Relieve Constipation Naturally: 8 Reasons Your Gut Is Stuck & How to Fix It
If you are reading this, chances are you feel heavy, bloated, uncomfortable, and exhausted from waiting on a system that seems completely stuck, or shall we say, clogged up. Constipation is not just a physical inconvenience. When your gut is not moving the way it should, it can drain your energy, cloud your mental focus, affect your mood, and leave you feeling like your entire body is out of balance. When your gut is not moving, nothing in your life feels smooth, and that hurts.
At Nurture What Matters, we believe in addressing the whole person. That means nourishing, respecting, listening to, and honoring your body so you can better understand what it needs to function the way nature intended. Constipation is something we should be able to talk about without embarrassment because your digestive health matters, and ignoring what your body is trying to tell you does not make the message disappear.
What Is Constipation?
Constipation is not necessarily defined by having a bowel movement every single day. Everyone's normal is different. Some people naturally go several times a day, while others may go several times a week. Constipation is more commonly associated with things such as having fewer than three bowel movements a week, passing hard, dry, or lumpy stools, straining, experiencing discomfort, or feeling as though you have not completely emptied your bowels.
When stool moves too slowly through the large intestine, the colon continues to absorb water from it. The longer it remains there, the harder and drier it can become, making it more difficult to pass. Understanding what may be slowing your gut down is the first step toward supporting better digestion. This is where I want to take a different approach. Instead of simply asking, "What can I take to make myself go?", let's ask a better question:
"What is my body trying to tell me?"
Here are eight natural reasons your gut may be getting stuck, and more importantly, what you can do to help get things moving again.
1. Respect the Urge
Your body gives you signals for a reason. When you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, honor it whenever you can. Life gets busy, and sometimes you genuinely cannot stop what you are doing. But consistently ignoring your body's signals can make establishing regular bowel habits more difficult. Think about how often we tell ourselves, "I'll go later." Then later becomes hours or even days later, and eventually we have trained ourselves to ignore something as basic as our own body's request to purge the fecal matter.
The Fix: When your body says it is time, listen. Give yourself permission to stop, go, and take care of what needs to be taken care of. You should not have to wait until your body is screaming before you decide it deserves your attention.
2. Water First, Fiber Second
Let's talk about hydration because it matters more than many people realize. Your digestive system needs adequate fluid, and fiber needs water to do its job properly. If you suddenly increase your fiber intake while barely drinking anything, you may end up feeling more bloated and uncomfortable rather than better.
This is why I don't believe in taking one piece of wellness advice and applying it without considering the whole picture. Fiber matters. Water matters. Your overall eating pattern matters. Your movement matters.
The Fix: Drink fluids consistently throughout the day and make water a regular part of your routine. Then build your fiber intake through whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, oats, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and whole grains. If you are increasing your fiber, do it gradually and make sure you are getting enough fluid along the way. The body needs consistency.
3. Calm Your Nervous System
Your gut and your nervous system are deeply connected. When you are constantly stressed, rushing, overwhelmed, or operating in a heightened state, digestion can be affected too.
Think about how many of us eat. We eat while working. We eat while driving. We eat while answering emails. We eat standing up. We eat while scrolling. We barely chew before swallowing because we are already thinking about the next thing we have to do; these are things that your body notices.
The Fix: Slow down. Take a few deep breaths before eating. Chew your food thoroughly. Give yourself a few minutes to actually sit with your meal. Gentle stretching, walking, breathing exercises, and abdominal massage may also help you relax and reconnect with your body. Sometimes your body needs to feel safe enough to let go. You cannot always force your body into functioning better. Sometimes you have to create the conditions that allow it to do what it already knows how to do.
4. Cut the Blockers
Now let's talk about what is actually making its way onto your plate. If your diet is heavily centered around ultra-processed foods, fried foods, refined grains, and foods that provide very little fiber, you may be crowding out the whole foods your digestive system needs. This is about recognizing what happens when convenience foods consistently replace foods that nourish the body and helps you to be regular when it come to going to the bathroom.
The Fix: Start making room for more real, whole foods. Add vegetables. Add fruit. Add beans and lentils. Add whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. Give your digestive system more of what it can actually use. You do not have to eat perfectly. You simply have to start eating with more intention.
5. Eat Whole, Fiber-Rich Foods
If you want to talk about getting your gut moving, we have to talk about fiber. Fiber helps add bulk to stool, and different types of fiber support digestion in different ways. Soluble fiber, found in foods such as oats, apples, beans, and chia, absorbs water and can help soften stool. Insoluble fiber, found in many vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, adds bulk and helps move material through the digestive tract. This is one reason I continue to encourage a more plant-forward approach to eating. You do not have to become completely plant-based to benefit from eating more plants.
