Pelvic Floor Exercises Can Benefit Overall Body Health

Many people don’t realise just how important the pelvic floor muscles are for overall health. These muscles support important bodily functions. You should do regular pelvic floor exercises to keep this area strong and toned.

Pelvic Floor Exercise

One of the problems with pelvic floor exercises is that it can be difficult to tell if you are doing them correctly. This is because the pelvic floor muscles are deep inside the body and you cannot see them working.

• Many people make the mistake of squeezing their tummy, buttocks or thighs together whilst they are doing pelvic floor exercises.

• This prevents them from exercise the right muscles. It is important you find out how to do pelvic floor exercises properly so that you are targeting the right areas.

Getting Started

As we get older our pelvic floor muscles can grow weaker. One of the first signs of this is when a small amount of urine escapes when you sneeze or cough. This indicates that the pelvic muscles supporting your bladder and urinary tract are no longer as strong as they were. If you leave pelvic muscles to grow even weaker then you can experience problems such as incontinence.

• If you are just getting started with pelvic floor exercises then you need to begin in a comfortable position. Lying down with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor is a good starting point. Later on when you are adept at these exercises you will be able to do them anywhere.

• Once you have got into the starting position relax for a few moments.

• Focus on your pelvic floor area. The easiest way to locate this is to think about the muscles you squeeze if you are trying to stop the flow of urine when going to the toilet.

• Now you have identified the right muscles then gently squeeze them and hold for a few seconds.

• Repeat this at least ten times and aim to do two repetitions every day.

• Try to avoid holding your breath whilst you are doing these exercises and continue to breathe naturally if you can.

• Once you have mastered pelvic floor exercises you can increase the length of time you squeeze and hold the muscles.

• You should be able to squeeze and hold your pelvic floor muscles for as long as 2 minutes with regular practice.

Pregnancy

There is never a better time to get into pelvic floor exercises then when you are pregnant. Carrying an unborn child places even more stress on these muscles. They need to be strong and toned to support the weight of the baby and also ease labour when the time comes.

Research has shown that pelvic floor exercises can help to reduce trauma to the body following pregnancy and childbirth. This is why it is so important you do these exercises to prepare your body if you are expecting.