OH! Magazine - Australian Version November 2016 | Page 6

( An OH! Review) ELVIE: A PERSONAL TRAINER FOR YOUR PELVIC FLOOR Analee Matthews roadtests the Elvie pelvic floor exercise tracker – dubbed the most personal of trainers. Here's her take on this innovative device. hey’ say that your body is never the same after having birthed a child and based on my own experience, I can concur that ‘they’ are, in fact, correct! 'T Prior to my pregnancy, the pelvic floor was never a group of muscles I gave much thought to exercising or paying attention to. But post-natal, it’s at the forefront of my mind at one time or another on pretty much every single day. In both men and women, the pelvic floor muscles are responsible for supporting the bladder, uterus and bowel and can typically be weakened by pregnancy, childbirth, obesity and the straining of chronic constipation. Pelvic floor exercises are designed to improve muscle strength, but what many of us don’t realise is that even if you aren’t a mum – and this applies to males as well – your pelvic floor plays an important role when it comes to overall health. Design Museum in London. The truth is, it’s challenging to exercise muscles that you can't see. Think about it – when you exercise at the gym, feedback about what you’re doing is imperative so you know that you’re doing it safely, correctly and effectively. So what’s unique about Elvie is that it's a very simple way to visually measure and monitor the effectiveness of your pelvic floor or kegel exercises in real time. The device is said to ensure less mindless squeezing and more measurable results. How does Elvie work? Elvie is a small pod-shaped device that is comfortably inserted into the vagina, with the tail sitting against your pubic bone. While inserted the tail connects to your smartphone via Low Energy Bluetooth (which is lower emission than standard Bluetooth). The app is really easy to use and steps Because of this, when I discovered the nifty Elvie device from Chiaro (available from www.pelvicfloorexercise.com.au), I was really intrigued to see what it was all about. Elvie is a beautifully designed and presented new real time biofeedback device that uses bluetooth technology to help women with their pelvic floor exercises. Developed by British company Chiaro, who used a world class team combining the expertise of a head engineer from Dyson and a co-founder of Jawbone (the market leader in wearable technology), together, they have set new standards for women’s technology, recently winning 'Best R&D Award' at The 6 OH! MAGAZINE ( NOVEMBER 2016 ) DID YOU KNOW? you through an individualised exercise session. It also contains a help section to ensure you correctly perform the pelvic floor contractions. It also prompts you every few days, and if you continue to encounter difficulties can suggest you see a women's health physiotherapist. Once you’ve purchased the device ($299), all that is required to use Elvie is a smartphone (iPhones 4S or newer and Android phones 4.3 and above, which support Low Energy Bluetooth). To find out more or to buy this life-changing device online visit www.pelvicfloorexercise.com.au In both men and women, factors weakening the pelvic floor can include ageing, obesity, constipation/straining on the toilet, pelvic/abdominal surgery, prolonged heavy lifting, poor exercise technique, and inactivity. Factors unique to women include hormonal changes, especially the decline of oestrogen levels through menopause, pregnancy, whether you have a vaginal or ceasarean delivery, carrying a baby during pregnancy stretches the pelvic floor tissues, and vaginal childbirth. Factors unique to men include prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate), prostate treatment (radiation, TURP surgery), BHP (benign enlargement of the prostate - a much more common condition than actual prostate cancer). Reference: www.pelvicfloorexercise.com.au