A strong pelvic floor is essential to maintain core strength and to help urinary incontinence and prolapse.
The following set of exercises are suitable for anyone who needs to strengthen their pelvic floor. Sometimes it is really obvious when the pelvic floor is weak – if you suffer from urinary incontinence when sneezing and coughing for example. Most women, especially pre and post-natal need to practice these exercises daily. If you are unsure try the second exercise and see if you can hold the pelvic floor up at all. Jumping on a trampoline will also give you an indication of how strong the pelvic floor is. There are physiotherapists who specialises in pelvic floor.
I suggest doing 6 of each of the following daily. Make sure you are seated comfortably on the sit bones with the pelvis in a neutral position. Spine lengthened – so no slumping. Breathe in and out through the nose.
- Smooth Breathing -Breathe in and as you breathe out, count to 4 slowly and draw up on the pelvic floor. Breathe in and relax the pelvic floor back down to a count of four. Keep breathing like this raising the pelvic floor on the outbreath and lowering it back down on the in breath and counting to 4 on each breath.
- Holding – Breathe in and as you breathe out draw the pelvic floor up and hold it there as you take 2-3 slow breaths. Then release the pelvic floor. Repeat 6 times
- Butterfly – Lift and lower the pelvic floor quickly as you breathe smoothly. For this one you won’t be matching the breath to the movement. You might lift and lower several times on each in and each out breath.