The loss of bladder control when sneezing, laughing or coughing is a sign of a weak pelvic floor – a piece of anatomy that Wake believes everybody should learn about. “It’s a very important muscle involved in everyday functions, like going to the toilet, breathing and sex,” said Wake.
“Stop the wind, then stop the water,” she quipped. “But then you want to think deeper and above that sensation.”
Wake described it as “a scooping-up feeling from your back to your front passage”.
When doing this exercise, “keep your pelvis still – the spine shouldn’t move”.
How often should you do pelvic floor exercises?
“The research on this is quite clear and – wait for it – we are advised to do around 100 contractions per day,” stated Wake.
“When you think of how the pelvic floor works, however, it’s not as daunting as it seems,” she elaborated.
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Wake recommends connecting to the pelvic floor muscles through breath work.
“Every time we breathe, the pelvic floor is supposed to naturally move.
“Breath in, feel it expand, breath out, feel it contract,” she explained.
“It works with your diaphragm, so as you inhale it expands, and as you exhale, it draws in,” she emphasised.
The Innova gadget finds your pelvic floor muscles and causes them to contract 180 times within half hour.
The electrical muscle stimulation can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
This means people will be able to have more control over their bladder.
Pilates instructor and pelvic floor expert, Wake, teamed up with Innovo to help people fix their leaky bladder issues.