I was chatting to a classmate this week about how I do a lot of movement in my kitchen whilst waiting - for kettles to boil, coffee to brew, meals to simmer etc. This is where I usually do Hypopressives, lymph release, stretches and bits of WalkFit
She told me there was always too much to do in her kitchen - clearing up after kids, emptying the dishwasher, washing up - so she never had a moment to fit in any extra movement
But here's the thing
All those jobs count as movement
There are two different types of movement
Exercise and non-exercise
And they both have different physiological effects on the body
We have farmed out a lot of our non-exercise movement to technology
And so we end up being fairly sedentary whether we are adding exercise into the mix or not
This lack of movement means our muscles are not firing, which changes how the body works on a cellular that we're not even aware of!
One example of this is the core
The core muscles - including the pelvic floor and the deep abdominals - are stabilizer muscles which need to be stimulated multiple times a day
Constant low intensity movement for long periods of time helps to maintain the core's strength and flexibility
But long bouts of sitting mean there is much less movement
The muscles become weaker
Back and pelvic stability decreases
And there is a reduction in core strength and it's ability to create force
The tissues can also tighten up - even to such a degree that they start to act more like scar tissue, which tends to be tight and weak
After lockdown, when I decided to stay online, I found myself sitting still for much longer than I ever had before
And there was a change to my pelvic floor because of it
Having not had any symptoms for many years
And having never had any incontinence with my prolapse
I started to have issues
At first I thought it was menopausal symptoms
And was worried that it was here to stay - I already strengthened my pelvic floor so how could I do more?
But I realised it was the sitting that was an issue so started making sure I broke up time I spent at the computer
This is also why sitting and doing kegels may not be the solution for your pelvic floor issues
The pelvis is designed to move often and in a variety of ways
But sitting may have weakened muscles or caused tightness - both in the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles
So one of the things you can definitely do to start to help is to stand up more often
Break up your sitting, even if it's only a short break
Walking is a key pelvic floor exercise as well
My pelvic floor course covers all this and introduces other ways to help the pelvic floor - reducing strain, helping the pelvic floor to switch on automatically like it's supposed to, different ways to strengthen it using other parts of the body, and different ways to help it relax and release
It is a movement based programme - so you will need to commit to fitting in exercises - but they can be done in a short amount of time, some can be incorporated into what you are already doing, and they are all more interesting and more effective than kegels!
I have helped women with stress incontinence, urge incontinence and prolapse to reduce pain and symptoms and feel more confident - with added bonuses of stress relief, stronger thighs, stomach more toned and improved posture!
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