{"id":22756,"date":"2026-08-20T02:25:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T02:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/?p=22756"},"modified":"2026-08-20T02:25:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T02:25:49","slug":"i-spent-two-years-balancing-my-feet-on-a-stack-of-towels-turns-out-the-fix-was-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/i-spent-two-years-balancing-my-feet-on-a-stack-of-towels-turns-out-the-fix-was-2\/","title":{"rendered":"I Spent Two Years Balancing My Feet on a Stack of Towels. Turns Out the Fix Was $25."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n\/* All rules scoped to .bc-adv so nothing leaks into the WordPress theme *\/\n.bc-adv{\n  --ink:#1b1b1b; --body:#2a2a2a; --muted:#8c8c8c; --line:#e7e7e7;\n  --paper:#ffffff; --rose:#c0564e; --rose-soft:#f6ece9;\n  --btn:#000000; --btn-hover-bg:#fff5e6;\n  --serif:Georgia,\"Times New Roman\",Cambria,serif;\n  --sans:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,\"Segoe UI\",\"Helvetica Neue\",Arial,sans-serif;\n  max-width:680px; margin:0 auto; padding:28px 20px 56px;\n  font-family:var(--sans); color:var(--body); background:var(--paper);\n  font-size:18px; line-height:1.65; -webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;\n}\n.bc-adv *{box-sizing:border-box;}\n.bc-adv p{margin:0 0 20px;}\n.bc-adv a{color:var(--ink);}\n\n\/* Masthead *\/\n.bc-adv .bc-eyebrow{\n  font-family:var(--sans); font-size:12px; font-weight:700;\n  letter-spacing:.14em; text-transform:uppercase; color:var(--rose);\n  margin:0 0 12px;\n}\n.bc-adv h1{\n  font-family:var(--serif); font-weight:700; color:var(--ink);\n  font-size:34px; line-height:1.18; letter-spacing:-.01em; margin:0 0 14px;\n}\n.bc-adv .bc-dek{\n  font-size:19px; color:var(--ink); font-weight:600; margin:0 0 18px;\n}\n.bc-adv .bc-byline{\n  font-size:13px; letter-spacing:.03em; color:var(--muted);\n  padding-bottom:22px; margin-bottom:26px; border-bottom:1px solid var(--line);\n}\n\n\/* Reasons *\/\n.bc-adv h2{\n  font-family:var(--serif); font-weight:700; color:var(--ink);\n  font-size:24px; line-height:1.28; letter-spacing:-.01em;\n  margin:38px 0 14px;\n}\n.bc-adv h2 .bc-num{ color:var(--rose); font-variant-numeric:tabular-nums; }\n\n\/* Image slots *\/\n.bc-adv .bc-slot{ margin:0 0 22px; }\n.bc-adv .bc-img{ width:100%; height:auto; display:block; border-radius:8px; }\n.bc-adv figcaption{ font-size:11px; letter-spacing:.08em; text-transform:uppercase; color:var(--muted); margin-top:6px; text-align:right; }\n\n\/* Product card *\/\n.bc-adv .bc-card{\n  border:1px solid var(--line); border-radius:12px; padding:22px;\n  margin:26px 0; background:var(--paper);\n}\n.bc-adv .bc-card__name{ font-family:var(--serif); font-size:20px; font-weight:700; color:var(--ink); margin:2px 0 8px; }\n.bc-adv .bc-card__meta{ font-size:14px; color:var(--muted); margin:0 0 6px; }\n.bc-adv .bc-card__meta .bc-star{ color:#e8a13a; }\n.bc-adv .bc-card__price{ font-size:16px; color:var(--ink); margin:0 0 16px; }\n.bc-adv .bc-card__price b{ font-size:20px; }\n.bc-adv .bc-card__price .bc-fine{ color:var(--muted); font-size:14px; }\n.bc-adv .bc-aff{\n  font-size:12.5px; line-height:1.5; color:var(--muted);\n  border-left:3px solid var(--rose-soft); padding:2px 0 2px 12px; margin:14px 0 0;\n}\n\n\/* CTA buttons \u2014 clear, full-width button boxes in Brit+Co's primary-button\n   palette (#000 \u2192 cream on hover). Every CTA (inline + card) uses .bc-btn. *\/\n.bc-adv .bc-btn{\n  display:block; width:100%; text-align:center; box-sizing:border-box;\n  background:var(--btn); color:#fff !important; text-decoration:none;\n  font-family:var(--sans); font-size:15px; font-weight:800; letter-spacing:.08em;\n  text-transform:uppercase; padding:16px 24px; border-radius:8px;\n  border:2px solid var(--btn); transition:background .15s, color .15s;\n}\n.bc-adv .bc-btn:hover{ background:var(--btn-hover-bg); color:#000 !important; }\n.bc-adv .bc-cta-wrap{ margin:26px 0; }\n\n\/* Compliance: disclosure under the byline, fine print in the footer *\/\n.bc-adv .bc-disclosure{\n  background:var(--rose-soft); border-radius:10px; padding:13px 16px;\n  font-size:13.5px; line-height:1.55; color:#5c4a47; margin:0 