Passionate about the Pelvic Floor

To say that I am passionate about form and function in exercise is a masterpiece of understatement.

If one is exercising without correct form or without training a purposeful or functional movement in their body then I ask, what is the point?

One of the most neglected muscles in the female body and yet one of the most essential is the Pelvic Floor. This small sling of muscle that does so many things is sadly neglected in much that is done in the name of fitness.

As a mother of 2, might I say very large, naturally delivered children, I totally understand what happens when this muscle becomes stressed and loses its ability to function. Stress incontinence is probably one of the first signs in post natal women that something is wrong, and yet it is often overlooked or neglected. I hear women ask "Why does this happen" and then fail to ask "How do I fix it".

What is stress incontinence? Well, it's an ugly topic. It's when you can't hold your bladder when you cough or sneeze, or you find you do a little wee when you're jumping around in a high energy aerobic class. It's unpleasant, embarrassing and detrimental to your long term health.

Why does it happen? Because you're using your abdominal muscles incorrectly and your pelvic floor and deep stabilisers are not working the way they should. This can happen as a result of many things, and it can often happen following pregnancy, especially if you have failed to maintain pelvic floor training throughout.

A simple prescription to restrengthen the pelvic floor and help reduce your risk of long term health implications from a weakened pelvic floor muscle is to do 2 - 3 sets of 8 - 10 repetitions daily of near maximal pelvic floor contract and release exercises; so 1 set in the morning when you wake up and 1 set in the evening before bed will suffice. It will take you less than 10 minutes, but it will make a world of difference in the long run.

I DON'T mean crunches. Pelvic floor exercises, also called Kegel exercises, are small near maximal muscle contractions and releases of the pelvic floor muscle. If you're not sure how to do them and you suffer from stress incontinence or are pregnant then I urge you to find out. It takes some time and often the assistance of a skilled professional, either physiotherapist or fitness trainer, can be helpful to ensure you are using the right muscles.

Check your breathing. It is important to breathe out on the contraction, not in. And feedback tells me that for many women this goes against their natural instinct.

The practice needs to be regular so that what you do consciously becomes a subconscious action and you begin to train your pelvic floor without realising it. And the release needs to be slow and controlled too. Aim to extend your in breath and your out breath to a count of 5 and move the muscles in time with the breath.

My hubby tells me that he is a fan of this training too, for reasons that apparently only guys can understand, but girls, the news is all good!!

If I can share one piece of advice with you today it is to take action if you are pregnant or suffering from stress incontinence to strengthen your pelvic floor. Keeping that packet of "Poise" out of the supermarket trolley should be incentive enough!