Are you experiencing leaking during an exercise?
Most women suffer from weakening of the pelvic floor after childbirth. It can be frustrating and embarrassing, but you are not alone! There are several reasons why this might be happening, and kegels are not always the answer. In this blog post, we will discuss seven potential reasons why you might be leaking during an exercise.
Leaking during an exercise can be due to a variety of factors, including:
- Posture
Simply put, posture is the position that our bodies take in reaction to gravity’s influence. It is how we carry ourselves throughout the day, whether we are standing, sitting, or even lying down. Your posture can affect the way your deep core system functions aka how your pelvic floor responds to load.
- Breath Strategy
Getting your breathing right is one of the most important things to think about when exercising after giving birth. Certain breath strategies might make your symptoms worse while others such s Connection Breath will alleviate symptoms. The Connection Breath trains the core and pelvic floor to work together and at their best. In fact, this strategy can help with a lot of core and floor problems, like incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and diastasis recti.
- Tension Generated
Creating too much tension thinking it will help you not leak might actually do the opposite. Avoid tensing up your muscles in an effort to prevent leaking.
- Upregulation & Strength of pelvic floor muscles
Tightness in the pelvic floor can lead to incontinence and other pelvic floor issues. According to research, after giving birth, the strength of the pelvic muscles weakens. These studies on postpartum women further reveal that the strength of the pelvic muscles is lower after a vaginal delivery than after a cesarean delivery.
- Coordination of breath & deep core
Oftentimes in postpartum, moms lack coordination of their breath and deep core system which can lead to leakage. However, training yourself to coordinate your breathing and pelvic floor greatly improves your urine incontinence and eventually alleviates the problem.
- Endurance
Does the leaking happen at the end of a workout? Or at the end of your run? Perhaps your pelvic floor & body are lacking some endurance. To build on endurance, you can start with simple short exercises and build up gradually as your body adjusts.
If you are leaking during an exercise, there are a few things you can do to help address the issue. These include:
- Doing kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles
- Practicing good posture and alignment
- Avoiding high-impact exercises
- Wearing supportive clothing
- Practicing correct form with all exercises
There are several causes of leaking during exercise after childbirth. You might have weak pelvic floor muscles, which can be caused by pregnancy and childbirth. Or you could have nerve damage from the birth process. Leakage can also be due to an overactive bladder or constipation. Remember, mama’s, peeing in your pants after childbirth isn’t normal. The good news is that most of these problems can be corrected with targeted exercises and/or medication. So if you’re noticing any leakage when you work out, please talk to your doctor about what might be causing the problem and how it can be treated. To learn more about postpartum leaks read on my personal experience, my journey to healing my overactive bladder.
I also have an amazing No BS Guide to Regaining Strength in Postpartum. Sign Up for immediate access!
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