You guys, I had a major problem that we need to talk about: I wasn't pooping! Ugh. Constipation [1] was real, and it sucked, and I was dealing with it for the past couple months. I felt bloated [2] and gassy, and when I looked down, I was puffy and felt so uncomfortable. I've been eating super healthy, lots of vegetables, and no processed foods and exercising regularly, so WTF? The solution was actually so simple, and I was able to cure my constipation overnight.
What I Tried That Didn't Work
Fibre = pooping, right? So even though I was already getting at least 25 grams of fibre a day, I upped it to 35 to 40 grams. I meal prepped extra veggies to eat with my meals, added flaxseed to my salads, and ate more raspberries and blackberries. I tried this for a week and actually felt more bloated, but it didn't help me go.
How I Figured Out the Issue
I was talking to a fellow mum about my, um, issue (because that's what mums love to talk about, poop, and apparently, not just their kids'), and she asked me, "maybe you're not drinking enough water? [4]"
That didn't seem right because I was drinking tons of water — I even tried an experiment where I drank a gallon of water a day [5]. But then I thought about it for a second, and pictured how my days have been lately. I would drink about half a bottle of water after my morning CrossFit class, a cup of tea in the morning, then I was only drinking water with meals — I was barely breaking 40 ounces!
What I Tried That Did Work
It's been freezing cold over the Winter, so I'm not as inspired to drink tons of water like I was when it was warmer. A light bulb went off in my intestines, and I decided to up my water intake the next day!
In order to get me started, I filled my water bottle up the night before and put it on my nightstand. When I woke up, I drank the entire thing, all 18 ounces. I sipped it down before even getting out of bed, over about five to 10 minutes while I wrote in my journal [6] (yeah self-care!).
I hopped out of bed, refilled the bottle, and made sure to get at least 80 ounces total, and that day I was cured! I'll spare you the details, but drinking more water totally worked! I continued this little nightly water bottle ritual all week and felt lighter, with zero bloating or discomfort. I was shocked that the solution was something so simple.
Now whether it's hot or cold out, whether I've had a gruelling workout, or I'm chilling on the couch, I make sure to get at least 80 to 100 ounces a day. Because constipation is no fun and drinking water is so easy! Aside from helping me out in the bathroom, drinking more water helps me feel more full [7] and is great for my skin [8] — I just make sure to stop drinking by 6:30 p.m. so I'm not up peeing throughout the night.