Let’s Talk About Poop
I recently wrote an article following my trauma-informed yoga training workshop and how “off” I’ve been feeling. INSERT ARTICLE LINK I’ve worked for years on this mind-body-soul connection and am relatively in touch with myself and when something isn’t working for me.
Time to talk about poop! Yes, I said, “poop.” You know, the topic you bought the book for your children about when they were little. "Everyone Poops" by Taro Gomi. That topic.
I’m just about finished with my Institute of Integrative Nutrition Gut Health Course, and this is the very first time I’ve written about digestion. But as with everything in my life and in my writing, I keep it real, and until now, I’ve not had anything pressing to share on the topic. Alternatively, maybe I just wasn’t ready to share.
I just finished a cleanse. The Ultimate Reset by Beachbody to be exact. I AM a Beachbody coach in addition to being a certified IIN holistic health coach so I can hook you up and coach you through this particular cleanse if you like. However, there are many other approaches that I can work with you through. As a holistic coach, I do NOT push any products in particular on my clients, but I will share what works for me.
This one works for me as it is food based and I can tweak it a lot. For instance, I did the cleanse mostly because my husband wanted and needed to do it. So I added in more plant-based protein for myself since I was still training, though not lifting as much as I usually do.
I’m also a yoga teacher with a strong interest in Ayurveda. One day I will likely take the training to be an Ayurvedic specialist, but until then, I have enough knowledge to work with the seasons and the energy of the day and use the principles and techniques in my own life and to help you with yours. Cleansing is one of the tools Ayurveda uses to rebalance our mind-body-soul systems.
Back to poop. I know digestion is not necessarily everyone’s favorite subject, but I think it should be elevated as a topic as it is quite possibly the most critical system of the body.
Why? Your digestive tract plays a roll in just about every aspect of your health and well-being.
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This is not a disclaimer because I’m not making any medical claims here. It is also not an invitation to ask for medical advice. My husband is a gastroenterologist. What he does and what I do are almost entirely different things. He is looking for disease and causes of illness that can be treated with modern medicine. In his case, he also advocates hard for lifestyle changes. Many patients blow that part off, though some follow through. Those are the ones that usually have the best outcomes.
My work as a holistic health coach allows me to work within a very different scope of practice. At the same time completely respecting dietary/lifestyle recommendations from medical doctors. I don’t diagnose or treat anyone, but I DO work within my own scope of practice to help you actually find those lifestyle changes that work for you. I can also guide you to other experts in various fields who can help you.
Once again, I return us to the subject of poop. This time, my own.
Yesterday, I worked through old trauma. I said my piece and found peace. As the saying goes, “I spoke truth to power,” in my own way.
I didn’t eat all day and got back to my hotel and ordered food later at night and in a larger quantity than I would usually eat. I slept in this morning and took it easy. I felt no stress.
And I’ve had diarrhea all day.
If that’s an overshare for you, then try to stick with me anyway. Gut health is that important. It is also something I’m going to talk a lot about because it is THAT important.
In this case, I think my body is telling me it is shedding some of that old trauma. I think I’ve let myself get too far away from my normal routine and I’m not working with the energy of the day. I didn’t drink enough water probably during the day yesterday.
I stayed up too late and slept in. I also ate and ate a lot last night. My mind wanted food and lots of it late last evening for comfort. I even felt it last night but wanted those sweet potato tots anyway (I know…they were good but not worth it in the long run).
This is NOT my normal, so I see it very plainly and clearly. But for a lot of my clients, digestion is such an awkward subject that they gloss over it. Or they think their digestion is better than it really is, even when they are having symptoms that might indicate some digestive issues we could work on.
I’m drinking a lot of water today. I’m going to go to bed at a more reasonable time tonight after I get home from a Reiki Master reunion party. So I will have the healing from the experience of that party. I will hold my husband tight and tell him that I love him. I honor his support. My diet has been clean today and tomorrow, I will begin intermittent fasting again. And I’ve got lots of other rituals and routines that will quickly restore me to balance.
As the book says, “we all poop.” So why don’t we think about it and our digestion more often?
How about you? Are you doing everything you can do optimize the health of your digestive system? Are you happy and vibrant and able to do the things you want to do? Do you have the tools and support to improve your well-being by improving your gut health?
If not, let’s talk. I bring lots of tools to my clients. Working on gut health is an effective way to help my clients heal, improve their health and well-being and even improve their connection with Spirit.
