Relax, put your feet up.
I admit, this is a difficult subject to write about, for
those who have read my Healthy Midlife
articles in the past, you know I am a bit of a joker, and love a good double entendre
or the obvious pun. This subject matter is ripe with sophomoric opportunity. There’s
a good chance I will not be able to contain myself, although, I want you to
seriously consider what have to say and experienced on this subject.
I’d like to talk about defecating, also referred to as;
“dropping a deuce”, “pinching a loaf”, “taking a poo”, “build a log cabin”, “ride the porcelain
bus”, “talk to a man about a mule”,
“push out a Grumpy”, or just plain “crap”, if you’re into the whole
brevity thing.
Most of the world’s population accomplishes this bodily
function in the squatting defecation posture, while in the Western Culture, a
sitting defecation posture is used. In recent years, there has been some debate
about the possible medical compilations of using a sitting posture, such as
hemorrhoids, constipation, hernias, diverticulosis, Inflammatory bowel disease,
colon cancer to name a few.
I have a history of colon cancer in my family, my Dad had it
in the late 1980’s. His was caught early, treated successfully (surgery) and
did not re-occur. Watching what he went through was encouragement enough to
make an effort not to follow in his footsteps on this part of his life
experience. That means a colonoscopy every 5 years, an unpleasant but slight
inconvenience when looking at the big picture.
A few months ago, I discovered this discussion about toilet
posture, and the associated products that proponents of the squatting posture
tout as possible solutions to the aforementioned issues that may or may not be
caused by the good ol’ American “sit-down”. They made their case well enough
that I’d thought I’d give a Toilet stool a try. By the way I just made you say
“Toilet Stool” to yourself- twice!
Looking at the products on Amazon.com the three leaders in
the field are: The Squatty Potty, easyGopro, and Step and Go Toilet Step. There
are various sizes and shapes, the Squatty Potty even has a bamboo model, but
they all do the same thing, they raise your feet and legs up about 5 to 8
inches to bring your body into a semi-squatting position. IMPORTANT NOTE, all three of these companies
state on their web sites that their products are not intended to be full-on
step stool, and caution not to put full body weight on them. DO NOT STAND or
USE AS A STEP STOOL.
I opted for the standard 7.5 inch EasyGoPro, it has a
sleeker look to it, and at the time was the least expensive model. Since then,
it looks like the Squatty Potty has lowered the price and all of them are
around $25-$27 dollars for the plastic version & $70 for the bamboo
adjustable model, as of April 2015. The step I received is just as pictured and
well made, does not slip. It stores underneath the front or the side of the
toilet and does not get in the way or clutter up the bathroom.
If you are like many Americans and suffer from constipation,
an easyGopro is not the complete solution. Diet and dehydration are big the
factors. Eating a proper amount of fiber drastically improves bodily functions.
If you aren’t getting enough fiber, start off slowly, a small bowl of something
like Fiber One, or good ol’ Raisin Bran in the morning, let your body get used
to that and gradually increase. DRINK MORE WATER! Over indulging on fiber makes
for a bad day! (Voice of experience;
perhaps…)
I’ve been using the easyGopro for about 6 months now. In my
opinion it does help make ‘things’ easier. If I had to put a number on the
effectiveness of the easyGopro, I’d give it a 20 - 40% improvement over the
traditional sitting posture. Well worth the cost of the product.
I know this product isn’t for everyone. Overcoming ingrained
behavior can be one of the most difficult things to do. In my case it wasn’t a
problem, and I think it’s made my life a little easier, for very little cost.
| Devin's Widget Emporium |
| 10876 Horse Track Dr E |
| Jacksonville, FL 32257 |
| 904-226-8518 |
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