A happy well-functioning pelvic floor is not all about kegels (and for some women, it’s specifically NOT about kegels).
I talk a lot with the women I work with about: 🍊 ‘low hanging fruit’ – choosing the easiest thing to change first. 💥 bang for buck – starting with the one thing that will have the biggest ripple effect. 💯 80/20 rule – focusing on the 20% effort that will create 80% of the results.
The toileting habits in this list are a great place to start to prevent or manage early symptoms, if you haven’t yet made it to a pelvic floor physio for an individual assessment.
Make sure to share the ❤️ with any friends you think also need this info (make sure they can handle a little sarcasm first 😉).
Keen to know what you should do for a happier pelvic floor?
1️⃣ When the urge strikes to empty your bowels – RESPOND!
→ This is one I talk about all the time with mums because so often our mornings can get hijacked by kids & pre-school/kindy chaos. Try to build un-rushed toilet time into your morning routine. Make sure you eat or move your body early enough for the signal to be triggered, and make sure you have the time to go (in as much peace as possible).
2️⃣ Use your ‘bowel breathing’ to get things moving.
→ Bowel breathing is very similar to birth breathing → Inhale deeply into ribcage, belly & pelvic floor. Exhale, maintaining a soft belly and wide waist.
3️⃣ Let it flow gently.
No need to push when you pee! Sit down, relax your breathing, and let it flow!
4️⃣ Try to avoid ‘just in case’ visits to the toilet.
Other than the odd exception, this is a good rule to keep the signal between your bladder and brain as accurate as possible.
5️⃣ Use a foot stool to empty your bowels.
This one’s a game changer! Don’t knock it until you try it.
6️⃣ Don’t test or practise your pelvic floor exercises on the toilet.
→ Even though it can be nice to see if you CAN, it can be confusing for the bladder and pelvic floor when we stop & start the flow.
7️⃣ Avoid blowing your nose on the toilet.
→ This just places a whole lotta downward pressure on your pelvic floor, which may already be replaced or on stretch. Save the nose blow for before or after!