Improve Your Overall Fitness with Pelvic Floor Exercises

There are many elements involved when it comes to achieving a good level of fitness. Although standard exercises such as running, walking and swimming are excellent for losing fat and building muscle you do also need to do some toning exercises as well.

Pelvic Floor Exercises

There are a number of deep internal muscles that are essential for bodily function. These can be missed during standard fitness training. For example the muscles of the pelvic floor region play an important part in the control and function of our bladder and sexual organs. If you do not tone your pelvic floor muscles then over time they can become weak. This can lead to a number of problems such as poor bladder control, incontinence and reduced sexual performance. Pelvic floor exercises should be included in as part of your daily fitness regimes to help boost overall health.

Can Anyone Do Pelvic Floor Exercises?

Pelvic floor exercises are relatively easy to do. Almost anyone can benefit from this type of toning exercise. It is particularly important for following people to do regular pelvic floor exercises:

- Over 40’s - as we get older we can lose essential muscle tone. This can lead to the early onset of problems such incontinence. Both men and women can strengthen their internal muscles by doing pelvic floor exercises. This will tighten up your pelvic floor regime and help you regain control of your bladder functions. This can also help to improve sexual satisfaction.

- Pregnant Women – when you are pregnant a lot of strain is placed on your pelvic region. It is important to do pelvic floor exercises to tone up this area and prepare your body for the additional stress of labour. Doctors can recommend effective types of pelvic floor exercises to do whilst you are pregnant that will strengthen your muscles without putting your unborn child under any stress.

It is also important to do pelvic floor exercises if you are overweight or obese. The additional weight you are carrying will put your bladder and urinary tract under more pressure and this can cause them to weaken over time. You should also consider trying to incorporate some more varied exercises and activities into your day to help regain control over your weight as well. Being overweight can cause a number of health problems that could be avoided by healthy eating and exercise.

How to Get Started

It is never too late to get started with your new health and fitness regime. You can do pelvic floor exercises easily at home whether you are sitting, lying down or standing up. All you need to do at first are some simple squeezing exercises. The easiest way to start is to find a quiet spot and then lie down with your legs slightly bent and your feet flat on the floor. Now concentrate on squeezing your pelvic muscles and holding them for a few seconds. Repeat this five times and try to do a set at least twice a day.