Pelvic Floor Health & Wellbeing

Pelvic floor health is really important but why?  

Your pelvic floor has a big job to do in supporting your organs. It is part of your core 4 muscle group so supports your spine and controls the pressure in your abdomen, playing a key role in your posture, stability and strength.

This ‘floor’ we talk about is made up of muscles and tissues that stretch, like a supportive trampoline, from your pubic bone at the front of your pelvis to your tailbone at the bottom of your spine. It also stretches sideways from one sitting bone to the other.

The main challenges I see people experiencing are women, usually (but not exclusively) after pregnancy and childbirth, who have stress or urge incontinence, pelvic pain, some type of prolapse, or an irritable bladder. As well as immediately post-natal, I see similar issues emerge around peri-menopause and menopause, as women’s physical health tends to transition during this time.

Not forgetting the males! I also work with men who have lower back issues and stress incontinence as a result of poor posture and a weak core.

Most of my clients tend to be women over 40. Having said that, my regular clients at the moment consist of a man over 50, a 16 year old girl and a new mum in her 20's.

Body strength and confidence

What is important to focus on, are the positive outcomes seen when people work with me. I have literally seen people change shape as their posture improves so much. I typically see clients become much more confident in exercise, as they become more aware of their bodies and start to build core awareness and strength. I have had feedback from women that their stress incontinence has improved within a week of practicing the Hypopressive method. Mainly, I find clients start to have less pain and symptoms as their pelvic floor learns to relax and contract with their breath. Most people have tight, weak pelvic floors.

One of my favourite pieces of favourite feedback was from a woman who used to come to my Pilates classes. She did a workshop on the Hypopressive technique and within two weeks found that she was pain free for the first time in ten years.

The main thing most people don’t understand about pelvic floor health, but I want them to know, is that their pelvic floor is fundamental to overall wellbeing. When this part of your core is healthy and strong, it can fundamentally impact your capacity for activity, movement, health and ageing in a hugely positive way. Do you want to be active, without pain, into older age? Then work on your pelvic floor!

How I work

My approach always starts with a free call before I see anyone. It’s great to connect with people directly and see if there is a good fit and discover more about their specific challenges and fitness goals.

I then encourage them to book a package of sessions as this is genuinely the best way to start seeing results.  I used to try and teach in two sessions but it's too much information and the client just gives up quickly. I think in five sessions you start to embody the breathing and the movements. Your muscles need to understand and remember, not your head.

In terms of the different techniques I use, and how they appeal to different types of people, I mix all my modalities to fit the client. For example, I find that the Pilates Reformer and Chair can really help clients perform better on the mat. I always get feedback to see what is working for a client, what they like and what they find less appealing. On Zoom, I tend to focus on an equal mix of mat Pilates, ELDOA and Hypopressives.

I offer a mixture of 1:1 and small groups depending on what works best for people. Personalisation is key though, so if it is groups, they are always small.

Workshops may feature more people because they tend to be an introduction or broader knowledge share, focused on a single technique or topic.