6 Things to Know Today About Your Pelvic Health
What if you could learn to care for your pelvic floor health during all the phases of your life as a woman? Begin with these six insights.
The conversations surrounding women’s pelvic floor health usually come up when a woman is postpartum and dealing with the challenges and journey of healing. This is a much-needed time for supportive care for a woman and her pelvic floor.
What if, though?
What if you could learn to care for your pelvic floor health during all the phases of your life as a woman, whether that’s prepartum or postpartum, and whether or not motherhood is a part of your journey?
What if, in your awareness and understanding of the needs of your pelvic floor, you felt better prepared for the adjustments that come with life?
Here are six insights into pelvic health that can help you understand and become more aware of this part of your body.
*At the end of 5 of the sections, you’ll find an audio of me expanding on and sharing my personal experience with each insight. There are GREAT nuggets of knowledge in each. Be sure to listen.
1 Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
is a resource that can support you with any pelvic challenges you’re experiencing.
This therapy focuses on supporting the many muscles that integrate to become your pelvic floor.
Whether you’re dealing with the physical shifts of pregnancy, navigating changes during menopause, recovering from a reproductive, abdominal procedure, or surgery, or want to maintain pelvic health as you age, this therapy modality will be a game changer for you.
Research pelvic floor physical therapy to see if it could serve you well.
If so, and if it is accessible to you, add scheduling an appointment to your self-care checklist.
2 Incontinence
(lack of voluntary control over urination or defecation) can be a side effect of a stressed pelvic floor, and it can affect women of all ages and life stages.
When the pelvic floor is overstressed and weak or otherwise extra tense and tight, the result can be unexpected leaks or a lack of control. This is both physically and emotionally difficult to handle.
When you learn that incontinence could be a symptom of your pelvic floor needing support, you may feel more incentivized to take proactive steps to improve your pelvic floor health.
Try exercises and therapies to strengthen or relax your pelvic floor, which can improve your quality of life and enhance your sense of control.
3 Your Bladder
communicates to your brain in a sinusoidal wave pattern.
Your bladder is full and ready to empty on that second wave rather than the first wave your body receives.
Often, women may feel the urgency to go to the bathroom at the first sign of discomfort, not realizing that it’s a normal signal your body receives multiple times before your bladder is full and truly ready to be emptied.
This little-known fact about your bladder’s communication system can profoundly impact your approach to bladder and pelvic floor health.
Understanding this helps you avoid frequent, unnecessary trips to the bathroom and manage bladder signals with more control, which in turn reduces overactive bladder issues and unnecessary stress on your pelvic floor.
4 Relaxing Your Pelvic Floor
is equally as important as strengthening it.
Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles is often the focus, but many women overlook the need to relax those muscles.
Over time, stress, posture, and even certain exercises can create a tight and tense pelvic floor, leading to discomfort, pain, and possible dysfunction.
To counterbalance the effects of stress and tension, you can learn techniques to relax these muscles, such as stretching, mindfulness, and pelvic floor therapy.
A well-balanced pelvic floor — one that is both strong and relaxed— ensures better support for organs like your bladder, uterus, and bowels, all of which support pelvic health in all phases of life as a woman.
5 Breathing deeply and diaphragmatically
is the gateway to relaxing a stressed and tight pelvic floor.
When your body is tense, your pelvic floor often responds in kind, making it harder to function at its best.
Leveraging deep, diaphragmatic breathing is one of the simplest and most effective tools for calming your nervous system and releasing tension in your pelvic floor and your whole body.
Incorporating deep breathing into your daily routine reduces muscle tension, improves circulation, and promotes a healthier alignment of your entire body.
This practice also helps restore balance to the pelvic floor by increasing oxygen flow and promoting relaxation, which can be particularly helpful during stressful events, pregnancy, recovery, healing, hormonal fluctuations, and any other mental or emotional challenges.
PLAN TO LISTEN TO:
Guided Meditation & Breathwork: Pelvic Relaxation
On Thursday, 2/27
6 Abdominal Massage
is a modality powerhouse for your pelvic health, and it also supports your cycle health, digestive health, and lymphatic system/drainage!
Abdominal massage is often overlooked as a form of self-care but can be incredibly effective in maintaining your pelvic health.
When you or a practitioner gently massage your abdomen, you stimulate circulation, encourage relaxation, and support the proper functioning of internal organs, including those involved in digestion and lymphatic drainage.
This practice also helps you with your menstrual health and reduces cramping, bloating, and other cycle-related discomforts.
Regular abdominal massage, especially accompanied by deep diaphragmatic breath, enhances overall wellness by promoting relaxation, reducing pelvic floor stress, and improving the health of surrounding tissues.
If you live in San Diego and are interested in experiencing how abdominal massage supports your health as a woman, come see us at Evergreen—we’ll take beautiful care of you. Send a message!
Let’s change the mindset that a significant life health event needs to occur for you to permit yourself to care for your mental and physical health.
The beautiful thing is that education, awareness, and daily care are ways to minimize health challenges for yourself in the future.
There’s power in your awareness of your body, how it works, and how you can care for yourself before health challenges arise.
p.s.—
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Evergreen Women’s Holistic Care
Learn more about Evergreen’s Holistic Care, Integrative Bodywork, & Women’s Holistic Health Education can support you on your health & healing journey at www.womensholisticcare.com
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