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The 3 Biggest Mistakes When Strengthening the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor plays a crucial role in women's health, providing core stability and support to the reproductive organs. Many women experience weakness or imbalance in their pelvic floor due from pregnancy, childbirth, surgeries, or postural imbalances. The traditional advice offered to strengthen the pelvic floor using Kegels is shamefully outdated — and in many cases — causing further imbalances or issues.
As a Pilates instructor since 2009, I’ve worked 1:1 with women of all life stages — from pregnancy and postpartum to menopause and beyond — and I’ve observed the common patterns that inhibit the health and function of the pelvic floor.
Mistake #1 - Squeezing Instead of Lifting
If you've been squeezing, it's okay. It's not your fault. Women have taught to squeeze their pelvic floor with Kegels for decades! But now is an opportunity to change that.
When you squeeze the pelvic floor, especially without any awareness of your breath, you are likely enhancing whatever imbalance you already have. Imagine a balloon. If you squeeze the middle of it, the top and the bottom of balloon bulge out, creating imbalance in the balloon. The same is true of the structures of your pelvis. If you have an injury, scar tissue, prolapse, or any muscular instability in your pelvis, squeezing will only amplify the imbalance.
The pelvic floor is designed to move with your diaphragm (your breathing muscle). When you engage in slow, full breaths, your pelvic floor will begin to lift naturally (on the exhale). With practice, this will tone your pelvic floor muscles. In other words, replace squeezing with deep breathing!
Mistake #2 - Neglecting the Exhale
Speaking of breathing, be extra mindful of your exhale!
Here is a quick lesson on how the diaphragm and pelvic floor mirror each other:
On the inhale, our diaphragm contracts downward to make space for the lungs fill with air, sending the pelvic floor downward as well.
On the exhale, the diaphragm floats up as the lungs empty, propelling the pelvic floor to lift in unison.
I’ve noticed that when people realize they are holding their breath, they strain to take a huge inhale, puffing up their chest, lifting the shoulders, and… that’s it! They barely empty the lungs after the inhale. Experiencing the full cycle of breath is vital to every aspect of your well being. And the exhale is when the pelvic floor gets to lift and lighten!
If you find that your breathing feels strenuous or unnatural, I have a tip for you. Imagine breathing into your belly — just like a baby does. Inhale into your belly and empty the breath as slowly as you can. The longer you exhale, the more you lift the pelvic floor.
Side note: Slow exhales are a GAME CHANGER for your health. You’ll regulate your blood pressure, lower your heart rate, improve digestion, shift into your parasympathetic nervous system, reduce stress, remove more toxins, and improve emotional regulation.
Mistake #3 - Holding Tension in the Pelvic Floor
Whether your pelvic floor is too tight or too slack, it needs know how to RELAX to be healthy. You may think that if your pelvic floor is weak, it should not relax. That couldn’t be further from the truth! For any muscle to be functional, it needs to fully activate and fully relax.
Sometimes, a weak pelvic floor is chronically tight. Another example in the body is having tension in the shoulders. This makes the shoulder and neck weaker, Tightness or holding anywhere in the body will always translate to weakness. Being “strong” is a balancing act of flexibility and stability.
So, how do you strike this balance in the pelvic floor? You guessed it. Better breathing habits! When you practice diaphragmatic breathing, you are taking slow, full inhales and exhales. This creates healthier posture and allows your pelvic floor to fully engage and fully relax.
A Holistic Approach to Pelvic Floor Health
When you take a 5-10 minutes a day to breath slowly, you can transform your pelvic floor and avoid all 3 of the common mistakes!
The awesome thing about pelvic floor health is there is no excuse to not do it. You can perform diaphragmatic breathing when you’re in a meeting or sitting in a restaurant — nobody has to know! But I’m sure they’ll notice your stellar posture and calm disposition. ;)
Want to learn my Top 3 Exercises to Tone the Pelvic Floor?
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Welcome!
Hi, I’m Kim West.
I teach women how to de-stress, improve their posture and tone their pelvic floor so they feel calm, strong, flexible and confident.
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