These days, it’s safe to say we’re all doing a lot more sitting. Between working from home and hiding out from colder weather, it sometimes feels like all we’re doing is lounging around. And, while it’s comfy, it might be wreaking havoc on your pelvic floor.
Sitting For Long Periods of Time
The truth is, sitting for long periods of time is not so good for you. In fact, some experts have even called sitting the new smoking. Studies have linked sitting for long periods of time each day to an increased risk of diabetes, poor heart health, obesity, depression and more. Translation: It’s important to get the heck up and move around.
But there’s more. Sitting can also weaken your pelvic floor muscles, leading to stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Let us explain.
The pelvic floor is a hammock-shaped group of muscles that extend from the pubic bone to your tailbone. Amongst other things, they help you hold your pee in. But, if they are weakened, they can’t do that.
When you sit, you’re putting pressure on your pelvic floor, which can result in weakening of those muscles. This is especially true if you have poor posture.
The National Association of Continence also says that sitting affects how deeply you breathe. If your diaphragm isn’t able to move up and down as it normally would due to your sitting position, the pelvic floor can’t move naturally. In turn, this can cause those muscles to become stiff and, in turn, weak. That’s why experts recommend that you get up for at least a minute or two after every thirty minutes of sitting.
But what if the (sitting) damage is already done? Thankfully, there are ways you can strengthen your pelvic floor to halt those pee problems.
You’ve likely heard of Kegel exercises—and they are an ideal way to boost your pelvic floor health. But first, you need to know how to identify where this group of muscles even is. Imagine you have to pee. Now, squeeze as if you are holding it in—those are your pelvic floor muscles.
Back to Kegels. You can do them manually by gently tightening those muscles like you’re sitting on a blueberry and lifting it, until you feel your muscles rise. Hold for 10 seconds and then relax and release. One thing to know: Nearly 50% of women do Kegels wrong, which can actually make things worse.
Another option is INNOVO. This pair of shorts is an all-in-one treatment for SUI. It offers an easy, at-home solution that’s safe and clinically-proven to treat urinary incontinence. In the span it takes to watch your favorite sitcom, you’ll get 180 kegels delivered right to your pelvic floor muscles with every session. Use INNOVO for just 30 minutes a day, five days a week for 12 weeks as a proven way to eliminate bladder leaks. 87% of women are dry after 12 weeks and 80% of women see results in just 4 weeks.
