Laughter Leaks: Staying Dry and Confident is Easy!
Have you ever felt a dribble escape when laughing? When you sneeze? What about that trickle sensation when exercising? Around 10% of the entire UK suffer from these ‘laughter leaks’. But not everyone knows you don’t have to live with it, in fact, it is easy to restore control over your body – Just follow StressNoMore's tips for staying dry and confident!
Laughter Leaks
If this post had started with the word ‘incontinence’, would you have continued reading? Many would have turned away, imagining ‘old people’ and hospitals. Yet 42% of women under 50 are suffering from a form of incontinence – why are we trying to hide when it is so easy to regain control? For World Continence Week this week, we want to help raise the awareness of continence issues and also what you can do about it. If you do feel those little leaks, it is likely you have a weakened pelvic floor. It isn’t something that just happens to pregnant women and older people; it isn’t even a women only problem. Men and women start to lose muscle mass following their teenage years. Your pelvic floor is just as vulnerable, even more so with our culture of increased desk and computer use. The way you are sitting could be affecting your muscles dramatically.
Follow these simple tips to get your pelvic floor back in shape, staying dry and getting back your confidence!
Posture!
Keep your bum at the back of your chair. Here at StressNoMore we remember it as BBC, this relieves pressure off your pelvic floor. However, good posture extends past sitting; you need to sustain it throughout the day. Following Australian Physiotherapist Michelle Kenway’s advice on pelvic floor safe exercise can help to strengthen and maintain a healthy pelvic floor.
The Inside Out Series provides fantastic clarity on pelvic floor safe exercises, leading to an all-round, healthier and toned body. Inside Out Strength is a DVD, perfect for working out at home with Michelle Kenway’s professional guidance. Prolapse Exercises was released earlier this month, to help women who were suffering with prolapse or recovering from prolapse surgery. It teaches you which exercises are inappropriate for a weak pelvic floor and clearly demonstrates how to do pelvic floor safe exercise with a selection of easy-to-follow pictures.
Tone!
Like every muscle, the pelvic floor needs exercising to become and stay strong. Carrying extra weight (who of us doesn’t?) and aging works against your pelvic floor, making it weaker. You can do manual pelvic floor exercise every day, and once you know how to activate your muscles you can do them anywhere! You can be doing your exercises while shopping, watching TV, waiting in traffic, there is no end to the possibilities. Manual exercises will target around 40% of your muscles, but using an electronic pelvic toner like Kegel8 will activate around 90% of your pelvic floor muscles. The Kegel8 has medically certified programmes to help with a wide variety of pelvic floor dysfunction which result from a weak pelvic floor. Your Kegel8 Pelvic Exerciser pack will come with a probe and electrode pads, for you to choose the most comfortable way to do your exercises. Both styles are proven to be effective. When you are rid of laughter leaks, you will notice many other great benefits of a strong pelvic floor too, including flatter tummy muscles, no more aching lower back and hips and increased intimate stimulation! What you may not notice is that you will have already reduced your risk of prolapse too.
Habit!
It takes time and repetition to build up strength, so it is vital to make pelvic floor exercise a habit! But here at StressNoMore we understand the importance of providing protection and comfort while the pelvic floor muscles are toned. There is a selection of high quality and stylish protective underwear great for menstrual flow, laughter leaks and everything inbetween. The StressNoMore incontinence range has a great variety, including disposable pads, waterproof bed sheets and more to keep your mind at rest.