0 22px;\n}\n.bc-adv .bc-fine-print{\n  border-top:1px solid var(--line); margin:18px 0 0; padding-top:16px;\n  font-size:12.5px; line-height:1.55; color:var(--muted);\n}\n\n\/* Trust + footer *\/\n.bc-adv .bc-trust{\n  background:var(--rose-soft); border-radius:12px; padding:18px 20px;\n  font-size:14.5px; line-height:1.6; color:#5c4a47; margin:34px 0 18px;\n}\n.bc-adv .bc-trust b{ color:var(--ink); }\n.bc-adv .bc-cat{ font-size:13px; color:var(--muted); letter-spacing:.03em; }\n.bc-adv .bc-cat b{ color:var(--ink); }\n\n.bc-adv a:focus-visible, .bc-adv .bc-btn:focus-visible{ outline:2px solid var(--rose); outline-offset:2px; }\n\n@media (min-width:540px){\n  .bc-adv{ font-size:19px; padding-top:40px; }\n  .bc-adv h1{ font-size:40px; }\n  .bc-adv h2{ font-size:26px; }\n}\n\n\/* Host-theme overrides (NOT scoped to .bc-adv): the styled masthead above is\n   this post's title\/byline\/hero, so hide the Genesis theme's duplicate\n   title+byline and featured image. Only loads on the single-post view; scoped\n   to sponsored posts so nothing else is affected. *\/\n.category-sponsored .entry-header,\n.category-sponsored .featured-image{ display:none !important; }\n<\/style>\n<article class=\"bc-adv\">\n<p class=\"bc-eyebrow\">Sponsored by Squatty Potty<\/p>\n<h1>I Spent Two Years Balancing My Feet on a Stack of Towels. Turns Out the Fix Was $25.<\/h1>\n<p class=\"bc-byline\">By Brit + Co Staff \u00b7 August 2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"bc-disclosure\">This is a sponsored article. Brit&nbsp;+&nbsp;Co may earn a commission if you buy through our links. Not medical advice \u2014 individual results vary.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"bc-slot\" data-slot=\"hero\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bc-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/squatty-01-hero.jpg\" alt=\"Squatty Potty tucked under a bathroom toilet\"><\/figure>\n<p>For about two years, my \u201csystem\u201d was a bath towel folded into thirds, balanced under my feet, that slid out from under me roughly every third morning. Before the towel it was an upside-down storage bin. My mother-in-law swears by a repurposed milk crate. If any of this sounds unhinged, I have news: scroll the reviews on almost any toilet stool and you\u2019ll find thousands of us confessing to the exact same thing \u2014 trash cans, gallon jugs, stacked books \u2014 all quietly trying to get our knees up.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the thing we were all fumbling toward without knowing it: your body isn\u2019t built to do its business at a right angle. Sitting bolt upright at 90 degrees keeps a muscle called the puborectalis looped around the colon like a kink in a garden hose. Getting your knees up above your hips \u2014 a gentle ~35-degree lean \u2014 relaxes that muscle and straightens the hose. That\u2019s the entire idea. It\u2019s why the towel-under-the-feet instinct is right, and why doing it with actual towels is a mess.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"bc-slot\" data-slot=\"inline\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bc-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/squatty-02-how-it-works.png\" alt=\"Sitting at 90 degrees versus squatting at 35 degrees\"><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"bc-num\">1.<\/span> It unkinks exactly what sitting all day kinks up<\/h2>\n<p>The Squatty Potty is a contoured stool that curves around the base of your toilet and lifts your feet into that ~35-degree squat \u2014 the position the towel pile was badly imitating. No batteries, no technique, no learning a new skill. You put your feet up and sit like you normally would. Most people notice the difference the very first time; the brand says for some it takes about a week to feel natural. It\u2019s the original \u2014 the one from Shark Tank, now used by more than 8 million households.