New Mum, Grandma or simply a busy life? It’s not always easy to fit formal exercise in. Here’s a list of 7 secret exercises for busy women. Anywhere, anytime gems that don’t look or feel like exercises – but will help maintain YOU!
Try these #7 secret exercises for busy women!
#1 Stand well: when talking
Can we DO posture? Does that really count as exercise? Absolutely.
In Kenya, the Maasai Warrior are taught from an early age to stand for hours at a time, still and upright. To find this amazing posture they are told to focus on their feet.
Try this:
feet a little apart, pointing straight forward
press the inside edges of the heels towards each other (they don’t actually have to touch)
That’s it. But as you make that small adjustment at your feet, notice the cascade of muscle activity through the rest of your legs and bottom muscles? Feel the gluts and legs come ‘alive’, feel the stretch on the front of the thighs as your pelvis draws back into neutral, notice your lower abdominals activate and the spine straighten? By the time you even get to your head and shoulders you will feel that by getting the feet ‘right’ everything else has drawn into place?
Posture requires effort
You may find that today you can only ‘hold’ this posture 5-10 seconds before feeling tired and fatigued by the effort involved, both physical and mental. That’s ok. That feeling is your muscles working in an endurance hold that they are not used to. But if every time you stand to talk to someone, cuddle a baby, answer the phone, stand in a queue, you practice this posture….just 10 seconds at a time… within a week it will feel far more natural and you will be able to stand, still and grounded, for many minutes at a time.
#2. Sit well: watching TV
Notice your ” tail bone” and “sitting bones” underneath you.
Bring your weight forward to get off your tailbone and on to your sitting bones. Can you feel your weight evenly left and right? Stretch up through every bone of your spine, drop your shoulders back and down, let the top of your head lift towards the ceiling.
Let the seat support you – but if you have a large gap around your waist tuck a small rolled up towel or thin jumper into the gap to hold your spine in it’s natural curve if you are settling in for something epic (current fav in our house is Elementary….see you in 5 seasons….)
#3 Core: in the car
Notice the seat belt where it crosses your lap. It lies exactly over your lower abdominals (transversus abdominis). In a class we often facilitate our awareness of our abs by touching with our finger tips – in the car use the pressure of the seat belt as a natural guide.
Let your abdominals sag against the seat belt on purpose. Now, breathe in fully, let the abdomen swell a little, then as you breathe out, gently draw the lower abdominals towards you. Then hold them gently (just less than 50% of what you could do). And Breathe. Finally, release, letting them sag back onto the belt.
Do this cycle again – draw in as you exhale…but now keep breathing naturally and watch one lamp post go by…watch another go by…let a third go by…then let go. Start a “how-many-can-I-hold-for-lamp-post-challenge”?
#4 Walk: everywhere: fast
Walk fast and you burn a LOT of calories. It’s almost as good as jogging. Try to walk so that you could “speak” but not “chat”.
Head up, lower abs in 20%. Aim for you heel to strike the floor first (so that people can here you coming). This activates your gluts (bottom muscles) for a more intense leg work out. No casual strolling about – make even the shortest walk count.
#5 Pelvic Floor: in a queue
Here’s an exercise to ping your pelvic floor muscles awake in less than 35 seconds. Little and often improves muscle memory, reaction times, and encourages quick muscle growth.
TURN YOUR TOES OUT, LIKE A BALLET DANCER, 5 squeezes of the back passage area
THEN TURN YOUR TOES IN, LIKE A PIGEON, 5 ‘lift and squeeze’ of the bladder tube area
TURN YOUR TOES NORMAL, both areas together
#6 Balance practice: cleaning your teeth
Balance is a skill you have to train seperately to being “fit”.
Stand on one leg, pull up out of your waist, feel the bottom muscles working to hold you. Notice the strength and stability in your ankle. Progess by closing your eyes!
#7 Be Mindful: with friends and family
Mindfulness is quite simply the practice of being in the now. You formally practice it in yoga and pilates classes. Did you know you can also be mindful in any situation, even complex ones, out on a walk, driving, even cooking. Or to mentally “step back” in the middle of a social event.
