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.

Women's Health Week // Hormones. Are. Real.

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. This week is all about reminding and encouraging women to: listen to their bodies; put their own needs first for a change; be kinder, gentler and more compassionate with themselves; and to share knowledge to help make better informed decisions about overall health and well-being.  

For the next 6 days I’ll be sharing scientifically proven biohacking tips on taking charge of your overall health and wellness. Men, stay with me. You’re up in June — and you’ve got ladies in your life that can use your support.

Biohacking 

Biohacking is the process of making changes to your lifestyle in order to “hack” your body’s biology and feel your absolute best. As humans, we are made up of very complex systems. 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 1 // HORMONES … Are your SUPERPOWER.

Seriously. Hormones change week by week and affect your brain and body in powerful and positive ways. They play a key role in your sex drive, sleeping soundly, feeling happy, creativity and productivity, maintaining a healthy weight and regular cycle, and getting pregnant.

While it’s normal to have gentle fluctuations throughout the month, I promise you, it’s not normal to be a crazy lady. If you’re experiencing wild shifts in mood, energy, sleep, or stress, your body is speaking to you.

GET YOUR LEVELS CHECKED. Make an appointment to see your doc and request blood work to check the levels of your reproductive, metabolic, and stress hormones.  

Cycle Superpowers:

Since the ebbs and flows of your hormones throughout your cycle are predictable, I recommend you use them to your advantage to help you work smarter, get tasks completed, plan and schedule important things in advance, and ask for what you need.

You may have noticed that some weeks during your cycle you feel extra creative, some weeks you’re super focused and productive, and other weeks you either need to hunker down at home and not speak to a soul or are maybe you feel like a super human communicator.

Of course, there might also be times you feel like scratching someone’s eyes out, and this can either be an indicator to get those hormones checked OR you may need to pay a bit more attention to your personal needs as each week goes on and learn how to ask for what you need.

RECOMMENDATION: Check out a Hormone Horoscope or Cycle Tracking App for more information on what’s happening each day of your cycle. It’s wild. And truly helpful.

Oral Contraceptives:

Some women attempt to control their hormonal fluctuations with birth control or want their periods to go away altogether, but; I highly recommend against it. Oral contraceptives only mask the underlying health issues that are causing the rollercoaster effect in the first place and press the pause button on getting the proper care you need and will eventually have to face.

To ignore your cycle is to do your body a disservice as it’s an important indicator of your overall health.

If possible, CHOOSE ALTERNATIVE OR NATURAL BIRTH CONTROL methods to resume a self-regulated cycle and limit external hormonal input.

Endocrine Disruptors:

EDC’s or endocrine disruptive chemicals are chemicals commonly found in cosmetics, shampoos, cleaning products, plastics, and pesticides in food that not only disrupt your hormonal cycle, but increase your risk for cancer as well as affect your fertility.

RECOMMENDATION: Do your best to GO GREEN in your home, CHOOSE ORGANIC as often as possible, ELIMINATE USE OF PLASTIC water bottles and food containers, and SWAP OUT YOUR SKINCARE products for clean and safe ingredients. Look for more conscious brands that eliminate parabens, phthalates, and petroleum chemicals.

Stay with me OVER THE COURSE OF THIS week for more tips on biohacking your health and empowering the amazing women around you to do the same.

LET ME KNOW…

Have you gotten your hormone levels checked? Have you worked towards eliminating endocrine disruptors as best you can? 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.

Alcohol + Fitness: How to find a healthy balance - Part 1

The Science: How Alcohol affects our Bodies

I frequently get asked if I drink alcohol and if I make clients cut it out, and if you know me, you know that answer!

It’s not uncommon for alcohol to be on the “avoid” list in the wellness community, and recent studies have shifted from the once held belief that alcohol in moderation can be beneficial to our health. Now, this doesn’t matter all that much if you’re someone who doesn’t care to drink, but for those that do choose to enjoy it, and want to keep it in your diet, it can be a confusing topic when it comes to your health and fitness.

If alcohol is something you’ve decided can be a healthy part of your life, I’ve compiled some clear information on how it affects the body and how to take care of and replenish your body before, during, and after in this 3-part series.

ALCOHOL AND METABOLISM

Okay, here is the simple science behind alcohol and how the body digests it. First, understand that alcohol is not processed like other foods and the body has no place to store it, therefore, it has to be immediately metabolized. 

As a general guideline, our bodies are only able to process about 1 drink per hour, which will vary with gender, weight, food intake, supplements, medications, etc. With that in mind, if you’re drinking faster than your liver can metabolize it, the alcohol hits the blood-brain barrier – which is why you start to feel tipsy and uncoordinated, those inhibitions go to the wayside, and your appetite is stimulated. Avoid drinking with an empty belly to help slow down the speed of absorption into the bloodstream.

