How to end constipation with Jon Simmons

Introduction

On Episode 662 of the 40+ Fitness Podcast, we meet Jon Simmons, the founder of Get Pooping and discuss overcoming constipation without medication.

Hello

[00:01:23.540] – Allan

Hey, Raz. How are you?

[00:01:25.510] – Rachel

Good, Allan. How are you today?

[00:01:27.470] – Allan

I'm doing really, really good. Starting Started taking some weekends off and enjoying myself outside a lot more.

[00:01:35.220] – Rachel

Nice.

[00:01:36.020] – Allan

Again, it's not really like seasons, so it's not like it's getting cold up there. And then it's not cold here ever. So it's not like season. It's like, yeah, it's better season to be outside. It's just I finish the launch of my program. And so at this point, it's just managing, working with the clients I've got, working with Lula's, doing that thing. Then just every chance I get, trying to make sure I can get outside, get some exercise, and feel pretty good about it. How about yourself? That's awesome.

[00:02:07.530] – Rachel

About the same. Actually, over the weekend, I just ran a 5K with my brother and a cousin, and My sister-in-law and my cousin's wife walked it. We had our little group there at the 5K event, and we had a really good time. It was cold for us this time of year. We enjoyed the run and got to walk around and socialize afterwards. It was just a really fun weekend to be out and about.

[00:02:35.540] – Allan

I saw your post. It was like your mission was coffee.

[00:02:39.310] – Rachel

Yes, it was. There's a few of us that are definite coffee drinkers and getting up that early in the morning. Although I did get up early enough to have my coffee, another coffee was much needed afterwards.

[00:02:54.690] – Allan

All right. So are you ready to talk about constipation?

[00:02:58.710] – Rachel

Sure.

Interview
[00:03:15.000] – Allan

Jon, welcome to 40+ fitness.

[00:03:18.640] – Jon Simmons

Hey, Coach. Thanks for having me.

[00:03:20.800] – Allan

So today we're going to talk about your company, Get Pooping, and the course you have, Conquering Constipation, which is an eight-day course to help people who are suffering from this. If you don't mind, I want to tell you a little story of a way that I know you can get rid of constipation in less than eight days.

[00:03:39.910] – Jon Simmons

Okay.

[00:03:42.540] – Allan

Sometimes when you travel, people will get constipated. You're dehydrated, you're stressed up for traveling. And so we were traveling. I took my family to Asia, and my daughter, actually our youngest daughter, she was struggling. She had constipation. We were a few days into this trip. So it had been a few days. This was not just the day we got there. This was a little while. And we were in Macau, and I had it on a plan for us to do the bungee jump, the Macau Tower bungee jump, which is 764 feet. And in going up there, I fully intended to be the first one up. I had done it before, so I said, Look, I'll go first. You guys can watch me. But when we got up there because of the weight differences, and most of the folks in Macau were a little bit lighter, they already had the cord for the girls. So they made the girls go first. And so my older daughter, she goes off there, she screams, everything. Second daughter goes off. Now, they're wearing the GoPros and everything. So we've got perfect, beautiful videos and sound of them doing these bungey jumps and the screams and all the stuff.

[00:04:44.040] – Allan

Well, she gets to that point where they're now, they're lowering her slowly, and then she says to herself, I think I pooped myself. Now, she didn't use the word poop, but as soon as she got to ground, she ran to the bathroom, and she was good to go. But I would not recommend air flight and all this required for you to get to Mikal and then sign up for the Mikal Tower bungey jump just to handle this problem. But it is a fairly significant problem, and it happens to a lot of people a lot of the time, and in some cases, even chronically. Can you tell us a little bit about the physiology and why this might be happening?

[00:05:26.310] – Jon Simmons

Well, it is a common chronic problem. Some people will come around to the course and like, I've never been constipated my whole life. And all of a sudden for the past two months, I have been. And you'll find out that, oh, they had a job change, got a divorce, moved, sometimes all three at the same time. It's like, oh, yeah, wow. Those sorts of traumatic, stressful life changes can certainly have an impact on our bowel movements because to have a proper bowel movement, we need obviously good inputs, diet and water intake and basic exercise like walking, all those things matter. But once that stuff gets into your gut, there's a whole series of neurological and physiological things that have to happen. The signals in your body, that distension in your stomach that like, Hey, there's stuff here. We got to start processing. Then that parastolic action starts happening. If you ever let yourself get hungry enough till your tummy's that's actually a smushing and relaxing of muscles that pushes the food along. That signaling has to happen. Those muscles have to be functioning, and there's a whole lot that can interrupt that. That's really what the course is addressing is trying to get to those root causes underneath all the symptoms because constipation is just one of many symptoms.

