TOP 3 EXERCISES TO RELIEVE CONSTIPATION FAST

• Medically reviewed by: Horia Marculescu, MD
• Photo credits: Licenses / Author
• Last updated: 28.07.2021

Deep Squat, Sit-Ups, and The Wind-Relieving Pose are the top three exercises to relieve constipation fast because:

• They improve bowel movement.
• They prevent muscle soreness.
• They make defecation feel natural.
• They work the pelvic floor muscles.
• They put to work the abdominal muscles.

The Deep Squat exercise is an excellent work-out that increases the anorectal angle and imitates the natural pooping posture. This thing makes defecation feel natural, especially after work-out.

Sit-Ups and The Wind-Relieving Pose are similar, and they require little effort. They focus mainly on working the lower abdomen by squeezing and contracting the abdominal muscles.

All of these exercises require a pair of sports shoes and a fitness/yoga mat. To have even better and faster results, try to combine these exercises. Follow the guide to learn more.

1. DEEP SQUAT INCREASES THE ANORECTAL ANGLE

The Deep Squat exercise is one of the most effective exercises to relieve constipation fast because it makes the body adopt a biologically natural pooping posture.

The Deep Squat exercise is excellent for:

• pelvic floor muscle workout
• muscle soreness prevention
• smooth and natural defecation.

Squatting increases the anorectal angle when the knees are higher than the hips. This thing means that the kink at the entrance of the rectum will unlock. As a result, the stool inside the large intestine and rectum will have a clear path to evacuate.

Squatting relaxes the puborectalis muscles, which helps even more before and during defecation. After defecation, the anorectal angle will decrease, and the kink will lock itself to prevent future leaks.

This exercise does not require too much effort, especially in the beginning. You can train in the comfort of your home. All you need is sports clothes and a good pair of sports shoes.

Also, this exercise creates adrenaline during training. This thing means that you will be able to counter stress with adrenaline in the short-term.

How to do Deep Squat exercises for fast constipation relief?

• Position yourself in the middle of the room.
• Keep your body and legs straight.
• Keep a foot distance between your knees.
• Now, lower your bottom slowly and exhale.
• Stop when your knees are higher than your hips.
• Take a deep breath and return to the initial posture.

Repeat this exercise 10-15 times until you feel numbness in your feet. Repeat for 2-3 series to get the best out of this exercise.

Try to keep your upper body straight all the time because it will prevent your back from bending too much. Also, start slow and try to exhale all the air out when your bottom reaches the end.

If you need assistance, you can position yourself near support (bar or chair) and do squats there. Remember to start slow and always keep the upper body as straight as possible. Also, use the support to put as little force as possible on the legs.

Example of deep squat exercise that has fast results.

One of the best things about these exercises to relieve constipation fast is that they are easy to do. An excellent example of deep squat training is to keep the squatting posture for 3-5 breaths.

After your bottom reaches the lowest level possible, try the following:

• Stay in this posture for 3-5 breaths.
• Breath slowly and not too deep.
• At the last breath, inhale and get up.
• Finally, get your body straight.
• Prepare for the next move.

Repeat this exercise 5-10 times. If you feel comfortable doing this exercise, you can repeat it 10-15 times slowly.

Don’t rush the exercise because the posture will relax the puborectalis muscles. This example has fast results because it imitates the natural defecation posture.

What do the experts say?

According to a study about the prevention of bowel disorders published by The U.S. National Library of Medicine: Clinicians are advocating the squatting posture to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. This thing is beneficial to prevent any prolapse.

According to a study about squatting and the evolutionary biology of human activity, published by the same health authority: In pre-historic times, the hunter-gatherers were more likely to adopt squatting postures often. This thing developed the muscles in comparison with sitting on a chair.

According to a guide about prevention, wellness, and exercise published by The American Academy of Family Physicians: You should not be embarrassed to do squats because sitting and squatting improves blood flow and works the muscles.

2. SIT-UPS WORK THE ENTIRE ABDOMEN FAST

Sit-ups are practical exercises to relieve constipation fast because:

• They work the lower abdominal muscles.
• They create pressure inside the large intestine and rectum.

These things happen fast because the lower abdomen is compressed, squeezed, and let loose immediately. And the pelvic floor muscles are put to work in the same way.

Also, sit-ups tend to increase the anorectal angle, similar to squatting because the knees reach the upper abdomen. This thing happens in episodes only because the anorectal angle increases by squatting for more than two minutes.

Sit-ups are excellent for:

• Improving bowel movement.
• Squeezing the large intestine.
• Working the abdominal muscles.
• Working the pelvic floor muscles.
• Putting pressure inside the large intestine.

Sit-ups are easy to do and do not require lots of effort. The only thing you need is a fitness/yoga mat. And some sports clothes because your body will start to heat fast and sweat. Similar to the deep squat exercise, sit-ups create a low level of adrenaline.

Also, to get the most out of this exercise fast, you must warm-up your body and stretch before sitting on a fitness mat. It is essential to get your body used to abdominal workouts.

Sit-ups tend to burn belly fat fast. It would be a great idea to have a training schedule so you can strengthen your abdominal muscles in the long-term.

How to do Sit-Ups to have fast results with constipation?

• Place yourself on a fitness mat.
• Keep your body straight, parallel to the floor.
• Raise your knees until the heels feel comfortable.
• Keep the palms of the hands behind your neck.
• Now, rotate your upper abdomen towards the knees.
• Stop when your chin reaches the knees.
• Exhale and return to the initial posture.

Repeat this exercise 10-15 times slowly for 1-3 series. Warm-up is essential before starting to do this exercise. So, start slow and try to inhale the air inside the lungs when your back reaches the mat.

