Enhance your abdominal and pelvic muscle strength through these five exercises suggested by a fitness trainer.
The core and pelvic floor muscles are essential components of our body, playing a crucial role in overall health, fitness, and well-being. These muscles, often overlooked, are not exclusive to those who have recently given birth but benefit everyone, regardless of gender or age.
Located between the hips, the pelvic floor muscles run from the tailbone to the pubic bone, forming a sling across the hips. These muscles are part of the core, a collection of mid-body muscles that support the spine and stabilize the body. Strengthening these muscles can lead to numerous benefits, including improved posture, reduced risk of injury, and enhanced athletic performance.
The workout, designed by fitness expert Andrea Allen, is aimed at building both the core and pelvic floor. To start, it's important to engage the core throughout the workout. This can be achieved by focusing on breathwork. On inhales, the diaphragm moves down into the abdomen, and the pelvic floor muscles should lengthen and relax. It's often easier to locate and engage the pelvic floor muscles on an exhale, as the diaphragm moves up, and the pelvic floor muscles shorten.
Each move in the workout should be done 8-10 times, or 4-5 times on each side for unilateral exercises. The workout requires a Pilates ball and a loop band. The article also suggests other pelvic floor exercises to try, such as Kegel exercises, which can be done discreetly throughout the day.
Strengthening the pelvic floor can alleviate lower-back pain, according to research in Neurological Sciences. A weak pelvic floor can lead to bladder and bowel incontinence. For women, pelvic floor training can alleviate symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse by providing better internal support and reducing discomfort and bulging.
Both men and women can experience improved bladder and bowel control, enhanced sexual function, reduced lower back pain, and better posture through pelvic floor and core strengthening exercises such as Pilates, yoga, or dedicated physical therapy. Pelvic floor physical therapy is a low-risk, non-invasive treatment option recommended as a first-line approach for pelvic floor dysfunction, offering benefits that range from injury prevention to improved quality of life and sometimes reducing the need for surgical intervention.
The pelvic floor muscles are also responsible for spinal flexion, helping the body bend and twist. Timing your breath is important in this workout. The article provides information on how to do a plank to strengthen the core, which is another essential part of the workout.
However, it's crucial to consult a doctor if you have any medical issues that might make this workout more challenging. When the core and pelvic floor muscles are weak, it can lead to lower back pain, poor posture, muscular imbalance, incontinence, and even pelvic organ prolapse.
Strengthening the core and pelvic floor is a simple yet effective way to improve your health and fitness. By incorporating these exercises into your routine, you can reap numerous benefits, from enhanced athletic performance to better posture and reduced risk of injury. Subscribe to the Fit&Well Newsletter for more tips on how to stay healthy and fit.
- To improve overall health, fitness, and well-being, it's beneficial to focus on strengthening the core and pelvic floor muscles, which form a sling across the hips and support the body's stability.
- The workout proposed by fitness expert Andrea Allen, involving a Pilates ball and a loop band, targets both the core and pelvic floor muscles, helping alleviate lower-back pain, improve bladder and bowel control, enhance sexual function, and boost posture.
- By subscribing to the Fit&Well Newsletter and incorporating yoga, Pilates, or dedicated physical therapy exercises into your routine, you can reinforce your core and pelvic floor muscles for better health, fitness, and injury prevention, ultimately elevating your quality of life.
