16/09/2020
Are your Kegals functional and fit for purpose?
There comes a time in your post natal recovery when lying down to doing your pelvic floor exercises just ain't going to cut it! If you want to get back to the exercise you loved pre pregnancy we have to start integrating Kegels into your functional training programs.
We’ve all had the leaflet from the hospital about the importance of doing Kegals post birth. We lay down or sit, practice closing our front and back passage then lift up inside the body. So why are so many post natal women suffering from urinary incontinence?
We forget that the pelvic floor muscles don't just exist on their own without receiving signals and communication from other parts of the body!
The Transverse Abdominus (tva), Breathing and the Respirtory Diaphram amongst others are drivers for pelvic floor activity. If we seek to strengthen the PF we have to integrate the whole body holistically during our workouts and not just focus on the lifting (strengthening) but pay equal attention to the release (lengthening) phase.
You CAN have a pelvic floor which can withstand movement such as coughing, sneezing and jumping. Here's some things to consider when integrating the pelvic floor muscles into your exercise programs:
✨Breathe, Breathe, Breathe. Using the breathe as a foundation for movement. Exhale to activate ~ inhale to release and lengthen
✨Core synergy - on the exhale the pelvic floor activates and abdominals switch on drawing the tummy towards the spine leading to a compression, stiffening and stabilisation of the core.
✨Adding the core including pelvic floor muscles into functional ’motherhood movement patterns’. Push, pull, squat, lunge, bend over, rotate and balance to name a few. This is to replicate movements you use in everyday life to help create a core and pelvic floor reflex. This will eventually enable to body to switch these important muscles on, when you need them, without having to actively think about it 🦸🏾♀️🦸🏼♀️🦸🏻♀️ Yaaassss please!
📷
