Stop with the kegels
Why is it that every woman thinks she should be doing kegles at every red light or while waiting in line at the bank (as if we even go inside banks anymore)? Maybe, it’s because we have been conditioned to think that we need to be as “tight” as possible down there or else we will be undesirable? Or is it that kegels have been used as a catchall solution for any “female problem”, whether kegel exercises are appropriate or not? Whatever the reason, women today are having significant pelvic floor dysfunction and it is beginning to show up in younger and younger women. Kegels are great when needed, but should we all really be doing them?
If you are preparing your body for pregnancy or currently pregnant, you may be doing too much tightening of your pelvic floor muscles and you may actually want to work on relaxing these muscles instead. Yes you read that correctly, we want a relaxed pelvic floor.
Like anything in life, we need to find balance and harmony. Constantly contracting and tightening your pelvic floor muscles without any conscious work on relaxing and stretching them creates the potential for just as many issues as an under activated pelvic floor. In fact, an overly tight and contracted pelvic floor and an extremely loose and under activating pelvic floor are BOTH weak and dysfunctional.
Let’s take an example, pretend you are going to a trainer to help you obtain the desirable skinny arm and they said to you all you are going to do is dumbbell curls. All day, just dumbbell curls and that’s it. No stretching, no other arm muscle groups, just the biceps. You might go along with it if you trust your trainer but eventually you would have T-Rex arms with big biceps that you couldn’t let relax and everything else would be underdeveloped and weak. When illustrated like, it’s easy to see that one exercise and no stretching is ridiculous, but it often goes unnoticed and overlooked when it comes to our pelvic floor muscles. Doing only kegels, constantly for your pelvic health is the exact same misguided and inappropriate rationale as only doing bicep curls for your arms.
Some Common Symptoms Of a Too Tight (Hypertonic) Pelvic Floor:
Sudden urges to urinate
The need to urinate often - even when your bladder isn’t completely full
Difficulty starting a flow of urine
Constipation
Feeling like your bladder is not fully empty after urinating
Tailbone pain, pelvic pain, or low back pain
Pain during sex or sexual dysfunction
Let’s talk a little more about what exactly is our pelvic floor and what it does.
Both men and women have pelvic floors and it is a network of muscles located in the bowl of our pelvis and these muscles hold up and in the organs located in the lower part of our body. The pelvic floor musculature is actually a component of our core and help to stabilize our pelvis and spine. The pelvic floor should be moving every time that we take in a breath, in conjunction with our diaphragm. In addition to all of these awesome functions, the pelvic floor controls urine and bowel functions, makes sex more enjoyable and when functioning properly, it helps to pump blood and lymphatics back to the heart.
Needless to say, our pelvic floor is something we want to be functioning properly. Just like any other muscle group in the body, yes you want to strengthen the muscle but girl you better be stretching too! This balance helps maintain the health of our muscles and prevent injury, our pelvic floor is no different. If you are preparing your body for pregnancy or currently pregnant, you are probably already sufficiently working out your pelvic floor muscles by doing exercises like squats, bridges, and bird dog (see our blog about exercises to prep for pregnancy). Take the time to relax and stretch these muscles too! Because a baby is going to have to pass through that hammock of muscles and if they are extremely tight and unable to relax, it can make labor and delivery longer, more painful, and put you at risk for injury and dysfunction postpartum.
3 Ways to Relax Your Pelvic Floor
This is a nice practice to do for 20-30 minutes each day and can be done easily post-workout as a part of your cool down routine. It doubles as a relaxation technique, so you get double the benefits!
Breath Work
If you don’t know how to breath with your diaphragm, you need to start here. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Inhale through your nose to the count of 6, hold your breath in for a count of 2 and then exhale to the count of 8. With each inhale, you should feel your belly rise and a slight increase in pressure pushing down your pelvic floor muscles into a stretching relaxation.Child’s Pose
Kneel with your knees placed slightly wider than your hips. Push your bottom down and back between your legs and extend your arm out in front of you, relaxing your forehead on the floor. Continue to breathe as described above in this position and focus on relaxing and releasing your pelvis and the muscles in your low back.Happy Baby
Start by lying flat on your back on the floor or on a mat. Keeping your head on the mat, bring your knees towards your chest, bent at a 90 degree angle and face the soles of your feet up towards the ceiling. Grab and hold the outside of your feet. Spread your knees apart and gently pull them towards your armpits. Rock from side to side while deeply inhaling and exhaling for several breaths focusing on relaxing your pelvis.
These are great basic releases and relaxation poses for our pelvic floor. Some women may have tighter or more dysfunctional pelvic floors that require the attention of a professional like a physical therapist trained in this specific field. It is always a good idea to consult your physician, if you feel that you may have a problem needing attention.