The pelvic floor is your most important body part that you probably know the least about. “I think a lot of people go their whole life without ever knowing what their pelvic floor is,” says Kristy Clements, PT, DPT, physical therapist and founder of Tampa Pelvic Health.
Often likened to a sling, bowl, or even a trampoline, the pelvic floor is basically the ground floor of your abdominal cavity. It cradles your bladder, bowel, and internal reproductive organs, including the prostate. And while the word “floor” might sound passive or static, these muscles are actually—or, at least should be—very much active, assisting with everything from sexual function and bladder control to lifting mechanics and force transfer during workouts.
According to Irvin Sulapas, MD, a sports medicine physician at Houston Methodist, issues like constipation, back pain, erectile dysfunction, and premature ejaculation can all potentially be improved by doing pelvic floor exercises. In fact, the pelvic floor’s influence on sexual function is so direct that a weak pelvic floor can even prevent certain medications from working properly. “The little blue pill may not work if you have a weak pelvic floor to begin with,” he says.
“As soon as things start to manifest as a sexual dysfunction, that’s what usually gets people to walk through my door,” says Dr. Clements. But it needn’t come to that (and if it already has, don’t stress). With even a small handful of simple exercises, like the ones below, you can significantly, and relatively quickly, improve the health, mobility, and overall functioning of your pelvic floor—no kegels required.
“Most people will say, ‘Oh, I should just be doing kegels.’ Or, ‘I was talking to AI and it said to try kegels.’ But nine times out of 10, people already have too much tension in their pelvic floor and it’s working overtime,” says Dr. Clements, who notes that the exercises below “are all geared towards lengthening and relaxing the pelvic floor, because a lot of times it’s just clenching all day long and doesn’t know how to relax.” And since they’re all body-weight exercises and stretches that don’t require any equipment, you can get started right now.
Pelvic Floor Exercises
Child’s Pose Back Breathing
“If I could teach everyone one exercise, it would be learning how to breathe well,” says Dr. Clements. One of the simplest ways to do that, she says, is to spend 1–2 minutes in this variation of child’s pose—a common yoga position that encourages expansion of the back and sides of the rib cage. “This movement helps restore the natural coordination between breathing and pelvic floor function,” she says. “As you inhale, the diaphragm descends and the pelvic floor naturally lengthens. As you exhale, the pelvic floor recoils 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 onto your heels and fold your torso forward over your knees.Reach your arms straight out in front of you and rest your palms flat on the floor.Take slow, deep breaths, focusing on sending your breath into your lower ribs.
Source:
www.gq.com
