“Exercises” for Bloating & Constipation Relief
bloating & constipation sucks
as someone who has dealt with a lot of it, i think i understand better than most how much it can kinda put a damper on your day when you are lugging this massively distended belly around
i usually post a lot of recipes and nutrition-based tools, but there are some “exercises” you can do that really help:
LEFT-SIDE CHILDS POSE • lol i totally made up the name for this, but that’s basically what it is. you lay on your left side, and pull your knees into you chest. lay there for a while. i discovered this completely by accident TBH, but apparently it’s totally rooted in science: the stomach and large intestine naturally curve to the left, so lying on your left side allows gravity to help move food and waste through your system more easily. It also promotes better gas release, which can relieve bloating
GUT GIRL WALKS • again, made up the name for this, but it’s just a 20-30 minute walk after meals. it helps bc it helps stimulate digestion and gut motility by activating the muscles around your intestines, promoting smoother movement of food through your digestive system
JUMPING JACKS • this is one i’ll do in the morning when i kinda feel like i need to go, but it’s not “coming” yet…apparently it helps bc it stimulates the movement of the abdominal muscles and intestines, which can help move trapped gas and stool through the digestive tract. note: you don’t have to do jumping jacks necessarily, i think you could just jump in that rhythm
WOOD THERAPY • that’s what i’m doing in the reel, and i actually did *not* make up that name lol. also known as maderotherapy, wood therapy uses wooden tools to stimulate circulation and lymphatic drainage. it’s really great for reducing the appearance of bloating, and massaging the abdomen can help move things. you can buy the wood tools I used here.
ABDOMINAL MASSAGE • there are several ways to do this, but the idea is to massage from you right hip bone, up to your right rib, across from right rib to left rib, then down to the left rib. you wanna kinda go in a circle in that direction, and you can experiment w making the circle bigger & smaller. this one is the least effective for me personally, but it’s worth trying bc a lot of people report success!
