Humans Are Built to Squat to Poop
At the lower end of your bowel there is a muscle, called the puborectalis, that wraps around the bowel, cinching it shut to keep the contents of the bowel contained. The puborectalis is engaged whether you're sitting, standing, or holding just about any position, except for when you're squatting. Squatting releases the puborectalis, allowing the bowel to fully extend so that waste can pass more easily.
Because the puborectalis is engaged, sitting to eliminate places stress on the bowel, which can result in the need to strain or an incomplete emptying. Over time, pressure from straining can cause or aggravate constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticula, urinary tract infections and pelvic floor issues. Another issue that can arise from straining is thin stool. This is an indication that the bowel has become narrow, or constricted, as a result of pressure exerted on the bowel.
Adopting the squatting position on a toilet would be, shall we say, impractical. In between sitting and a full squat, however, is a position called flexing. Although you are seated in this position, your knees are raised above your hips and your body is angled forward. This creates a shift in the angle of the bowel that is sufficient to release the puborectalis so that you don’t have to squat. This is what a toilet stool does. If you focus your attention while in the sitting position, and then in the flex position, you can feel that less effort is needed in the flex position.
Without a toilet, we would innately squat to poop. Toilets changed the way we poop, but they can also change how well your bowel works. It's worth noting that Sir John Harrington, the man who invented the flush toilet, was a poet, not an anatomist!
Compact, stylish and sustainably made, the Stoolie is a simple and effective way to help safeguard your bowel health.