Pelvic Floor Health

The foundation to your core and deeply connected to your nervous system, emotional health, and well-being.

When considering all the aspects of a holistic wellness practice, it’s beyond important to consider the pelvic alignment, as well as work to balance movement with stillness and strength with softness, especially for women. Both men and women have a pelvic floor and can experience dysfunction, but more women (1 in 4) will experience dysfunction within their lifetime. 

Anatomy of the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor consists of bone, muscles, and connective tissue which provides support to the pelvic girdle, spine, and organs and assist in urinary, defecatory, and sexual function. In order for these functions to operate effectively, relaxation and contraction and coordination of the pelvic floor muscles is required.When this balance of contract/relax is impaired, various symptoms can present themselves.

Development of Dysfunction

Over time, both weakening (developing hypotonic muscle tone) and excessive tension (hypertonicity) of the PF musculature can lead to SI joint, hip, and back pain, balance and stability concerns, decreased athletic performance, incontinence, painful intercourse, and problematic pregnancies down the road. Misalignment or imbalance in the surrounding tissue that supports the pelvis can not only cause pelvic floor dysfunction, but issues anywhere in the body from your neck and shoulders all the way down to your feet. 

Most common symptoms

• Pain: low back pain, pelvic pain unrelated to intercourse, lower abdominal wall pain

• Sexual function: insertional or deep dyspareunia, pelvic ache after intercourse

• Urinary function: frequency, hesitancy, urgency, dysuria, bladder pain, urge incontinence

• Bowel function: bloating, constipation, difficulty eliminating, straining, incomplete elimination

I work with many females who are currently working to find their balance with this. And for me personally, I have been working to correct my own dysfunction due to all my years of heavy lifting, cheerleading, lacrosse, hyper-flexibility (which over time has caused my pelvic floor muscles to attempt to stabilize my unstable pelvis), excessive coughing from random bouts of chronic bronchitis, and my lack of time and patience for pooping (also a result of dysfunction - sorry, but truth) 😳. Growing up as an athlete participating in impact sports, no one educated me on the importance of pelvic floor health. And that’s true for so many young athletes. 

Re-Connecting To Your Pelvic Floor

It’s a common misconception that correction to dysfunction begins with kegels. Unfortunately, this might actually be the opposite of what you need. If you’re someone with hypertonicity in your PF, kegels will only further that dysfunction and it’s important to learn how to soften PF musculature. Whether you’re hyper/hypotonic or just starting with connecting to your PF, begin with the Breath.

If you’re experiencing any dysfunction symptoms, I highly recommend seeking out a PF physiotherapist to get an assessment and work in conjunction with a coach who is highly educated on PF health and dysfunction.

PF Connection Breathwork

Note: this is just a breathwork practice to create mindfulness and connection between your breath, diaphragm, and pelvic floor and is just the start to creating a holistic wellness practice for the pelvic floor.

Begin on your back if you’re new to breathwork or connecting to your pelvic floor. As you inhale, feel the diaphragm contract and move down towards the pelvis, allowing the belly to expand while relaxing and softening the pelvic floor muscles. As you exhale, lift and gently engage the pelvic floor slowly and expel the air out by continuing the contraction up to the lower belly, then to the ribcage, visualizing hugging the spine to fully engage the deeper core musculature. Hold the pelvic floor contraction gently throughout. Inhale while feeling the diaphragm move downwards, the belly expand, and the pelvic floor relax ...

Once comfortable, you can attempt in a comfortable seated position, and then move to leaning against a wall with the pelvis posteriorly tilted and back flush to the wall. 

Let me know…

Are you able to create connection to your pelvic floor? Do you have a regular practice that has helped you with your pelvic floor health?

What other adjustments have you made to your lifestyle to support your pelvic floor health and wellness? Share your favorite tips in the comments below — others in the community might benefit from your recommendations!

Come connect with me on Instagram @running_with_forks

Do you have any questions not answered in this post? Comment below or send me a note so I can continue to add information to answer your questions.

How To Get The Most Out of Working Out From Home - 6 Steps for Success

Let’s be honest, the new reality is that we’re all working out from home these days, whether that’s by choice or state mandate. Take the time to apply these pro tips to make the most of your at-home workouts and build habits that will last you beyond quarantine.

