Constipation is the bane of senior citizens; particularly when they pass the age of seventy or so.  This is probably brought on by the generally sedentary, less active lifestyle.

So, the first order of business is to try to maintain an active lifestyle.  Even though you may not do bungee jumping or run a marathon, try to walk or trot a mile or so each day.  One of the greatest activities is to take up or keep on playing golf.  This combines walking along with physical activity.

Diet is the next important item for preventing constipation.  The body requires a lot of fiber in the diet.  A typical diet might include a bowl of cereal at breakfast time, such as Bran Buds.  Add some two percent milk and some sliced banana as this will add a bit of flavor as well as being the “perfect fruit”.  This should be followed by a tablet of Metamucil about an hour or two later.  When taking Metamucil, be sure to drink at least two glasses of water to prevent the Metamucil from lumping in the intestinal tract.

The afternoon luncheon should include a bowl of fresh salad.  Then an hour or so later, take your second Metamucil pill.  Somewhere in between mealtime, between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner, have some yogurt.  Yogurt promotes the proper functioning of the intestines, including transit time, and thereby contributing to the well being of the digestive system.

The supper menu should include three or four dried prunes; prior to the regular meal; again, followed by a tablet of Metamucil around eight o’clock.

This diet will spread out the intake of fiber over the day and not lump everything all together at one time.  This is fairly important as too much fiber at one time may upset your stomach.

Following this procedure, you should experience a regular movement shortly after you wake up or immediately after breakfast.  If this does not help entirely, it may help to take a tablet of Colace (docusate sodium), a stool softener, shortly before going to bed or along with the evening Metamucil.