Did you know?

The latest stats say one in three women will suffer from pelvic floor

disorders.

Kegels, or pelvic floor squeezes, are the exercise equivalent of a Martini: an anytime, anywhere affair. But most women aren’t doing them. For some reason, it just seems odd flexing hidden-away muscles, hoping, somehow, it’ll benefit you in some way you can’t see and really aren’t quite sure about. Anyway, unless you’ve recently had a baby, they’re not a priority, right?

But the truth bomb is that your pelvic floor is an overlooked secret weapon and you should all be exercising it. “Pelvic floor muscles are probably the most important, ignored and underappreciated muscles in your body,” says leading pelvic floor expert Jane Simpson.

So, what’s the buzz? Well, essentially, these muscles form a hammock that supports your uterus, bladder and bowel and, in their most basic form, stop these organs from falling out – something that’s known as a prolapse. They also prevent the horrors of urinary stress incontinence when you laugh, sneeze or race after the bus. Plus, they’re key for a satisfying sex life. Because an orgasm is actually a series of muscle contractions, the stronger your pelvic floor, the stronger your pelvic floor convulsions and the more powerful your orgasm. You get the picture. You want them firing on all cylinders.

Lauren Roxburgh, a body alignment expert, says that our pelvic floor is also one of the body’s primary stress containers. “When we’re stressed, we tend to naturally and subconsciously clutch, clench and tense our pelvic floor, and this sustained tension and tightness effectively clogs up our entire body in a chain reaction that works its way up to our cranium,” she says. She also explains that, in Eastern traditions, the pelvic floor is known as the root chakra – or where we literally ‘hold’ our fears. “It’s like if you flexed your biceps constantly and never let go: the muscles would become weak, exhausted and disconnected, just like your pelvic floor does.”

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Good news for Pilates fans – there are some studies to suggest that the popular low-impact exercise can help. This is because its moves engage all your deep core muscles, including your pelvic floor, ensuring everything is strong and co-ordinated. Roxburgh also sings the praises of deep squats as ‘movement medicine’ for the pelvic floor. However, if you can’t feel your muscles working or they seem very weak, ask your GP to refer you to a women’s health physiotherapist. Likewise, if you lack confidence to sneeze, run or jump. “Stress incontinence shouldn’t be thought of as normal; it’s not,” notes Simpson. “If you suffer from even a minor problem, address it sooner rather than later.” Also, if something doesn’t feel right, such as a feeling of pressure on the pelvic area (as if something is ‘falling out’), see your GP to rule out pelvic organ prolapse. Sometimes, though, a prolapse doesn’t cause any symptoms and is picked up during a routine cervical screening; yet another reason to book your test. But, essentially, we all need to take a not-seen-but-not-forgotten approach to our pelvic floors and start doing our Kegels today.

Roxburgh adds that if you want a strong, stable core, you have to start with your pelvic floor.

“When we think of our core, we think of our abs and obliques, but our core actually starts down in the base or our pelvic floor,” she explains. “No matter how many sit-ups and crunches you do, you’ll never build the strength, length or grace you desire without first awakening and creating resilience and flexible strength in your pelvic floor.”

The other key thing you need to know? You may be in your pelvic floor prime right now, but that can change fast. “Problems can happen at any time in our lives and totally out of the blue,” says Simpson. “Don’t think you’re immune to issues if you’re young or haven’t given birth.” There’s no prize for guessing that pregnancy and a growing baby pressing down on your muscles can cause havoc, or that childbirth can give your pelvic floor one hell of a beating, but they’re not the only troublemakers.

Building a stronger future

As with all muscles in your body, your pelvic floor can start to lose elasticity with age, plus hormonal changes during menopause can also cause it to become weak. Constipation, which might be triggered by low-fibre or fad diets; chronic coughing or sneezing that you might experience thanks to conditions such as hay fever; and repetitive heavy lifting can all put your pelvic floor muscles under strain, causing weakness in the long term. A recent review in the International Urogynecology Journal concluded that running and HIIT workouts could weaken the pelvic floor and increase the prevalence of urinary incontinence. In fact, one study found that up to 80 per cent of female athletes who did sports such as gymnastics and trampolining suffered from problems. Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to give these up, but it’s yet another reason you need to keep up those Kegels.

Also, let’s get one thing clear right now: problems are common among us all, although we tend to keep quiet about them. The latest stats say one in three women will suffer from pelvic floor disorders, a general term for several conditions that affect the group of muscles responsible for supporting your bladder, rectum and uterus. Australian women are behind in the prevention game, too. In France, post-natal vagina-tightening classes are the norm, with new mums being offered 10-20 sessions of la rééducation périnéale – or physical therapy – to retrain the muscles of the pelvic floor.

“French women are highly motivated to get their bodies back after childbirth, and that includes their pelvic floor,” says Simpson. The bottom line? When it comes to your pelvic floor, it’s a case of use it or lose it. You need to keep these muscles strong by doing exercises, just like you would for any other body part. Study after study has confirmed that, done regularly, these do work and can prevent and remedy problems (see right for your how-to).

However, to nail these exercises you first need to learn how to isolate your muscles, so you can be sure you’re using the right ones. To do this, Simpson suggests sitting on the toilet with your knees apart. While passing urine, try to stop the flow by contracting your muscles up and inwards. Squeeze, lift and hold for a moment and then let go. “This is a good way of knowing which muscles you’re contracting, but don’t do this on a regular basis, as it can be harmful to your bladder,” she advises. “When having sex, squeeze your partner’s penis. This will also help you isolate your pelvic floor muscles.” What’s also super smart is to shoehorn your pelvic floor exercises into your daily routine (whether that means doing them while you’re taking your morning shower or brushing your teeth at night). Then, do extra squeezes whenever you can – as you’re queuing for your flat white or stuck at traffic lights.

Roxburgh believes it’s also vital to cultivate awareness of your pelvic floor – to notice if you’re subconsciously tensing it throughout the day and not giving it a chance to relax. “Once you have this awareness, you can work to stop this pattern,” she says. “So, take a deep breath and visualise relaxing your pelvic floor.”