We know that 80% of new mothers experience pelvic floor and/or bladder issues. We also know that it is not just pregnancy related, with 1/3 of women facing challenges with their pelvic floor muscles during their lifetime. Click here for more. As always, getting ahead of a problem is always better than dealing with it once it has arisen. We look at a very simple but effective way for anyone to make a change. It’s all about the way you stand… 

Changing the way you stand helps your pelvic floor?! 

Well yeah, turns out it does! We turn to our pre and post natal specialist trainer Natalie Ferris for the quick ‘how to’ that every woman should be thinking about. 

The ‘how to’ posture guide for pelvic floor power!

According to Natalie your posture/how you stand plays a big part keeping your pelvic floor supported. Click here for the video version or read on for the quick ‘how to’

Knees locked or duck bum?!

Do you know how you stand? Chances are most of us are entirely unconscious of it. I mean why would you think about it?!

According to Natalie many of us stand with our knees locked out. What does this mean? Well, if you stand in the mirror and take a look at how you stand naturally what you may notice is that your knees are locked rather than soft.

Doing this gives you a curve in your lower back. That means your rib cage is not stacked over your pelvis and is titled forward. No support for your pelvic floor. Not what you want…. 

Pevlic tilt? Important for the pelvic floor!

Everyone has a ‘natural’ position for their pelvis. If you stand up and look in the mirror titling your pelvis forward and back you’ll find where your natural position is. Ideally somewhere in the middle. However, most of us are not ‘neutral’ in our stance – many of us are exaggerated in two ways:

Anterior Tilt: 

aka the ‘duck bum’: a lot of people have this, especially if you’re used to wearing heels! It is how it sounds. Pelvis titled forward and bum out (often as your knees are locked). Once again, not enough support for your pelvic floor. This is what it looks like (credit to backintelligence.com for images):

Posterior Tilt: 

This is the opposite, where the bum tucked to far under with pelvis forward.

You need a good middle ground with a gentle curve of your spine. Avoiding the extremes above. What you want is a neutral spine with everything stacked in line. Your knees may hold the key to this…

Your knees matter for your pelvic floor? Yep…. 

Many of us lock our knees out. Simply softening when you stand can make a huge difference.

Start with your feet. Hip width apart, soft knees (gently – doesn’t need to be exaggerated), neutral spine. That gives you support for your pelvic floor and core muscles.

The shoulders are the finishing touch… 

In order to find your ideal stance for pelvic floor support, rotate your arms so your palms are facing up, by your side. You’ll notice that puts your shoulders back (many of us hunch our shoulders forward – stress/working on a computer…usual suspects!).

This really supports the pelvic floor? 

What you’ll notice if you do this and look in the mirror is that this position puts everything in line and stacked. Your ears stacked over your shoulders, stacked over your hips, over your knees, over your ankles. That alignment is supportive which is what you want. Activating that all important core!

This may feel unnatural at first, but after a while of being conscious of it and adjusting it will soon start to feel better. Give it a try!

For more on the all important pelvic floor check out our podcast with the founder of Elvie Tania Boler – click here. If you really mean business on your pelvic floor strengthening (go girl) We also have a whole set of pelvic floor exercises with the lovely Natalie. Click here for more!

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This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice. The information on this website has been developed following years of personal research and from referenced and sourced medical research. Before making any changes we strongly recommend you consult a healthcare professional before you begin.

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