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"bc-card\" data-slot=\"product-card\"><figure class=\"bc-slot\" data-slot=\"product-img\" style=\"margin-bottom:16px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bc-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/squatty-03-product-in-card.jpg\" alt=\"Squatty Potty Original 7 inch white toilet stool\"><\/figure><h3 class=\"bc-card__name\">Squatty Potty Original 7\u2033 Toilet Stool \u2014 White<\/h3><p class=\"bc-card__meta\"><span class=\"bc-star\">\u2605<\/span> 4.6 average across 63,736 Amazon ratings<\/p><p class=\"bc-card__price\"><b>$24.99<\/b> <span class=\"bc-fine\">\u00b7 one-piece molded plastic, rated to 350 lbs<\/span><\/p><a class=\"bc-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00ESKVN7W?tag=hyphen-brit-base-20\" data-cta=\"\">Shop at Amazon<\/a><p class=\"bc-aff\">When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Brit&nbsp;+&nbsp;Co independently chooses what we cover and recommend.<\/p><\/aside>\n<h2><span class=\"bc-num\">2.<\/span> If you started a GLP-1 this year, this one\u2019s quietly for you<\/h2>\n<p>Nobody puts it on the pamphlet, but a huge share of people who start GLP-1 medications run straight into one well-known side effect: things slow way down. It\u2019s one of the most common complaints on those meds, and it\u2019s exactly the situation where getting your posture right does the most work. One reviewer summed it up in four words \u2014 \u201cespecially great when on GLP.\u201d If that\u2019s you, a $25 stool is a low-stakes thing to try before anything more drastic.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"bc-slot\" data-slot=\"inline\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bc-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/squatty-04-context.jpg\" alt=\"Squatty Potty in a calm morning bathroom\"><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"bc-num\">3.<\/span> You\u2019re probably already doing this \u2014 just with worse tools<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever stacked towels, flipped a bin, or nudged a bathroom trash can into place, you\u2019ve already run the experiment and gotten your answer. The stool just does it without sliding, looking ridiculous, or collapsing mid-use. Think of it as the retired-the-towels upgrade: same instinct, actually engineered for the job, with a grippy surface so your feet aren\u2019t negotiating with a moving target. Honestly, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00ESKVN7W?tag=hyphen-brit-base-20\">it costs about what you\u2019ve thrown at \u201ctemporary\u201d fixes already<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"bc-slot\" data-slot=\"inline\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bc-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/squatty-05-in-use.jpg\" alt=\"Feet resting on a Squatty Potty stool\"><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"bc-num\">4.<\/span> It fits your bathroom and disappears when you\u2019re done<\/h2>\n<p>The curved shape tucks flush around the base of the toilet, so it\u2019s not a clunky box in the middle of the floor \u2014 it slides underneath and out of the sightline between uses. The 7\u2033 height is the right starting point for a standard toilet (14\u201315.5\u2033); if you\u2019ve got a comfort-height toilet or you\u2019re taller, the 9\u2033 is the better match. Footprint is about 12.9\u2033 deep by 20.9\u2033 wide, so it fits most setups without a rethink.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"bc-slot\" data-slot=\"inline\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"bc-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/squatty-06-tucked-away-detail.jpg\" alt=\"Squatty Potty tucked flush around the toilet base\"><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"bc-num\">5.<\/span> No assembly, no manual, no learning curve<\/h2>\n<p>It arrives as one solid piece of easy-to-clean molded plastic rated to 350 lbs. There\u2019s nothing to build and nothing to read \u2014 you slide it under the toilet, rest your feet on it, and that\u2019s the entire onboarding. Wipe it down like anything else in the bathroom. The whole \u201cgetting started\u201d phase is over in about four seconds.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"bc-num\">6.