One of the most telling aspects of your health is your poop.

Ideally, you should be going everyday. If you're not, then you should at least be going regularly. If your poop schedule is sporadic, that's a clue that trouble may be brewing.

Next, what does your poop look like? Believe it or not, there is an ideal poop formation, size, and color. Anything outside of that can indicate trouble.

When you poop, you shouldn't have to strain hard. When you wipe, it shouldn't be messy. It also shouldn't smell like something died inside you, nor should your poop have any identifiable pieces of food in it, nor should you need coffee or laxatives to get things moving.

If any of these things sound like your poop experience, it's time to start thinking about digging a little deeper to figure out why things aren't normal. And remember, there's a big difference between common and normal. Having explosive diarrhea daily for years may be common for you, but that is most definitely not normal.

Diet and hydration obviously have an effect on digestion and elimination, as does a well functioning circadian rhythm, certain medications, medical conditions, and stress. As you move through this program, many things will be addressed that will affect your pooping power, so take note of how things progress. If things are bad now, and don't get better - you need to get help. Pooping problems are serious business.

One thing that can be very beneficial to helping you eliminate - after you've looked at and corrected upstream issues - is to be squatting in the correct position. 

The most common elimination position is sitting on a toilet. The problem with this is that when you're in this position, your puborectalis muscle puts a kink in your colon, preventing you from fully eliminating (which can create toxicity problems.) You're also more likely to push and strain, which comes with its own set of problems.

The most anatomically correct position to be in when you're moving your bowels is the squatting position. When you squat, there's no kink, flow is maintained, and you have an easier time pooping. Squatting is a must for those with SIBO and hemorrhoids, and very highly recommended for everyone else.

To achieve this squatting position, you can either squat and hover above the toilet (risky business, but not impossible) or you can use something designed for this very purpose - the Squatty Potty.

Don't overlook this very important tip. Few things will tell me more about you than what does or doesn't come out of you. If you are having problems in the pooper, let's talk about what we can do to fix it.