Moo to Poo!
Are you sitting properly 🚽 ? Have you heard of MOO to POO?
I was definitely one of those people who laughed at the diagrams on the back of the toilet door, telling people not to stand or squat on the toilets.
But maybe these practises (typically found in Asia, Africa and Southern Europe) have a place.
Experiments by Israeli doctor Dov Sikirov asked 28 subjects to do their ‘daily business’ in three different positions. He then recorded the time taken in each position and asked the participants to assess their degree of strain. Giulia Enders highlighted this research in her book “Gut” and the results were very interesting:
-In a SQUATTING position, subjects took an average of 50 seconds, and reported a full and satisfying bowel emptying
-In a SEATED position, the average time taken was 130 seconds, with the resultant feeling being not as satisfactory
WHY?
The mechanism of our gut is not designed to open completely when we are seated. In this position, the muscle that circles our gut like a lasso creates a kink in the tube. Think garden hose ‘kink’ here. As our faeces pass down our rectum it hits a corner, just like a bend in the garden hose. Once we position ourselves better the muscle creating a lasso relaxes, the kink straightens and the ‘road ahead is straight’.
WHAT TO DO?
1- Bend forward at your hips
2- Place your feet on a low footrest (or even go up on your tiptoes)
3- “MOOOO”
This technique helps you avoid straining with constipation by relaxing the pelvic muscles and generating pressure within the abdomen, rather than pushing down through the pelvic floor
—> Keep Breathing
—> Expand your belly like a balloon
—> And MOO! (repeat each time)
Don’t be a cow share this technique with your friends
Interested in learning more?
-Have a listen to Giulia’s TED talk on the charming science of your guy
https://www.ted.com/talks/giulia_enders_the_surprisingly_charming_science_of_your_gut
-Or have a read of the book yourself
About the author
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