Pelvic Floor Exercises

Strong pelvic floor muscles are essential throughout a woman’s life stages:

• For young women who experience bladder weakness (not pregnancy related)

• To prevent bladder weakness during pregnancy
• To aid giving birth and recovery
• To prevent bladder weakness after childbirth
• For young women who experience bladder weakness (not pregnancy related)
   

• To improve core strength and prevent back injuries
• To prevent bladder weakness and leakage when coughing, laughing and excercising
   

• To counter the effects of hormonal changes during menopause that can cause bladder weakness
• For core strength and back support
   

• To prevent bladder weakness leading to incontinence in older people
• To ensure you don’t end up incontinent and wearing incontinence pads as an aged person…it doesn’t have to be that way!
   

Other factors that can cause bladder weakness or incontinence are:

• Straining to empty the bladder or bowel with or without constipation
• Constipation
• Persistent heavy lifting
• Chronic cough (from smoking, chronic bronchitis or asthma)
• Being overweight
• Lack of general fitness
   

What can I do about it?

You can incorporate pelvic floor exercises into your daily life at any life stage by:

• Doing regular Pilates or Yoga, where they focus on core strength and pelvic floor exercises
• Doing pelvic floor exercises
• By using Smart Balls as part of your daily routine.  Smart Balls exercise your pelvic floor muscles as you go about your daily routine, are effective and easy to use and inexpensive . Inserted vaginally, Smart Balls are a medical grade, weighted ball that tones your muscles from the inside. You will notice improved muscle tone within 2 weeks of daily use and significant improvement- the correction and prevention of bladder weakenss after 8 weeks. Find out more about Smart Balls.

Pelvic Floor Exercises - how to start

• To start with try these exercises while sitting
• As your  muscles get stronger, you can try the exercises in a standing position
• Start with what you can achieve comfortably and build on your exercises each day
• Remember to use engage your pelvic floor muscles during your daily activities such as when lifting and walking up stairs. Once you know where they are this will be a lot easier!
   

You can feel the muscles working exercise them by:

1. Squeezing  or tightening around your anus (bottom hole), vagina and urethra (where urine comes out)
2. Squeeze these muscles strongly for up to 6 seconds while breathing normally – don’t hold your breath!
3. Release and relax your pelvic muscles
4. You should have a definite feeling of letting go.
5. Rest for 10-20 seconds - repeat the squeezing action
6. Resting between exercises is important
7. Repeat as many as you are able
8. Work towards 12 strong holds
9. Now try 5 -10 short, fast STRONG contractions.
10. Keep breathing normally, do NOT hold your breath
11. Squeeze and lift the muscles up, do NOT push down
12. Do NOT pull your tummy in tightly
13. Do NOT tighten your buttocks and thighs
14. Repeat these exercises for 5-10 minutes each day. Doing the exercises well is more improtant than doing them for a long period of time, so take the time
15. Always engage your plevic floor muscles when you need them most, such as before you cough, sneeze, lift, bend, get up out of a chair

Ongoing Exercises

• Ideally you will do these exercises daily or 3-4 days per week
• Increase the length and number of pelvic floor holds you do in succession before your muscles get tired
• Do 12 long, strong holds and increase the number of short fast contractions
• Remember it is quality not quantity that matters