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10 years ago I was volunteering in the home office for Idea Health and Fitness Association with a mouth-watering craving to become a presenter myself someday. I wanted to be as inspiring, as captivating, and as skilled as the presenters I admired.
Getting there has been quite the journey. And this year is more special than ever.
Kegels are an exercise that strengthens the pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor muscles ideally work in harmony with the hips and abdominals as part of the larger movement system, making them a crucial component of strength training.
Pelvic floor muscles are just as important as biceps, abs, and glutes. Maybe even more so because they support the structure for all of these other muscles along with several important organs – including the bladder.
Anyone, male or female who is wanting a stronger core and incontinence prevention or treatment should be doing Kegels. A strong pelvic floor supports the bladder to prevent and address urination issues. Pelvic floor strength is crucial for daily activities of living, especially when working with special populations such as prenatal, postpartum, senior citizens and prostate cancer patients and survivors.
The pelvic floor holds a second set of organs (baby!) during pregnancy and usually needs retraining and strengthening postpartum. Cancer treatments performed in the pelvic region can cause muscle weakness. Carol Michaels, the creator of the Cancer Exercise Specialist Program says, “Kegels are great for prostate cancer patients because they minimize incontinence and can improve erectile issues. They can help control incontinence without medication or surgery. It is wise to start Kegel exercises before surgery and treatments.”
Kegels are ideally trained in a variety of positions (laying down, sitting, standing), but can be worked anywhere, anytime in any position – no gym necessary! So, teach them to your clients and help them identify when a good time is for them to work those pelvic floor muscles – such as when sitting in a meeting, waiting at a traffic light, or reading books to children.
Most often a Kegel exercise is described as the contraction of muscles that stop the flow of urine. Performing a Kegel is more complex than this though because it involves a “drawing in and up” sensation. Have your client imagine grasping his hands around a ball of play-doh to squeeze it. This is the main feeling you want him to experience when performing a kegel.
Many people perform Kegels incorrectly by pushing down and out onto the pelvic floor with other surrounding muscles. Carrie Myers, a therapeutic exercise physiologist coaches her clients to picture an elevator coming up into the abdomen from the pelvic floor and cues “level one, level two, level three”.
Drawing up and in is what pelvic muscles need to be trained to do to support the abdominal cavity. Pushing down and out overrides the pelvic floor muscles and usually indicates usage of other larger, stronger muscles such as the abdominals.
Have your client start by doing one Kegel properly and holding it for as long as she can, ideally 5-10 seconds, three times per day. Have her work up to 5-10 repetitions three times per day. Suggest contractions that are short and repeated as well as contractions that are held isometrically so to work both fast and slow twitch muscle fibers.
When re-training a weak pelvic floor your client may tire more easily in the beginning and need to do them more frequently throughout the day. Eventually, pelvic floor muscles should be trained at the same frequency as other muscles so not to over-work them, but to maintain strength. Kegels are a great warm-up movement for abdominal work. As with any exercise, Kegels become easier and more natural as strength is gained.
Kegel exercises should be part of a well-rounded fitness program. They are just as important as pull-ups, push-ups, and planks. Even though Kegels are especially important for special populations everyone should be doing them (including fitness instructors) so introduce the Kegel to your clients in your next workout during the warm-up. It will support and benefit all the other exercises they do.
New years resolutions are all the buzz right now. How to. How not to. Is anyone else feeling the pressure? How about instead of resolutions that last an ENTIRE YEAR, we work on setting intentions that last a month, a week or even just a day!
My approach this year is simple. Partially because I'm a new mama that views a hot shower as a luxury vacation and also because of a book I recently read...
It happened to me. My abs separated while pregnant. Stretch marks took the place of my six pack. It's something I've heard about many times in my years as a fitness teacher. When I stepped into the role of anatomy educator, the questions arose even more frequently during abdominal muscle courses and workshops.
In mid-August I opened an email that brought tears to my eyes. I live for surprises like that.
Some are more profound than others. The big surprises often get more acknowledgement, but can move us just as much as the little ones. Rain showers, a message from a good friend or smile on a strangers face have never ceased to warm my heart. It's the little things that have a deep impact.
15 years in the fitness industry and I've learned one of the most valuable lessons about fitness during the last 9 months of pregnancy. Everyone has either been pregnant, trained someone who is, known someone through pregnancy or entered the world because of it (got ya there!). Re-connect with the human body through this miraculous life event with me.
Are any of your clients leaving town for a summer vacation? This is the time of the year when people go adventuring around the world or maybe even in their own backyards! Wherever the vacation (or staycation) may be, you may notice clients cutting back on sessions because they’re spending so much time having fun in the sun. Here are a few tips to make the scheduling gaps feel smaller by using the season to your advantage.
There is no shortage of websites and social media gurus claiming to have the latest and greatest ways to market yourself and your health and fitness business to prospective customers. While many of these approaches can work well for some, they’re not for everyone, especially those who don’t want to spend a considerable amount of time online.
Most people I work with avoid this word and task like the plague. It doesn't have to be that way.
In this video I will:
*Tell you what the word is and how to overcome the anxiety it produces.
*Give you TWO alternative words to use that feel and sound better.
*Share THREE strategies to enhance your business.
Has anyone told you to “warm up” before you exercise or play sports? It seems simple enough, doesn’t it? What’s easy to do is also easy not to do, and the biggest mistake people make is skipping this important component of exercise. Here’s what you need to know to warm up properly (and why it’s so important) so you can be more effective with your physical activities.
It's been quite the year... In the spring, I viewed my grandmother in an open casket. This summer I observed my fiance in a coma for a week. I finished off with a winter visit to see dissected human bodies (cadavers) at the local university. I cultivated a new level of appreciation for life to say the least.
Would you take the chance to see a cadaver if you had one?
When I travel and stay with different people, I can’t help but notice what priority smart phones are taking over our own self care. It’s hard to hear the subtle signals the body is sending you when you’re distracted. How can you get focused on your day when you’re busy looking at what everyone else is doing first? Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed!
Check in with yourself before you check Facebook.