Let yourself be completely present so that your mind is in a physiological state of rest but not asleep. Allow your thoughts come and go but you are not remembering, not planning, not analysing or deciding. Rather, sensing, noticing, appreciating….
Yes, even with visiting family….
Author: Amanda Savage MCSP, MSt (Cantab), Specialist Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapist
The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of my blogposts, articles and my videos are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of if you are not a face to face client of mine. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. Amanda Savage disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, blog or video.
Do you wonder what BREATHING has to do with bladder control, prolapse support or vaginal or anal pain?
Physios are not going woo-woo
It’s rather because clinical research & our understanding of the body has deepened, so pelvic floor exercises exercises are evolving. It’s no longer one size fits all.
There’s a good place for the traditional squeezes, lifts and holds, but some mums need to focus their attention more on the “let go”, relaxing and releasing of their muscles.
Pelvic floor relaxation is a thing
Previously exercises were very linear. Squeeze ON, release/turn off. Our focus was on what our muscles needed to be able to DO in an emergency situation – when we cough, sneeze, pick up something heavy. This is not wrong. If you struggle with stress incontinence (leaks when there is high pressure on the bladder) then the best thing you can learn is The Knack of getting the pelvic floor to co-ordinate with perfect timing.
However, we now know how our muscles should be doing when we are not thinking about them. The resting pattern of your muscles has an impact on common problems like urgency, bladder frequency, vaginal heaviness and pelvic pain.
#1 New thing we know
Firstly, our breathing pattern and our pelvic floor muscle movement pattern are similar and interconnected. Breathing is easier to understand, feel and control than the hidden away pelvic floor. So if you want to better connect to your pelvic floor – start by noticing how you breathe.
#2 Weird thing to notice
However, most of the day we don’t think about our breathing AT ALL. You wouldn’t have been thinking about yours a few minutes ago until I brought the topic up. Your brain operates your breathing system all day, all night, 24/7 without any conscious input from you. A gentle in and out, muscles contracting and releasing, a continuum of movement like a swinging pendulum, you are only completely full of air or completely released for a moment in time.
#3 Amazing thing we can do
Yet, you can also have incredible control over this system. For example, you could take a deep breath right now to blow out an imaginary candle; you could whistle a little tune; you could shout (or yodel) or pant like a dog. With training, you could develop sophisticated breath control as well – as a singer, long distance runner, athlete, deep sea diver, bird impressionist. Did you know that you need enormous breath control to accurately shoot a pistol or throw a dart?
And then, when you stop panting or wolf-whistling or humming a ditty, your brain just automatically puts you back into gentle breathing mode, no questions asked. A-MAZ-ING.
#4 Pelvic floor muscles should be super-skilled too
We want our pelvic floor muscles to have similar super powers. When we are NOT thinking about them we want them to gently (gently!) contract and relax, very low key, very little. Just enough to keep blood flowing through them, to nourish their feeder nerves. We want movement to keep the tissues stretchy and flexible. We want to be on standby for whatever we decide to do next.
Then, when you decide to pick up your toddler or dash up the stairs, we need them to move up a gear or two to help carry that load from below, preventing pelvic organ descent or a sudden urge to wee.
Similarly, if you want to push shut a heavy door, or hit a tennis serve, or do one of your room shattering sneezes, we want them to go into full tension mode to prevent leaks. And most important of all, if you want to empty your bladder or bowel, or get sexy with your partner you want them to relax and release to allow things out or in.
#5 Best thing to work on
In contrast, if your muscles are always tense they become “crampy” with painful sensations associated with a build up of lactic acid or the soreness to be touched or if stretched. Then if your muscles are always “in gear” you can’t choose to have “more” or “less” for the activity you are doing.
So take moments through the day to tune in to your breathing and from there to your pelvic floor muscles. Find time to reset your background, automatic, movement pattern to line yourself up for a day with super-powers.
