2 Prunes Per Day

"Runners never get constipated," my Aunt Rita once told me.

Not a runner myself, I'll have to take her word for it. But I get what she was saying: movement improves gut motility. A lot of constipation is caused by folks just sitting around.

Now, I am not trying to brag, but though I don't run, I have never personally suffered from constipation. Maybe it's all the moving I do on a daily basis; I think it is due to a little trick my mom taught me when our son was newborn.

You see, folks tend to reach for pharmaceuticals to solve their everyday bodily inconveniences, trying to drug their bodies into cooperation. But that's not how I was raised. In my home, the first line of defense was simple, natural remedies. Doctors and medicines were resources reserved only for the most serious conditions that could not be easily cured at home.

A New Parent Panic

Well, as new parents, we tended to overreact. Every new challenge with our newborn son threw us into panic mode. Lucky for us, we had my parents nearby as a resource. We were at a loss when our son first became constipated. My mind blanked. What do we do? Do we take him to the ER?

"No," my mom chuckled, "Just bottle-feed him some prune blended up in warm water."

Really? Could it be that easy? It turned out it was. I kicked myself for not thinking of it. Of course, she was right. I'd been raised with the knowledge that a couple of prunes per day to keep you regular.

At least, that's all I need. You may need more or fewer. But for me, two does the trick.

Start Simple

So, no, I do not understand why people reach for pharmaceutical interventions or scoops of Metamucil when a couple of sweet, juicy prunes will get the job done. It's not any great secret. Google cures for constipation, and you'll find prunes listed as one of your options.

Sure, if you've tried prunes and they're not working for you, I recommend you seek stronger interventions. I'm just saying that so far in my life, that has never been required. But again, maybe it's because I move so much.

Don't Just Eat Better—Move More

Because you know what's really bad for gut motility? Sitting. Especially directly after eating. A ten-minute walk after eating is not only the gold standard for managing postprandial insulin response but also key in improving digestion. Now, we cannot all fit a ten-minute walk into our schedule after every meal, but what I often do instead is schedule my chores for after mealtime. I do the dishes, brush my teeth, take out the compost, and bring in the laundry. It all totals up to about ten minutes of light movement or, at least, standing. And when there are no chores to be done, I take my flow rope out back, put in my headphones and do a couple of tracks worth of rope flow to get my gut moving.