The pelvic floor is the most important part of your body that you probably know the least about. “I think many people go their entire lives without knowing what their pelvic floor is,” says physical therapist and founder Christy Clements, PT, DPT. Tampa Pelvic Health.
Often compared to a sling, bowl, or even a trampoline, the pelvic floor is basically the ground floor of your abdominal cavity. It supports the internal reproductive organs, including your bladder, bowels and prostate. And while the word “floor” may sound passive or static, these muscles actually are—or, at least, should be– Very active, assisting with everything from sexual function and bladder control to lifting mechanics and force transfer during exercise.
according to Irwin Sulapas, MDAccording to a sports medicine physician at Houston Methodist, doing pelvic floor exercises can potentially improve problems like constipation, back pain, erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. In fact, the pelvic floor’s influence on sexual function is so direct that a weak pelvic floor can even prevent some medications from working properly. “The little blue pill may not work if you have a weak pelvic floor,” he says.
“As soon as things start to manifest as sexually transmitted diseases, people usually start coming to my door,” says Dr. Clements. But it doesn’t need to get to that (and if it already has, don’t stress). Even with a few simple exercises like the ones below, you can improve the health, mobility and overall functioning of your pelvic floor significantly and relatively quickly – no Kegels required.
“Most people will say, ‘Oh, I should just do Kegels.’ Or, ‘I was talking to an AI and she said to try Kegels.’ But nine times out of 10, people’s pelvic floor already has a lot of tension and it’s working overtime,” says Dr. Clements, who notes that the exercises below ”are meant to stretch and relax the pelvic floor, because a lot of times it’s just clenching all day and doesn’t know how to relax.” And since these are all body-weight exercises and stretches that require no equipment, you can get started right away. Can.
pelvic floor exercises
Child’s Pose Backward Breathing
“If I could teach everyone one exercise, it would be to learn to breathe well,” says Dr. Clements. The easiest way to do this, she says, is to spend 1-2 minutes in this variation of child’s pose—a common yoga position that encourages extension of the back and sides of the rib cage. “This activity helps restore the natural coordination between breathing and pelvic floor function,” she says. “As you inhale, the diaphragm lowers and the pelvic floor naturally lengthens. As you exhale, the pelvic floor retracts and lifts.”
how to do it:
- Get into a kneeling position with your knees and feet together and the tops of your feet facing down.
- Sit back on your heels and bend your torso forward over your knees.
- Extend your arms straight out in front of you and place your palms flat on the floor.
- Take slow, deep breaths, focusing on sending your breath to your lower ribs.