Video: How to improve pelvic floor control by simply breathing
https://youtu.be/k8V5NTkAEmM
Firstly, tune into your breathing pattern. Feel your rib cage lift and raise as you breathe in, drop and shrink as you breathe out. Play with it. Breathe deep, blow out an imaginary candle. Do this a couple of times. Then stop. Can you feel your body revert to your base breathing pattern?
Then, notice how your BELLY breathes. Yes it does!! Drop your hands to abdomen. Channel your inner frog. Notice that your belly mimics your breath. As you breathe in your belly lifts as you breathe out it falls.
Finally, lower your consciousness to your pelvic floor. It is the lowest moving set of muscles. Can you feel how these move to, in time with your breathing, ever so gently contracting & letting go. Or gathering & releasing, or lifting & lowering – whichever words work best for you.
Have you improved your pelvic floor skills by practicing breathing? Please let me know if this video and explanation was helpful and how you are getting on?
How much water should you drink? When should you wee?
Two tricky questions…
Other health and hygiene questions are easy. How often should you clean your teeth? Wash your hair? Change your pants? But these two bladder questions – How much should you drink? and When should you wee? are full of issues, myths & legends. This article helps you understand the UK guidelines, understand why how much you drink influences when you will wee – and offers tips & tricks to for a happy bladder!
Bladders & drinks FAQs
Does how much you drink cover just water or all your drinks?
Are tea and coffee drinks?
What about the milk in your cereal?
Is it different if you are taller/smaller, fatter/thinner or breastfeeding?
Is it better to have a few big drinks or sip from a bottle all day?
Should we wee when we first feel it or when we are busting?
Is it ok to hang on……..but how long is hanging on for too long?
Am I normal if I wee in the night?
Is it ok to have just a tiny wee before you go out the door? ………
Phew….see what I mean about a tricky subject?!
How much water should you drink: official guidelines
Your body needs water or other fluids to work properly and to avoid dehydration. That’s why it’s important to drink enough fluids. In climates such as the UK’s, we should drink about 1.2 litres (six to eight glasses) of fluid every day to stop us getting dehyrated. In hotter climates, the body needs more than this. We also get some fluid from the food we eat.
NHS Choices
Extra (practical & useful) tips & info:
Normal fluid intake should be 1.2 to MAX 2 litres in a 24 hour period.
It is NOT 1.2 litres of water on top of all your other drinks
This is ALL fluids added up together (tea, coffee, water, juices, alcohol).
1.5-2 litres equates to 6-8 standard 250ml mugs a day, or 4 x 500ml water bottles.
Don’t count the milk in your cereal. But if you have soup for lunch, jelly to follow and smoothies to drink you might want to be aware of their impact on the total volume.
If you are breastfeeding or doing sweaty exercise you may need an extra glass here & there to replace lost fluid. But unless you sweat profusely or produce gallons of breast milk – this is not nearly as much as you think.
Drinks should be evenly spaced at approx 2 hour intervals. With the last proper drink 2 hours before bedtime (ideally non-caffeine), just sips thereafter.
How to be nice to your bladder: filling tips
Let’s talk through the look of a ‘normal’ day, in an untroubled happy bladder world. It will help your brain understand how it should all work.
If you have been suffering with mad dashes to the loo, uncomfortable and inconvenient urges and bladder accidents, these habits will really help.
# 1 . Take an ‘organised approach’ to when to fill & empty the bladder
A standard mug or glass (of tea, coffee, water etc) is 250ml. Many people are often surprised to realise that you therefore need no more than 6-8 mugs/glasses in 24 hours.
A standard mug is 250ml
The bladder prefers regular and spaced filling intervals rather than droughts or floods. Though the bottled water companies would like to persuade us differently, it is not normal to be constantly sipping water. A drink every couple of hours should rather nicely lead to needing a wee every couple of hours.
If you look at your wee when it comes out it should be pale yellow. If it looks like water you are drinking too much, if it is dark yellow you are not drinking enough.
