Wow! Tonight I was doing some browsing and somehow came across this video from HelloFlo/Poise... Aside from the funny ladies dancing and jumping around confidently with their special leak proof liners on, this makes me think 2 things....
- Do women out there know that peeing while you workout, sneeze, jump, skip, etc is common, but not normal?
- Do women know that there are ways to fix urinary incontinence from the inside versus having to count on liners or not exercising for the rest of their lives?

- Take some time to breathe - Most of us don't actually breathe properly and this can cause a number of issues including contributing to pelvic floor dysfunctions. When we breathe, we should actually be engaging in our diaphragm. If you aren't sure about how to engage your diaphragm, think of just taking some nice big breaths into your belly and NOT into your chest. You want to breathe in through your nose, mouth closed and relaxed, and let your breath fill your belly. Once the belly is full with air then you can fill the lungs and chest and throat until there is no more room left for air, and then slowly let that air back out. Remembering how to breathe properly can not only help you de-stress and reduce tension, but it can help tie your inner unit (your insides) better together and help get that pelvic floor back in check and working together properly. So yes, I am literally saying that for some of you, taking a few minutes a day to practice breathing could potentially help fix your dysfunction. Pretty cool right?
- Get rocking - I am a huge fan of rocking as taught by Original Strength (yes, I am a little bias, but only because I know it works). Get on your hands and knees and just shift forwards and backwards trying to get your shoulders in front of your palms and then pushing your butt back towards your calves. Make sure to keep your head and chest up while you do this and keep a natural curve in your spine (It shouldn't feel like it's rounding when you got back or sagging down when you shift forward). While you are rocking, see if you can feel for your pelvic floor while you move and as you shift forward and back. Relax your muscles as much as possible and breathe. If you want to explore this more, consider just hanging out at the bottom potion of the rock and breathing in this position. Rocking is a great way to work on posture and work a lot of little stabilizers. Oh, and notice that this position also looks a whole lot like a squat!
- Squat, Squat - Squatting is a fav of mine. Personally, I just think it feels pretty dang good. Once you've got the rocking down with good form, squatting (with good form - meaning avoiding that booty tuck or 'butt wink') is super helpful in getting your glutes (your booty) to help restore balance and posture and lengthen the pelvic floor. Make sure that you are slowly squatting down and then going back to a standing position while still breathing diaphragmatically. This should be a relaxed squat, no excess bracing or tension. If you feel bracing and tension, consider holding onto a doorframe or a pole for some extra support and to help you get down nice a low. Again, posture and form are important with this one!
- Be Patient - Don't expect that just one day of doing these exercises is going to instantly cure you. I mean, by all means, go attempt a box jump or something and see what happens, but know that building strength is a process. You wouldn't expect to have a 6-pack or big guns in a day, so don't expect a miracle cure after 5 minutes of breathing, rocking and squatting. You can pray on it, but really, just be patient, and stay consistent.