How many times have you felt that you are not able to hold your urine? Does high impact activity have you running to the loo? What about worrying about it with a cough or a sneeze? Shame, embarrassment… unnecessary! This is a problem that is under discussed, but we are here to discuss! Most women tend to put this issue aside with the belief that it is unavoidable with age or after pregnancy. Well, SURPRISE! This is not always the case. These symptoms are more common than we think and are experienced by most women, however, can be treated. This is where your pelvic floor strength comes into play.
Let us start by briefly explaining what the Pelvic Floor is.
Put quite simply- You can feel your pelvic floor muscles if you try to stop the flow of urine when you go to the toilet.
Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles found in the floor (the base) of your pelvis (the bottom of your torso). If you think of the pelvis as being the home to organs like the bladder, urethra, uterus, vagina and rectum, the pelvic floor muscles are the home’s foundation. These muscles act as the support structure keeping everything in place within your body. So, imagine how much work the amazing pelvic floor must do. This is why we need to take care of it.
Now, for those of you questioning whether this is important enough to discuss or work on- here is how it could affect your body, but also your mind.
YOUR BODY
- URINARY INCONTINENCE
The pelvic floor must be able to contract and relax. If it is weak, we lose this ability, making it complicated to hold our urine.
- VAGINAL PROLAPSE
If you are walking and suddenly feel like your bladder is coming out from your vagina, remember that this is not a natural feeling, and it means that your pelvic floor is weak.
- SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
Well… think of it this way. If your pelvic floor is healthy, your blood vessels remain healthy, and this improves blood flow to the pelvic tissues and nerves. So just imagine the complete opposite when it is not healthy…
- PREGNANCY ANS POST PREGNANCY ISSUES
The pelvic floor must handle a lot of weight. Therefore, having a weak pelvic floor whilst pregnant can only increase the effect of all the above symptoms, also making it more difficult to return to a strong natural state post pregnancy.
YOUR MIND
The above symptoms can greatly affect quality of life and mental health. From embarrassment and loss of confidence to anxiety and distress, these are common issues that arise when situations like these are not tackled. So, why do we not talk about it? Even better, why do we not train it?
Potential causes of a weak pelvic floor
- Smoking.
- Obesity.
- Respiratory diseases.
- Impact in Sports.
- Natural Birth.
Got the idea? So, here’s what you can do to strengthen it!
Here are some ways to strengthen or prevent pelvic floor issues, however, if your symptoms are severe and persist, we advise that you visit a professional in the area who can guide you.
- Work out!
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Include fibre and probiotics in your diet
- Healthy habits and techniques to using the bathroom
- Establish & maintain good posture
- Practice low-impact exercises
- HYPOPRESSIVE EXERCISES
And this is how we can help! At SCRAM, we are ready to help you strengthen your pelvic floor the best way- through hypopressive abdominal exercises. This consists of low-pressure training that combines a series of body postures with breathing, focusing on a global way of working the body, and in turn lowering the pressure around the thoracic cavity, abdomen and pelvic area.
Join us at SCRAM Gym, Birkirkara, on Saturday 24th July between 9am and 10:30 am where we will discuss the above and take you through some hypopressive exercises.
To register, send an email to [email protected] with your Full name and contact number. A Donation of €15 is to be paid upon attendance. All proceeds will be going towards the Women for Women Foundation.
Here to help women!
YOU and your PELVIC FLOOR are going to be STRONGER THAN EVER
Article written by Enac Armas Marrero.
Do you have an experience you’d like to share with us at wham? Contact us or send us an email at [email protected]
SCRAM strives to bring a scientific approach to physical training and exercise and aims to deliver high quality coaching in a community environment. SCRAM works with everyone from beginners, fitness enthusiasts to elite athletes looking to excel in their sport.
