The most effective natural ways to empty your bowels involve a combination of dietary changes, physical activity, body positioning, and timing. Most people see improvement within a few days to a couple of weeks once they adjust their fiber and fluid intake, move more, and use a better toilet posture. A healthy bowel movement looks like a smooth, soft log that passes without straining, corresponding to types 3 and 4 on the Bristol Stool Scale. If your stools are hard, lumpy, or pellet-like (types 1 and 2), that’s a sign things are moving too slowly through your colon.
Eat More Fiber, but Add It Gradually
Fiber is the single biggest dietary lever you have. Current guidelines recommend 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you eat, which works out to roughly 25 to 30 grams a day for most adults. The average person gets about half that. Some types of fiber absorb water and bulk up your stool, making it softer and easier to pass. Other types speed movement through the large intestine. You get both kinds from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
The key is to increase fiber gradually over a week or two. Jumping from 12 grams to 30 grams overnight often causes bloating and gas, which can make you feel worse before you feel better. Add one serving of a high-fiber food every few days. And drink plenty of water as you go. Some fibers work best when they absorb water, so staying well hydrated prevents the extra fiber from making stools harder instead of softer.
Prunes and Kiwifruit Outperform Many Supplements
If you want a specific food to start with, prunes have the strongest evidence. A randomized clinical trial comparing dried plums to psyllium husk (a common fiber supplement) found that prunes produced significantly more complete bowel movements per week and better stool consistency. The researchers concluded that prunes should be considered a first-line option for mild to moderate constipation. Five to six prunes a day is a reasonable starting point.
Green kiwifruit is another standout. An international multicenter trial published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that eating two green kiwifruits daily increased complete spontaneous bowel movements by roughly 1.5 per week in constipated people, while also improving abdominal comfort. Kiwifruit contains a natural enzyme that may help break down proteins in the gut, and its high water content adds to the effect. Both prunes and kiwifruit are safe enough to use every day without concern.
Use Your Body Position to Your Advantage
The angle of your body on the toilet matters more than most people realize. When you sit on a standard toilet, the muscle that wraps around your rectum (called the puborectalis) stays partially contracted, creating a kink with an anorectal angle of about 80 to 90 degrees. That kink acts like a natural valve, which is useful for continence but makes emptying harder.
Squatting widens that angle to about 100 to 110 degrees, straightening the rectal canal so stool can pass with less straining. You don’t need to squat on the floor. A small footstool under your feet while sitting on the toilet achieves a similar effect, especially if you lean your upper body forward and rest your elbows on your knees. Research on this posture, sometimes called “The Thinker” position, found it reduced evacuation time and increased rectal pressure in patients who struggled with incomplete emptying. It’s one of the simplest changes you can make, and many people notice a difference immediately.
Move Your Body to Move Your Bowels
Physical activity stimulates the muscles that push waste through your colon. A study published in The Journal of Nutrition measured how different exercise intensities affected gut transit time and found that for every additional hour spent doing brisk physical activity (think fast walking, light cycling, or active housework), colonic transit time was about 25% faster. Whole gut transit time was about 16% faster. These effects held regardless of age, sex, or body fat.
Interestingly, the benefit came specifically from moderate-effort activity, not from sedentary time or very light movement. You don’t need to run a 5K. A 30- to 45-minute brisk walk most days of the week is enough to meaningfully speed up how quickly food moves through you. Morning walks can be especially helpful because they combine movement with the body’s natural tendency toward bowel activity in the first hours after waking.
Use Coffee and Warm Liquids Strategically
Coffee is a well-known bowel stimulant, and the mechanism is now well understood. A 2021 study highlighted by Harvard Health found that coffee boosts two hormones, gastrin and cholecystokinin, which trigger the gastrocolic reflex. That reflex causes the colon to contract and push waste toward the rectum. This effect kicks in within minutes of drinking coffee and occurs with both caffeinated and decaffeinated versions, though caffeine appears to amplify it.
Warm water or herbal tea on an empty stomach can produce a milder version of the same reflex. Many people find that drinking a warm beverage first thing in the morning, then sitting on the toilet 15 to 30 minutes later, helps establish a consistent pattern. The colon is most active in the morning, so working with that natural rhythm rather than against it makes a real difference over time.
Consider Magnesium as a Gentle Aid
Magnesium draws water into the intestines through an osmotic effect, softening stool and stimulating the urge to go. Magnesium citrate tends to be better absorbed than magnesium oxide, making it a more reliable option at lower doses. Some people find that as little as 250 mg per day is enough to ease constipation, while others need more. Clinical guidance suggests starting at a low dose and adjusting based on how your body responds.
You can also get magnesium from food. Dark leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, almonds, black beans, and dark chocolate are all rich sources. If you prefer a supplement, magnesium citrate taken before bed often produces a comfortable bowel movement the following morning. People with kidney disease should be cautious with magnesium supplements, as impaired kidneys can’t clear excess magnesium efficiently.
Probiotics Can Help, but Strain Matters
Not all probiotics improve constipation. The strains with the most evidence behind them belong to the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families. These bacteria can shorten the time it takes for food to travel through the small intestine, partly by increasing the release of serotonin in the gut, which stimulates the muscles that push waste along.
A randomized, double-blind trial tested two different probiotic blends in constipated adults and found that both increased the number of weekly bowel movements and improved stool quality. The effective formulas contained combinations of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium lactis, among others. Systematic reviews in older adults have found that Bifidobacteria strains improved constipation in 10% to 40% of cases. Probiotics aren’t a magic fix, but for people who’ve already adjusted their diet and activity and still need help, they’re a reasonable next step. Look for products that list specific strains and contain at least a few billion colony-forming units.
Build a Routine That Works Together
None of these strategies works as well in isolation as they do in combination. A practical daily routine might look like this: wake up, drink a warm beverage (coffee or warm water with lemon), eat a breakfast that includes fiber (oatmeal with prunes or kiwifruit, for example), take a brisk 20- to 30-minute walk, and then sit on the toilet with a footstool under your feet. Give yourself unhurried time. The body responds well to consistency, and after a week or two of the same pattern, many people find the urge becomes predictable.
If you’ve tried these approaches for three to four weeks without improvement, or if you notice blood in your stool, unintended weight loss of 10 pounds or more, or a sudden change in bowel habits after age 50, those are signs that something beyond lifestyle may be involved and warrant a closer look from a physician.