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In Kegel 2.0 Part 1, we worked on increasing awareness of the portion of the pelvic floor that helps stop leaks by using a positional cue, shifting at the ankles as if you were going off a ski jump. This position gives women better awareness and access to this elusive set of muscles so they can begin to strengthen effectively.
Feeling the front half of the pelvic floor is just the first step. Now we need to take it to the next level, this time reconnecting the pelvic floor with the Core. The pelvic floor is one of four muscles that make up the Core. The diaphragm, transversus abdominis (TA) and multifidus are the other three. The Core muscles are designed to work together as a team to function at their best, in order to enhance the performance of each element of the Core it has to work with the other three components.
One of the reasons that classic Kegels, which teach women to isolate the muscles that stop and start your urine flow, don’t work is due to the fact this activity attempts to train the pelvic floor separate from its relationship with the rest of the Core team. In addition, a big mistake made while women are practicing their Kegels is that they hold their breath. This eliminates the activity of the diaphragm, another component of the Core. Rather than enhance the activity of the pelvic floor through diaphragm teamwork the pressure from above created by a breath hold actually fights the pelvic floor lift.
Instead, reconnecting the movement of the diaphragm with the pelvic floor is one of the keys to a Kegel 2.0. When you inhale, the diaphragm will lower. The pelvic floor will also descend. When you exhale the diaphragm will lift up, the pelvic floor will then rise back up to its resting position, usually lifting 2-3 cm. Understanding that the pelvic floor moves down and up with the rhythm of the diaphragm and tapping into this ebb and flow relationship is critical to a healthy pelvic floor. Let’s apply this with a few easy steps:
Step 1: Get to know your diaphragm
Stand again in front of the mirror and take a deep breath. Watch your rib cage carefully as you inhale. Does your rib cage lift up and back into your upper chest? If yes, you are a chest breather. Or does your rib cage stay pretty still but your belly fills way up? If yes, you are a belly breather. Neither of these breathing processes are efficient or complete uses of the diaphragm. The rest of the Core relies on optimum use of the diaphragm to do their jobs well, particularly the pelvic floor.
Both belly and chest breathers only use the diaphragm in a way that creates front to back movement of the rib cage or abdomen. But a diaphragm moving properly will cause the rib cage to open sideways too. Let’s try it.
Step 2: Show your diaphragm who’s boss.