Day 5: Let’s Stretch!

Welcome to Day 5 of my Pelvic Floor Challenge!

If you’re just joining me, one of the things I experienced as a new mom was serious issues controlling my bladder. Any time I sneezed, jumped, laughed, coughed or bounced, I would experience mild discomfort to a large leak! It was embarrassing, frustrating and kept me from doing a lot of things I really loved to do.

When I found out I was pregnant with my second baby, I realized that I had to do something! So, I’ve read a lot, gone to physical therapy, practiced a lot and made HUGE improvements without surgery. Now I can sneeze, jump, cough, laugh and bounce without experiencing stress incontinence, and if I start to relapse, I know what to do to strengthen and tone my pelvic floor.

So, over the first few days of our challenge, we’ve talked about how to relax your pelvic floor, incorporating kegel exercises into your daily routine, making sure you use the bathroom when it’s time to avoid over stressing your pelvic floor, and a range of motion exercise called the roller coaster. These exercises aren’t difficult, but it is important to incorporate them into your routine on a daily basis for best results.

Today’s challenge is to stretch your pelvis and hips. We’ve talked a lot about internal strength of you pelvic floor muscles, which is important. It’s also important to stretch your hips. I feel like our modern lives (and comfy chairs) deprive us of the opportunity for a lot of natural strengthening and stretching of our pelvic muscles because most people don’t squat on a daily basis.

So, I hope you enjoy these simple instructions and find some time during your day to incorporate them into your exercise routine, your morning routine or at some other point in your day!

Good luck!

Note: I’m a mom who’s passionate about sneezing without peeing myself! As with any exercise regimen, you should probably consult your doctor. These exercises will help most people strengthen and tone their pelvic floor muscles, but you should always be mindful of your specific health needs and consult your doctor about your unique situation.