While some of us might always prefer working out at home due to time limitations, schedule, family obligations, the desire for privacy, etc, others might just be making this choice due to the current restrictions and their favorite community facilities being closed. Whatever your reason, the truth is that we all still need to move to keep ourselves healthy, both physically and mentally. And even though working out from home can be convenient and efficient, there are often challenges that arise that we might not have on our radar. Follow these recommendations and you’ll create WoFH (workout from home) habits that’ll leave you feeling like a new human.

Dedicate a specific space for your movement

It might be nice to have a dedicated home gym but realistically, that’s not possible for most of us. Especially if you’re living in a studio apartment in Manhattan. Luckily, all you really need is enough space to lay down a mat and spread your wings. This might mean sliding your coffee table or couch out of the way, and that’s ok! Currently, I have a couch in my dining room ;). Designating a part of your home to use as your dedicated fitness space is a sure way to keep you coming back for more. You’ll waste less time creating a space each time you’re ready to move, you’ll have all that you need in one spot, and your brain and body will begin to recognize this space as a distraction-free zone to move and breathe. Keep this space clean and clear of clutter to help remove any barriers when it comes time for your next workout.

Minimize distractions

Remove all the barriers that may potentially interrupt your workout or ultimately put it to a complete halt. Put your phone and computer in another room if possible, or place them in airplane mode if your workouts are digital so you can be focused and committed without distraction. Let family members know you’ll be taking some personal time to take care of yourself and ask if they can leave you be..

Set a Schedule

Find the best time for you and stick to that routine. Working out from home when you’re working from home might sound convenient, but in reality, this flexibility can often times make it more challenging to prioritize activity. To keep yourself committed, schedule your workouts into your calendar just as you would any meeting, and keep the time consistent. The best place to start if you’re new to working out from home is first thing in the morning. Once your day actually begins, there’s often too many distractions fighting for your attention like computers, iphones, couches, meetings, snacks, happy hour, and the TV. Morning routines can be as simple as a 5-10 minute Morning Breathwork Practice to clear and energize your mind or a Mindful Movement Routine to get your body moving and grooving. If mornings aren’t your thing, schedule a quick lunchtime workout like this 30 minute Feel Good Flow. Getting in quality daily movement doesn’t require a ton of time and if scheduled in during the mini pockets throughout your day, I bet you’ll find you have greater productivity at work and more energy for those other things that are important for your overall health and wellbeing.

Order some basic equipment

While you can get a fantastic workout in using just your body, it can be helpful to have a few staples to enhance the quality of those workouts and to help take it up a notch and make necessary progressions as things get easier. First and foremost, a yoga mat is one of the most widely used pieces of equipment for yoga and stretching and a bonus that it protects your floors and prevents the neighbors below from getting angry in the middle of your high intensity workout. (Manduka Mat Pro is my go-to, but there are plenty of other options). In regards to weights, you can create your own weights and equipment using various household items such as chairs, stairs, water jugs, suitcases, backpacks, and small children, but if you’re looking to pick up a few pieces, I typically recommend one lighter weight for upper body work and one heavier weight for lower body work. Here is a list of my top recommended equipment for home use. (*please note many items are out of stock or low during this time. If there’s something you need or can’t find, please let me know and I may have an additional resource for you). Update: This website still has some kettlebells left in stock or at least the ability to get them soon - order as soon as you can!

Set a goal

Setting a reasonable challenge for yourself can keep you motivated, hold you accountable, and keep you pushing forward each day . This might be aiming to get in 20 minutes of movement five days a week, doing 5 minutes of breathwork every night before bed to help with your sleep, or building your strength up to do a full pushup or pull-up by adding one extra rep of an exercise that complements that goal each day. What’s even more important though, is that we’re setting goals to do things we actually enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy it, it’s highly unlikely you’ll stick to the plan. Continuously setting small achievable goals of movements that leave you feeling good keeps motivation high as you improve on your journey.

