There’s still so much mystery shrouding the pelvic floor but with a recent survey showing that 80% of women – primarily millennials – are experiencing pelvic health problems, it’s time for deeper look at pelvic health. In fact, for a muscle group that’s rarely discussed and rarely exercised, it plays a huge role in your overall health. From improving your performance in the gym and reducing the risk of incontinence (leakage) to improving your sex life, the pelvic floor is the ultimate multitasker.
So, how can we find this often-elusive group of muscles – and once we’ve found them, how can we get them working?
How to find your pelvic floor
Let’s start with the basics of pelvic floor activation. My favourite way to teach women to activate their pelvic floor is by grabbing a rolled-up towel and a chair. Place the towel onto the chair and sit – in a straddle position – on the towel. You should feel the towel creating a little pressure on your vulva. Take a deep inhale through your nose and imagine your perineum (which is the little cross-section of muscle between your vagina and anus) relaxing into the towel. As you exhale through pursed lips, imagine lifting the perineum off the towel. Repeat this a few times. We’re aiming to feel movement in the vulva and pelvic region with each inhale and exhale.
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Not sure you’ve found the magic muscles? Another great way to find the pelvic floor is with an internal. Using a clean (and lubricated) finger, slide it up the vaginal canal. Feel for any restrictions, bulging or lumps. Then, inhale and imagine your vagina relaxing or loosening around your finger. As you exhale (again, through pursed lips), imagine your vagina gripping your finger and pulling it deeper inside you. With this, we want you to feel a distinct difference between the release around your finger and the contraction around your finger.
Now we’ve found the pelvic floor muscles, let’s discuss ways to keep them functional – because, like any muscle, we need to keep them strong and flexible to make sure their working at their best.
How to activate your pelvic floor
You know those Kegels your mum told you to do at the traffic lights? Well, those can be left in the 90s. Research has shown there are more effective ways to work the pelvic floor. Here are a few favourites – and the best bit? With a few minor tweaks, you can easily incorporate them into your current fitness routine!
Clams
Activating your hip muscles is shown to help strengthen your pelvic floor – and a simple exercise to do this at home is with clamshells. Lie on your side with your bottom arm under your head. Bend your knees to create a 90-degree angle. Take a deep exhale and imagine your core switching on (pull your belly button to your spine). Lift the top knee toward the ceiling keeping your heels together. Your legs should create a diamond shape. Try leaving your top hand on your top hip to make sure your pelvis remains stacked throughout. Bring your top knee back to the starting position and repeat. You can up the ante by adding a booty band or a dumbbell.
Goblet sumo squat
Grab a dumbbell and hold it close to your chest. Stand with your feet wider than your hips and your toes pointing out. Inhale through your nose as you squat down. Make sure to keep your back straight and chest high (no slouching!). Watch as your knees track over your toes. As you exhale, picture your pelvic floor squeezing and lifting (similar to the grip and lift you felt around your finger as you gave yourself an internal) and straighten your knees back into the starting position.
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Bridges
The classic bridge pose activates your glutes and pelvic floor. Start by laying on your back with knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Your arms can be straight by your side along the ground or raised with fingertips pointing toward the ceiling for an extra challenge. Inhale to prepare and as you exhale lift your hips toward the ceiling – you’re aiming to create a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Inhale at the top and then exhale as you lower your glutes back toward the ground.