[00:06:54.560] – Allan

I'm familiar with having worked with my clients where those people get dehydrated or they change their diet and they're not eating enough fiber. That's a common cause I see. For others, they have change in medication and they notice that the symptoms might crop up. So there's a little bit of deductive reasoning that you might have to do just to see if there's some lifestyle things that you've done. But this goes a lot deeper because you're talking about things like trauma and stress and anxiety, about a lot of different things that aren't necessarily about poop. Can you go into that a little bit deeper?

[00:07:35.630] – Jon Simmons

Yeah, I love to, because I'm really passionate about sharing this because I think this is underlying a lot of people's broader health conditions beyond just constipation. If you look at polyvagal theory, this idea of the autonomic nervous system that we basically have three modes that we can be in. The one that most people are familiar with is We're on a bigger flight. We're stressed, we're either looking to run away or getting ready to fight. And so our body, our physiology changes to get us ready for that. There's the shutdown mode, which is this sense of overwhelm where people just curl up in a corner and try again tomorrow. Also very common in our society. And so those are two ways that people respond to stress. And then the third mode is when your system is balanced, you're relaxed but alert, ready for socializing, ready for digesting. You have to be in that relaxed state for all those digestive processes that we discussed to happen. That's like polyvagal theory in a very brief nutshell. Now, all the factors that intersect with this are like those urges to go to the bathroom. Sometimes we dissociate from our We need to get back in touch with feeling our body and how it's processing things and actually feeling those urges, just like you have thirst and you have hunger and that urge to poop.

[00:09:13.280] – Jon Simmons

If we dissociate from these three things, Our system is going to be dysregulated. Getting back in touch with those. Another fundamental thing is just posture. Our our skeletal structure and our fascia, all that connective tissue that holds everything together and holds our guts in place. If something's out of whack in our posture, whether it's a short term thing because of an injury or if it's a long term condition that we've had maybe our whole life, our musculature is going to be over-conditioned in some ways and weaker in other ways, very common with the pelvic floor. This can inhibit pooping. It can literally… Fasha can literally squeeze off parts of your organs, including your intestines, and make bowel movements difficult for you. There's hormonal functions that have to be operating, and we can't really address those directly, but through diet and exercise and lifestyle, that can bring that into balance. And of course, medication if that's required. Then there's this whole social emotional backdrop that doesn't get discussed. It's the bud of many jokes, but it doesn't really get discussed in a heartfelt way, in an embodied way. That's the fact that many of us were shamed as children for various bodily functions, or if we weren't potty trained in a very compassionate way, that we may have some deeply, even pre-verbal trauma around the function of poop.

[00:10:49.000] – Jon Simmons

We actually resist it. It's like, Oh, my body says I got to go, but I don't want to go. They wrestle with that until they feel relaxed or safe enough to it, which for a lot of people is going to be at home in their bathroom with everything just right. It makes it really difficult in our busy life, working world, school, and all these things to find that time to actually take care of our needs. That's a pretty good overview of some of the things that we address in the course. We have a variety of ways of trying to remedy any of these issues.

[00:11:29.330] – Allan

Yeah. You brought up a product. It was funny because I was looking for podcasts when I was trying to fix myself. And I would go to some of these podcasts that were out there back then, the big ones. And they were all advertising this new product called The squatty potty. Your posture's terrible. The toilet, even though I think the toilet was probably one of the greatest inventions ever, because I wouldn't want to have a bucket underneath that I had to carry out every day. I like my toilet, but the posture that we have on the toilet is not the most conducive to a straight line shot. It's the way they presented it. Is a squatty potty worth it? Is that something that we should really consider if we're struggling with it?

[00:12:14.340] – Jon Simmons

You don't have to go out and buy anything, but definitely some system like the squatty potty, or some people have even turned over a mop bucket or just some stable thing that you can prop your feet up so that your knees come at least level with your or just a little bit higher than your thighs. That actually straightens out the last part of your rectum so that you get more flushing power. Might be a way of saying that. Get more of it out in one shot.

[00:12:44.520] – Allan

We're using gravity. We're using gravity to help us there.

[00:12:48.440] – Jon Simmons

It's a big deal. But certainly, they can buy the squatty potty. I have one of the original plastic ones in one bathroom, and then I have another bathroom that's all wood, and it just didn't look right there. So I made a wooden one to put in there. So lots of options. You can come up with something. All right.

