The human body has more than 600 skeletal muscles of various sizes and shapes that work daily to allow us to move smoothly and perform daily activities. True, we do not know about each of them. One such is the pelvic floor muscles. Although invisible to the naked eye, these muscles are extremely important for many functions of the body, especially for women, who statistically more often than men also face problems such as urinary incontinence. Keeping that in mind, we are going to talk about why pelvic floor muscles are so important, what happens when they weaken, and how to strengthen them.
Why is it useful to strengthen pelvic floor muscles?
It is useful to strengthen the muscles of the limbs, waist but also pelvic floor muscles at any age. These exercises are especially beneficial for women. For young women planning to have a family, strengthening the pelvic floor muscles helps to prepare for the upcoming birth and is also associated with an easier delivery. Research shows that exercises designed to strengthen the pelvic floor help to recover faster and smoother after childbirth, restore body functions, and reduce the risk of urinary and fecal incontinence. In old age, strengthening the pelvic floor is especially useful for those facing a minor urinary incontinence problem. It is known that exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles can help reduce the unpleasant symptoms of urinary incontinence, leakage of urine during physical exertion, as well as the risk of genital prolapse.
Regardless of age, the benefits of pelvic floor strengthening can also be seen after abdominal or gynecological surgeries. Exercises help to strengthen not only the muscles’ strength but also to improve the support of internal organs and accelerate the body’s recovery after surgical operations. All of this significantly contributes to improving the quality of life, increases social confidence, and is associated with improved sexual satisfaction.
Kegel exercise
One of the most popular exercises recommended for pregnant women, as well as for women of any age, is the so-called Kegel exercise. They can be performed anytime and anywhere, both standing and sitting. You simply need to tense the muscles of the pelvic floor and hold for a few seconds. Repeat this about 20-50 times three times a day.
Pilates exercise
So, if you want to improve your strength of pelvic floor muscles, the great solution is to practice Pilates. It is often more difficult for us women to feel the pelvic floor muscles than men due to anatomical differences. It is for this reason that it is important to find a suitable way of feeling the functioning of the muscles in a purposeful way. Care during training is also necessary due to the fact that without the habit of feeling the bottom of the pelvis, it is very difficult to perform the exercise, maintaining good technique and free breathing. Remember, always be careful during your periods, avoid intense training, and feel signs your period is coming. In this case, when training the pelvic floor, a delicate feeling and high-quality performance are especially important.
Belly dancing
The originality of this Middle Eastern dance lies in its plasticity. One of the features of this dance is the high number of hip and abdominal movements. Belly dancing involves almost every muscle group. During belly dancing, body flexibility and movement coordination develop, blood circulation in the pelvic organs increases, which is a good prevention of many women’s diseases, and a woman’s emotional state improves.
The bottom line
Proper strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles has a great effect on the whole body, improves blood circulation and metabolism, and improves posture. Also, regular exercise improves bowel function, reduces varicose veins, and postpones menopause. Also, the special exercise of the pelvic floor muscles can help with urinary incontinence, which, according to statistics, is especially common after the second and third births and if the intervals between births are small.