Once you work through all of the workouts featured on our DVD, you will likely find a few that will be your “favorites” and that’s okay. The exercises we like best are the exercises we are most likely to stick with during our busy schedules.

My routine is doing my Kegels in the car while driving. I tend to do my Samuri Squats while in the shower, a balance exercise while brushing my teeth, and then I can usually get a bridging and plank exercise in when I am playing with the kids. Nevertheless, I recommend really learning the exercises thoroughly … Continue Reading

Did you know that no matter what treatment option you choose for your pelvic floor dysfunction, it is always recommended that you follow up that treatment with an exercise program to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.

If you choose surgery, it is important to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles following the procedure to support the work that was done and, hopefully, increase the length of time the sling or mesh may be effective.

If you choose a pessary device, you want to continue to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and monitor your posture to decrease your dependence on the device.  You may … Continue Reading

I thought I would write a bit about swimming because whether you are pregnant, just delivered, or well beyond those points in your life, swimming is a great exercise choice.  It is simply a fantastic way to get your heart rate up and strengthen muscles through non-impact activity.

I love this exercise choice because it promotes extension.  I have blogged extensively about the importance of working the muscles on the back side of our bodies.  If you think about it, everything that we do throughout our day is out in front of our body.  This tendency to work our flexors and … Continue Reading

We have discussed, in depth, how important the transversus abdominus (TA) is to a maximum pelvic floor contraction.  These lower abdominal fibers that begin below our ribs and funnel down into our pelviscontract in coordination with the levator ani muscle of our pelvic floor.  The muscle fibers of our TA act like a corset as they wrap around our abdomen and pelvis instead of running up and down or at a diagonal like our other abdominal muscles.  Much like a corset, these fibers tighten, forcing the air within our abdomen and pelvis up under our ribs as we draw our … Continue Reading

Did you know that if you don’t extend your tail bone, your pelvic floor will never fire with optimal strength?  A tucked under tail bone takes our pelvic floor, which attaches at our tail bone and our pubic bone, and makes it slack.  And, over time, this loose muscle responds poorly and becomes weak because we are never able to fully activate all of the fibers because our two attachments sites are sitting too close together. 

If we extend our tail bone, giving it a slight lift, we put our pelvic floor muscles at the perfect length/tension ratio where it can … Continue Reading

When I activate my Transversus Abdominus (TA), should it feel like I am holding my breath?

You may feel like holding your breath, but don’t allow yourself to do so!  Contracting your TA does lift your chest because when you do so, it’s like squeezing a snow cone – the most narrow part is down by your pelvic floor so it squeezes and displaces  the pressure up under your ribs, expanding and lifting your chest.  Remember, if you feel any bearing down or pressure forcing your pelvic floor down, you are activating the wrong muscle group.

Can you remind me again about the posture I should hold when I am not carrying my little one?”

If yours is a tendency to lock your knees and tuck under, then find reminders throughout your day to essentially stick your butt out.  This is the gymnast posture and is extreme, but when you activate your Transversus Abdominus (TA) in this position, it will rock you back slightly to your neutral spine position.  Remember, stick your buns out – this will give better tension to your pelvic floor – and that is passive tension, not an active muscle squeeze.

My hip flexors are tight.  What is the best way to stretch them?

To stretch your hip flexors, spend atleast 5 minutes per day lying on your stomach playing with your little one.  You can also work your multifidi extensions in this position if you want.  This will passively stretch your hip flexors while you intermittently turn on your multifidi – a very important postural muscle.

I recently read through two different sites with the bloggers writing about how Kegels are worthless.  If I could delete these entries just as quick as I read them, I would so that it didn’t cause any more confusion for all of you searching for answers.  Do I agree that pelvic floor strengthening has been over-simplified – YES!  But to say that you don’t have to do another Kegel is simply not correct.  Our pelvic floor is a muscular area with the ability to tighten on the urethra (the pathway from the bladder to our urethral opening in our pelvic … Continue Reading

I am 6 weeks post-partum and I feel this heaviness in my vaginal area but no bulge.  I want to start running but don’t know if I am ready.  Is this similar to what you felt?

 My prolapse sounds like a bit more than yours, with a grade III cystocele. When I stood in a half-squat position in front of the mirror, I could see the anterior wall of my vagina, about 1/2 fist in size, bulging out. So my pelvic floor had completely shut down. After my first delivery I had my eye on the 6-week mark to begin running … Continue Reading