I had a discovery call with a new client this week and she asked how long would it take for her
to see her symptoms improve.
"Are you doing anything now re: your pelvic floor?" I asked.
And, let me tell you: this woman did her research!
She was practicing the diaphragmatic breathing.
She was practicing the postures.
She was staying well hydrated.
She was recognizing anytime she clenched anything and was mitigating that as she went along.
So, yes, while we still need to check out what all of these look like in her practice and progress what she's doing now to help alleviate her symptoms for the future, the simple awareness of what it feels like for this woman to move and navigate her life in HER body is THE FIRST STEP in strengthening her pelvic floor.
Not kegels.
Not pelvic floor weights or games you play with a probe or chairs that "do your kegels for you..."
BODY AWARENESS.
I am a firm believer that if we were taught to recognize when an exercise or activity is too much for our body and how to modify those things vs pushing through, progressing towards working back up to doing those things without compensation, I really do believe the incidence of leaking and prolapse and pelvic pain would be less than it is.
So, this week, my challenge to you is to stop and listen: what is your body telling you?
Are you bearing/pushing down when you squat to pick something up? Can you mitigate that?
Are you pushing through any workouts that either cause leaking, pelvic heaviness, or pain and can you modify the reps or the sets or the exercise itself to reduce that?
Are you holding your breath when you do hard things and can you exhale on the exertion instead?
Are you clenching your butt or jaw or shoulders when you brush your teeth or wash the dishes or check your email? Can you relax out of that?
Are you coning or bulging your abs with anything and can you practice bracing (not sucking it in) to help?
The truth is, a lot of the initial parts of pelvic floor therapy start with interoception: knowing what it feels like to move and operate inside your body, aware of what feels strong and what feels like it could use a little work.
I joke with my clients that this is the boring part because it takes a lot of attention....
...and slowing down....
...things we have been taught that don't burn the most calories or "count" as exercise or help us lose weight.
But maybe focusing all our attention on the more "exciting" exercises for years on end prevented us from being excited about exercise at all.
Maybe our pelvic floor was telling us the whole time.
We just weren't listening yet.
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