Pelvic Floor Exercises - The Pilates Way to Strengthen This Important Muscle
Pilates Pelvic Floor Exercises are becoming an essential component in people's lives when they suffer the problem of incontinence.
However, this muscle is so very easy to strengthen – as easy as your biceps are!
So, before you go under the knife, try doing these simple exercises yourself. I've incorporated them into my pilates classes, and I would like to share with you just how we do them.
Question: How can I tell my pelvic floor muscle is weak?
Answer: If you cannot contract your pelvic floor muscle and hold the contraction while you count to 10 (slowly!!), they are weak. You'll find out how to test this later in this article.
The pelvic floor muscle is shaped like a hammock. It is attached to your tailbone and the back, your pubis bone at the front and your sit-bones (at the base of your hip girdle) on each side. It helps hold your internal organs in the right place.
Why does it weaken?
There are several reasons for this, including athletic stress, heavy lifting, chronic coughing, age, injury, pregnancy, straining with constipation and being overweight.
The Technique
Let me explain three methods, the first for women the second for men and the third, which is the most difficult but extremely effective, for both men and women.
Breathing correctly is essential. The contraction of the pelvic floor muscle, must be done as you exhale.
Let's get on with it......
1. Lie on your back on the ground and relax all muscles – including your buttocks:
Women:
a. Inhale first and as you exhale, gently"draw"your vagina up toward you navel. Hold the contraction for as long as you can, exhaling slowly. Rest for a few seconds, then take another breath and repeat - 10 times.
b. Another cue, imagine there is a pencil in your vagina and squeeze around it. The same breathing pattern as above, squeeze on the exhaled breath.
Men:
a. Inhale first, and as you exhale, draw the testicles up towards your navel. Hold the contraction for as long as you can, exhaling slowly. Rest for a few seconds, take another breath, and repeat – 10 times. Relax, and be sure to relax other muscles including buttocks.
Both Men and Women can do this one:
You'll need good concentration, but you'll find it worthwhile when you've mastered the exercise.
Lie on the ground again.
Firstly big breath in, and as you exhale, draw the pubis bone (at the front), down towards the coccyx or tailbone on the floor. Again, correct breathing is essential. Exhale slowly all the way through your pelvic contraction.
The test:
Next time you visit the bathroom, try to stop the flow of your urine, hold it for as long as you can and then start the flow again.
If you were not so successful, come back and read this article again, or better still print it out so you can begin your pelvic floor exercises immediately.
You'll need to do your exercises everyday and several times a day to begin with. As the muscle strengthens, you'll be able to do them anywhere.
I do my pelvic floor exercises when I'm driving at roundabouts!! Very strange isn't it?
However, this muscle is so very easy to strengthen – as easy as your biceps are!
So, before you go under the knife, try doing these simple exercises yourself. I've incorporated them into my pilates classes, and I would like to share with you just how we do them.
Question: How can I tell my pelvic floor muscle is weak?
Answer: If you cannot contract your pelvic floor muscle and hold the contraction while you count to 10 (slowly!!), they are weak. You'll find out how to test this later in this article.
The pelvic floor muscle is shaped like a hammock. It is attached to your tailbone and the back, your pubis bone at the front and your sit-bones (at the base of your hip girdle) on each side. It helps hold your internal organs in the right place.
Why does it weaken?
There are several reasons for this, including athletic stress, heavy lifting, chronic coughing, age, injury, pregnancy, straining with constipation and being overweight.
The Technique
Let me explain three methods, the first for women the second for men and the third, which is the most difficult but extremely effective, for both men and women.
Breathing correctly is essential. The contraction of the pelvic floor muscle, must be done as you exhale.
Let's get on with it......
1. Lie on your back on the ground and relax all muscles – including your buttocks:
Women:
a. Inhale first and as you exhale, gently"draw"your vagina up toward you navel. Hold the contraction for as long as you can, exhaling slowly. Rest for a few seconds, then take another breath and repeat - 10 times.
b. Another cue, imagine there is a pencil in your vagina and squeeze around it. The same breathing pattern as above, squeeze on the exhaled breath.
Men:
a. Inhale first, and as you exhale, draw the testicles up towards your navel. Hold the contraction for as long as you can, exhaling slowly. Rest for a few seconds, take another breath, and repeat – 10 times. Relax, and be sure to relax other muscles including buttocks.
Both Men and Women can do this one:
You'll need good concentration, but you'll find it worthwhile when you've mastered the exercise.
Lie on the ground again.
Firstly big breath in, and as you exhale, draw the pubis bone (at the front), down towards the coccyx or tailbone on the floor. Again, correct breathing is essential. Exhale slowly all the way through your pelvic contraction.
The test:
Next time you visit the bathroom, try to stop the flow of your urine, hold it for as long as you can and then start the flow again.
If you were not so successful, come back and read this article again, or better still print it out so you can begin your pelvic floor exercises immediately.
You'll need to do your exercises everyday and several times a day to begin with. As the muscle strengthens, you'll be able to do them anywhere.
I do my pelvic floor exercises when I'm driving at roundabouts!! Very strange isn't it?