Let's Talk About Poop!

POOP!!!!!

Ok.....now that that's out of the way and we're comfortable with that word, let's chat.

If there is one thing I hope to accomplish through this blog it's to make it informative about health. Not just fitness, but overall health. As a coach, that's truly my driving force...I don't want to just make you sweat (haha), I want to watch you come off of medications, to have more energy in your everyday activities, to feel like you have more LIFE to live! Basically just to really teach us all how to live healthier, more fulfilling lives! 

So, that means that we have to talk about LOTS of different areas of health and how we can identify things that MIGHT be going on with our bodies and how to correct them.

I shared recently about how I used to suffer from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Well, because that is a condition of the digestive system/bowels I learned a lot about bowel movements and how you can tell a lot about your overall health, what might be missing in your diet, etc from simply paying attention to what you're passing through. So even with the possibility of grossing some people out, I am attempting to tackle this topic because I think that it's an important one. Plus, I feel that I have built up a strong enough rapport with you guys to do this, right??? Haha. ***Crosses her fingers and hopes that people doesn't think she's weird!***

LET'S START FROM THE BEGINNING

What is the purpose of having to go #2 anyway? Well, a bowel movement is no more complicated that this: it's the end result of your body taking the nutrients it needs from the food that you eat and eliminating what's left over. That's it. On a basic level, now you understand why you poop.

This is obviously a very important task that your body must perform because it is the way that it rids itself of waste (what's not needed). So what happens when your body isn't properly ridding itself of its waste? You could easily become sick or even develop very uncomfortable internal problems that can only be remedied through surgery. I want to spend a few minutes talking about how what you're putting in your MOUTH can affect (either positively or negatively) what you're letting go of at the END of the digestive process and what you can do to fix any potential issues. 

HARD - IN PIECES - HARD TO PASS:

Easy terminology: constipated. You knew that, right? Well, some people think that because they go everyday they're not constipated. But if what you pass through is constantly hard and is in bunches of tiny pieces, chances are you are constipated. The most common culprit of constipation is lack of fiber. In our society this is actually going to be quite common, sadly. Everyone is always concerned about how many calories you're taking in or how much protein you're getting and we forget about fiber. The average US adult only downs about 15 grams of fiber everyday. That's a far cry from the recommended 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. The best way to figure out if lack of fiber might be your culprit is to keep track for one week what you're taking in and make any necessary adjustments. What if you are lacking in fiber? What options do you have to improve it? Before you reach for that Fiber One bar whose third ingredient is sugar, think natural and unprocessed. Fruit, whole grains, beans, and nuts are amazing sources of fiber to get things moving correctly.

BLACK - BRIGHT RED

This isn't something you want to ignore. This is a for-sure indicator that the presence of blood is somewhere in your G.I. tract. It doesn't always indicate the worst-case scenario (it's sometimes as simple as hemmoroids that you can treat fairy easily), But it could also indicate a stomach ulcer or colon cancer. Because you don't know for sure, you're best to get yourself checked out by your doc. That isn't something you want to let linger to see if "it'll just run its course". Our bodies are amazing machines and they are designed to give us signs to help us identify certain problems. 

VERY LOOSE - BUT NOT QUITE DIARRHEA

This could be an indication of certain G.I. conditions like IBS (the one that I used to experience) or even Celiac's Disease (which is like IBS at an extreme level). It's estimated that over 80% of Americans who have Celiac's Disease don't even know that they have it. With Celiac's disease your body is unable to tolerate gluten. You're unable to absorb nutrients from the foods that you eat as the gluten destroys the villi (the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining your small intestines). This directly contributes to the loose stools that you experience several times per day. The problem isn't just the discomfort and the frequent trips to the restroom that can be very disruptive to everyday life, this condition can also contribute to fatigue, pain, bloating, and even depression because you're missing out on vital nutrients in the foods that you're eating. Best course of action: have your doctor screen you for Celiac's Disease or IBS. 

FLOATS INSTEAD OF SINKS

This indicates that you have excessive gas in your digestive tract. This can actually be the culprit of healthy foods in your diet (cabbage, beans, sprouts) and this isn't cause for concern. However, if this is an everyday thing for you it indicates that something in your body is preventing it from absorbing fats from your diet. For instance, inflammation or an infection in your pancreas can prevent you from producing enough digestive enzymes. A food allergy could also be affecting that absorption. This will be something you'll want to bring up to your doctor. Absorption of nutrients is a crucial part of what our digestive systems are designed to do. 

SMELLS OF SULFUR/ROTTON EGGS - DIARRHEA

This COULD be an indication of giardia, which is a parasite that lives in fresh water. So if you went dipping in the lake, went camping, or drank water that wasn't purified recently, you might want to get checked out if you're experiencing this. Of course, this could also indicate a bug that you're battling at the moment as well. But if this is a chronic, regular condition for you, I would suggest having it checked out. 

PENCIL THIN

We're back to the issue of constipation again. Or, worse, this could be an indication of rectal cancer. Like we talked about before, if you're seeing this over the course of a few days, add some fiber in and more than likely it will improve. But if it doesn't with the fiber uptick, you should definitely get checked out. A colonoscopy will more than likely be ordered to ensure that you are clear of anything deadly.

HEALTHY - NORMAL 

Ok, so we've talked about what we don't want to see. So how is it supposed to look if everything is operating correctly in the body? You should expect to see: medium to light brown, smooth and soft and in ONE piece, about 1-2 inches in diameter and up to 18 inches long, S-shaped (essentially conforming to the shape of your small intestine indicating easy passing), natural smell (not saying it will smell good....don't get it twisted....but it shouldn't be repulsive either, uniform texture. 

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So there you have it....that's a brief run-down of what you should be looking for. I'm sure you're asking yourself, why the heck did Quiana choose to cover THIS topic? Well, at the risk of being looking at as weird or taboo, I feel that this is something imporant for us to all be aware of in our own bodies. Like I said in the beginning, our bodies have an amazing way of telling us what MIGHT be wrong so that we can seek professional assistance if needed. We are so nutirionally starved in our society that a lot of these conditions are common and people just think they're normal when they're not. The good news is that with the correct diet, the correct amount of water, and some activity this can be controlled. You should eat a diet with a good variety of clean foods like fruit and vegetables, nuts, whole grains (except for instances of Celiac's Disease), etc. Eating processed foods as minimally as possible will also help to prevent a lot of these conditions, which can ultimately contribute to a lot of health problems. 

I have personally found unmatched relief for my symptoms of irregularity, bloating, abnormal frequency through incorporating Shakeology into my diet. I have found that the balance of pro-biotics, pre-biotics, fiber, and digestive enzymes have just worked miracles that no pill was able to fix. If you suffer from any gastro-troubles, I highly recommend giving Shakeology a try. With a 30-day money back guarantee there really is no risk to see if it works for you! 

To learn more about Shakeology, click HERE.

If you would like to chat with me more about options for you or my personal experience with Shakeology, feel free to message me HERE.

I hope this information has helped you. My goal with this business and what I feel that the Lord has called me to do is to educate people about how to be healthy. This is a topic that will rarely be discussed unless you're a toddler, but it's very important and I want you to be aware of what your body might be telling you and some way to remedy any possible problems!

                                                                                                         -Coach Quiana