Find a program or coach for guidance

In addition to creating the time and dedicated space for exercise, two of the most common hurdles for maintaining a home workout program are motivation and accountability. We all need someone to hold us accountable for reaching our goals, myself included. Find a friend to schedule virtual workouts with, join an online challenge, or hire a coach to create a customized program just for you that you’ll be more likely to stick to. If you like strength training, download a fitness app like the Nike app, Aaptiv, or Obé for virtual classes. If you’re more of a cardio lover, order a trainer for your bike, hop on the Peloton bandwagon if that’s within your budget, or head outside for a socially-distanced run or ride. Whatever you prefer, just keep moving.

Move anywhere and move often.

Working out from home can be convenient, efficient, and effective, and at the same time pose many challenges. Taking the time to create a designated workout space, minimizing any possible distractions, setting a schedule and a routine you can stick to, ordering some basic equipment, set realistic and fun goals, and finding a program or coach that holds you accountable to those goals can significantly improve your success in maintaining a routine in the comfort of your own home.

Women's Health Week // Mental Wellness

It’s Women’s Health Week and studies show that while women today are leading healthier lives physically, there are still quite a few missing pieces to the overall picture of health and well-being.

Over 6 days I’m sharing scientifically proven tips on taking charge of your overall health and wellness.

DAY 6 // MENTAL WELLNESS

Women wear so many hats these days and often times aren’t getting their own needs met, aren’t taking time for themselves, aren’t able to ask for help, and have a hard time taking a moment to stop, breathe, and share with others what’s going on internally for them.

First off, know that it’s OK to not be OK all the time. It’s absolutely normal, despite the fact that it’s not talked about openly. Thankfully, light is beginning to seep through the cracks on this topic, but it’s still not enough.

I most definitely have bad days and sometimes life just feels so goddamn hard. But that’s the stuff that makes life interesting in my opinion, and the frustrations and struggles, are all the things that make you stronger and help you figure out who and how you’re meant to be in this world.

Wellness is not just the physical exertion we do or the food we put into our bodies, but the personal work we put in daily to better understand who we are and what we need. And while the work itself is your own journey to take, sometimes it takes guidance, an ear to listen, someone to reflect with, or perhaps someone to unintentionally shine light on an area of ourselves we’ve kept hidden in the dark for far too long. As hard as it may be, let that light come in.

My recommendation:

Dive in deep with yourself. Every day. The more you know about yourself, your mind, and your individual behaviors and how to change them, the more likely you are to succeed in being the best version of yourself.

We all need support and outlets. Find what works best for you and seek someone to share openly with… a therapist, a friend, a family member, a ladies group.

Express and bring light to what’s on the inside — the positive, the negative, and the in-between.

Notice your thoughts .. notice your feelings .. notice your behaviors .. ask yourself what you need .. what do you want .. what is your inner voice saying.. what is your inner critic saying .. what drives you .. what holds you back .. what pushes you further .. what calms you .. what keeps you on track .. what makes you choose Y O U ?

And choose you. Make time for the things that fuel you and fill your cup.

“Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. It means that even on hard days, you know that there are better ones coming.”

Love you guys. xx

Day 1 - Hormones. Are. Real.

Day 2 - Nutritional Biohacking

Day 3 - Lift Heavy and Periodize

Day 4 - Pelvic Power

Day 5 - Sleep Specifics

LET ME KNOW…

How do you best take care of your mental well-being?

What other adjustments have you made to your lifestyle to support your overall health and wellness? Share your favorite tips in the comments below — others in the community might benefit from your recommendations!

Come connect with me on Instagram @running_with_forks

Do you have any questions not answered in this post? Comment below or send me a note so I can continue to add information to answer your questions.

Women's Health Week // Sleep Specifics

It’s Women’s Health Week and studies show that while women today are leading healthier lives physically, there are still quite a few missing pieces to the overall picture of health and well-being.

Over 6 days I’m sharing scientifically proven biohacking tips on taking charge of your overall health and wellness.

BIOHACKING 

Biohacking is the process of making changes to your lifestyle in order to “hack” your body’s biology and feel your absolute best. Everything we put into our bodies — our foods, our thoughts, our physical movement ­— are inputs to our biology and have an enormous impact on our outputs — how we behave, feel, function, and perform on a daily basis. 

