As Mums, just after we've had our baby we are usually strongly urged by health visitors, midwives and other health professionals to ensure that we do our pelvic floor exercises. But what are our pelvic floor muscles and why do they matter so much?
There are even a range of discreet exercise trackers which can help manage the exercises and keep you on track. A great reliable and trusted resource for further information on the pelvic floor muscles is White Pharmacy, who also offer a range of products and advice to assist with your pelvic floor exercises.
Our pelvic floor muscles are located in between our legs and they hold our pelvic organs in place such as our bladder, bowel, uterus and vagina. The pelvic floor muscles support the bladder and bowel, and give you control when you urinate. They relax at the same time as the bladder contracts to let urine out.
As we get older our pelvic floor muscles get naturally weaker, but those of us who have had children may also have weaker pelvic floor muscles.
The problem with having weakened pelvic floor muscles is that problems such as urinary incontinence (random leaking down below) as well as reduced sensitivity during sex can occur. 1 in 3 women actually experience problems with this and 50-80% of women experience a weakened pelvic floor in pregnancy and after child birth. But the good news is that you can do something about it!
Pelvic floor exercises are quick and easy! The most common way of exercising and strengthening your pelvic floor muscle is to sit comfortably and squeeze the muscle that you can feel if you try to stop the flow of urine when you go to the toilet. It's recommended to start by doing this 10 to 15 times in a row without holding your breath or tightening your stomach. You can increase the amount you're doing it over time as you get used to it and you can usually start to see results in 2-3 weeks following regular exercise.
There are also other exercises you can do whilst engaging your pelvic floor such as bridges, wall squats, and star jumps that all help to strengthen it.
Did you do your pelvic floor exercises? Did you find it easy to remember to do them? I have to say - I have actually been doing lots of mine whilst writing this post!
Over on this webpage there are tons of commonly asked questions about pelvic floor muscles with lots of useful answers which is so worth having a little read of.
White Pharmacy are currently running a prize draw and will be giving away an Elvie (RRP £149). Details of how to enter can be found here.
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I need to start doing something really. I'm so lazy oops!
ReplyDeleteI got this from the NHS website.....
ReplyDeleteYou can feel your pelvic floor muscles if you try to stop the flow of urine when you go to the toilet. However, it is not recommended that you regularly stop your flow of urine midstream, because it can be harmful to the bladder.
To strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, sit comfortably and squeeze the muscles 10 to 15 times in a row. Do not hold your breath or tighten your stomach, buttock or thigh muscles at the same time.
When you get used to doing pelvic floor exercises, you can try holding each squeeze for a few seconds. Every week, you can add more squeezes, but be careful not to overdo it and always have a rest between sets of squeezes.
After a few months, you should start to notice the results. Your incontinence should improve, as well as the sensitivity you experience during sex. You should carry on doing the exercises, even when you notice them starting to work.
....they do work, but it takes effort. Sometimes you just don't feel like exercises on top of looking after your little ones and doing housework, but I guess it's worth it in the end.
Zoe