Pelvic Floor Awareness
August 31, 2022
Written By: Coach MJDo we find ourselves avoiding certain exercises like skipping or jumping because we don’t trust our bladder to leak or our pelvic floor feeling an unknown pressure? Or are we running to the bathroom before or part way through a workout? Sometimes even sneezing, coughing or laughing is a concern.
Our pelvic floor is something that we don’t think about till we have an issue with it.
This topic is starting to open up more as we are learning more on how our pelvic floor plays an important part in the physical health of our bodies. Pelvic floor physiotherapists are being recommended more often to all ages as we are learning to be more proactive, instead of after the fact, when dealing with pelvic floor issues such as incontinence and prolapses. It can be an issue for men as well but tends to be talked about more with women.
To help you become more aware of your pelvic floor here is an exercise to try I call the marble exercise:
- Laying on the floor with your knees bent and feet on the floor in a relaxed position, imagine a marble on your belly. Take a few deep breaths to allow your body to relax and release any tension.
- Step 1: You want to move that marble from your belly button to your heart and back, think about it as a Cat/Cow laying down. As you inhale your hips rotate up in a pelvic tilt imagine the marble moving toward your heart, your pelvic floor automatically pulls in. Exhale as you rotate hips back feeling that marble roll back to your belly button, pelvic floor releases. It's all in the hip movement, keep everything else relaxed making sure we are not pushing our feet to the ground. Take it slow and really concentrate on the marble moving back and forth and the ebb and flow of your pelvic floor.
- Step 2: Now with the hips only, we are going to move that marble from hip to hip. Again don’t push your feet to the ground. Try to relax and move that marble side to side and feel the pelvic floor move with it. Can you feel one side working more than the other as you move your hips? As with the rest of our body one side may be stronger than the other.
- Step 3: Now let's put the 2 movements together and roll that marble in a circle around our belly button! Once again keeping everything else as relaxed as possible, visualize that marble circling around. Start at one hip rolling the marble up towards our heart around the belly button, down to the other hip and back to the starting hip. Feel the automatic response of your pelvic floor in each position. After a few rotations reverse the movement.
Can you feel your pelvic floor at work? Can you engage it a little more as you think about the different movement patterns? Does it need some work?
It is important to know how your pelvic floor reacts to the different exercise movements we do. A strong pelvic floor will keep you lifting and moving safely. If it is weaker we may need to adjust our movements or the weight that we use. There are many ways to work at building your pelvic floor strength just like any other muscle, the first step is being aware of it!
To learn more ways to work on your health and fitness journey contact Coach MJ at maryjane@degreefitnessseaforth.com, or click here to book your FREE No Sweat Intro!
Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian Snacking causes a lot of worry for many people! Is snacking bad? When should we be snacking? What's the best snack? Snacking itself isn't a bad habit, unless it's not aligned with your health and fitness goals. Snacks can actually do a lot of good to keep our energy levels up throughout the day and help meet our nutrition needs. Let's check out four ways you can improve your snacking habits! 1. Think about why! If you're concerned about whether your snacks are a problem, it's worth thinking about why you're snacking. Are you hungry between meals? Do you need some fuel before or after a workout? Are you bored at work in the afternoon or need a pick-me-up? Do you need something to do with your hands while watching tv? Are you starving at the end of the day when you get home before you have a chance to make dinner? Snacks serve lots of purposes, from keeping our energy stable during the day, to meeting emotional needs. If you don't feel good about why you're snacking, it might be time to find some other way to meet that need. 2. Plan for your snacks! Often, we may know we need a snack, but not be able to make a healthy choice about it because we're too busy or just too hungry. A little planning goes a long way! Planning ahead for these times can help us make choices that align with our goals, and have something at the ready before we're too hungry to make that healthy choice. Pack a snack or have one at the ready during the times of day or situations when you know you'll need it. 3. Make them satisfying! If a snack isn't satisfying, we'll be reaching for something else soon. For longer lasting energy, choose snacks that have a combination of protein and carbs. This might include yogurt with berries, a higher protein granola bar, crackers and veggies with hummus, or even a couple handfuls of trail mix. If you find yourself finishing your snack without even noticing what you've eaten, try taking a minute to eat more mindfully and focus on your food. This will help you feel more satisfied with it! 4. Fill your nutrition gaps! Snacks are another opportunity to add nutrition to your day. Are there specific foods you're trying to add more of to your diet? Are there nutrients you feel you may be lacking? Use snacks as a way to add these in. If you're concerned about protein, try adding canned tuna, hardboiled eggs, or Greek yogurt to your snacks. If you feel you're lacking vegetables or fruit, include at least one in your snack. If you're trying to include more plant-based proteins, lean on bean-based dips or try roasted chickpeas. The options are endless! Remember, snacking isn't good or bad, and can serve a lot of different purposes. Try using these tips to help your snacking align better with your health and fitness goals! Looking for more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more information about our Nutrition Programs, or click HERE to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat!
Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian As a Dietitian, I work with a lot of different people. One common thread is that we talk about excuses. So many people come in to a nutrition consultation and tell me about their challenges with nutrition and fitness, and then follow it up by saying something along the lines of "I know these are just excuses, I can do better". The things we often consider excuses can include having a busy job and a busy family life. Working weird hours. Struggling with the cost of groceries. Caring for loved ones. Managing health concerns, chronic diseases, or injuries. The list goes on. For my nutrition clients, I rarely consider any of these things to be excuses. It's not an excuse that you can't eat well because you work long hours and then take your kids to their sports practices - these are very real reasons why you're struggling to make healthy choices. It's not an excuse if you work nights and need to get some sleep so you didn't make it to the gym - it's as aspect of your life that makes getting enough exercise challenging. Think about the things you might consider to be your excuses for not "doing better" with your health and fitness. Are they really just parts of your life or the season you're currently in? None of these things should be making you feel bad or like you're making excuses. But on the flip side, these reasons also don't mean we need to throw in the towel on our goals entirely. They mean we might need to get a bit creative, decide what's really important to us right now, and ask for help when we need it! Instead of feeling bad about your "excuses" that aren't really excuses, it might be time to find some new ideas. Working with a Dietitian can be a great way to figure out what's actually important in your health and fitness goals, and come up with some new ideas to get you there. There are always steps we can take in the right direction to move past those "excuses" and work together for a happier and healthier you! Looking for more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more information about our Nutrition Programs, or click HERE to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat!
Written By: Coach Kelly Have you heard... "You’re too old, you’re too tired, you’re too X Y Z" to workout? WRONG! Did you know that the more you move, the less likely you are to experience injuries? The less likely you are to trip, slip or fall. If these things happen, you are less likely to be severely injured. We’ve worked with many different people over the almost 10 years that Degree has been around; hip replacements, knee replacements, strokes, members that experienced an injury outside of the gym but still came to class, etc. We often put ourselves in a box that “I can’t because…”. But, is that true? What if you just tried? Moving keeps us healthy and independent; movement also promotes recovery when done appropriately. So, how do you stick to a fitness routine? Why does it matter? And believe me, it really, really does matter. Keep it simple. I saw the most changes in my fitness/health when I ate well and exercised regularly. I didn't starve myself, I didn’t do any low fat things, I didn’t have to take any extra supplements. I just ate well, trusted the process and moved my body. Now, keep in mind things are different for me than they were 3 years ago; I have a 14 month old and a 3 year old at home. Am I tired? Yep! Do I always get a full nights sleep? Nope, never. Do I have more stress now than then? 100%. However, my why stays true. I want to grow old with power and strength. I want to keep up with my boys and beat them in races as long as I can. I don’t want to be at the Doctors office all the time (even though our local Docs are amazing!). I don’t want to be at the mercy of someone else for my own health. You have the amazing opportunity to keep moving. You have friends, family, jobs, groups and an entire world that wants you to feel good. To feel happy, healthy, strong, and not question if you can go for the bike ride, or be scared to take the stairs. The next best thing you can do if you’re stuck? Ask for help. When our cars break down we take them to the mechanic. When we need a teeth cleaning we go to the Dentist. When we have a tax question we go to the accountant. The world is saturated with health and fitness fads - most of which isn't always the best. Ask for help - Talk to a Coach that can help you leaf through what Google is telling you to find out what will actually work for you, and help you create a habit that works. Ready to get started? Email info@degreefitnessseaforth.com or call/text 519-441-7492!