If the goal is better outputs such as increased energy, clearer thinking, better moods, happier relationships, reduction in illness, optimum performance, and so on, then we need to adjust our inputs.

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DAY 5 // SLEEP

Sleep is one of the most critical aspects of our overall health and most women aren’t getting enough of it. Especially the week before a new cycle begins.

Sleep is imperative to supporting optimal health, a healthy metabolism, energy production, immune function, proper digestion, good decision-making, training performance, regulating cortisol levels, and keeping a clear and calm mind. Unfortunately, more than a third of adults get the minimum requirement to keep health problems in check.

As adults, we need a minimum of 6 hours of sleep, but in order to function well and thrive, we need 7-9 hours.

Signs you aren’t getting enough sleep:

• You struggle with your weight — Poor sleep disrupts appetite regulation and can lead to increased eating as well as an increase in the stress hormone cortisol which is related to weight gain

• Your brain is foggy — Sleep is important for reinforcing learned experiences into memory. Without adequate sleep, you can experience confusion, impaired judgement, forgetfulness and reduced alertness and concentration

• You get sick frequently — Lack of sleep increases inflammation and decreases T-cells which lead to increased vulnerability to viruses and bacteria as well as a risk for heart disease and other inflammatory-related disease

• Your workouts feel super hard and you’re not recovering well — Your body uses sleep to recover and recharge the nervous system. Minimal sleep can lower energy levels, decrease reaction time, decrease your capacity for endurance, lower the desire to exercise, and lead to depressed mood

• You’re unhappy — Sleep is imperative for hormone regulation and an interference can cause impaired regulation of emotions, heightened stress, decreased mood and an increased risk of depression

How to prepare for a better night’s sleep:

• Wake naturally with light which naturally raises cortisol, a hormone we typically don’t want to see a big spike in except for the morning, which helps you feel more alert and relaxed.

• Use an app to sync your sleep and wake cycle by sensing and waking when you’re at the lightest stage in your sleep cycle.

• Avoid hitting snooze a million times and sit up and put your feet on the floor right away. (this is the hardest one for me).

• Make sure to get exposure to daylight throughout the day to regulate the sleep hormone melatonin.

• Get consistent and regular exercise. This helps normalize the body’s internal clock and regulates the nervous system and hormonal levels. Avoid intense exercise in the evening which can make it more challenging to fall asleep.

• Avoid caffeine after 2pm and limit alcohol to 1-2 drinks in the evening.

• Eat a balanced and small to medium sized that consists of protein, fat and slow digesting carbs and avoid caloric deprivation.

• Do a brain dump before bed by writing down any thoughts that are on your mind, things you need to do, responses to emails you need to get out, a friend you need to call, etc. This helps promote true relaxation and reduces worry by getting the things swirling in your mind down on paper.

• Stick to a schedule and attempt to go to bed at the same time every evening which teaches your body when to release appropriate sleep hormones.

• Give your body extra time to wind down before bed and incorporate a magnesium supplement into your nightly routine.

• Create a relaxing and quiet sleep environment with a white noise machine and free it of anxiety-inducing clutter.

• Make the room as dark as possible to maximize melatonin production by using black out curtains and flipping your phone over.

• Turn off electronics, phones, and computers at least 30 minutes before bed as artificial light interferes with our production of melatonin.

• Try reading, meditating, light stretching, or sex which can release tension and activate chemicals that help calm the body down

• Sleep at least 7 hours. Work your way up if you are currently getting far less than that. Even adding just 30 minutes can make a big difference.

Day 1 - Hormones. Are. Real.

Day 2 - Nutritional Biohacking

Day 3 - Lift Heavy and Periodize

Day 4 - Pelvic Power

LET ME KNOW…

Do you get enough sleep? Do you have any habits that work great or you in ensuring you get enough sleep?

What other adjustments have you made to your lifestyle to support your overall health and wellness? Share your favorite tips in the comments below — others in the community might benefit from your recommendations!

Come connect with me on Instagram @running_with_forks

Do you have any questions not answered in this post? Comment below or send me a note so I can continue to add information to answer your questions.