Cut From Steel

AT 70, HE WALKED ACROSS AMERICA.

Edward Payson Weston was the most famous walker in America. Crowds turned out to watch him walk for days on end. Newspapers followed his progress mile by mile. He turned walking into a spectator sport.

Weston walked from Portland, Maine, to Chicago in 1867, a trip of about 1,200 miles. Forty years later, in 1907, he did it again at the age of 68. He beat his old time by more than a day.

Weston was not finished. On March 15, 1909, his 70th birthday, he set out from New York for San Francisco. He covered nearly 3,900 miles in about 104 walking days. A year later, at 71, he walked from Los Angeles back to New York in about 77 days.

Weston kept moving for most of his long life. A taxi struck him in New York in 1927, and he never walked again. He died in 1929 at the age of 90. That accident came sixty years after his first long walk to Chicago.

You do not need to cross a continent. Keep your legs moving, and the rest of your body tends to follow. Weston proved it one mile at a time, at an age when most men had long since settled into a chair.

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THE MORNING THAT STALLS

You used to be regular without thinking about it. Now some mornings go by with nothing doing. You sit there, scroll the phone, and give up.

I am not going to give you a fiber lecture. You have heard it already. Much of what keeps you regular has little to do with the menu. Timing, posture, and movement matter just as much.

You are not alone in this. Constipation gets more common as men age, and plenty of readers deal with it in private.

THREE HABITS YOUR GUT RUNS ON

You can fix a lot of this with three simple habits. I will take them one at a time.

01 / Timing

You have a built-in signal after meals. NIDDK, part of the National Institutes of Health, suggests trying to go 15 to 45 minutes after breakfast, because eating prompts the colon to move. Going at the same time each day trains the habit.

02 / The urge

You probably ignore the urge when it shows up at a bad time. Mayo Clinic and NIDDK both say to go as soon as you feel the need. Waiting it out may make the next try harder. Hold it often enough, and the signal may get weaker.

03 / Your feet

Ohio State researchers tested a simple footstool on 52 volunteers. With their feet raised, 90 percent strained less and 85 percent emptied more completely. Their time on the toilet dropped from about five and a half minutes to just over four.

SET UP TOMORROW MORNING

You can start tonight by putting a small stool in the bathroom. A kid's step stool works fine. Raise your knees above your hips and lean forward a little.

You can eat breakfast at the same time tomorrow, then give yourself ten unhurried minutes afterward. Leave the phone in the other room. A warm drink with breakfast may help get things moving.

You can add a few minutes of easy movement after breakfast. A short walk around the block pairs well with the morning signal.

You can drink a glass of water when you wake up, too. It costs nothing and starts the day on the right foot.

You should walk every day as well. NIDDK lists regular physical activity as one way to help. Weston would tell you the same thing, at length.

I would keep a simple note for two weeks. Write down when you went and how it felt, then bring it along if things do not improve.

I would see a doctor if the trouble lasts more than three weeks. Mayo Clinic also lists rectal bleeding, black stools, belly pain that will not stop, and weight loss you did not plan. Each one is a reason to call. If you are 45 or older and have never been screened for colon cancer, book that too.

One last thing. Your gut keeps a schedule. Show up for it, and it will usually show up for you.

— Travis

Insider Member's Corner

6 free habits that keep you regular:

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01 / Boots · Red Wing Classic Moc 875

Red Wing first made the Classic Moc in 1952 for hunters and outdoorsmen. The 875 uses Oro Legacy leather from the company's own tannery, S.B. Foot. The boots take some breaking in, then they settle into the shape of your feet. Red Wing lists them at $329.99.

02 / Trail · The West Highland Way

Scotland's West Highland Way runs 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William. It officially opened in 1980. Most walkers take seven or eight days, passing Loch Lomond and crossing Rannoch Moor on the way north. Book the bunkhouses early and pack for rain.

03 / Jacket · Barbour Beaufort

Dame Margaret Barbour designed the Beaufort in 1983. It is cut from 6-ounce waxed cotton with a full-width game pocket across the back. Barbour lists the Classic Beaufort at $450. Rewax it every year or so, and it will outlast your dog.