I’ve collected my favourite daily habits that will help you maintain your pelvic floor function.
These habits focus on your movement and lifestyle, and can be done throughout any day to keep your whole self working well.
By integrating habits into your day, you will be helping to avoid poor movement patterns that can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction.
Also, habits are a great way to regain and maintain pelvic floor function and offer you a long term and sustainable solution for great pelvic floor health. Not to mention the wider impact on your wellbeing!
1. Five-minute relaxation during the day
This could be either a guided meditation or a yoga Nidra if you have more time.
The best time to take 5, is when you feel super busy. However, this can be the most challenging time as we worry about the impact of taking a break.
The second best approach is to make sure you do it as often as you can as this will help build up your stress resilience and support your nervous system.
2. Rib-cage breathing
This is great to do if you experience urgency – you can focus on getting your inhale to move your ribs to help avoid those moments of rushing to the loo.
If you find yourself leaking whilst out on a run or exercising, spending time breathing into your rib cage first will help you create the space in your core so your pelvic floor can function properly.
3. Relaxing your belly
Often we hold onto tension in our tummy and this will impact on how well the pelvic floor works.
A good way to relax your belly is to sit and bring your awareness to your core and then think about letting it relax. You can do this is any position – sitting, standing or on your hands and knees in a table top position.
4. Jaw massage
A tight and tense jaw could be an indicator that your pelvic floor is tense which could lead to more leaks.
The jaw and pelvic floor share a fascial connection so it is useful to relax the jaw if you notice it getting tight.
A nice way to do this is to massage around the jaw and take a few breaths.
As a daily habit you could add in a jaw and face massage as a break from work.
5. Big toe lifts
Stand up – socks off! Look down at your feet and try and lift your big toes up independently to your other toes. They may or may not lift. Keep trying it and add this into your day as a mental break from your usual routine.
The reason why this is great to add in, is because it helps you to restore foot function. Your feet are your foundation of whole body health, so it’s always the place I start when working with women.
6. Wearing comfy clothes
Not strictly a habit to do throughout the day, more a habit first thing in the morning. Wearing clothes that will allow you to move freely throughout the day will ensure you can easily take stretch breaks to keep your body feeling good.
Also, not wearing tight clothing around your waist will provide the right space for your pelvic floor muscles to relax and contract when needed.
7. Floor sitting
Keep your hips mobile and strong by integrating some floor sitting into your day. This could be an alternative way to work if you use a computer or simply sit on the floor to watch telly instead of using the sofa.
If you can’t currently sit on the floor, start by sitting lower to the ground. You could use a small stool or cushions to support you and eventually you might reach floor level.
This is great work for healthy hips and healthy hips equals a healthy pelvic floor.
8. Moving in different ways
This habit is designed to help you avoid prolonged periods of sitting or standing. Try to set a timer to take regular movement breaks. It doesn’t really matter what you do in your movement break as long as you are moving your body in a different way.
9. A daily walk
This habit helps in so many ways. It gets you outside so you can enjoy some Vitamin D and time in nature, which is good for your mental health.
Also, It will give you a break from being inactive and it is the perfect whole body movement – moving your pelvis, glutes, legs, ankles and feet. You can also add in a gentle arm swing to support your upper body movement too!
10. Regular sips of water
It may be tempting to avoid drinking liquid if you experience leaking.
However, this could lead to bladder irritation making you feel like you need to wee more!
Trust me, it’s not the water that is causing the leaking.
Your bladder will appreciate being kept hydrated and the rest of your body will feel better too.
What next?
If you’re concerned about your pelvic floor health, maybe you’re experiencing symptoms at the moment you can start with just a couple of the habits above.
Have a look through and pick a couple that feel achievable.
You only need to make 10% changes to make a big difference, so think long term rather than quick fixes.
I’ve created a mini guide which includes 6 ways to leak-free days. This will be a great starting point.
You can download it and try each one to see whether it makes a difference.
If you’ve been told to do more Kegels by a nurse or Doctor and you’ve found they haven’t worked read this
If you’re looking for more personalised support click here
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