Exercise for better digestion, eat more vegetables, drink enough water… that’s what doctors and the media are telling us how to get rid of constipation.
Why is it then that many of us struggle with actually doing this?
We live in a world that we have designed to make us sick and tired.
There’s fast food outlets at every corner. In supermarkets, aisles of processed foods in cans, boxes and bags take up more space than fresh whole foods. Sugary drinks and white toast are cheaper than water and vegetables.
It doesn’t stop there – the challenge for us to have a healthy digestion, and great energy goes on.
Getting to the shops in the first place can be too far to walk. Cycling on the road often feels unsafe. And in our tall buildings, the lifts usually take center stage with the staircase being tucked away in a corner. And more and more of us including myself don’t even leave the comfort of their armchair anymore to go shopping and just do it online.
We have designed our cities and lifestyles for minimal physical effort and maximum convenience.
We need to re-engineer our lifestyles and put healthy eating and exercise for better digestion back in.
The secret to this is how we perceive our day to day activities. Are they just chores or rather opportunities we can use to our advantage?
How to turn everyday chores into healthy exercise:
- House needs cleaning? Put on some cool music and turn mopping the floors or washing the windows into a whole of body workout.
- Hang up your laundry outside when the weather allows it instead of just chucking it into the dryer. You can use this to bend and stretch while enjoying the fresh air and breathing deeply.
- Walk short distances, it’s often just as quick as the car. Or if you take the bus, get off a stop earlier and walk the rest. Also take the stairs not the lift for a quick cardio boost.
- Store fresh whole foods in the most convenient space in your pantry and fridge and tuck away the not-so-good ones at the back, If you then really want to have that bag of biscuits, you’ll at least have to make an effort thus getting you to move.
- Use hand tools for kitchen and garden chores., For example, if you’re baking a cake, knead the dough by hand. Or if you need to mow the lawn, use a hand mower for a full-on workout.
You get the idea.
Getting your digestion going, and having more energy doesn’t have to be a radical change to your life.
Small tweaks like the above will add up and work for you and your digestion.
It’s often a matter of thinking it through first how to make a change in a smart way before using your muscle and implementing it.
P.S. Follow me on Facebook on my journey to find a way to cure chronic constipation.