Why, oh why, is it so difficult to stick with pelvic floor exercises?
When we are so good at multitasking, pelvic floor still falls to the bottom of the pile. And yet we know how essential they are for preventing, improving and resolving bladder leakage, or incontinence as it’s unglamorously known!
Somehow, by the end of another day, we still haven’t got to those pesky pelvic floor exercises. And then we are back at the pelvic floor physiotherapist with that famous line:
“I haven’t done as many as I should…”
Is there a way to change this? Of course there is! Several in fact! Here are a few of my top tips. Many of these have been given to me by my own patients who they have worked for.
But first, can I remind you, please don’t do your pelvic floor exercises in the car. There are so many reasons you can read about here. And remember the ultimate aim is to get the pelvic floor muscles working properly in practical ways – read my top two tips for that here.
Visual reminders
The old chestnut: stickers. Putting stickers up around the house – or even innocuously coded post-it notes (e.g. “buy milk”) works for some! Keep changing the colour and location to stop yourself from looking straight through them! Put them in places it makes sense to do them: at the baby change table, on the electric socket for the vacuum cleaner, in the laundry.
Auditory reminders
Set the alarm on your phone. Whether it’s hourly (for pelvic floor awareness and activation through movement) or daily (for a stint of pelvic floor exercises), this one works a treat.
Making them fun
You try to make it fun to go to the gym, don’t you? Put some music on and use the rhythm to do some pelvic floors – ask your pelvic floor physio about holds and rests!
Play a CD
Sometimes we just need someone telling us to do what we should. So many patients have said to me “I wish I had you on my shoulder during the day reminding me what I should be doing!” So the next best thing: use a pelvic floor audio to talk you through your pelvic floors once a day, like this one, which can be downloaded to your phone and available at any time!
Involve your friends
We involve our friends with anything else fun…why not pelvic floor? We all know it’s fun to work out with friends. It’s also great to laugh with friends. Combine both by sharing your pelvic floor exercising status on Facebook! You can make your commitment to pelvic floor public by posting “I’m doing my pelvic floor exercises. How about you?” as your status on Facebook. Go on, do it now…what are you waiting for?
(Part 2 of my top tips coming up soon…while you’re waiting, enter your top tips in the Comments, and share your Pelvic Floor Exercises Status on Facebook now!)