There are a number of reasons why you might suffer from incontinence. Many
women become incontinent after giving birth, while many men may become
incontinent as a result of prostate issues. Another cause is infection.
Leakage may occur when you sneeze, cough or laugh; you might find yourself dribbling urine at times; you could even have trouble holding a movement in
while making your way to the bathroom.
Here are some exercises that may help your incontinence.
*We can’t guarantee that these will improve your condition without
understanding your experience but we do hope they help.
Pelvic Floor Exercises
Also known as “Kegal exercises” or “Kegals”. The aim of “Kegals” is to strengthen your pelvic floor by squeezing, holding and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. These muscles are the ones that you would use to try and stop a flow of urine when using the toilet and/or stop yourself from passing wind. You will need to identify these muscles before getting started.
How to do Pelvic Floor Exercises:
- Sit or lie down.
- Relax your muscles, specifically your tummy, thigh and buttocks.
- Squeeze the muscles that you have identified. You should feel an
- internal ‘lift’.
- Hold it for a few seconds – aim for 10 seconds.
- Relax for a few seconds.
- Repeat 10 times.
Remember: Don’t hold your breath. You shouldn’t be tightening your buttocks, leg or stomach muscles.
Squats
As well as strengthening your legs, squats are great for your pelvic floor.
How to do squats:
- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Lower your bottom to the floor as if about to sit in a chair, until your
- thighs are parallel with the floor and your knees over your ankles.
- Stand up again, pushing your body up through your heels and feet
- to the starting position.
Lunges
Similar to squats, lunges will help improve the strength of your pelvic floor.
How to do squats:
- Start in a standing position.
- Take a medium to large step forward.
- Lower the knee of the back leg to the ground. Dip low but don’t
- touch the ground.
- Use both legs to return you to the starting position.
- Alternate legs.
Tip: You can speed up this exercise by ‘walking’, taking larger steps,
dipping your knee to the floor with each step.
Yoga
Yoga can do amazing things for your mind and body. It will help you feel
better while strengthening your whole body, including your pelvic floor. Take a
class and speak with your instructor beforehand – they’ll be more than happy to include a few positions to help.
The exercises above are designed to help strengthen your pelvic floor, and may only be effective if your incontinence is a result of weak muscles. If you find that your condition is getting worse, or if you find these exercises to be ineffective, get in contact with your GP.
For a great range of incontinence products, take a look at the Holistic Incontinence range in our online store. Every transaction and delivery is discreet and you can test each product before you commit to a cost-effective bulk order.