alleviate chronic or severe constipation, but here’s what it can do for you:

1. Relaxes the pelvic floor muscles: When you sit on the toilet, your pelvic floor muscles relax, which can help make it easier to pass stool.
2. Changes the body’s position: Sitting on the toilet changes the angle of the rectum, which can help promote bowel movements and alleviate constipation.
3. Provides privacy and comfort: Sitting on the toilet can provide a private and comfortable space for bowel movements, which can help reduce stress and promote relaxation.

I love you massage

The “I Love You” massage is a technique that can help improve constipation in several ways:

1. Relaxes the abdominal muscles: The “I Love You” massage involves gentle pressure and circular motions on the abdomen, which can help relax the abdominal muscles and stimulate bowel movements.
2. Stimulates the digestive system: The massage technique can help stimulate the digestive system, which can help move stool through the digestive tract more easily and alleviate constipation.
3. Promotes relaxation: The gentle pressure and circular motions used in the “I Love You” massage can promote relaxation and reduce stress, which can help improve digestive function and alleviate constipation.

So, if you’re struggling with digestive symptoms or just feeling like your morning routine could use a refresh, remember that it doesn’t have to be complicated. By incorporating a few simple habits that support your gut health, you can set yourself up for a successful day, every day.

If you’re ready for more support on your digestive health journey, be sure to check out how the gutTogether program can help you.