Pelvic Floor Health: Tips To Help You Cultivate A Strong and Resilient Pelvic Floor
I often get asked by women in my spaces for pelvic floor wellness tips. Especially fertility clients preparing for healthy pregnancy and childbirth.
And, while I do share these tips with my private clients, I figured it's time to leave this resource for women to read on the website.
While there are many things that can be done to help heal a weakened pelvic floor, even better is to keep it strong from the start and prevent any damage, to begin with.
The tips I provide below can help ensure that you’re maintaining good pelvic health at all times.
These tips are useful for you whether you're trying to prevent developing pelvic floor issues, or whether you're trying to treat your current pelvic floor concerns.
What are the signs and symptoms of having pelvic floor issues?
Before we jump into pelvic floor health tips, I want to share with you signs that indicate you may already have pelvic floor issues.
- Chronic constipation
- Straining to poop
- Peeing frequently
- Leaking urine when laughing, coughing or sneezing
- Leaking stool or incomplete bowel movements
- Having difficulty controlling gas
- Painful urination
- Pain during sex
- Lower back pain
- Prolaspe of the uterus
- Pelvic organ prolaspe
If you are experiencing a combination of these symptoms, you need to start immediately implementing the pelvic floor health tips I share below.
Risk factors for pelvic floor dysfunction are age, weight, pregnancy and childbirth, chronic constipation, anxiety disorders and trauma.
1. Eat the Right Nutrients and Foods
People often forget how important it is to support their body, anatomy and physiology through nutrition - and this aspect is crucial for your pelvic floor health too!
A sure way to support your pelvic floor health lies in your diet and the food you eat.
The main aims of a healthy pelvic floor diet are to help you to build and maintain muscle, reduce inflammation, and ward off oxidative damage (which is caused by exposure to pollution, certain heavy metals, stress and over-exercise).
You also want to make sure that your surrounding organs such as your kidneys, liver, bowel and bladder, function in a normal manner.
Protein and collegen-rich foods are great for building and maintaining your muscle mass and elasticity. Food that contain omega-3 fatty acids are helpful for reducing inflammation and oxidative damage.
Fiber and the right formula of herbs help to support your kidney, liver and bowel function.
2. Maintain a Healthy Weight for Your Body
A healthy weight is important for everyone to strive for. But, if you have pelvic floor issues, being overweight or obese can cause more problems for you.
Obesity can place increased pressure on your pelvic floor and bladder, and this can lead to incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.
The extra weight placed on your pelvic floor can also strain the muscles and weaken them, further worsening any issues you may have or increasing your chance of developing them if the strain persists.
Having excess weight on your body is associated with gastrointestinal symptoms like constipation, abdominal pain, and diarrhea - which will cause strain on your anal and pelvic floor muscles over time.
3. Exercise Your Pelvic Floor Muscles & Your Core
As with any muscle, you can not neglect your pelvic floor muscles if you want them to remain strong. And, I'm sorry to break it to you, but doing kegels isn't enough.
Learning how to properly do a kegel, how to relax your pelvic floor and how to strenghten your WHOLE body is important for your pelvic floor.
Deep squats or variation of squats are excellent in helping to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Certain stretches, pilates and yoga poses are helpful too.
Your pelvic floor is conncected with many muscles as part of the pelvis and torso, so it's important to work them along with your core, hips and back muscles too.
If you already suffer from a pelvic floor disorder, these exercises may look different than what you're used to, as you need to modify them.
A pelvic floor therapist can help you develop a routine that meets your unique physical limitations.
4. Learn to Relax Your Pelvic Floor
It’s just as important to learn to relax your pelvic floor as it is to strengthen it. When your muscles are in a continuously contracted state and tense, they’re unable to work as they should.
Relaxing your whole body and your pelvic floor muscles can help reduce tension, inflammation and pain, and improve muscle function.
Tight muscles can make it harder for blood and oxygen to reach your pelvic floor, cervix and your vaginal area, which can lead to pain.
Leading to problems like bladder pain, incontinence, constipation, a tightened vagina, and pain during sex.
Also, having tight pelvic floor muscles during childbirth can (and will), prolong your labor and delivery time, and add to complications.
Your pelvic floor muscles need to be able to fully contract at will (which helps when you are trying to hold urine or brace your pelvic floor when lifting something heavy), and fully relax to be able to properly do their jobs like passing stool and urine, and birthing a child.
5. Avoid Being Constipation
Constipation can be a real symptom of a pelvic floor issue, since some people with PFD are unable to relax and coordinate their pelvic floor enough to have a bowel movement. But, in addition to being a symptom, constipation can also be a cause of pelvic floor disorder:
If you experience chronic constipation, there’s a chance that you may also be adversely impacting your pelvic floor muscles.
Sitting too long on the toilet or straining to have a bowel movement can put a lot of pressure on your pelvic floor, and this may lead to muscle dysfunction, weakness, or even a pelvic organ prolapse, especially if your condition is ongoing.
Avoid becoming constipated by drinking plenty of water, exercising regularly, and eating a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables – making sure to get at least 20 grams of fiber daily.
6. Pelvic Steaming a.k.a Womb Steaming
Pelvic steaming, also known as womb steaming or yoni steaming, is a special therapy that provides gentle and effective support for women experiencing pelvic floor muscle tension and womb issues.
Womb steaming is a natural practice that involves you sitting over a basin of warm healing water and herbs while wrapped in a cloth or towel. The heat and herbal therapy have a number of health benefits for your pelvic floor and reproductive system.
As I shared above, you pelvic floor muscles are connected to some of your other body muscle groups. Steaming helps you target the lower half your body, while allowing the herb's medicinal, healing and relaxing properties to enter your blood stream, locally.
The benefits is that it can help relax your pelvic floor muscles, reduce tension in your hips and womb, alleviate pelvic and mentrual pain, help prepare your body for labor, postpartum healing after childbirth, and more.
You can learn all about steaming in this article I wrote here: Your Introduction to Womb Steaming + Frequently Asked Questions.
If you're interested in starting your home steam journey purchase your wombs steams here!
7. Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) is a type of specialized body therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction.
It helps with a variety of conditions, including urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolaspe, chronic pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction and bowel movements.
Pelvic floor therapy helps improve the function of your pelvic floor muscles.
A trained physical therapist (and even a special fitness trainer) can instruct you in exercises to strengthen, relax, and coordinate your pelvic muscles. The type of therapy, exercise and movement prescribed depends on your individual symptoms.
For example, some conditions may require relaxing and lengthening the muscles, while others may need strengthening.
PFPT may include manual therapy, biofeedback or electrical stimulation, behavioral education, and home exercise programs.
Hope this article was helpful! Leave a comment below to let me know.
The key takeaway points in cultivating a resilient and strong pelvic floor:
- Is to prioritize eating foods rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids and fiber ,
- Maintain a healthy weight for your body's frame (which looks different for every woman),
- Be active and make movement and exercise apart of your lifestyle to strengthen your pelvic floor,
- Learn to fully relax your body to release tension from your muscles,
- Avoid being chronically constipated and
- Invest in a pelvic floor physical therapist or trainer for more support if you need it
And, as always, if you need my expertise and support in learning how to treat a health condition and improve your well-being, schedule a FREE Health Discovery Call to learn how to work with me!
With Love,
Be Well and Take Care,
Shavonne