To sneeze or laugh?
affecting the body’s alignment. Our bottoms have to tuck themselves under and pressure is placed on our knees as the body tries to resist a forward fall.
One of the most important things you can do is to stop wearing shoes with heels. Barefoot shoes, which allow your foot to land on the ground in the same way as though you were running without shoes, are becoming more popular. Minimal shoes allow your whole foot to be in contact with the ground.
The more you can replace your heeled shoes with minimal ones, the more you’ll see an improvement in pelvic core and function. The way we move every day – pregnant or not – isn’t natural. We suck in our stomachs and tuck our tailbones underneath us, weakening the pelvic floor. This muscle resembles a hammock from tailbone to pubic bone. When tucked under, it slackens and sags in the middle. If you tuck your bottom under all the time which lots of women do, this muscle eventually shortens to compensate but a too-tight muscle is just as weak as a too slack one. As with any other muscles, the pelvic floor must be allowed to stretch as well as contract. Nowadays we are more likely to lounge on squashy sofas, in cars and at desks, rather than squat or sit on the floor. We also sit down and strain rather than squat when we go to the toilet. As a result our alignment has shifted from what is natural and optimal to one that puts huge pressure on our spines and hip and knee joints. To function properly, our pelvic floor muscles need to be able to work through their full range of motion – this means from full length and fully relaxed, to contracted or engaged when needed.
If you are tightening your muscles all the time, they have nowhere left to go when needed, so let your bottom relax and curve outwards as it should do. Untuck when you sit too. If you’re sitting now, are you sitting on your tailbone or your coccyx or your sitting bones? Chances are it’s your tailbone. Your sit bones are the two knobbly bits you can feel under you when you sit. Sit on them. Walking for at least 20 minutes outside (not on a treadmill) every day is vital to your overall wellbeing and proper alignment as you walk will help strengthen your pelvic floor muscle.
Keep your legs and torso straight and use a full stride. Your heel lands first, then you push off from your spread toes. Walk barefoot or use flat shoes without a heel that don’t constrict your toes. Wendy Powell is the founder of MuTu System, the core and pelvic floor recovery programme recommended by physiotherapists. For more information visit mutusystem.com WITH twice daily brushing, Corsodyl Ultra Clean toothpaste (£3.99 for 75ml) is clinically proven to be four times more effective than ordinary toothpaste at reducing the build-up of plaque bacteria. Stockist: Superdrug