EVERYONE POOPS – BUT NOT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT

I’m going to say it: Pooping is the ultimate wellness flex. Forget the green juice. Forget your trendy fad diet. If you’re not pooping like a champion, your body is waving a little white flag.

Now before you clutch your pearls, let’s be real — we all do it. Or at least, we’re supposed to. Yet somehow, in a world obsessed with wellness, gut health remains a taboo topic. As someone who’s coached hundreds of clients and seen the inside (and output) of countless routines, I can promise you: Your poop tells me more about your health than your Apple Watch ever could.

Normal isn’t “whenever I remember to eat a vegetable.” We’re aiming for at least once a day, folks. Preferably smooth, sausage-shaped, and easy to pass — like the infamous Bristol Stool Chart Type 4. If your poop is a struggle, a surprise, or a saga, your gut microbiome might be waving a white flag.

Your gut is a whole ecosystem, home to trillions of bacteria that influence not just your digestion, but also your immune system, your mood and even your hormones. Think of your poop as the daily weather report from your gut. Cloudy with a chance of inflammation? Time to pay attention.

Let’s talk fiber. Most people get less than half the daily recommended amount. (The goal is about 25 to 30 grams a day, but the average American gets around 10 to 12.) Fiber feeds your good gut bugs and bulks up your stool, making it easier to pass. If you’re living on protein bars, coffee and vibes, your colon is not having a good time.

And hydration? Essential. Your colon’s job is to reabsorb water, so if you’re dehydrated, it’ll hold on to every drop — turning your stool into something more … cement-like. Aim for half your body weight in ounces of water per day, minimum. Bonus points if you’re adding electrolytes, especially in this tropical humidity.

Then there’s movement — yes, actual movement. Walking, running, lifting weights, dancing around your kitchen – it all stimulates peristalsis (that’s the fancy word for the wave-like muscle contractions that help move stool through your colon). If you’re sedentary all day, your digestion will be, too. 

Pro tip: lying on your left side in a fetal position can help relieve gas and bloating and get things moving. Why? Well, when you lie on your left side, gravity encourages food, gas and waste to move naturally through your digestive system, specifically from the small intestine into the large intestine, and eventually toward the descending colon. Aim for 15 to 20 minutes.  

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Also worth noting: Stress shuts digestion down. When you’re in fight-or-flight mode (hello, traffic on U.S. 1 or deadlines at work), your body diverts blood away from your gut. That means slowed digestion, gas, bloating and, yes, constipation. Try breathing exercises, gentle movement or even five minutes of journaling to switch your body into rest-and-digest mode.

Let’s not forget the hormonal connection, especially for women. Many experience premenstrual constipation followed by looser stools when estrogen drops. It’s not just in your head — it’s in your hormones.

So what can you do?

Eat more plants — especially leafy greens, berries, chia seeds, and lentils.

Drink your water (and then drink a little more).

Move your body daily.

Manage your stress with breathwork, cold plunges (if you’re into that), or a walk on the beach.

And take a peek before you flush. (Yes, really.)

Your body is constantly communicating with you, and sometimes, the message is floating right in front of you. So, let’s normalize gut health, daily dumps and what your stool says about your wellness.

Here’s your permission to normalize poop talk. Ask your doctor. Talk to your kids. Bring it up at brunch. (Okay maybe not at brunch, but you get the idea.)

Because when we start talking about what’s going out, we get better at caring for what’s going in.

Wonder what the Bristol Stool Chart is? You’re welcome.