Pelvic Floor Health and Exercise

I was watching television this evening and an advert came on that caught my attention. It was an ad for Poise. A woman sneezing, picking up a child and doing aerobics, the message being that if you have urinary incontinence or leaking then wear a Poise panty liner.

Well, That is one option, yet I couldn't help thinking... why not get to the source of the problem?  A weak pelvic floor muscle stems from using the incorrect muscles when lifting, poor toilet position especially straining the bowel, excessive exercising without correct pulling in and tightening of the pelvic muscles.  Many women tightening the waist muscles and ' suck in' , rather than finding their core balance and learning to squeeze and hold the pelvic floor muscle correctly.

There is a great book available called " Hold it Sister" written by Mary O'Dwyer, Physiotherapist and Pelvic Floor Coach. This book has illustrations which help you get a visual of what is required, as well as a chapter on exercise that will assist strenthening you pelvic floor muscles. Watch and listen to what she has to say about pelvic floor strength in the clip below.

 Often learning to exercise the correct muscles is aided by using a resistance device which is inserted into vagina.

 The Vaginal Barbell is a weighted barbell made of medical grade stainless steel which really helps with clenching exercises.  It ensures you are using the correct muscles.

 For busy women on the go, the Luna Beads from Lelo are a great options.  The set contain two lots of weighted balls, one lighter than the other.  As your pelvic strength increases then you can move to the heavier set.

There are also the Fun Factory Teneo Duo balls which are another set of pelvic floor exercisers to assist with developing good pelvic floor habits.

As with anything, the easiest way out is not always the healthiest.  In order to ensure pelvic floor health slipping on a Poise  pad is a band aid, and is not going to solve your problem.

Wouldn't you rather do Pelvic Floor Exercises and use a resistance device than wear a pad for the rest of your life? I know which option I'm choosing.