1 in 3 Moms Have This Issue

Ask pretty much any mom out there and she will tell you most passionately that her kids are the best things that ever happened to her. Most mommas will brush aside the heartache, the sleep deprivation, the worry, the (at times) absolute insanity that comes with motherhood and say they would do it ALL again in a heartbeat.

I think we all agree that mums go through a hell of a lot physically, mentally and emotionally for their kids but there’s one issue about 30% of moms deal with that is not often discussed and can be quite embarrassing – but shouldn’t be…weak pelvic floors (bet you weren’t expecting that).

Nope – it’s not glamorous but it ‘s very prevalent and MAY be easily prevented and if needed, remedied without invasive surgery. The muscles in the pelvic floor form a “hammock” holding in the organs located in the pelvis, assist in urinary and fecal continence, aid in sexual performance and more. During pregnancy and vaginal delivery, these muscles get stretched and weakened. This can also occur in overweight people and with aging, the muscle tone naturally declines without regular exercise.

Signs and symptoms include incontinence, pain on urination, pressure and even pelvic organ prolapse. These issues make their presence know when women are doing impact exercise like running, jumping jacks, jumprope, etc. Things as benign as sneezing, laughing or picking up your child can result in bladder or bowel leakage or having to run to the bathroom.

The good news is, like all muscles, they can be trained to be stronger, increase endurance and get better at doing their job using the following exercises:

1. KEGELS
You can first identify the pelvic floor muscles by stopping the flow of urine. Once you have the feeling of how to control these muscles you can do these exercises anywhere and anytime even when working on your laptop (and no one will ever know – except maybe your partner…).

With an empty bladder imagine stopping the flow of urine to contract or squeeze the appropriate muscles. Hold this squeeze for 3-5 counts and relax. Repeat up to 10 times and repeat the whole set up to 3 times a day to start.

To progress:
1. Extend the hold time up to 10 counts and/or increase the # of reps to 15 or 20.
2. Imagine your pelvic floor muscles as an elevator that goes up and “stops” for 2-5 counts at each floor and then comes back down, “stopping” at each floor. 3. Imagine the muscles acting as waves and contracting them in a rolling wave pattern.

2. LOW – to – NO GRAVITY lower ab exercises
Perform Glute Bridges with variations or Downward Dog with variations daily.
Make sure to focus on keeping your abs pulled in to your spine.