[00:13:04.530] – Allan

Now, on the course, it's an eight-day course that you go through. You spend a great deal of time focused on relaxation and massage. I would never have thought stomach massage and massaging different parts of your body and just the relaxation and breathing techniques would be so beneficial. Can you talk about some of those and why they're helping us poop?

[00:13:29.270] – Jon Simmons

Yeah, I'll start with the why they're helping us. So again, if we're in fight or flight or dorsal vagal shutdown mode, we're not going to poop because your body doesn't want to poop while you're getting ready for an intense event. And so the The idea of the belly massage, just like if you have a stiff shoulder or something and you rub it out, it's like, Okay, I can move that again. Your knots in your gut are constricting the movement and the urges and the musculature from doing its job. Getting in there, massaging really deeply in the belly is foundational. It's one of the first things in the course that I teach is that and another little exercise called the Intestin Pump. Both of these things are to bring your awareness down to your gut and to relax it and bring it into balance so that it can operate the way it's supposed to. Because we think of fight or flight mode being in our brain, anxiety is in our brain, anxiety lives in your body. Anxiety is a physiological response. Your brain sometimes is responding to the anxiety in your body, and it creates this loop.

[00:14:38.340] – Jon Simmons

We're just addressing it through very physical means. All the processes I teach and people I've worked with, I always like, we're not going to sit down and have a therapy session. I don't want to hear your victim's story or your trauma story or why you are, where you are. I quit telling mine because it wasn't doing any good. There's just direct somatic things that we can do through our body and bypass all that mental stuff and just get our body working the way it's supposed to. And surprise, that helps your mind also. It's all connected. That approach. I also throw in the meridian work for folks that aren't familiar with… If you haven't done any Eastern practices, the meridian systems are just different organ systems and ways to wake them up. So like your lungs, your heart, your stomach and intestines, you can do physical exercises that actively strengthen and tone these particular organs. I've got a lot of stuff in there that's focused on the stomach and intestines and lungs. The reason the lungs are in there is because the diaphragm and your pelvic floor actually work together. They're very similar in structure and function.

[00:15:57.870] – Jon Simmons

Just addressing all this physiology directly is a different approach that I didn't see out there when I started looking to package something that would help people. And so really focused on that.

[00:16:11.720] – Allan

Yeah. Well, I mean, it's interesting because we know the act of pooping is a physical act. You talked about the perisalias or whatever.

[00:16:20.800] – Jon Simmons

Peristalsus.

[00:16:22.470] – Allan

Yeah, I'll let you say that. It's all physical. That's all physical. That's muscles, That's signaling in your body. It's all physical. But we also know that our brain and our energy, we're all tied together. And so if we're not there mentally, particularly if we're embarrassed or frustrated or all the different things that can come along with it, then it's not functioning right. So it may not be a medication problem. You probably don't have a deficiency of magnesium. You might, but probably not. But it might not be a medication that you need to make this happen. If you find yourself using the medication over and over and over, you're not addressing the root cause for sure.

[00:17:10.760] – Jon Simmons

Yeah, I was on Miralax daily for over two years because My doctors, I guess I do tell a little bit of my sob story somewhere on my website, but my doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me. I was fit, I was eating right. Don't know why you're not pooping, Jon. Yeah, I was on Miralax for years, and I had to get off of that. I didn't want to be dependent on anything to have basic bodily function. That was part of what drove me to really solve this problem.

[00:17:44.330] – Allan

Jon, I define wellness as being the healthiest, fittest, and happiest you can be. What are three strategies or tactics to get and stay well?

[00:17:53.760] – Jon Simmons

So many to choose from, but I'm going to zero in on on one area, I would say invest in your mind because your mind is the lens through which you experience everything in the world. And so it impacts so much of our life. And so taking The three tactics would be awareness practices, whether that's meditation in its various forms or doing yoga or just something that brings you very present and very much in in your body, in your body mind, I'll say. And then also learning and being curious because that's that inspiration. That's what keeps us interested in life, keeps us moving forward. Don't let life get dull. And then maybe be creative expression. Definitely, that's another thing of inspiration. A lot of people, I want to be an artist, a painter, a writer. No, You can still be a plumber and write poetry. You don't have to make a living from creative expression, but including creative expression in your daily life has really kept my energy up and colored the rest of my life. Even the mundane things makes it more fun. I would say all of that under the umbrella of investing in your mind, and you'll be happier and healthier.

[00:19:27.380] – Jon Simmons

It informs all your habits and makes you who you are.