Drink every half an hour ? Guess what…you are going to need to wee every half an hour…
If 1.2 litres IN gives you 5-6 wees out. Then if you are drinking 3 litres a day, simple maths says that’s about 12 standard wees. Or 6 very very full bursting ones. Those bursting wees are highly likely to be accompanied by some unpleasant sensations or not quite making it! Cut back on the volume (to 1.2 litres a day) and you could get an instantly happier bladder.
Monitor your fluid intake carefully for a few days. Your ‘bladder’ problem could be merely operator error at the filling end.
# 2 Not all drinks are equal
It can seem strange that we say 1.2 litres of FLUID and don’t distinguish water from other drinks. Tea and coffee are, however, just water with flavoring. Think how you pour the water out of the kettle?
Water is the best choice
So they will hydrate you but…you might want to think how the ‘flavoring’ could affect you:
Caffeine is a known bladder irritant. Some people notice that they react worse to ‘real’ coffee than instant (or vice versa). Adding fat (milk or cream or on trend is butter!) slows the absorbtion of caffeine.
Tea can be ‘light’ by design (eg Earl or Lady Grey). Or light in the making; a few leaves gently steeped is very different from squashing the teabag to death in a mug. The ‘builders’ tea’ version has extra caffeine and tannins – that’s what stains the mug.
How do you ‘take’ your tea?
Alcohol is a diuretic (for every glass in, you will get one and half out…think hangover…dry mouth, dehydration, headache…).
You may notice your bladder reacts to certain types of alcohol (spirits, wine, fizz) differently. Find your tipple of choice and note what to avoid when there isn’t a handy toilet!
Fizzy water and de-caf coffee can also be irritating for some people. It is thought that it is something about the manufacturing process.
Watch out for ‘sneaky’ ingredients. Fruit teas are high in sugar. Green tea has caffeine (and is also a diruetic – hence drunk on ‘diets’). Many hot chocolates are high in sugar & can contain caffeine.
#3 Take more notice of how drinks affect you
Start to notice how long it takes for different drinks to pass through you and make your bladder uncomfortable.
Squeezy App (which reminds you to do your pelvic floor exercises) has a bladder diary you can use to monitor your fluid intake and trips to the loo or download a chart here.
You may find you are not as ‘tolerant’ of your favorite drink as you used to be.
Don’t feel you have to go cold turkey. Just cut down a bit on the likely culprits. Then increase the balance of plain water. You will likely see a quick reduction in bladder urgency and increased capacity to hold.
Pick your moments. It doesn’t mean you can’t drink your favorite double strength cappaccino…but maybe not just before a long car journey or the cinema?
#4 Sweating? Breastfeeding? When you might need extra fluid
sweating or just a glow?
Hot days & exercise: We don’t just lose fluid from our bodies when we wee. It also escapes from our body in our breath (think how you can steam up a mirror). Also when we sweat. If it is a hot day, we need extra fluid. If you are doing an extra sweaty activity, drink a little extra before and be sure to re-hydrate after. “Guesstimate” the amount that you might have glowed away. As well as the drink you were probably due about then anyway. But don’t over do it.
drink extra to replace the volume given to the baby
Breastfeeding: It is important to have some extra fluid each time you feed…but again don’t over do the drinking or you will just be weeing more. To estimate the amount you need to re-hydrate – think about the milk volume that you produce when you express? Probably about 200-400ml? So an extra glass/mug of fluid is all you need back again. You don’t need to down a pint of water – your poor bladder will just fill to bursting really quickly and not love you for it.
When should you have a wee?
A quick summary of the daily OUT routine. IF you are drinking 1.2 litres fluids in 24 hours (which is one 250ml mug roughly every 2 hours)
One wee in the middle of the night is considered normal
On waking up expect a BIG wee (400-600ml) – you could possibly fill a pint glass
Then through the day expect 5-6 average wees (200-400ml) – each one could fill a big mug
You do not need to wait until you are bursting to empty your bladder.
Aim to empty when your bladder holds a good mug-full. Little ‘yogurt pot’ wees should be avoided.
