Ah yes, the poo blog. You didn’t see this one coming, did you? 
Well, by request and popular demand, I will go where most bloggers will not go. So let’s talk about your bowel movements. I have 5 other people, the Leadership Team of Indigo Yoga, incidentally, who are jumping up and down in excitement right now, because this is their favorite subject.
They have a shit-ton of experience. Thus, they are also contributors.
(Note: I have to resist the urge to put “LOL” after every sentence I write. Allow it to be implied and go ahead and applaud all of my clever poo-related innuendos).
So I’d be willing to guess, that among a few other changes, you might be noticing that your trips to the bathroom are faster, cleaner, and for some of you weirdos out there, more enjoyable. Let the evidence in the toilet show, members of the jury! The Indigo30 IS THE POOPETRATOR!
Or, your trips to the restroom are not going so well… yet …
Digestive Issues on the Whole30
It’s very normal to have digestive issues during different phases of the program. Your poo may be happy now, but you might surprisingly and suddenly have other things download as you keep going. If you were a yo-yo dieter or had never really eliminated any (food groups) this strictly before the I30, chances are your body’s attempt at regulating might prove to be uncomfortable at first. You may experience things moving too fast or suddenly. Melissa Hartwig shares her experience:
“I’ll admit that during my first Whole30, I had the same experience (things moving way too fast) for about the first 6-8 weeks of my transition. I did the Whole30 for 30 full days, then stuck mostly to it, and things still took a long time to even out. The healing process and transition of gut bacterial balance can take a long time, and I don’t think it was anything I was eating or not eating – I think it was just my system getting used to not eating so much oatmeal, yogurt, and whole grains. Not a very scientific explanation, but without lab testing/stool testing to see what the gut environment looks like, it’s hard to say what’s going on.”
You may also experience diarrhea, cramping, very very badly smelling poo, strongly odorous urine … oh yeah. All of the good stuff. Don’t be grossed out, be happy! Your body is ELIMINATING.
There is, of course, the problem of not eliminating. Constipation is a seemingly strange effect during the program; you’d think with all this clean eating and daily yoga that you’d be cleaning house on the reg! Alas, all systems are different, there are a lot of variables, and it really depends on how backed up you were before you started.
If any of this is happening, hold steady, know it will pass (hahahaha) and take a closer look at what you are eating; perhaps cut down on the nuts and seeds a tad. You are going through a lot right now, and your insides are having to get rid of all the crap.
Now that you have completed an entire week, and you can tell that your digestion is improving and more efficient, it might be time to take the cleanse to a new level. One way to do that is by getting a colonic. Yes, I said “colonic.” I also said “poo” in the title of my publicly posted blog.
The Colon
“The colon is the last five feet of the digestive tract. It is a hollow tube-like organ made up of muscle structure that moves digestive food and waste along by a wavelike motion known as peristalsis. The primary function of the colon is to absorb water, electrolytes and some vitamins, as well as preparing and storing fecal waste prior to elimination.
The colon, along with the skin, kidneys and lungs, is an organ of elimination. If bowel movements are not regular, our health can be compromised. Good health is as much a function of our elimination status as the quality of the food we eat. Colon cleansing is a gentle infusion of water in and out of the colon, reaching all four to five feet, promoting overall health. Colon cleansing is not a cure, but a valuable procedure used to assist the body with the reversal of a wide variety of health conditions known to stem from improper diet and elimination habits. Colon cleansing is preventative health care, rather than a treatment for a disease.” — Alpha Cleanse
Colonics (Taylor’s most favorite topic)
A colonic/colon hydrotherapy/colon cleanse is a safe, gentle and effective method of removing waste from the large intestine. Most facilities that offer the services have
comfortable, user-friendly, private rooms and sweet people walking you through it all (although rest assured they leave the room for the actual procedure.) The colonic is really one of the best ways to get things moving if they’re not. Two places we recommend in Fort Worth are Alpha Cleanse on Magnolia and Natural Therapeutics on Camp Bowie. I like them both. Although Donna, the owner and the lady who helps you at Alpha Cleanse reminds me of my Grandma Inez who I adore so, I go there.
And just a tad bit more info to troubleshoot the Land of NoPoo, adding in more vegetables, more fats, and MCT oil (coconut oil) to coffee helps. You could also try taking a digestive enzyme like Now Foods Super Enzymes (2-4 capsules per meal). You can read the Whole9 view of them here. Adding a digestive enzyme to your daily routine in general is not a bad idea either.
Gut health — not a laughing matter.
There are increasing studies that tell us that all disease, illness and wellness issues are beginning in the gut. The Whole30 targets the gut — specifically the small intestine, where your food is largely digested and absorbed. Recall that Good Food Standard #4 is “Support a healthy gut.” You maybe didn’t even realize what that meant aside from hopefully happy poos. Yes, and …
“Certain foods promote ‘leaky gut,’ a condition where the small intestine is no longer able to properly absorb the nutrients you eat. This means the healthy foods you chew and swallow aren’t actually nourishing your body, and things like partially digested food, bacteria or other toxins are allowed to ‘leak’ from your intestines into the bloodstream, were they don’t belong. This triggers an immune reaction, and promotes chronic, systemic inflammation everywhere in the body, not just in the digestive tract.
The Whole30 eliminates the foods shown to cause or promote this leaky gut, allowing your digestive tract to heal and your immune system to calm. This helps to resolve a host of digestive issues (like heartburn, acid reflux, constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating and related pain) and reduce or eliminate the wide-ranging systemic effects of *chronic inflammation.”
*The term “chronic systemic inflammation” is common these days. Your immune system, as you do know, is always fighting off threats. Its activity is aggressive but is meant to be short-term. Chronic systemic inflammation is the full-body, long-term, up-regulation of the immune system. “Think of chronic systemic inflammation like being a little bit sick all of the time; when certain factors, (like your food choices) overload the system and keep it working hard all the time, it is less effective at doing its other jobs, like healing that stubborn tendonitis or keeping your arteries clear of plaque. Chronic systemic inflammation is at the heart of an endless number of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions, like allergies, asthma, eczema, autoimmune diseases, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.” — Whole30.
Ouch. And that’s just food choices. There is a lot more research on the connection between stress, anxiety and depression and gut distress, like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Here we are again, back to the circle… what you eat affects your emotions. Your emotions affect your gut. Your gut is 
already trying its hardest to fight off the distress caused by your food choices, and now it’s trying to manage that your brain and your “gut-brain” are emotionally struggling. (Your “gut brain” is your Enteric Nervous System — it consists of two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract from esophagus to rectum.) “Unlike the big brain in your skull <the ENS’> main role is controlling digestion, from swallowing to the release of enzymes that break down food to the control of blood flow that helps with nutrient absorption to elimination. The enteric nervous system doesn’t seem capable of thought as we know it, but it communicates back and forth with our big brain —with profound results.” — Jay Pasricha, M.D.
BROOKE’S BOWEL BESTIES
- Take a daily probiotic. Check labels on the liquid ones for sugar. I like the probiotics that will also have healthy urinary tract supplements combined.
- Alpha Cleanse – 1302 Magnolia Ave, FW, TX. (817) 335-7700
- Natural Therapeutics – 6340 Camp Bowie Blvd. FW, TX. (817)738-4904
- DRUMROLL …… THE SQUATTY POTTY!
Okay people. You know what to do. Take care of your poo.
Keep going.
B
Fearless Yoga by Brooke Hamblet 