Have you taken a moment recently to stop and really be proud of your pelvic floor?
Have you truly appreciated what it manages for you?
The pelvic floor is being pummeled by increases in intra-abdominal pressure all day, and not just if you’re a hayfever sufferer and constantly coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose. Even when you’re not a sick or sneezy mess, the pelvic floor is constantly being nudged and jostled. That’s from turning, twisting, bending, reaching, crouching, clearing your throat, yelling, pulling something that’s stuck, reaching up on your tiptoes, laughing and singing. All that might be from a single hour in the kitchen!
The pelvic floor stops (or limits) you leaking urine and passing wind when you don’t mean to, and helps you hang on when you’re busting and someone’s in the toilet. When it’s working right, sex is comfortable rather than painful.
Do you ever stop to appreciate the magnitude of what the pelvic floor does for you?
For most of us, the answer is no – not until things aren’t working properly anymore. Then you really notice how your pelvic floor has dropped the ball. This might be during pregnancy, when you start leaking with sneezing. Or it might be on your first visit to baby bootcamp when you get a nasty surprise when you try doing burpees and need to leave to change your undies. It might be when you try a yoga class and suffer the humiliation of passing wind during a particularly quiet moment in an awkward pose. Or it might be during the change of life, when you start experiencing dryness and discomfort with intercourse. For some women, it becomes obvious when they become sexually active and find that it just hurts every time and they can’t enjoy it.
Luckily, all of these things can be greatly improved or completely resolved. But it takes commitment on your part, and that’s what being a proud pelvic floor owner is.
It’s like being a proud home owner or car owner. It doesn’t end once you make the purchase – it requires continual upkeep to get the best out of it. A proud pelvic floor owner doesn’t mean having a perfect pelvic floor. It means deciding that looking after your pelvic floor matters, and making a commitment to improvement.
Need help figuring out what your pelvic floor needs? Get in touch for an appointment to find out exactly how to get your pelvic floor working better for you.