How to be nice to your bladder: emptying tips
# 1 The first sensation is usually too early
After 45 minutes to an hour your bladder would normally hold about 120ml (a yogurt pot) of urine. Then you would get a ‘I might need a wee‘ sensation. This happens as the walls of the bladder (it’s a muscle) stretch for the first time.
120ml “a yogurt pot wee” is a bit early
Our brains should know to recognise this as an ‘irritating-stretching-message’ not a ‘need-a-wee-now’ message. Subconsciously we should
clock the time,
do the maths (only an hour since I last had a wee)
tighten our pelvic floor muscles in a slow steady way,
distract ourselves with the job in hand
and within 2-3 minutes the feeling of wanting a wee completely disappears – like we never needed one in the first place – we go on with our activities, almost forgetting that we have a bladder.
This is the bladder’s normal first response.
That first annoying signal isn’t particularly useful. It’s just a very early warning signal. Like your petrol gauge alerting you when you still have 60 miles in the tank. You don’t need a wee when there is only a yogurt pot worth in the bladder, even if the bladder feels a bit scratchy about it. Just ignore it and it will go away.
safety or just-in-case wees are for long car journeys – ONLY
If circumstances are justified, it’s ok to have a “just-in-case” or “safety wee“. Say you’re about to go on a a long car journey. Or about to have a swim or a shower. Or go to bed. Then it makes sense to get rid of even the 120ml so that you have a long run ahead of you. But you need to justify to yourself why you didn’t just ignore the feeling. Otherwise it can quickly become a habit to have a wee every time you get a bit of sensation. That can be very disabling.
#2 . Ignore the first message and wait for the next one
Normally, that first message quickly disappears. We forget all about the bladder. We can fill it for a second hour (or so) till there is more like 300ml. Think a large ‘Cath Kidston’ mug-worth. Then you should get a dullish, polite “you need a wee” sensation that sends us off for a comfortable-but-not-urgent wee.
A nice big mugfull – 200-400ml – is a perfect comfortable wee
This is when you should go. There is still a bit of room in the bladder. If you have to stand in a queue, find your front door keys, answer the phone. There is a bit of give and it is not too heavy if you need a cough or a sneeze.
# 3. But do not leave it for a third or fourth message…
But do we go when we should go?? Of course not……Many people (and especially busy, distracted mums) leave it TOO LATE.
You can ignore the middle message, and head into a third or even fourth hour. You can fill to nearly a pint (shift workers, teachers and nurses can often hold even more). BUT filling to your max tends to be accompanied by a sudden, very uncomfortable and urgent “need for a wee” message. The type that makes you sweat, your eyes water and comes with a strong sense of panic. Panic that you might not make it (and indeed you might not).
A pint (500ml) will make your eyes water and could lead to accidents – save for first thing in the morning & emergencies ONLY
These maximum capacity wees are intended for first thing in the morning or an emergency. BTW an emergency is being unexpectedly stuck on a motorway. NOT just putting it off for …one more paragraph, one more chore or an advert break. And not just because you are too busy to remember to go for a wee!
#4 . Is there really something wrong with your bladder – or is it poor human judgement?
So many times the problem is really operator error. The human operator is not listening to the (rather good) system properly. Guilty??? Which are you? Tend to go too early (friends and family tease you about always needing a wee)? Or tend to leave it too late (lots of sweaty near misses or trouble at the front door)?!
Concentrating? Distracted? or just too busy?
Or, not uncommon are you swinging between too early and too late? Do you push your limits…push your limits…leave it…leave it…just one more thing and THEN you very nearly have an accident?! The problem is this makes your bladder very nervous. You start doing lots of little wees as soon as you feel something, just to be safe. You keep weeing early to avoid another bad experience? But then you think…this is silly… I need to train my bladder. So you start again, filling and filling, past the ‘right’ signal, on up and up …nearly bursting.. having an accident. And then you get nervous and go early again….a real viscious cycle.
What can you do to improve your bladder habits?