Also, exhale the air as you’re your chin reaches the knees. In this way, you will have your lungs empty. And you will not feel too much pressure inside the abdomen.

Ideally, you want to start slow at first, and after 3-4 weeks, you can increase the rhythm. Fast results come if you practice this exercise perfectly. Try to avoid eating before a workout because digestion will not have enough resources to assimilate the food.

Example of sit-ups training that has fast results in the long-term.

It is essential to have a training program if you want to relieve constipation fast. Try to do sit-ups once every two days with warm-up first.

Here is the following training example:

• Warm-up your body with 5-10 sit-ups slowly.
• Take a pause.
• Do 10-15 sit-ups slowly.
• Take a pause.
• Do 15-20 sit-ups slowly.
• Take a pause.
• Finish with 5-10 sit-ups.

Repeat the series three times and rest between them. It is essential to drink water and keep hydrated. Don’t drink too much water when doing these exercises because your intestines will fill with water.

If you stay dehydrated for a long time and exercise, then sit-ups may cause constipation. This thing often happens because people forget to drink water during work-out.

To have even faster results: try to rotate your body to the left or the right before your chin reaches the knees.

In this way, you will be able to squeeze the lower abdomen even more. But this exercise is suited for people who are in great physical shape. And have at least 2-3 months of training.

What do the experts say?

As stated by an article about abdominal strength and workout published by The Center for Young Women’s Health: Sit-ups and crunches are simple exercises for the abdomen. If you combine sit-ups with cardio exercises, you will sculpt the abdominal muscles and burn fat deposits.

According to a response article about sit-ups and belly fat published by CYWH: Sit-ups are excellent because they focus on a specific area. It is essential to focus on more body parts to lose weight efficiently (use stretching, walking, or yoga).

3. THE WIND-RELIEVING POSE IS EXCELLENT FOR FAST RELIEF

The Wind-Relieving Pose is an excellent yoga posture that has similar results as sit-ups. This yoga posture is the opposite of sit-ups because it requires moving the legs rather than the upper body.

The Wind-Relieving Pose is also one of the most practical exercises to relieve constipation fast because:

• It puts to work the lower abdomen.
• It puts to work the pelvic floor muscles.
• It puts pressure inside the large intestine.
• It increases the anorectal angle, similar to squatting.

The movement stretches, squeezes, and works the pelvic floor muscles. This thing means that bowel movement and defecation will happen faster.

The wind-relieving pose is excellent for stress relief because it makes the body relax and improves blood flow. It creates small quantities of adrenaline and prevents muscle soreness.

This exercise is suited for people who have a sedentary lifestyle and stay all day at the desk. Or for people who want to stretch and work the abdomen.

The wind-relieving pose is excellent for:

• Fast gas relief.
• Stress relief in the long-term.
• Increasing the anorectal angle.

It is essential to warm-up before doing this exercise. The reason is that: your abdominal muscles are much more sensitive to physical activity than the other ones (hands, hips, legs).

How to use the Wind-Relieving Pose to relieve constipation fast?

First of all, you need to place a yoga mat on the floor. After that, you need to position yourself on the mat and keep your body parallel to the floor. Try to keep your whole body straight.

Now do the following:

• Bring your knees to your chin.
• Bend your back forward (so the knees reach the chin).
• Block your knees with your palms.
• Keep this posture for 1-3 breaths.
• Release the knees slowly.

Repeat this exercise 5-10 times slowly. Start with one series of warm-ups and do 2-3 series of slow movement. The slower you will start, the faster the results will be.

This exercise is excellent for fast constipation relief because it improves bowel movement. Also, it increases the anorectal angle. This thing means that defecation will become natural.

By exercising with this yoga posture, the pressure inside will make the gas evacuate faster. This thing happens because the knees and the thighs will press the lower abdomen.

Training example with the Wind-Relieving Pose

You can stay longer than three breaths in the wind-relieving pose. When your hands block the knees, try to take 3-5 breaths, and after that, release the legs.

Don’t take deep breaths. The idea here is to expand the lungs often and to work the lower abdomen.

Try to exercise once every two days. If you are not in great physical shape, you could try and exercise once every three days. If you feel abdominal discomfort after the workout, you can try to exercise once every four days.

What do the experts say?

According to a guide called Living Well with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), published by The American College of Gastroenterology: Ask your doctor before doing any exercise. Get rid of stress before a workout (use simple exercises, meditation, yoga, or resting at home).

As stated in a guide about Diabetes Diet, Eating and Physical Activity, published by NIDDKD: Yoga is excellent for relaxation and focuses on your breathing. This type of stretching is helpful to prevent movement or balancing problems.

KEEP IN MIND

If you feel any discomfort, irritation, dehydration, or gastroesophageal reflux after work-out, then you should stop.

If you feel exhausted after light physical activity, you need to get in shape fast. This thing means to start doing cardio exercises to improve your endurance resistance.

According to a guide about Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, published by The American Gastroenterological Association: Reflux can get worse if you put pressure on your abdomen-belly. The same thing applies to Sit-ups, stomach crunches, or leg-lifts.

According to a study about Exercise therapy in patients with constipation, published by The U.S. National Library of Medicine: Patients with constipation can use exercise (an efficacious and feasible way) to treat this symptom.

BOTTOM LINE

Deep Squat, Sit-Ups, and The Wind-Relieving Pose are excellent exercises to relieve constipation fast in the short-term. They put the abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor muscles to work fast.

They imitate the natural defecation posture by increasing the anorectal angle in short episodes. This thing will prepare your body for pooping with ease.

Last medically reviewed on 28.07.2021