<\/span> 8 million households and a very tall stack of receipts<\/h2>\n<p>This is the part that made me stop improvising. The Original holds a 4.6-star average across more than 63,736 Amazon ratings, it\u2019s a Shark Tank alum, and the brand notes it\u2019s recommended by doctors. That\u2019s not a scrappy newcomer \u2014 it\u2019s the product everyone\u2019s homemade version was trying to be. You can read the full rating breakdown yourself at the link.<\/p>\n<p class=\"bc-cta-wrap\"><a class=\"bc-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00ESKVN7W?tag=hyphen-brit-base-20\" data-cta=\"\">See the 63,736 ratings on Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"bc-num\">7.<\/span> It\u2019s $25 \u2014 and here\u2019s who it\u2019s honestly NOT for<\/h2>\n<p>Real talk, because the reviews are candid: a few people find the foot pads spaced a little wide and end up resting their feet toward the middle. If you\u2019re quite short, the 7\u2033 can sit taller than you\u2019d like against your knees \u2014 a couple of very petite reviewers wanted a 5\u2033. And a handful reported cracking under heavier repeated use, so if you\u2019re near the upper weight range, treat the 350 lb rating as a ceiling, not a target. For most people at a standard toilet, though, it\u2019s a $24.99 fix for a problem you\u2019ve been solving with laundry.<\/p>\n<h2>The verdict<\/h2>\n<p>I wasted two years and an embarrassing number of towels avoiding a $25 purchase. The Squatty Potty is just the properly-built version of a thing your body was already asking for \u2014 feet up, knees above hips, colon un-kinked. If you\u2019ve ever rigged something under your feet in there, you already know the answer. Skip the milk crate.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"bc-card\" data-slot=\"closing-card\"><h3 class=\"bc-card__name\">Squatty Potty Original 7\u2033 Toilet Stool \u2014 White<\/h3><p class=\"bc-card__price\"><b>$24.99<\/b> <span class=\"bc-fine\">\u00b7 <span class=\"bc-star\">\u2605<\/span> 4.6 \u00b7 63,736 ratings \u00b7 free returns<\/span><\/p><a class=\"bc-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00ESKVN7W?tag=hyphen-brit-base-20\" data-cta=\"\">Shop at Amazon<\/a><\/aside>\n<p class=\"bc-trust\"><b>Why trust Brit&nbsp;+&nbsp;Co:<\/b> our editorial team highlights products we think are genuinely worth your time, based on features, verified reviews, and real-world use. Brands don\u2019t decide what we recommend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"bc-cat\"><b>Category:<\/b> Sponsored<\/p>\n<p class=\"bc-fine-print\">This article is a paid partnership with Squatty Potty and contains affiliate links; Brit&nbsp;+&nbsp;Co may earn a commission on purchases. Product details, pricing, and ratings reflect the Amazon listing at time of publication and may change. This content is for general information only, is not medical advice, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. Individual results vary \u2014 consult a healthcare professional about your specific needs.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sponsored by Squatty Potty I Spent Two Years Balancing My Feet on a Stack of Towels. Turns Out the Fix Was $25. By Brit + Co Staff \u00b7 August 2026 This is a sponsored article. Brit&nbsp;+&nbsp;Co may earn a commission if you buy through our links. Not medical advice \u2014 individual results vary. For about &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":22750,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_block_theme_hide_title":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sponsored","with-featured-image"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/squatty-01-hero-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/squatty-01-hero-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Brit+Co Staff","author_link":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/author\/chase\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22756"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22763,"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22756\/revisions\/22763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brit.co\/britpicks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}