Homework this week. When you are heading to the toilet for a wee, try to predict the size of the wee you are going to have. Use the simple categories of:
yogurt pot
big mug
or pint class
( aka: small, medium and large).
I’m prepared to take a reasonably large bet that as soon as you start taking a bit more notice of what’s going in at the top and what the wees feel like at the different size points, you will quickly tune in to the bladder sensations and interpret the messages better.
This week monitor your fluid in and out
The hardest one to spot and get in tune with is the ‘middle’ one. It can almost be too polite to be properly useful. A bit more interesting would mean it wasn’t so easily missed! But we can’t change nature. Once you are familiar with the feeling of a “comfortable-size wee” you will be able to spot when to have a wee more easily. This will help stop the cycle of under or over-filling.
Exceptions – when to seek more help
If you thought you were going to have an enormous wee but only get a tiny one – or a tiny one but get far more – you may find your body is not well tuned to the sensations. Sometimes the nerves stay confused after the pressures of pregnancy and childbirth and need retraining.
If you do not feel that you get the ‘right’ sensations guiding you towards having a wee at that middle point and you leave it too late before the bladder suddenly decides for you, or you get unexpected leakage, then I would suggest you use the clock as a guide for a while (but all the while trying to tune in to any sensations you are getting).
Use a watch to keep on track
Start with an hour, then have a wee, noticing how small they are at this stage. Then, once you are comfortable with this, don’t stick here too long or your bladder will get into an annoying ‘habit’ of thinking this is all you can do. Move up in 15 minute increments as feels comfortable and ‘safe’ to do. Remember the goal is just 2-3 hours of holding – no need for more.
There are also medical conditions of the bladder
Overactive Bladder (OAB), often colloquially termed ‘irritable bladder’ is a pathology with symptoms of frequency, urgency and urge incontinence. Commonly you feel a strong urge to wee but only a small wee comes out. Or you feel the bladder suddenly contract and leak, partially or completely (called urge incontinence). If you have tried the tips above, but you still struggle with bladder control, keep a bladder diary to discuss the pattern with your GP. There is medication that can help ‘calm’ a bladder. Or working with a physiotherapist on your pelvic floor muscles will also improve your control.
You can have a low gradebladder infection and not necessarily realise this. Watch for cloudy urine, funny smells, feeling off colour. The dipstix test at the GP is not that reliable – you may need to send your urine off for testing
You may not be making the hormones that suppress night time bladder production. If you have massive urine volumes at night, even though you are not drinking, discuss this with your GP.
Paradoxically – wearing a pad to prevent leakage can irritate the bladder tube and increase urge and leaks. Try going without a pad or wearing knickers with an inbuilt pad to see if this is the case.
a CHANGE in bladder habits can also be an indicator of several other medical conditions.
If your symptoms aren’t getting better, ask your GP to check you and if appropriate refer you to a specialist physiotherapist.
Weird stuff affects bladders
Ever have one of those days where you seem to need to wee and wee and wee? Not necessarily unpleasantly but you think “where is it all coming from????”
Rings and ankles give clues to fluid on board
The body constantly re-adjusts our fluid balance – and sometimes does this really dramatically. You see it best by watching how tight/loose your rings are. Notice this week how sometimes you can slide your rings about easily but other times they are stuck on tight. The body holds fluid when it is hot and dumps it as it gets colder. We also have circadian rhythms that affect fluid in and out. Most people wee more in the mornings and less in the afternoon.
Stress affects bladders
When we are ‘stressed’ (anxious, worried, cross, running late) our system is releasing adrenalin. Adrenalin triggers our Fight, Flight or Freeze response. If a tiger walked in your door right now – your hairs would stand on end, your heart would beat faster…and you would wet yourself. Likely bowels too. I think it’s supposed to be so that you can run faster.
