Located within your pelvis, the pelvic floor is made up of ligaments, connective tissue, and muscles that are vital in supporting your bladder and bowel. In women, the pelvic floor also supports the uterus and the vagina. A weakened pelvic floor can bring a lot of uncomfortable consequences, ranging from urine leakage to incontinence of both your bladder and bowels. In short, a strong pelvic floor can help you remain healthy at every stage of life, says Marianne Tafani, Founder of The Core Connect Method..
The pelvic floor is one of the 4 sets of muscles that make up the core. And contrary to what people may think, the core does not mean abdominals! Your 6-pack for instance is not considered as being a part of your core. Because the core’s function is to stabilize on a deep level, the pelvic floor itself contributes to creating pelvic and spinal stability to a great extent.
As such, it contributes to keeping you upright and it allows you to sit, stand, lift, twist, walk, carry without having to think!
Why is pelvic floor health important?
It boils down to the many functions the pelvic floor is involved in:
-Sensuality and sexuality, for both men and women.
-Passage from interior to exterior, namely having control over the holding or passing of stool and urine. Pelvic floor health is key to avoiding leaks for instance.
-Supporting your organs. Albeit not life threatening, pelvic organ prolapses, namely descending organs, can really reduce a woman’s quality of life.
Generally speaking, because of how intrinsic to normal and daily functions these muscles are, pelvic floor dysfunction can really impact a woman or a man’s marital and social life.
Additionally, the pelvic floor does not float on its own in the body. As mentioned earlier it plays a role in stabilizing the trunk. So, people with pelvic floor dysfunction often manifest with significant hip or lower back pain.
How does pelvic floor strength affect overall wellbeing?
A weak pelvic floor can lead to many issues such as incontinence or a lack of sensations during intercourse, so it is important to keep these muscles strong.
That being said, more than referring to pelvic floor strength I like to refer to pelvic floor function.
Some people are very strong in these muscles indeed but end up holding tension there as well. When tension becomes severe in the pelvic floor, discomfort arises. Vaginismus in women is one of the many conditions that can be crippling psychologically and physically. Lower back pain or piriformis syndrome are also very common in people with tight pelvic floors.
Learning to relax and engage your muscles is therefore equally critical! Strong and supple at once is the goal for optimum function.
Beating anxiety with mindful breathing. 1 to 5 breathing techniques and what they do to lessen anxiety.
To beat anxiety, activating the parasympathetic nervous system is key. Breathing is one of the easiest ways of doing so. Here are 4 techniques I use with my clients – and for myself!
Box Breathing
Box Breathing is a very simple technique used by Navy commanders to quiet the mind in periods of extreme stress. It works wonders for all of us in times of anxiety.
Keeping the mouth shut, take a breath in for 4 seconds. Hold for 4. Exhale for 4 seconds. Hold for 4. Repeat 8-12 times.
If you need a visual or some guidance to practice it, I recommend two apps: Relax Melodies or Box Breathing.
Progressive Exhale
Longer exhalations help activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Take a breath in through your nose for 4 (or 5 if you are well versed in breathing drills).
Breathe out for 4 (or 5)
Breathe in for 4, then breathe out for 5.
Keep lengthening your exhales until you reach an inhalation of 4 and an exhalation of 8.
Stay with this 4-8 pattern for 5 additional breaths.
And then return your breathing to its natural pattern.
Synchronizing your Heartrate with your Breath
This technique has been proven to be particularly effective for people dealing with anxiety as a result of trauma or adverse childhood experiences.
In these times of uncertainty with Covid threatening our very survival, physically and financially, this technique can be beneficial for anyone experiencing anxiety.
Most of us reach a state of synchronised heartbeat and breath when inhaling and exhaling for 5 or 5.5 seconds.
Start by breathing normally but paying attention to each breath.
Then slowly lengthen your inhalation and exhalations until you reach this 5 or 5.5 pattern.
Keep going for 3 minutes, ideally doing 3 sets daily.
You can use the free app RespiRelax+ to time yourself.
Deep and Slow Belly Breathing
Close your eyes and start noticing your unaltered breathing pattern.
After 5 regular breaths, begin to breathe more deeply. Longer inhalations and longer exhalations. Notice the four parts to your breathing – your chest expands, your ribs widen front, side and back like an umbrella flung open, your belly relaxes outwards as you breathe in, and your sit bones soften into your seat.
As you breathe out keep that sense of expansion even if naturally all these areas tend to contract gently.
Practice for 3 minutes, ideally 4 times daily.
Suggested daily exercises to boost heart health in our current sedentary lifestyle.