[00:19:30.470] – Allan

Thank you for that. So, Jon, you've been very, very generous with your time, and then now you're also going to give us a discount on the course. So if you want to go to 40plusfitnesspodcast. Com/poop, that's going to take you to the page where Jon describes his course. It's an eight-day course. Is there anything you wanted to say about it, the course, Jon?

[00:19:53.340] – Jon Simmons

I would say that it takes a little bit of work, but it's worth it. And Give it a chance. It's a little different from the usual advice that you get online. You've done all the obvious things, and nothing's worked, and nobody can find anything wrong with you. It's time to go a little deeper. Try something different.

[00:20:15.220] – Allan

This is going to give you a better regimen to the way you look at your day and go through your day. That's going to make it easier to figure out what the root causes are and get this done. Like I said, Jon's being super, super generous. He's giving us a discount of $20 if you go to 40plusfitnesspodcast.com/poop, and then use the coupon code 40plus. That's 4-0-P-L-U-S. Again, go to 40plusfitnesspodcast.com/poop. Use the coupon code 40plus for a $20 discount. Thank you, Jon.

[00:20:48.720] – Jon Simmons

Thanks, Allan.

[00:20:49.900] – Allan

And thank you for being a part of 40+ fitness.

[00:20:52.810] – Jon Simmons

It's an honor. I'm really excited.

Post Interview Discussion
[00:20:57.040] – Allan

Welcome back, Raz.

[00:20:58.740] – Rachel

Hey, Allan. That was a It's been a really interesting conversation. As a runner in the running community, we talk about poop a lot. Runner's trots, what to eat and not eat. In our group, we call it a code brown. If you got to step off the trail and take a little potty break in mid-run. We talk about poop all the time, so I'm glad that you had this podcast because it's important to normalize these types of issues.

[00:21:24.250] – Allan

I've heard and I've known people that would not leave the house until they had their movement for that morning, and then they don't, and they're stuck. And so if you're not regular, this is the word they use for all that, then there's something you need to do. And that's one of the cool things with John's program is this is not just a quick fix, Okay, you go poop this time. This is literally training your body to be better at pooping. Because interestingly enough, it could be a skill to be better at If you've got some anxiety about it, some stress about it, or just really have some form of issue, you don't want to just go down the medication route. This is a really good little course. I went through and took the course. Walk through each of the exercises to see what he was teaching. Again, he's not relying on medication. He's not relying on a bunch of supplementation. He does talk a little bit about magnesium and fiber and things like that. But those are things that you should be getting in your diet anyway. If you're not getting enough of them, then there is an opportunity.

[00:22:36.920] – Allan

He has a little shake that he makes that has the standard things you'd expect to be in something like that, like prunes and this and that. You're getting that fiber that can help. Then just the exercises, massages and different things that he has you doing to get a little bit more comfortable so you can poop.

[00:22:56.570] – Rachel

I really appreciate all these different things. I didn't realize, of course, stress does a lot on the body, but I didn't realize it could play a pretty big role with being constipated or having these types of problems.

[00:23:10.070] – Allan

Well, the way he explained it makes sense. You're looking at your parasympathetic nervous system, and if it's on high alert, it wants to shut off a lot of things. If you're fighting a bear, you don't want to just poop.

[00:23:25.410] – Rachel

That's such a good point. I get it.

[00:23:29.570] – Allan

You don't want to be in that situation. So your body starts shutting down some functions when it's in a high stress environment. And then there's just the anxiety of it. Some people don't want to be in a public place or they feel uncomfortable with it. So just one of those things that you just… Everybody's a little different, and however you handle it, you can handle it. But this is a really good course. So if you go to 40plusfitnesspodcast.com/poop, you can go there and take his course. It's a really good one. I think the code was 40plus or something like that, 40PLUS, and get a little discount on that with that coupon code. I think it's almost like $20 off. It's not a little thing. It's a decent. It'll help. If you need the course, I would definitely go there, 40plusfitnesspodcast.com/poop. Use the code 40PLUS and get a little discount on it. But if you're struggling with constipation or sometimes struggle with constipation, this is probably a good protocol for you to be doing regularly so that you are a little bit more regular.

[00:24:40.560] – Rachel

That sounds awesome. Really informative. I appreciate that.

[00:24:44.040] – Allan

All right. Well, I'll talk to you next week.

[00:24:46.480] – Rachel

Great. Take care, Allen.

[00:24:47.870] – Allan

You, too.

Music by Dave Gerhart

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