core strength

Did you know your core should switch on JUST BEFORE it's needed?

And that there should be no feeling of strain or bearing down?

Or that you can use other parts of your body to initiate a core connection - instead of sucking in, zipping up or lifting up on pelvic floor

Find out more about your core in the videos below!

If you would like to learn more about switching on your pelvic floor and core without straining and helping it to become more of an automatic switch on - I have a masterc…

I started to suffer with anxiety and obviously that brings in struggling to breathe sometimes and then panic attacks and that kind of thing.

I was also struggling with putting weight on and was mindful that I needed to do some exercise - I wanted to lose weight but also had anxiety going on.

I felt like all the other kind of exercise that I did - swimming, joining the gym, walking - they just never hit the anxiety. 

So I would do them and never feel relaxed or feel calm. And then I would go t…

Last week we looked at things you can do in your daily life to help prevent POP or worsening symptoms - if you missed that you can read it here

Today we're looking at possible solutions to helping with symptoms.

Kegels

This is the lifting and squeezing of your pelvic floor muscles in isolation.  Usually includes a series of lifts, holds and pulses

Advantages:

• easy to fit in
• no equipment required
• can do anywhere, anytime

Disadvantages:

• not everyone does them correctly - may be bear…

It's been a while since my first blog about prolapse and a few things have changed since then.  So I thought I'd do a couple of updates

There are two ways you can look at helping with POP symptoms - what can you do to prevent things getting worse and what can you do to make things better.

So first we'll look at preventing things getting worse

One of the key things with this is looking at intra abdominal pressure (IAP)

IAP is the pressure within the abdominal cavity and is reliant on the flui…

I was asked a few weeks ago for the top exercises someone could do to help a prolapse. 

My answers were:

1. It depends
2. Hypopressives

The thing with prolapse is that it can happen because of so many factors and it's not just about strengthening the pelvic floor. 

And even just pelvic floor strength isn't that simple.

The pelvic floor is made up of layers of muscle, going in a variety of directions.

It has links with muscles inside the pelvis and outside the pelvis.

It has connections all…

Myth #1 - Leaking is inevitable after childbirth, menopause and as you age

This should cover all the questions I'm normally asked about exercise and pregnancy, but if you have any questions I haven't covered please ask below!

For most women, exercising during pregnancy will be of great benefit.  You should always seek the advice of your healthcare provider first, especially if you have a higher risk pregnancy or an underlying health issue.  They will then advise you on the type of exercise that is suitable for you.

All the published guidelines and benefits are based …

What do you think?  Should you work your abdominals in pregnancy?  Or are they a no-go area?  And if so, what exercises are appropriate.

When I polled people about this recently I had a varied response but most tended towards yes you should, but gently.

My answer is... it depends.

It depends what you think of as the abdominal muscles.  

For most people, it's the ones you can see - the six pack muscles. The guidelines for these muscles (the rectus abdominis) is that there should be no direct …

I wanted to talk about breathing this week. For something that should happen automatically, it's often the hardest thing to get right! Most beginners starting off with Pilates struggle with the breathing. It's ok not to get it, as long as you breathe! But if you do get it, it is integral to proper form, pelvic floor health, core strength and general well being.

One of the reasons people feel so relaxed in Pilates classes is because of the focus on thoracic (or rib cage) breathing. Day to day we …