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Controlling Incontinence with Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises

Posted by on January 21, 2015 under BladderMatters | Read the First Comment

Kegel exercises

Originally posted by the Live Confidently team on LiveConfidently.com

If you experience occasional light bladder leakage, it may be due to weakened pelvic floor muscles, which support the bladder and provide control over urination. As our bodies mature, our pelvic floor muscles can lose strength, leaving both men and women more susceptible to leaks during everyday activities. Mothers who have experienced multiple births are also at increased risk, regardless of age.

Fortunately, there’s a simple exercise you can do to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and decrease the risk of leaks. We call them pelvic floor exercises, but some people know them as Kegel exercises. Often touted as beneficial for menopausal women, these exercises are just as useful to men and women of all ages. If you haven’t already started doing these pelvic exercises, you can begin as soon as you finish reading this post! Not only are these exercises known to help you control your bladder leakage from getting worse, but they could even prevent stress incontinence from ever happening in the first place.

Let’s Get Started!

To begin your Kegel exercises, sit down and identify your pelvic floor muscles by flexing as if you were trying to stop the flow of urine. Once you’ve found your muscles, contract and hold them for 5-10 seconds, then release. Relax for a few seconds, then repeat the process four or five times in a row. For best results, try to perform at least 30 pelvic floor muscle contractions every day. You should begin to see results after a few months.

The key to success with these exercises is repetition, repetition, repetition. To truly improve your bladder control and strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, you should continue practicing even after you’ve seen an improvement. Kegel exercises should be a part of your daily routine, as strong pelvic floor muscles are beneficial to everyone!

Exercises to Avoid

When choosing an exercise plan that best suits your lifestyle, you should try to avoid high-impact sports that put extreme pressure on your pelvic floor muscles. This includes activities like jogging and aerobics. It’s best to choose low-impact exercises such as yoga or Pilates, as these focus on strengthening the core through slow and controlled movements. On top of your low-impact exercise routine, you should always be practicing your pelvic floor exercises, as this is the best way to strengthen the right muscles to improve your bladder control.

Have some tips to add? Head over to our incontinence forum to discuss this topic with people just like you!

Additionally, you can find varying levels of products for incontinence at TotalHomeCareSupplies.com.

Exercise and Incontinence

Posted by on October 2, 2014 under BladderMatters | Be the First to Comment

Working out with LBL (light bladder leakage)

There’s no need for any type of incontinence to stop anyone from exercising. Maintaining your health is more important than any worries you may have about any of your fellow athletes discovering you’re even occasionally incontinent. But with the right preparation and products, no one need know anyway.

Stress incontinence can occur during running, working out on NordicTrack-like machines or exercising on stairs. When the pelvic floor is not up to holding in urine, it can leak when pressure is put upon it. To prepare for this, be sure to empty your bladder before starting a workout. And when you take a break half an hour in, use that time to head to the bathroom as well. You can also purchase incontinence products for the sole purpose of using them during exercise. Many of these products are discreet enough to wear under regular workout clothes, or if you’re feeling self-conscious, sweatpants are an option.

Frequent restroom visits will not help the issue if you’re experiencing urge incontinence. In this case, you’re likely on a schedule for when to use the restroom. But there are more ways to keep bladder leakage to a minimum while working out. Make sure you drink only water before and during your workout. Caffeinated drinks can irritate the bladder and make the urge to use the restroom worse. Additionally, sports drinks are often made with citrus components, which, again, can irritate the bladder.

When exercising the rest of your body, don’t forget about Kegels. These exercises work out the pelvic floor muscles and they’re important in the fight against incontinence. You can read more about Kegels for women and men, and more about the different types of incontinence. Have a great workout!