5 secrets to improving pelvic floor function

, ,

As we get older, parts of our body that used to work great, are just not as functional as they once were. A common one is weakened pelvic floor muscles. If these aren’t working properly, then you could have trouble with bladder leakage and sexual discomfort. But don’t stress, because there are five easy activities you can do to improve your pelvic floor muscles.

5 Secrets to An Improved Pelvic Floor

1. Learn to Do Pelvic Floor Exercises Correctly – it’s important that you’re able to use and control the muscles, around your rectum, vagina, and urethra fully. Here’s a great article from Physiotherapy New Zealand which explains how to do your pelvic floor exercises.

2. Do Your Exercises Upright – to further enhance what you have already mastered, incorporate your exercises into other parts of your life. So why not do them when you are standing up and walking around too? This will only help strengthen your core and give you more control over your pelvic muscles.

3. Avoid Getting Constipated – to reduce the chance of being constipated, make sure that you eat plenty of foods high in dietary fibre, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This is because constipation can put a lot of unneeded strain and pressure on your pelvic floor muscles, affecting them negatively.

4. Position Yourself Correctly on the Toilet – raising the angle of your rectum by lacing your feet on a stool when sitting on the toilet helps decrease the pressure upon your pelvic muscles.

5. Get Professional Help – physiotherapists or an exercise physiologist who specialises in women’s health can help you make an action plan to meet your specific needs. They’ll also be the best type of people to chat with about if you can avoid having surgery to treat a symptomatic prolapse or incontinence issues. A visit your to GP can also help you get the support you need too.

Suffering from a weakened pelvic floor does not need to be a life sentence. Start off with your pelvic floor exercises gently and often. Increase the amount of time you spending doing each exercise gradually and you will start seeing results!