You may have heard a lot, even from celebrities like Cristina Pedroche, about the importance of keeping your pelvic floor strong. However, there are many women who have doubts about how to locate it. Or how it affects that these muscles are weak.
A weak pelvic floor can cause some problems in the daily lives of women, since, among its main effects, is from low back pain to urinary incontinence or the difficulty to fully enjoy sexual intercourse.
Why is the pelvic floor weakened?
When we talk about the pelvic floor, we refer to the set of muscles found inside the abdominal cavity. This area is more commonly weakened among women in adulthood. Since, the main causes of their loss of strength are pregnancy, childbirth, being overweight, or menopause, as the most common.
Simple exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor
There are various exercises, many of them you can do at home and belong to the popular Kegel Exercises. Others, more specific to the area, such as hypopressive abdominals. Can do them on your own but always following the instructions of a specialist. On the other hand, if you are thinking about which sports routine would be the most appropriate for you and you are concerned about the state of your pelvic floor, you should know that Pilates and yoga are two of the most recommended disciplines to solve this problem.
- The simplest exercise you can do can be done anytime, anywhere, since it consists of something as basic as contracting the pelvic floor muscles for approximately ten seconds and then relaxing. The movement is exactly the same as if you wanted to pause the urine while you are in the bathroom, something that in this situation is not recommended.
- This other exercise is very simple but you will need a softball or cushion. It consists of lying on your back with your knees bent. Your feet flat on the floor, and the cushion under your tailbone. With your arms relaxed on both sides of your body. You should raise your pelvis by contracting your glutes and trying to bring your navel towards your back. Hold for a few seconds and return to the original position.
- In a quadruped position with your knees apart, make a triangle with your hands and rest your head on them. Focusing on the breath, squeeze your abdomen as if you wanted to bring, once again, your navel to your back. Hold for about 10 seconds with your abdomen contracting.
You can also use various sex toys and devices to strengthen your pelvic floor. Among them, the most popular is known as Chinese balls or geisha balls. You must introduce them into your vagina and, after a few days of adaptation by performing the contractions that we indicated in the first place, your muscles will gradually strengthen, and in the end, you will be able to take them to perform your usual tasks. It is advisable not to use them for more than half an hour and not while doing impact exercises. If you are encouraged by this option, we invite you to consult a specialist to advise you in a more personal way regarding the uses and sizes that best suit you.