The Pelvic
Floor
AND EXERCISE
Women and men of all ages deal
with incontinence, and the numbers
affected are continuing to rise. As fitness
professionals, we are not immune to
being included in these statistics, as
REPs-registered training provider Adore
Your Pelvic Floor explains.
“
34
FM
This subject
is only
taboo when
we ignore
it and keep
silent.”
In some cases we are more
vulnerable. Voice projection
requires a reactive pelvic floor
group, and if we add in to the
equation our activity and life
challenges including injury,
surgery, pregnancy or the
menopause, our pelvic floor
group can notice the effects.
Every muscle group requires
good resting tone, length,
strength and balance,
including the muscles within,
and surrounding, the pelvis.
The good news is that 85%
of pelvic floor issues can be
solved, allowing us to partake
in exercise and continue our
daily life with confidence.
Adore Your Pelvic Floor are
fortunate to be working with
the fitness industry whilst
collaborating with women’s
and men’s pelvic health
physios, with the Royal
College of Nursing (RCN),
borough councils and many
other organisations to help
create a change in perception
to manage continence and
pelvic health, rather than
managing incontinence.
This subject is only taboo
when we ignore it and keep
silent. I find when I bring up
the subject the floodgates
open and discussion is in full
flow – excuse the pun!
If we upskill and learn
about the pelvic floor and
how it reacts to breath
and movement it is greatly
beneficial to us as teachers
and to the clients we work
with.
It’s time we acknowledge
this in our teaching as we
teach exercise and health.
Katrina Wade, Women’s and
Men’s Pelvic Health Physio,
said: “It is not OK to pee
during exercise, this is a
sign of overload to the body.
Incontinence is common
but this does not mean it is
normal.”