The Fix: Build a colorful, fiber-rich plate. Think berries, apples, leafy greens, broccoli, beans, lentils, oats, avocado, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Foods such as prunes can also be helpful for some people experiencing constipation. The key is to increase fiber gradually rather than overwhelming your digestive system overnight. Give your gut something to work with.
6. Move Your Body Daily
Your body was designed to move, and your digestive system is not separate from the rest of you. Regular physical activity can support the natural movement of waste through your digestive tract. No, I am not telling you that you need to spend two hours in a gym.
The Fix: Walk. Stretch. Dance. Exercise. Take the stairs. Get outside. Take a walk after a meal. Find movement that you actually enjoy and make it part of your life.
As a personal trainer, I will tell you something I tell my clients all the time: your body jut needs to move more. Fifteen to thirty minutes of movement is better than another day of doing nothing because you believe you need a perfect workout. Move your body. Your gut will thank you for it.
7. Eat Mindfully
Digestion is not simply something that begins once food reaches your stomach. The entire process starts before that, which is one reason slowing down and paying attention to your meals matters.
If you are inhaling your food while standing at the kitchen counter, eating in your car, scrolling through your phone, or rushing through a meal because you have somewhere else to be, you may not be giving yourself the opportunity to slow down and actually experience eating.
The Fix: Sit down. Breathe. Chew thoroughly. Slow down. Pay attention to what you are eating. Give yourself a little space before immediately jumping into the next task. Whenever possible, establish a consistent bathroom routine. Many people naturally experience the urge to have a bowel movement after eating because of the body's normal digestive response to food. Your body deserves more than being rushed through everything. Sometimes nurturing what matters means simply slowing down enough to notice what your body has been saying all along.
8. Support Your Gut Bacteria
Your gut is home to a complex community of microorganisms, and your gut microbiome plays an important role in digestion and overall health. One of the simplest ways to support a diverse and healthy gut environment is to eat a wide variety of plant foods. This is another reason I don't believe in obsessing over one miracle food or one miracle supplement. Your gut is an ecosystem and variety matters to it. Foods such as garlic, onions, oats, beans, fruits, vegetables, seeds, and whole grains provide different types of fibers and compounds that can support your gut microbes. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and plain kefir can also be part of a balanced eating pattern.
The Fix: Stop looking for one magical food that is going to solve everything. Feed your gut a variety of foods. Give it plants, fiber, water and time. Move your body consistently for a minimum of 15 minutes a day. Remember that your digestive system is part of your entire body, and it deserves to be treated as such.
The Bottom Line
Your body is communicating with you every day. Constipation can be your body's way of telling you that something needs attention. It may be your hydration, your fiber intake, your food choices, your movement, your stress levels, your routine, certain medications, or something else entirely. The goal is not to panic every time your digestive system is a little off. The goal is to listen to what your body is trying to tell you.
Hydrate more consistently, eat more plants. increase fiber gradually, slow down and move your body more often. Respect the signals that your body provides you. Give yourself the time and space to actually take care of yourself and finally stop waiting until you feel terrible before deciding that your well-being really does matter.
How Often Should You Actually Be Going?
Let's clear up another misconception because people often assume they should have a bowel movement every single day. There is no universal magic number. Some people naturally go several times a day. Others go several times a week. What matters is understanding your own normal pattern and paying attention when something changes.
If you are suddenly going much less often than usual, your stools have become hard or difficult to pass, you are straining, you feel incomplete after going, or you are experiencing persistent discomfort, your body may be telling you that something needs attention.
Know your normal. Notice your changes. Listen to your body.
A Quick Note About When to Get Help
Occasional constipation can often improve with changes to hydration, fiber, food choices, movement, and daily habits. But not everything should be handled with a lifestyle change.
If constipation is severe or persistent, or you experience significant abdominal pain, vomiting, blood in your stool or rectal bleeding, unexplained weight loss, fever, or an inability to pass stool or gas, seek medical attention rather than trying to manage the situation on your own. Being holistic does not mean ignoring medical care. It means caring for the whole person. Sometimes caring for the whole person means knowing when you need additional support.
Take the Next Step Toward Daily Vitality
Hydration is doing more work in this process than most people realize, which is exactly why it was the focus of our previous article, The Heat Doesn't Care About Excuses: 8 Reasons Your Body Needs Real Hydration Now. If you are someone who knows you should drink more water but simply does not enjoy drinking plain water all day, I understand.
Water does not have to be boring. That is exactly why I created WATER YOURSELF: 30+ Refreshing Drinks to Hydrate, Nourish & Feel Good. This digital e-guide gives you more ways to make hydration enjoyable, flavorful, and something you can actually look forward to.
Visit the Nurture What Matters Shop page and select Digital to find Water Yourself.
You will also find more than 20+ downloadable recipe books & guides created to help you nourish yourself, live well, and make choices that support the healthy life you are choosing, whether that means eating plant-based or simply adding more plants and less meat to your plate.
Remember every day your body provides you with: Energy. Movement. Breath. & Life.
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