This post is sponsored by Depend® Brand. As always, all opinions are my own.
As I’ve mentioned before, I have bladder issues and I do have urinary incontinence. Since we’ve all been locked down for a while, I’ve started drinking coffee every day (I know, not good for me, but at least I’m not hitting the ice cream or chips, right?). But drinking more coffee has stressed out my bladder even more than usual. I’ve been trying to exercise a lot more (for sanity reasons) and also started trying to get my bladder stronger by strengthening my pelvic muscles. This post is about sharing some simple exercises with you to strengthen your pelvic floor, if you have same issue I do.
Do Your Kegels
There are several exercises your can do to strengthen your pelvic muscles, the most famous of which are the Kegels. Invented in 1948 by American gynecologist, Arnold Henry Kegel, these exercises are a nonsurgical treatment for urinary incontinence.
Not only are Kegels simple to do, they are also very discreet. You can do them pretty much anytime, anywhere and no one will know. They are effective, provided you do them consistently. Are you a big Netflix watcher? Do them while you’re watching Tiger King! Driving around, do them at a traffic light!
Endurance Exercise
Endurance exercise is another way to strengthen pelvic muscles. Any exercises that causes faster heart rate and faster breathing counts, even a brisk walk. This can help you shed weight, as extra weight puts pressure on the bladder and pelvic muscles. I like to plug in an audio workout from Aaptiv through the Weight Watchers App, put my earbuds in and hit my local park (and properly social distance, of course) and get a long walk in.
Remember to sync up your Apple Watch so you can track your steps!
If you can’t get out, a walking workout at home is also effective. Leslie Sansone has some terrific at home walking workouts on her YouTube channel. Pilates is another way to strengthen your pelvic muscles. Pilates is a form of exercise that works on stretching and strengthening your body, in particular the abdomen and back muscles, so it’s perfect for moms. When you strengthen your abdomen, your pelvic floor also becomes stronger, which can help the muscles that control the bladder.
Another natural way to strengthen your pelvic muscles is through yoga. With yoga you can increase strength in pelvic muscles, improve flexibility, improve balance by increasing core strength and coordinating breathing and pelvic floor.
There are also other simple exercises you can do on your own, such as lying on your back with legs on the wall, wall squats, pillow stretch, where you lie on your back and stretch with arms above your head, and a bridge, where you lie on your back, push your hips off the floor and hold it.
What are your favorite exercises to do at home?
Here’s a great list of online free and paid workouts to do at home that I compiled- https://www.themamamaven.com/the-best-free-and-paid-online-workouts-you-can-do-at-home-now/
If you or someone you know is looking for advice and resource on bladder leakage, join The Incontinence Community, a private Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/InconCommunity.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Kegel
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/kegel-exercises/art-20045283
https://www.nafc.org/diet-and-exercise
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/new-recommend-kegels-and-other-treatments-for-incontinence-women-201409177438
https://yourpaceyoga.com/blog/optimizing-bladder-control-strengthening-the-pelvic-floor/
Photo Credit: Yoga Image by viktoriasbalance from Pixabay
Thank you for raising awareness of pelvic floor issues like incontinence. Kegels can be very efffective, but most people don’t perform them correctly. There’s an emphasis on tightening, but a true kegel involves just as much relaxing! I offer cues for the pelvic floor in all of my workouts videos. We all need reminders 🤪