Best Exercises for Constipation

Find out how regular exercise can improve digestive health and help you stay regular.

When you’re battling constipation and struggling to get things moving, one of the best solutions can be to literally get moving.

A research review published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology found that exercise can improve symptoms of constipation. Studies have even linked regular exercise to significant relief from irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, including constipation.

After all, it's important to note that while a single exercise session may or may not trigger an immediate need to go, the digestive benefits of exercise are the greatest over the long term, says Bethany Doerfler, RDN, a gastrointestinal research specialist with the Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Center in Chicago.

So how does it work? In broad strokes, regular exercise reduces the amount of time it takes for food to move through the gastrointestinal tract. This reduced transit time means that the body has less opportunity to absorb water content from the stool during the digestive process. Put simply, hydrated stools pass easier than hard, dry ones, Doerfler says.

"The exact mechanisms of how exercise activates gut motility [the movement of food through the body] are not fully understood," she says, noting that they are believed to take place through both mechanical and chemical routes.

Mechanical mechanisms include physical pressure on and twisting of the intestines as well as changes in blood flow to the intestines, she says. Chemical ones include hormone release and increases in digestive enzymes.

However, to get the greatest digestive benefits of working out, your exercise choice matters. Here are four workouts that carry significant benefits in easing constipation — plus, how to get started with them to improve gastrointestinal health.

There's a reason that "runner's poops" are a thing, with running often stimulating bowel movements during or immediately after hard runs, says Rabia de Latour, MD, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health in New York City.

"The mechanism at play here is thought to be ischemia, or a lack of blood supply, to the large intestine," she explains. Yes, regular exercise improves healthy blood flow to the intestines for better digestive health over the long term, but during intense, total-body exercise such as running, the body routes blood away from the digestive system and toward the working muscles.

What's more, Doerfler explains, the high-impact nature of running literally jostles the intestines, which may stimulate contractions. Secretion of specialized hormones and digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract may further increase motility, she says.

For competitive racers, these short-term effects on the intestines can speed gut motility to the point of diarrhea. However, for those battling constipation, a run slower than your typical race pace can help promote bowel regularity. If you are new to running, Dr. de Latour recommends starting with short, low-intensity jogs and gradually building up your run duration and intensity based on how both your muscles and gut feel.

It's also important to stay hydrated, especially when doing high-intensity exercises, as this can reduce constipation.

You don't have to push the exercise intensity to promote bowel movements. Light cardio can also help promote regularity, says Doerfler, who recommends leisurely walks and bike rides as ways to get the heart rate slightly elevated and stimulate the gastrointestinal tract without causing the dramatic shift of blood flow away from the intestines that occurs with higher-intensity and -impact running.

Dr. de Latour recommends getting 150 minutes of light aerobic activity per week, in agreement with current federal guidelines.

These minutes don't have to entail only structured exercise. Activities such as gardening, active commuting, and household chores all count as beneficial for your health and digestive health.

Your core muscles form a housing unit for your body's organs — gastrointestinal system included. According to Harvard Medical School, the strength and function of the core muscles, including the abdominals and obliques, play a crucial role in gastrointestinal motility. Their contractions increase pressure throughout the abdominal cavity to help physically push things through, and the stronger those muscles are, the more their contractions can promote digestion.

The mechanical stress of bending and twisting the torso increases pressure on the intestines as well. Try integrating core work into your workouts at least three times per week. Planks may trigger an increase in intraabdominal pressure due to muscle contraction, and crunches likely stimulate the intestines to a higher degree.

Yoga is a unique exercise for constipation because it affects blood flow to the intestines. Since it involves bracing, bending, and twisting the core, this exercise also emphasizes tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system.

Called the "rest and digest" system for good reason, the parasympathetic nervous system is highly activated through yoga via calming yoga postures and breathing exercises, Doerfler said. By lowering activation of the fight-or-flight nervous system and focusing instead on resting and relaxing, the body is automatically primed for better digestion. Research suggests that yoga postures may be especially beneficial in relieving constipation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, as that gastrointestinal condition is highly linked to stress, anxiety, and depression.

Some specific yoga poses that can help reduce constipation include Supine Twist, Cobra, and Child's pose.

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