Fortunately, you are unlikely to encounter seriously stressful moments too often but we experience mild ‘stress’ all the time. When you are feeling anxious, worried, cross, running late , the brain ‘drips’ adrenalin into your system to help you cope. But with that comes bladder (or bowel) irritation. Think of standing in a queue to do an exam, or waiting to give a presentation at work…that strong need to wee…and then even to wee again.
identify your day-to-day “tigers”
So if you are having a day needing lots of wees, ask if you are stressed? Your bladder could be used as a barometer to your stress levels? Rather than try to ‘fix’ the bladder…can you decrease the source of the stress?
Peaceful sleep & your bladder
It is normal to get up for one wee in the night (assuming sleeping for 6-8 hours). Annoying…but perfectly normal. Nicer if you don’t have to but some bodies just do.
last proper drink 2 hours before bedtime
But don’t be hard on the grandparents. Over the age of 60 it is normal to wee once or twice in the night. Hormone changes of aging affect the way the kidneys process urine.
aim to have your last drink 2 hours before bedtime. Then the fluid has plenty of time to go through your system with a good wee before getting into bed.
Best to avoid caffeine late.
Beware, sneaky sources of caffeine like Green Tea & some hot chocolate mixes
alcohol is a diuretic ie more volume comes out than went in (just think hangover….dry mouth….)
if you do have a late night drink (party!)) then don’t berate your bladder for needing a 2am wee!
That first morning wee…
If you don’t wake in the night most people wake up with a very full bladder. You will need to make getting to the toilet your priority on waking.
==== Mums go first! ====
I appreciate that this was a LONG blog post – but I couldn’t leave anything out. I hope it has been helpful. Do let me know if this has helped you?
There are 3 Ps of a perfect poo which you should keep in mind during your ablutions!
Are you or family doing any naturally??
How do you sit?
Do some people in your family take a LONG time in the toilet?
Who reads the paper? (Should you keep books in the loo?)
Might you be helping too much?
Do see the video below to learn more about good bowel habits and promote some healthy/unusual/hilarious family discussions!
[Before you watch – to explain the context – this was an adventure on to a public speaking course a while back. There was a Gala Finale with the brief to give a ten minute inspirational speech… well with a challenge like that it’s hard to hold a physio back….Apologies, a bit squeaky at the beginning – I was very nervous!! ]
P for Position
They have actually done lots of research about the best way to sit on a toilet.Yes really.In Australia.
Nature did not intend us to sit lady like on a ceramic toilet.We are supposed to squat down behind a tree. The key thing is knees higher than your hips.This un-kinks the bowel and relaxes the pelvic floor muscles.
sit with your feet up on a toddler step or box
Bottom well back on the seat
Rest your elbows on your knees
Untuck your tail bone keeping your back relatively straight
Let all your body muscles relax, especially your pelvic floor and abdominals
P for Patience
Emptying the bowel is a natural thing that the body does best on automatic pilot.It is not something that ‘we’ do.Like sneezing.The best ones come from nowhere.And just like a juicy sneeze that you can feel coming – if you think about it too hard (and especially if you say “I think I am going to sneeze”) – it will disappear!
An age old trick – READ – a book/magazine/back of a shampoo bottle….anything to distract your corticol (thinking) brain and let your automatic brain do it’s own thing.Give your body some time.You are waiting for something solid to move out – it doesn’t just fall out like liquid.Your body needs to accept that it is a quiet, private moment.
P for don’t Push – rather Pant!
[This last P got a bit lost in the talk ( I got a bit flustered when they showed me the 2 minute warning notice!). I got to fill in the gap to the audience in the awards bit – they voted it the “peoples choice” which was encouraging.]
The danger of a traditional “hold-your-breath” push is that you can accidentally tighten your pelvic floor just as the stool is trying to come out. This can cause it to be pinched off midway so you get some out but lots gets left behind in the rectum. You might not be able to feel it there but it goes on giving off gas, making you windy, pressing on the rectum walls, making you uncomfortable, and drying out into small pebbles.
Ratheropen your mouth (which helps relax your pelvic floor) and let out pants or sighs, just as the midwives teach you to pant to deliver your babies head. This allows the poo to come out as one full tube with just a nudge and light pressure from you.
