There is one simple way to improve both your pelvic floor health and your mental health and it is something you already do, every single day. Breathe! It is almost that simple. Breathing is one thing we do every second of every day without fail.
But the problem is in how we breathe.
Once we hit about 7 years old, we start to feel the stress of everyday life and our breathing pattern shifts. We go from a whole body breath to a shallow form of breathing, and many of us even hold our breath. Ever watch a baby breathe? Their whole body moves with the breath.
On the flip side, ever looked at someone older and wondered if they are breathing at all? As we get older our breath gets shallow, causing less movement in the body, which also means more tension in the body.
How To Improve Your Pelvic Floor Health
Right now, we are going to focus on the ribs and the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle at the base of the ribs that divides the organs and the lungs. When we breath shallowly, there is little to no movement in the diaphragm.
This is what happens when you breathe deeply:
When you inhale:
Fill up the lungs
Ribs expand
Diaphragm presses down
Pelvic floor presses down and stretches out
When you exhale:
Lungs empty
Ribs soften down
Diaphragm gently lifts
Pelvic floor gently lifts and engages
The pelvic floor and the diaphragm are essentially mirrors so when we breathe deep enough to get the ribs to move, we are able to wake up the diaphragm and in turn get the pelvic floor moving. This increases blood flow to all the pelvic floor muscles and wakes them up.
When we use muscles, they work better.
This type of breathing for your pelvic floor health also taps into your body’s relaxation response, also known as the parasympathetic nervous system. So it is great for when you are feeling stressed or need to relax.
Breathing is really basic, but its impact on our health is not.
Set reminders on your phone. Put up post notes. Practice deep breathing at red lights or when you are waiting for a website to load.
Remember: we set examples for our children, so when they see us dealing with our stress in a healthy way, they will see it and learn from it.
Next time the kids are making you crazy, BREATHE, deeply and slowly. You will feel less stressed and your pelvic floor health will be stronger!