Dynamic Planks and Arm Circles on your Kitchen Counter
Making planks dynamic in between Zoom calls or whilst preparing your lunch is an easy way of boosting your heart health.
Start by activating your core. Then “fall” into a plank on your kitchen counter.
Inhale – Bend your elbows into a standing push-up.
Exhale – Push the counter away and circle your arms wide in the air.
Land on the kitchen counter and repeat 10 to 20 times.
Active Phone Calls
Go for a walk during a phone call or meeting that does not require any notes and that you know will take some time. When talking, walk at a normal pace. When the person on the other end of the line talks, speed up.
Do so for a minimum of 20 minutes.
Jumping Rope During Long Zoom Meetings
Important note – Don’t forget to stop your camera!
If you are new to this, start with 30 seconds active – 45 seconds rest – 3 times daily.
If you are moderately active, try 45 seconds active – 45 seconds rest – 5 times daily.
If you are fairly athletic do 5 sets of 1 minute active – 30 seconds rest. Back to back if possible.
Step Up during Phone Calls
Similar to your Active Phone Calls, use stairs or a stool to step up when the other person on the line speaks.
Rest when talking or, if you are fairly active, squat when your turn to speak comes up.
The combination of isometric holds, and cardio exercises is simply brilliant.
Ideal duration: Between 3 and 7 minutes.
PELVIC FLOOR STRENGTHENING EXERCISES
Kegels are often poorly performed and simplistically cued by “hold your pee” or “squeeze”.
The following 4 exercises will work the pelvic floor muscles on a more effective and far-reaching level.
The first exercise gives the pelvic floor muscles the suppleness and elasticity they need through movement. Again, if the muscles are not in a fully relaxed state to begin with, they cannot contract maximally and get as strong as we need them to be.
The second exercise, called the ladybug, allows you to begin to engage your pelvic floor upwards, so it supports you better.
The third exercise, called the shrinking diamond, targets a deep pelvic floor muscle called the levator ani whose role in organ support is of paramount importance.
EXERCISE 1 – PELVIC FLOOR LENGTHENING
Start in an all-fours position, and lengthen your back, lifting your tailbone whilst activating your deep abdominals.
Inhale, float right arm up.
Exhale, reach back and down, as if the left sit bone were pushing someone away behind you.
Inhale deepen the sensation of opening in your pelvis.
Exhale, return to quadruped.
Perform 4 repetitions on each side.
EXERCISE 2 – THE LADYBUG
Imagine that there is a ladybug at the entrance of your vagina if you are a woman (and back entrance if you are a man).
Imagine you have a tissue and would like to pick it up from within.
As you pick it up make sure not to crush it and lift it up.
You are going to feel the walls of the vagina (or anal canal)
EXERCISE 3 THE SHRINKING DIAMOND
Imagine a huge diamond as the base of your pelvis.
Imagine it is attached to your pubic bone, sitbones, and tailbone.
Make sure you know where these bones are before beginning the visualization.
Inhale deeply – The diamond expands outwards
Exhale – Shrink the diamond up, up, up.
Keep exhaling until it is but a speck!
Inhale there.
On your next breath out, draw the speck, the smallest diamond you’ll ever find, to the front of your pelvis.
Inhale – Hold it there.
Exhale – Shrink it even more as you draw it to the front of your pelvis. Visually. You are not actually moving your pelvis or tilting in anyway.
And then slowly relax your attention allowing the diamond to dissolve into the pelvis.
Take a deep breath in.
On your breath out, drop the diamond down to the floor.
Perform exercise 2 or 3 in a deep squat with a lengthened lower back. Your ankles do not have to touch the ground.
If you have a pelvic organ prolapse or any unresolved pelvic floor dysfunction, use a block to support your muscles as you strengthen them.
Marianne Tafani – Founder of The Core Connect Method.
The Core Connect Method is ultimately aimed at effecting positive change for women, through the prism of core function. Being a core strength guru and a pre-and-post-natal Pilates instructor, Marianne has developed her very own methodology which she brings to clients both in-person and through online bespoke programmes. Over the past five years, Marianne has completed over 900 hours of training, taught and coached over 5,000 hours, completed 1,100 hours of self-study, developed two original courses to certify Pilates instructors and become a mother to her two adorable boys, which she considers instrumental to both her personal and professional growth. Her commitment is to keep educating herself and others endlessly, fostering creativity, joy and a sense of community through movement.
Marianne will be launching her Pelvic Floor Audio Packs. The packs will comprise a 28-day to help train the pelvic floor based on a specific issue (incontinence, constipation, prolapse). The audio packs will be available for purchase by March 8th.
Click on this link for more info.