Now you really know everything! Do go share!
About to have a baby or just delivered?? Do see the post 10 tips for the first postnatal poos for more ways to help you have comfortable bowel movements.
PS It was a great Public Speaking course – I highly recommend the team at Ginger
** My original title was The Life Changing Magic of Sitting Comfortably.. but it now seems to be known as the 3 Ps talk……
Have you ever had the experience of an uncomfortable tampon or one that looks as though only the side half of it has absorbed anything?
Why do tampons go sideways? There are few reasons:
1. There’s more space inside than you might think
The vagina is surprisingly wide and stretchy. Essential for babies heads to come out but leaving plenty of room for things to move about – especially for tampons to go sideways.
I think we mentally picture the vagina as a narrow tube – rather like a hosepipe. However, though you can’t see much at the opening, inside the vagina there is quite a decent space. The vagina is a tube, but not an evenly shaped one – more like a squashed tube, wider side to side than top to bottom.
This clever shape helps to let a babies head out without damage to the vagina itself.
The pelvic floor muscles should support the tube from below and from the sides. However, pregnancy, childbirth, straining for constipation, pressure from chronic coughing or lots of lifting can all stretch and weaken the pelvic floor muscles. As a result the vagina tube can feel more “gapey” or spacey – and it’s easier for tampons to drift off centre or tilt to one side.
2. the cervix deflects the tampon sideways
If the end of the tampon comes up against the cervix it can tilt off sideways into the ‘cheek’ area giving you inadequate protection and that ‘half used’ look when you remove it.
The cervix is the opening to the uterus (womb). It sits right at the back of the vagina tube, dangling down from the top of the tube (similar to the way your epiglottis sits right at the back of your mouth). The cervix is the size and shape of a nose. You can put your finger inside and find it.
The cervix is pretty solid and though it pushes up out of the way during sex, it is quite easy to accidentally knock into it by accident when inserting a tampon.
3. The tampon touches the cervix and annoys it
Have you ever put a tampon in and then barely 5 minutes later you have an overwhelming desire to pull it back out ? It is just not right, or downright uncomfortable, almost as if your body is rejecting it?
This is because the cervix is the only bit inside with decent nerve endings (if you knock it during sex it you might get a short sharp mild pain and find yourself shifting position.) If a tampon is relentlessly pressing on the cervix you get this strong urge to bear down and feel that the tampon is pushing out or that you need to take it out. Have you ever had this sensation?
A video to show the anatomy of the vagina & cervix:
Are you a visual person? I use a 3D model (and a piece of paper!) in this video to explain to Stephanie Taylor from Kegel8 how our internal organs are supported by our pelvic floor:
TIPS TO GET TAMPONS IN THE RIGHT PLACE
Don’t rush the process (mums! you know you do)
Visualise what you are doing. Keep contact with the back wall of the vagina (the bowel side) as you are putting the tampon in and it will end up underneath the cervix rather than on it. Aim for your back passage.
Not all tampons are the same. Some types expand widthways but others expand lengthways so they can effectively push themselves out as they become elongated when full. If you can’t picture what yours do, drop one in water and see what shape it becomes.
Applicator tampons give you a bit more option to position the tampon before you let go – nice to use for the beginnings and ends of periods when the vagina is a bit drier and less easy to slide tampons in
Pop a dab of lubricant (water-based) on the end of the tampon to help it slide in more easily
If you feel your cervix is sitting very low since your baby try using a menstrual cup (like a MoonCup) instead of tampons – these are designed to sit closer to the opening of the vagina rather than deep inside (more like the position of a cork in a bottle).
make time for your pelvic floor exercises with particular emphasis on the sides. Follow the videos in our Pelvic Floor School.
How have you got on with returning to having periods and using tampons and sanitary pads? Any questions? Join the conversations @supportedmums
Content Disclaimer:
The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of my blogposts, articles and my videos are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of if you are not a face to face client of mine. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. Amanda Savage disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, blog or video.
