A deep and full squat is the ideal and most natural position for pooping. Squatting when pooping has been shown to provide a more optimal angle for the anorectal cavity than sitting, shown in the graphic below, as seen on the SquattyPotty website. 

When we sit on a toilet we are close to a 90degree angle, which is not ideal, as you can see above, for pooping. This can cause the Puborectalis muscle to pinch the colon and lead to excessive straining when going to the bathroom.  As many people may well know, this straining can lead to hemorrhoids and other painful and irritating conditions.

Suffering from hemorrhoids firsthand, I tried a product called the Squatty Potty, which allows the user of it to place their body into a full squat position, while safely being supported by the base of the stool.  The squatty potty works by sliding right up against the base of your toilet and allowing you to have a raised platform to place your feet up on.

SquattyPotty has conducted their own studies regarding the efficiency of their products. The squatty potty has shown significant reductions in overall constipation and hemorrhoid relief.   Note that the studies they conducted ONLY included a change in their eliminating position, no other treatments were applied or required to see a visible improvement.

Diet is going to play a major role in elimination regularity and frequency, however proper bowel movements are going to be influenced by how well the colon can actually MOVE and process waste out through the anus. Enhancing how the colon moves and fluid flows through the body can be done by squatting on a regular basis, not only when eliminating, but through exercise and the day as well.

[readolog_blockquote]Squatting can be an alternative to sitting for periods of time, squatting can be done when exercising, weighted squats and deep full-squat variations, will help the body to maintain muscular strength and deep core stability, this will aid in elimination greatly.[/readolog_blockquote]

Having a functioning pelvic floor and deep core stabilizers will greatly help when you poop and when you are processing and digesting food, another great way I believe we can help poop to pass through our body effectively is by always staying well hydrated and by walking regularly. Walking allows us to utilize our core and pump the body regularly, while staying hydrated is extremely important because our fecal matter is mostly water and our colon has to be properly hydrated for bowel movements.

I notice personally that when I wake up I often need to drink plenty of water if I did not drink any throughout the night, and that after drinking enough water I often have to go to the bathroom. This is because our organs and colon needs to be properly hydrated to eliminate waste.  I also find that when hiking or walking I will have a healthy and regular bowel movement afterwards from the pumping effect of the prolonged exercise.  Often on my walks or hikes I am squatting regularly to provide a deep stretch and pump the body.

Squatting is literally a way to pump the body much like loading a spring mechanism. When we go into a deep squat we create intra-abdominal pressure on our organs and help to create healthy bowel movements, squatting pumps blood and water throughout the body, which will help to shape our poop and drain the water out of it and lead to regular and healthy elimination.  A full squat position when pooping can also improve the flow of urine and I have noticed that I can relax and pee easier in a full squat position.

On the Squatty Potty website they did a study that compared the straining required in the sitting position verses the squatting position, and what they found was that sitting requires MUCH more straining than a deep squat position (Duh).

There is nothing I love more than being out in the woods on a hike and taking a full squat stance poop. It is the best feeling in the world.  The fresh air, the ground beneath your feet, and of course, a deep full squat position.  I swear when you take full-squat poops you will also find that it is much CLEANER, sometimes you will not even need to wipe.  (Gross, I know, but true.)

I can do a full squat position on my toilet if I lift the seat up and balance myself on the bowl, but for many people, and myself it is not enough of a stable base. The rim of my toilet bowl is only a few inches wide, which creates a pretty unstable base to take a full squatting poop in.  I want to use this, as an opportunity to personally endorse and highly recommend the SquattyPotty, which as far as I know is the best and cheapest product of its kind on the market.  The great thing about it is that it tucks right up against your toilet bowl and should not cause a problem with other toilet users who are reluctant to give it a try (but once they will they will be hooked).

I have had friends try the SquattyPotty who do not eat particularly well and even they have noticed a great improvement in their bowel movements. Healthy elimination is the key to feeling light and energized throughout the day.  Just think of that time when you know that there is some poop left in you during a bowel movement, so you strain, and you push, this only stresses you and could lead to constipation and hemorrhoids.  You leave the bathroom feeling as if you did not finish the job, and you are probably right.  Having waste matter being carried around inside you, instead of eliminated when it should be, has negative effects on the body. Carrying around waste matter can cause you to absorb and carry around these toxins with you throughout the day, so getting your poop out is a very important part of a daily routine.

They call it a bowel MOVEMENT for a reason, you actually have to move and pump the body to poop properly, and this creates a neurological imprint on how your colon functions and how you poop, if we poop while compressing our colon and at the wrong angle and push and strain, this is not the way to build a strong and healthy colon.

When I poop, I will assume a full squat position and sometimes I will push through my feet and lift my hips up and then bring them back down into my full squat position.   Basically pushing up out of the full squat and then dropping my butt back down into a full squat position, this helps to pump my body during the actual bowel movement and move the colon.

You can also use the squatty potty as your base and then lean back and grab the toilet to help support you in your deep squat position which will help for people who lack the proper flexibility to sit in a full squat.

Assuming a squat position when pooping in short, will improve flexibility, pump fluids throughout the body, help the colon MOVE and eliminate properly, and thereby improve your health by ensuring that you are not carrying around excessive waste matter throughout the day.

Squatting more in general and when pooping will aid in digestion and will make you more regular. The SquattyPotty is an amazing product that will sell you more than I ever could on why we need to squat when pooping, you will notice and feel the difference the first time you use it.  It instantly turns your toilet from an old clunker into a brand new Cadillac.  Make the switch to the functional and healthy way of pooping.

If you have the time please watch this informative video to better understand and visualize why we need to squat when pooping, as seen on the Squatty Potty website.

img: biorelief.com