I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Jurassic Park and how life has this extraordinary ability to just find a way! Of course, you know I've been thinking about how this relates to the pelvic floor. If you know me personally, you’ve probably noticed I have a tendency to “zone out”. People often ask me where I go. I’m usually dreaming about pelvic floor analogies. Lol.

We already know that the body has a remarkable ability to repair itself. Think wound healing, bone regeneration after a fracture, muscles repairing themselves after an injury, stomach lining renewal, liver regeneration, the list goes on.

HOWEVER, as we age, some of these automatic repair processes start to need a little help. 

A bit like when you buy a brand new car. At first it’s invincible and you can kind of drive it how you like with little to no consequences. But the older it gets, the more you have to take care of it to keep it running smoothly. 

Find out why these three things are all connected...

The first thing I do when someone new walks into my pilates studio with a bulging tummy is look further up to the base of their ribcage. If the front of their ribs are flared out (even slightly), its a sure fire sign that we need to work on both their breathing technique and their core strength.

The abdominal muscles are responsible for pulling the rib cage downwards and inwards into a more neutral position. So if the ribs are flared, its a sign that your abs are weak and that there is little integration between the diaphragm and the abdominal muscles.

It’s common (and expected) for your rib cage to expand during pregnancy to make space for your growing baby, but sometimes it doesn’t return to its original position naturally after birth.

If your bra is fitting tighter, if you see your bottom ribs sticking out slightly, or if the ribs flare even more when you lift your arms overhead,...

I get soooo many questions on IG about diastasis, so I figured I'd compile all the info here for you in one, easy to read blog post and answer all your questions at once.

There is so much misinformation out there surrounding diastasis, but one of the most common things I see that hinders diastasis recti healing is both a lack of understanding of the CAUSES of it, but also of the actual solutions. Because surgery is NOT the only option! And I can say that with great confidence because mine was once 5cm (at 2 years pp) and is now so completely healed that I couldn’t even demonstrate to you, or show you where it once was.

So let’s dive into the what, when, why and how of Diastasis Recti.

What is Diastasis Recti (DR)?

Diastasis Recti is a thinning of the linea alba, which is the connective tissue that creates tension between your six pack muscles and keeps them firmly together. When this connective tissue thins and stretches, it allows SPACE in between...

I get asked many questions on Instagram about just "how hard" we should be going when it comes to strengthening the pelvic floor and whether it is okay if we feel soreness down there the next day. So, I decided to give this question its own blog post.

Regarding pelvic health, the phrase 'no pain, no gain' doesn't apply. Unlike the rectus abdominals (6-pack abs) and the transverse abdominals (corset abs), the pelvic floor muscles are small and delicate and require a more balanced approach. They should be worked, yes, but not overloaded. Overload can cause tightness, creating a separate set of issues from the ones we are trying to solve by strengthening it. 

Contrary to when we're in the gym and striving to go hard and heavy enough to experience significant soreness the following day, we are not trying to work the pelvic floor muscles so intensely that we endure that kind of soreness. Yes, we aim to strengthen the pelvic floor, but overloading it can bring...

Contrary to common belief, tightness does not equal strength. Tightness goes hand in hand with weakness, and just like any other muscle in the body, tightness in the pelvic floor inhibits its normal function. Also, tightness in the pelvic floor brings on a separate set of symptoms than just being weak. Since the pelvic floor is so internal, it can be difficult to know what's going on with it, but there are a set of symptoms that give us a clue as to whether or not it might be not only weak, but also tight. 

Here are some of the most common symptoms of a tight pelvic floor. If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, there's a good chance your pelvic floor could benefit from some targeted release techniques:

1. Urge Incontinence or "Lactchkey bladder."

You know that feeling when you put the key in the door and all of a sudden you're hopping up and down, not knowing if you will make it on time? 

Essentially this is happening because tightness in the pelvic...

Are you feeling discomfort or pain during urination? Or an urgent need to visit the restroom frequently? You might be quick to assume it's a urinary tract infection (UTI), but there's another potential culprit: pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). Read on to learn more about the subtle but key differences between UTIs and pelvic floor dysfunction to help you identify the source of these annoying symptoms.

A urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary system, including the bladder, urethra, and kidneys. Common symptoms of a UTI include a burning sensation during urination, frequent urination, cloudy or bloody urine, and a strong urge to urinate.

Pelvic floor dysfunction refers to a range of issues affecting the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues in the pelvic region. These problems can lead to various symptoms, including urinary urgency, incontinence, pelvic pain, penetration pain, and much more.

A UTI can cause the...

I think we've all experienced low back pain at some point in our lives. I for one (even as a fitness instructor) used to tweak my back allll the time. Until I learned how to breathe properly and how to activate my pelvic floor correctly. Since then, I haven't tweaked my back even once! I'm not saying this to brag. I'm saying this because I want you to understand WHY. Let's dive in...

Let me start by saying that it is not solely the job of the pelvic floor to prevent back pain. There are other muscle groups at play here as well. But strengthening these other muscle groups actually becomes EASIER once the pelvic floor is firing correctly. I've said it before and I'll say it again: "It's all connected!" Strengthening the three muscle groups listed below (as well as the pelvic floor) is the absolute magic sauce for banishing lower back pain for good. (If you've yet to download my free pelvic floor 101 training, you can get that by clicking here).

Ever been told to...

I used to suffer from the WORST knee pain! I thought my legs were pretty strong. I regularly did glute work, squats, calf raises, side leg raises, running etc. But I had this one running injury in my knee that just... would... not... go away. Little did I realize at the time that it was actually my inner thighs that were the issue. They were SO tight that they were literally pulling on my knee joint. (And if you've been following along for a while, you already know that tightness usually also means weakness).

When was the last time you put a little focus on working your inner thighs? 

Every muscle in our body needs to be both strong AND flexible in order to function well. 

When we want a better looking, tighter behind, (and less knee pain) we often start focusing on exercises to work the glutes, but what about the all-important inner thighs? For many of us, the inner thigh muscles are both weak AND tight which can cause restricted hip mobility, poor...

When was the last time you gave some love to your inner thighs? Do you ever strengthen or stretch them? The inner thigh muscles (hip adductors) often get overlooked, but did you know that they play a pretty big role in the functioning of our pelvic floor muscles?

Tension or tightness in the hip adductors is known to be a contributor to pelvic floor dysfunction, which can cause issues like:

• Stress Incontinence (leaking when you sneeze)
• Urge Incontinence (also know as "latchkey bladder" or not knowing if you will make it on time!)
• Prolapse (feeling like your vagina might fall out)
• Low back pain
• Painful penetration
• and much more

When we treat any of the symptoms above, we treat the pelvic floor muscles, but it's important to also look at other muscles that attach to the pelvis to improve all symptoms fully. Oftentimes, the hip adductors (inner thighs) are the missing link.

You might be thinking to yourself, I have tight inner thighs and some of the...

I get asked so often from postpartum women “When can I start running again?”

And my answer is honestly “it depends”.

The pelvic floor is not a huge fan of being bounced up and down vigorously. Which is usually a problem when there is instability in the pelvic area due to weaknesses or imbalances in any of the muscles surrounding the pelvis: pelvic floor, core, glutes, hamstrings etc.

Do you ever notice that your hips wobble around when you try to do a bridge position? Or does it feel like everything is bouncing around inside you when you try to run? These are both signs of pelvic instability, which can make running quite uncomfortable, and even painful.

So it’s helpful to work on both pelvic stability and pelvic floor strength before you dust off your beloved running shoes. If you were a runner pre-pregnancy then I'm sure you already know how great running is for maintaining our sanity. It can also be an...