5 Exercises That Can Help With Bowel Movement from ygoy.com

5 Exercises That Can Help With Bowel Movement

The elimination of wastes from the body is an extremely important process of digestion. Regular bowel movement is often a key indicator of good digestive and overall health. The food that is ingested is acted upon by gastric juices and enzymes. The food is moved through the entire length of the digestive tract by a muscular movement of the gut, namely, peristalsis. Peristalsis is systemic contraction and relaxation of the muscles of the digestive tract.
Lack of exercise causes the peristalsis to slow down. About 25% of the American population is thought to have a sedentary lifestyle. And it is estimated that about 4 million Americans suffer from chronic constipation. Constipation is a condition where stools are dry and hard, and difficult to pass. Unlike the common belief, infrequent passing of stools does not mean one is constipated. As long as the stools are soft and easily passed, one is not constipated. Other than lack of exercise; low fiber diet, lesser fluid intake and poor toilet habits are responsible for constipation.
In this article, we are going to focus on 5 exercises that can help with bowel movement. They are:
1.Yoga : Yoga moves which concentrates on the abdomen can restore proper blood supply to the abdominal organs and helps with the digestive process. Two yoga moves which are particularly useful are as follows:

• Pawanamuktasana

  : Lie down flat on your back. Fold one leg and bring the knee inward. Press it hard against the stomach with the help of your hands. At the same time, lift your head upwards and try bringing your nose closer to your knee. Repeat with the other leg. Repeat with both legs held against the chest. This particular asana helps with bloating and expels gas helping the bowels to move forward.

• Dhanurasana

  : Lie down on your tummy. Stretch legs. Elevate your head and upper torso and try holding your toes with your hands. The body acquires a curved position like that of a bow. The abdominal muscles are stretched to their entire length and this helps with constipation.

2. Brisk Walking

: Walking briskly for 35 to 40 minutes a day is the best low impact exercise possible and can be done by young and old alike. It helps to activate the abdominal muscles and relieves constipation.This is one exercise that would help with bowel movement.

3. Squats

: As good as it is for your glutes, squats naturally align the intestinal tract in such a way that the intestinal wastes are moved downwards. The squat is also the natural posture for defecation of wastes. A squat done right definitely helps with constipation. A three quarter squat in which further pressure is exerted on the lower abdominal muscles is even more effective.

4. Crunches

: A bicycle crunch effectively works the whole abdomen. Fold your hands at the elbow and put them behind your head. Fold the right leg and try bringing the knee closer to the chest. At the same time elevate your head and torso and try touching your right knee with your left elbow. Do alternately with the opposite pair of limbs. Faster repetitions of the same exercises the entire intestine and facilitates the passage of stools.

5. Jump rope or Jumping Jacks

: Jumping rope or doing jumping jacks for 20-30 minutes every day can help exercise and activate the muscles of the body. Jumping creates a downward inertia for the overall digestive tract. However, jumping can be hard on the knees. So care needs to be taken. This is another exercise that would help you with bowel movement.
Apart from the above mentioned exercises, it needs to be understood that a diet rich in fiber and lots of fluids is to be consumed. Besides, when constipated, it is important to take out time for bowel movements and not suppress the natural tendencies and urges of the body to defecate. Now that you know these exercises that can help with bowel movement, we hope that you would practice them for a healthy a