Education meets exercise - Grace Lillywhite, Centred Mums
/Education meets exercise.
Increase your understanding of pelvic floor health.
It's a common misconception that pelvic floor health is all about ‘doing your exercises’. In reality, there is much more you can do to improve these muscles than simple ‘kegels’. We’re making it our mission to educate as many women as possible about the day-to-day considerations that can vastly improve pelvic floor function.
“Squeeze and hope for the best”
Pelvic floor health goes beyond strength. It’s about encouraging and enabling all of your muscles to function correctly. Many women trying to improve their pelvic floor are faced with an attitude of ‘squeeze and hope for the best’. And this mentality highlights the lack of education and understanding in this area.
A study by R Bump in 1991 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1872333/) showed that when simply told to contract their pelvic floor, only 49% of women achieved an effective contraction, and 25% contracted their pelvic floor in such a way that they actually promoted incontinence! So, it really is incredibly important to understand your pelvic floor and use this knowledge to ensure your exercises help and not hinder your muscular function.
Effective changes every day
There are some very simple day-to-day ways to adapt your movement and postural habits to improve your pelvic floor health.
Here are my top tips!
Understand your body, with a little help.
Every body is different. And it is important to understand your own body so you are better informed to make effective changes. A Women’s Health Physio (https://thepogp.co.uk/) can carry out an internal check to determine how your pelvic floor is functioning. It may be that you don’t need to tighten your muscles at all, and that by focusing on releasing, and letting go of tension, you can achieve better results.
Redesign the way you use the toilet.
We weren’t designed to go to the toilet in the way that we do. Think of a toddler who squats down to go in their nappy - the angle of your legs can make it easier or more difficult for your body, and straining can put a huge impact on your pelvic floor. Consider investing in a squatty potty; by changing the angle of your legs and raising your knees above your hips, you can make it easier for your body and reduce the pressure on your pelvic floor. (https://www.squattypotty.com/)
Move. Move. Move.
Your day-to-day movement patterns have a huge impact on your pelvic floor health. To put it really simply, you should try to sit less and move more on a daily basis. When we sit for extended periods, especially with less-than-perfect posture, it can draw our tailbone towards our pubic bone, lead to increased tension in the pelvic floor and affect its ability to function. Look at ways to reduce your sitting time. Could you create a ‘standing desk’ so you’re not always sitting when you’re working? Could you park a little further from your destination, so you walk more every day? Could you commit to a 30-minute walk every morning or evening?
Be aware of the bigger picture.
Your pelvic floor doesn’t work in isolation. Be mindful of your body as a whole system and consider your pelvic floor muscles as part of the bigger picture. The alignment of your entire body, and how it all works together, has a big impact on your pelvic floor.
Teach yourself to breathe.
The way you breathe has a huge impact on your core function. If you are not allowing your breath to move into your ribcage when you inhale, you may be causing too much Intra-Abdominal Pressure (IAP) to build up in your abdominals and pelvic floor. Try to teach yourself to breathe into your lower ribs by placing your hands there and making sure they move as you inhale.
Control your intra-abdominal pressure.
You create IAP, when you laugh, cough, sneeze, run, jump, stand-up or carry children, and if you cannot control it effectively, a little wee may come out or your abdominals may ‘dome’. Leaking and a ‘bulging tummy’ are normalized as part of ‘being a mum’ but they don’t have to be, and there is so much you can do to improve your control. If you find that you are struggling in this area, please reach out and get the help you need.
Exhale on the effort.
When you breathe in, you increase IAP and when you breathe out, you decrease it; your pelvic floor lifts and your belly flattens. By exhaling when doing things that increase IAP, such as picking your up baby or lifting up from a squat in a class, you can help to create more balance in your body and reduce the amount of pressure that goes into your pelvic floor and abdominals.
Establish a rehabilitation programme
This is something every postnatal woman needs. You should start with release work - you can’t effectively strengthen an over-tight muscle! -then work to gain good function in the pelvic floor and abdominals, gluts and deep-stabilising muscles. Specialist Postnatal Pilates Classes are the perfect place to work on this deep level of strength.
Centred Mums offers Specialist Pregnancy and Postnatal Pilates Classes in St Albans and online. We also bring in a variety of other elements - from nutrition to relaxation and more - to create a supportive, non-competitive, environment for you to gain in confidence and strength.
If you are suffering from abdominal separation, pelvic floor issues (a little bit of wee is NOT normal!) or you are unsure how to manage pain when exercising, then please do get in touch as we really believe we can help you.
The way you treat your body during pregnancy, and your postnatal years, will stay with you. We want to teach as many women as possible how to look after, and connect with, their pregnant and postnatal bodies, so they can exercise safely, effectively, and in a way that is sustainable for the rest of their lives.
Bio:
I am Grace Lillywhite and I’m the owner of Centred Mums; exciting and innovative pregnancy and postnatal wellbeing programmes in St Albans and online designed to support women throughout their motherhood journey. I have been working with this wonderful population of women for the last nine years and can’t imagine doing anything more enjoyable or rewarding. My sole intention is to spread the word to all women that pregnancy and postnatal exercise, wellness and nutrition is VITAL and LIFE CHANGING. The way you treat your body during the pregnant and postnatal years is something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. I want to teach as many women as I can how to look after their pregnant and postnatal bodies and how to connect to their body to enable them to exercise safely, effectively and in a way that is sustainable for the rest of their lives.
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