Because alcohol elimination becomes top priority, your metabolism on the whole transitions to a fat-storing state until it’s eliminated. So, that pizza you think is a really good idea on your way home from drinks…not so great for your fitness goals. 

HEALTHY TIPS:

• Slow down how quickly alcohol is absorbed by keeping a moderately full belly when drinking and primarily choose fat and protein combinations to help stabilize the blood sugar.

• Limit your intake to no more than 2 drinks/day for men and 1 drink/day for women and no more than 8 drinks/week for both men and women.

EFFECTS ON BLOOD SUGAR:

Alcohol consumption interferes with your blood sugar, the hormones that help maintain healthy levels, as well as many other major bodily functions. So while you might be craving carbohydrates and are thinking it will help absorb some of the alcohol, in actuality, you’re craving carbs due to a blood sugar response and the effects of alcohol on hunger and inhibition. The bad news, refueling with carbs will only leave you crashing again a few hours later, or in the middle of the night, thus interrupting your sleep.

HEALTHY TIP:

• It's ok to occasionally choose a fresh muddled cocktail or margarita (the real kind obviously), but if you plan to have more than one drink, fully enjoy, sip, and savor that delicious cocktail but then switch over to a low sugar beverage.

EFFECTS ON SLEEP:

Have you ever noticed that you toss and turn a bit more on nights you’ve had a few drinks, or that you crash when your head hits the pillow but then lay wide awake at 3am? Alcohol elevates certain hormones that make you more alert, preventing deep REM sleep, and causes a nighttime dip in blood sugar (hypoglycemia) that can lead to restless sleeping.

So if you have plans for a workout the next morning, be aware that the lack of sleep, added fatigue, and impaired muscle recovery will in turn affect your performance.

If you’re someone who already has trouble sleeping or has issues with hormones related to blood sugar (insulin) and stress (cortisol), alcohol will only make matters worse. 

HEALTHY TIP: 

• If you're feeling hungry before bed or know you experience nighttime hypogycemia, eat a small snack of healthy fats to help you stay more stabilized throughout the night.

HORMONAL EFFECTS:

The effects listed below are more likely related to alcohol intake above what is considered 'moderate consumption', but more than 1-2 drinks a day and you could start to experience problems and wreak havoc on your hormonal and long term health.

LADY  HORMONES…

Ladies – what doesn’t affect our hormones?! Seriously. Alcohol affects our hormonal cycles by increasing cortisol (stress hormone) and estrogen, and decreasing progesterone. If you’re someone who already wildly fluctuates with your hormones and your mood, you may want to consider how much you consume and begin tracking how your body reacts at each phase. 

Additionally, studies clearly show that alcohol creates a moderate increased risk of developing breast cancer. If you know you carry the gene for breast cancer, you may want to consider how drinking affects your long-term health and wellness.

ACTION: Use a tracking app such as Clue to track drinks, mood, and physical response and if you carry the breast cancer gene, speak to your doctor and consider cutting back or eliminating from your diet.

MANMONES…

Gents – (and the ladies too, actually!) – while your body is metabolizing alcohol, the liver is unable to produce testosterone. Testosterone is an important hormone for both men and women in regards to building muscular strength and making changes to your body composition, therefore, decreased levels may make it more challenging to reach your goals. If you have a specific goal you're working toward, it may be more beneficial in the short term to cut back or eliminate during this time. 

Additionally, low levels of testosterone can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, decreased motivation, decreased sex drive, and fertility issues. 

ACTION: Consider cutting back and moderating your intake if you experience the negative symptoms above or are having difficulty conceiving.

further READing/tips:

PART 2: ALCOHOL, NUTRITION, AND BODY COMPOSITION

PART 3: HEALTHY TIPS FOR BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER

The Take Home Message:

You can still enjoy moderate alcohol consumption and the social aspects of drinking and stay on track with your health and fitness goals. Determine how important your goals are, consider your personal bio-individuality and genetics, pay close attention to your motivations behind drinking, and follow my healthy tips for before, during, and after.

And make sure that whatever you choose to drink, that it’s totally worth it! Because life is too short for it not to be enjoyed and a good cab tastes extra delicious with a healthy meal. 

IMPORTANT: Make sure your consumption is enjoyable rather than a form of therapy, numbing, social anxiety, or peer pressure. Our relationship to alcohol, knowing our personal limits and how to maintain a healthy balance is extremely important.

Let’s Chat!

Do you have a question regarding social drinking and your fitness goals? Do you have any words of advice for others trying to navigate creating a healthy lifestyle? Ask or share below or start the conversation on social using #runningwithforks.