Cardio
Moving more goes a long way when it comes to staying regular. Exercise increases your breathing and heart rate and stimulates your muscles and nerves, which helps your body function more efficiently. In addition, the lifestyle changes that exercise brings about may naturally result in a higher water intake, an improved diet, and reduced stress. The best part? Whether it’s jogging, Zumba, or dancing in the living room, any exercise will do! Or, just walk.
Pelvic Floor Exercises
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that supports the organs within the pelvis and lower abdomen. Keep the weight on your heels as you push back up to starting position. Perform 5 repetitions, holding the lunge position on your last repetition for 5 seconds while you really concentrate on contracting the gluteal muscles of your back leg. While still in the lunge position, perform 5 shallow pulses. Repeat on the opposite side.
- Cat Phase: Gently exhale and tuck your tail under, using your abdominal muscles to push your spine up toward the ceiling, making the shape of an angry cat. Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds as you lengthen your neck, allowing your head to reach toward your chest.
- Cow Phase: Using the abdominal and low back muscles, inhale as you tip your tail toward the ceiling, increasing the arch in your mid and low back. Allow the abdomen to stretch toward the floor. Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds before returning to your starting position.
The good news is that doing everyday things like drinking more water, getting more fiber by eating more fruits and vegetables, reducing stress, and moving more can help ease constipation. Exercise, for example, has been shown to be helpful in improving the efficiency of the digestive tract by decreasing the amount of time it takes food to move through the large intestine. But you don’t have to be a Zumba warrior or exercise fanatic to get things moving in the right direction — try these easy cardio, yoga, and pelvic floor exercises to ease constipation today:
