Pelvic Floor strengthening is an essential step for women’s health, whether after childbirth, during pregnancy or when menopause arrives. This group of muscles, located at the base of the pelvis, supports your organs and plays a crucial role in your everyday life.
- Discover easy Pelvic Floor strengthening exercises you can do at home to reduce symptoms linked to urinary incontinence as well as organ prolapse
- Learn breathing, contracting and relaxing techniques to engage your abdominal muscles in synergy with your pelvic floor.
- Optimise your results with Emy Trainer, a medical innovation using biofeedback for fun, connected Pelvic Floor strengthening.
Why is it essential to strengthen your Pelvic Floor?
The pelvic floor is a network of muscles, tissues and ligaments that extends from the pubic bone to the anus. It acts like a true hammock, supporting the bladder, uterus and rectum. A loss of pelvic floor tone can lead to issues such as urine leakage or discomfort during sex.
Throughout life, several factors can weaken this system: the weight of the baby during motherhood, the pressure exerted by the abdominal muscles during sport, or even the loosening linked to age.
Whether you’re a new mum recovering after childbirth or an active woman, strengthening your Pelvic Floor helps preserve your pelvic health. Contrary to common belief, the male pelvic floor exists too and plays an equally protective role.
How do I find my Pelvic Floor?
When you’re comfortable with Pelvic Floor contraction and can hold it for several seconds in different positions, you can still refine your movement to locate it more precisely.
Next, contract the front part of your pelvic floor (vaginal and urinary pathways), then the back part (anal pathway). This will help you become aware of the extent of your pelvic floor.
Also, always remember after each contraction to fully relax your pelvic floor, for at least twice as long as the contraction. Be mindful of your breathing too, and always contract your pelvic floor as you exhale.
The 3 best exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor at home
To get results, consistency is key. Add these strengthening exercises to your daily routine to help restore strength to your pelvic floor.
1. Awareness and Kegel exercises
Before focusing on the intensity of the contraction, you need to learn how to feel your muscles.
- Position : To begin with, the lying position is ideal. Lie on your back, with your legs bent, feet flat on the floor and your arms by your sides. Keep your back straight and your spine properly aligned.
- Technique : Imagine you want to hold in urine or stop the flow.
- Action : As you exhale, without holding your breath, contract your pelvic floor (the muscles around the vagina and anus) by drawing them up and in. Hold the contraction for one second, then gently relax while slightly letting your belly rise.
- Repeat : It is recommended to repeat this movement 10 times a day.
2. Pelvic floor bracing on the move
This pelvic floor exercise is all about learning to contract your muscles before effort (coughing, laughing, lifting).
- Position : In a seated position on a gym ball or a chair, keeping your torso upright.
- Action: As you exhale and draw your stomach in, contract your pelvic floor. This exercise helps support the pelvic floor against intra-abdominal pressure.
- Goal: Build an automatic response so that pelvic floor relaxation no longer happens during the demands of everyday life.
3. Biofeedback exercise to strengthen the pelvic floor
For those who need precise monitoring, using a biofeedback device such as the Emy Trainer pelvic floor trainer is the ideal solution.
This technology gives you real-time feedback on your contractions, directly on your smartphone through a mobile app .
This tool turns your training for pelvic floor strengthening into a fun, motivating rehab experience, right at home.
When should you see a healthcare professional to strengthen your pelvic floor?
Although these specific exercises are beneficial, they do not replace medical advice. If you feel pain, persistent discomfort or a heaviness in your lower abdomen, it is essential to consult a doctor, a gynaecologist or a midwife.
Pelvic floor and pelvic rehabilitation is training that can be complemented in clinic with electrostimulation or supervised pelvic floor strengthening sessions. Don’t wait for symptoms to act: rehabilitating your pelvic floor is a health-prevention step.
Our tips for keeping your pelvic floor healthy
In addition to regularly doing exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor, it’s important to know a few healthy lifestyle and dietary tips that are very easy to follow. They support the comprehensive pelvic floor care and help you protect it every day.
Adopt healthy eating habits
Avoid products that have an irritating effect on the bladder (alcohol, tobacco, etc.) and drinks that increase its activity (coffee, tea, etc.).
Get regular physical activity
Do regular exercise. To protect your pelvic floor, choose a gentle activity such as Pilates, swimming, or cycling. These are sports that involve little or no impact or jumping.
Stop the stop-pipi exercise at all costs
As mentioned above, this exercise, which was widely recommended in previous decades, has a harmful effect on women (it promotes urinary tract infections). You should absolutely not do it regularly.
Avoid wearing high heels too often
Wearing heels changes your body’s overall balance because your body weight shifts towards the front of your feet. Your lower back arches and your pelvis moves out of alignment, just like your pelvic floor.
These postural changes affect the tone of the pelvic floor muscles, which can lose elasticity. Try to walk barefoot regularly to help your posture rebalance.
So, as you’ll understand, it’s essential to strengthen your pelvic floor regularly, but also to pay attention to it every day, so you can keep a toned, efficient and functional pelvic floor.
Whether you want to prevent the onset of urinary leakage or pelvic organ prolapse, or improve your sex life and boost your orgasms!
In summary
Taking care of your pelvic floor is an essential investment in your future wellbeing. Keep these key points in mind for effective strengthening:
- Consistency above all: Just a few minutes of exercises each day are enough to see lasting results in strengthening and toning your pelvic floor.
- Professional support: Never hesitate to consult a healthcare professional for a full assessment, so you can personalise your pelvic floor care routine.
- Technology working for your health: Use Emy Trainer to make sure you’re doing the right strengthening movements and stay motivated thanks to real-time biofeedback .
Sources :
- Prospective evaluation of the connected biofeedback EMY Kegel trainer in the management of stress urinary incontinence, Jochum F, Garbin O, Godet J, Ragueneau M, Meyer C, Billecocq S, Lecointre L, Akladios C, Host A, Février 2022, Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction " 51(2):102280.
- Abs: stop the massacre!, Bernadette de Gasquet, 2009, Éditions Marabout.
- Recommendations for urologists: Management of female urinary incontinence, French Association of Urology (AFU), November 2010, Progrès en Urologie 20(11):S145-S182.
