Why Your Pelvic Floor Needs More Than Just Kegels (3 Simple Mobility Exercises)
3 Mobility Moves for your Pelvic Floor… without a Kegel in sight!
We focus A LOT on pelvic floor strength and mobility is too often neglected when that can be a game changer. The pelvic floor doesn’t work in isolation. It responds to how you move, how you breathe, and how freely your hips and ribcage can shift and expand. Here are three of my go-to tools for restoring that movement. As always, this can be very individualized based on where your specific limitations sit, however these are three general options.
Quadruped Rock Backs with One Knee Elevated
This asymmetrical rock back helps unlock the hips and pelvic in a grounded, supported position. By lifting one knee slightly off the ground, the pelvis rotates slightly allowing a deeper stretch into the posterior muscles of the pelvic floor (the most commonly tight!).
Child’s Pose Back Expansion with Breathing
You’ve probably done a child's pose, but have you done this version?! The focus here is all about breathing into your back and mid- to lower rib cage. It’s challenging! When you can expand through that back body with breath, you can release some long held tension. Expanding in the ribs allows the pelvic floor to take less load with pressure management.
The shifting in this drill can bring awareness to asymmetries, enhances hip rotation, and allows the pelvic floor to adapt to load and position – key for anyone dealing with tightness, leakage, or imbalance.
In Summary
These three mobility drills give your pelvic floor the chance to move, breathe, and reset in ways that support a healthier, more functional pelvic floor. They are great before a workout or can be used on recovery days as some beneficial movement.
Why a Post-Meal Walk Might Be the Best Thing You Do Today
Looking for one simple habit that can help you feel better, balance your blood sugar, and support your digestion – all without going to the gym or spending money?? Try taking a short walk after you eat.
Looking for one simple habit that can help you feel better, balance your blood sugar, and support your digestion – all without going to the gym or spending money?? Try taking a short walk after you eat.
Just 10 minutes of easy walking after a meal can go a long way toward improving your health, especially if you struggle with energy crashes, bloating, or blood sugar swings.
Why Walking Helps
When we eat meals, especially those with carbs or sugar, our blood sugar naturally goes up. We need carbs so do not avoid these just because of this information! But if the blood sugar spikes too high or stays elevated too long, it can lead to things like:
Low energy later
More sugar cravings
Trouble focusing
Long-term health concerns like insulin resistance
Walking helps bring your blood sugar back down more smoothly – because your muscles use that sugar for energy as you move. It also helps digestion and keeps everything moving through your system more comfortably.
How to Make it Work
Just walk for 5-10 minutes after eating
Do some chores or walk up and down the stairs
Don’t sit immediately after
Bonus Benefits - We Love All of These!
Eases bloating
Gives you a built in “reset” during your day between work or tasks
Improves mood and mental clarity
May help get better sleep as well
Don’t Trust Us? Check Out the Research
Rogerson et al (2022) did a review of studies that found just a few minutes of walking after a meal helps to lower blood sugar compared to sitting still
Engeroff et al (2023) did a review of studies and found that walking immediately after a meal, rather and before or after a bit, has a significantly greater effect on blood sugar control
Three Favorite Exercises for Pelvic Floor Strengthening That ARE NOT Kegels
Three Favorite Exercises for Pelvic Floor Strengthening That ARE NOT Kegels
When most people think about pelvic floor strengthening, they think of Kegels. Maybe they’ve even been prescribed that but it hasn’t made any difference. The pelvic floor is part of a dynamic system that thrives on movement, breath, and load. Strengthening it requires more than just clenching it – it demands smart, functional training. Conveniently, there are also SO many more benefits to these exercises besides just the pelvic floor as well. We love efficiency around here!
Here are three of our favorite exercises that support the pelvic floor while integrating the whole body – which is how these muscles ALWAYS work!
Staggered Stance RDL with Rotation
Why we love it: You get a bonus stretching of the pelvic floor and glutes here which is super important, especially for chronic butt-clenchers! The staggered stance allows more support, therefore more ability to load into the range, than a single leg variation that is limited by balance. This movement requires the glutes, core, and pelvic floor to coordinate together.
Why it works: The rotation loads the pelvic floor through its entire range of motion and can be loaded heavy!
Why we love it: Another multi-tasker! This movement loads the glutes, core, and pelvic floor all at the same time and in a different direction than most of us are used to moving regularly.
Why it works: The shift into one side targets that pelvic floor to respond in a lengthened position (bonus!) while also loading the opposite adductors, a close friend and supporter to the pelvic floor muscles.
Half Kneeling Anti-Rotation Variations
Why we love it: So many options here and all you need is a band. The half kneeling position is one of my favorites to tackle many body parts at once and have them work as a team. This transfers over really well to lifting, running, and moving through daily life.
Why it works: The resistance into rotation challenges your ability to stay centered and grounded – two things the pelvic floor plays a major role in maintaining.
In summary, your pelvic floor doesn’t work in isolating and therefore your training shouldn’t either. These exercises build strength, control, and coordination from the ground up. Treating you as the human you are and not just someone with a pelvic floor.