Say Goodbye to Incontinence: Curves Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor Course
When’s the last time you jumped on a trampoline? How about the last time you sneezed without crossing your legs first? And when can you last remember not opting for activities labelled “low impact?” If it’s been years, first, rest assured that you’re not alone. According to the Urology Care Foundation about 1 in 3 women suffer from Stress Incontinence. Studies have also shown that around a third of women have urinary incontinence, and up to 25% of women experience fecal incontinence after childbirth.1
For years, it was thought that incontinence was an inevitable consequence of childbirth, getting older, or a previous surgery. Women neglected to openly discuss incontinence with anyone, even with their primary care physicians. Instead, they suffered in silence, thinking incontinence was just something they would have to learn to live with. As a result, many women refrained from maintaining an active lifestyle. They avoided exercise, long car trips, and running around with their kids and grandkids.
Weak Pelvic Floor Muscles: The Main Cause of Incontinence
Luckily, things are changing. Over the past few years, the conversation about incontinence has opened up, and research has uncovered the main cause of incontinence: a weak pelvic floor. The pelvic floor muscles are some of the muscles that make up the core. Strong core muscles not only support your internal organs but also help you stay mobile. These muscles, particularly those in the pelvic floor, must be strong enough to support your bladder, uterus, and bowel. Weak pelvic floor muscles can lead to incontinence and/or organ prolapse. Research has also shown that depending on the severity, some women suffering with incontinence have treatment options such as physical therapy, corrective exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles, or surgery.
What You Can Do About It
If you’re struggling with incontinence as a result of weak or damaged pelvic floor muscles and want to learn more about what you can do about your condition, consider the Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor class from Curves, part of the Health and Wellness Education Series.
The Curves Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor course is a self-paced weekly class you can take from the comfort of your own home. The class will help to demystify the topic of incontinence resulting from a weak pelvic floor, challenge you physically, and provide real tangible pelvic floor exercises and techniques so you can live your life to the fullest. Once a week you will meet with your Curves Coach at your local Curves or virtually online to review what you have learned, practise pelvic floor exercises, and address any questions you may have. Your coach will become a trusted, valuable partner in helping you develop health and fitness skills so that you can live a healthier, happier life.
Contact your local club to inquire about the Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor class. If there’s no club near you, visit curves.com to learn more today.
The Curves women’s gym workout is convenient, combining strength training and cardio plus stretching – all in just 30 minutes – to strengthen your whole body. For more information about Curves and the full body workouts the Curves Circuit provides, visit ‘Why Curves’.
