Constipation – 5 tips to get rid of it

Fitlap

12.06.2025

I’m guessing that most of us have dealt with constipation in some form. Be it an easier kind that passes or a more severe chronic version. In both cases, it’s exceedingly unpleasant.

If your diet is all set – your food is varied, you get enough fibre, drink a lot of fluids and don’t turn your back on physical activity, then constipation generally shouldn’t be a problem for you. But if it does come up for any reason then a quick solution may be needed. Before it gets any worse.

I offer you specific and practical tips for getting rid of constipation quickly. Inspiration for this article was largely derived from “Charming Bowels” by Giulia Enders.

What is constipation?

In the case of constipation, the nerves and muscles of the bowels no longer work in proper unison. It’s not so much about how often you go to the toilet but how difficult it is.

You are constipated if you suffer from one of these four symptoms:

– your “number two” occurs less often than 3 times a week;
– your stool has a very dense consistency one time out of four;
– stool often occurs in small lumpy batches;
– you need to force the stool out.

Constipation can strike in very different situations. Some people get it during travel, others in relation to illnesses, stress or bad eating habits.

Constipation during travel

A lot of people experience constipation problems particularly strongly during travels. The reason is simple – bowels like a routine and an established schedule. This means that the bowels are used to your daily rhythm. Adjusted to what you eat and when, how much water you drink, when you go to the toilet and when night and day occur.

But when you travel, this rhythm gets broken up and the muscles of your bowels no longer work as efficiently.

People often eat less regularly during travel, you’re likely to eat food your body isn’t used to and drink less. Your bowels go into shock from all this.

How to get rid of constipation quickly.

Tip 1 – ballast

There are certain foods that motivate the bowels to stay operational. These are ballast substances. They’re not digested in the small intestine and can notify the large intestine of a new upcoming “delivery”.

The best ballast is seeds and husks of Plantago ovata (sold in stores as psyllium) and black plums. Both also contain substances that bind more fluids in the bowels and soften the stool.

For their effect to be “on time”, I suggest starting to eat them a day or two before going on the trip.

Black plums are available in any store, psyllium can be found in pharmacies and stores that sell natural products.

You must drink a lot when you eat ballast. Otherwise, they form strong clumps instead.

Tip 2 – drink a lot

When your body contains too little fluid, the bowels extract even more fluid from the food mass. Resulting in even stronger stool. For example, small children can suffer from dehydration after a fever and their digestion stops as a result.

The same applies to long plane travels where a lot of fluid is lost without noticing. Planes simply have very dry air. One sign of it is your nose drying up in a plane. In such cases, you should drink more than usual.

Tip 3 – go when you need to go

When your bowels let you know that it’s time to go, then you have to go. Like I said earlier, the bowels are slave to routine.

When you keep forcing this primal need back and send the stool back to the “waiting line”, the nerves and muscles get used to this reverse movement, resulting in constipation.

Sitting in the “waiting line” also takes even more water out of the stool.

Tip 4 – use probiotics

Good live bacteria are friends of your bowels. They help restore the balance of microflora in the bowels, which in turn ensures its smooth work. Probiotics are available in food (yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, cheese, etc.) as well as in the form of food supplements sold in pharmacies.

Tip 5 – work out

A sudden decrease in physical activity can have a negative impact on bowel movements. At the same time, surveys have found that a measurable impact on bowel activity results only at the level of high-intensity sports.

So make sure that your exercise done for the purpose of stimulating the bowels is sufficiently challenging. Simply walking around isn’t enough.

And that’s it. Five easy tips. As you can see, a little forethought and you can find a fast and painless solution for your constipation.

Let us know in the comments if you have any efficient solutions of your own.