You can keep your pelvic girdle healthy and fit by training your pelvic floor muscles regularly. To start, you can begin with pelvic floor muscle exercises. The pelvic floor muscles provide stability in the pelvis and maintain control over the functions of the pelvic girdle. With a healthy pelvic floor, you won’t experience issues, which means you have the situation under control. A healthy and fit pelvic girdle means a pelvis without pelvic pain or other pelvic problems. The pelvis contains many muscles and ligaments; when these are in good condition, we can say that you have a healthy pelvis. When we talk about having a healthy pelvis here, we mainly mean having a healthy pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is the largest muscle group in your pelvis. It prevents unwanted leakage of urine or stool. If you still experience pelvic issues due to a weakened pelvic floor, there is still much you can do about it. Fortunately, the pelvic floor is a muscle group, which means you can train and exercise it. However, discipline is needed to keep the pelvic floor muscles in good shape.

 

If you’re looking for pelvic floor exercises, visit the exercises page. For products for your pelvis, go to the Pelvic Store.

 

When do you have a healthy pelvis?

The condition of your pelvis can be easily tested. If you don’t have pelvic issues such as urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, organ prolapse, frequent pain in the groin, abdomen, tailbone, or lower back, then your pelvic girdle is in good shape. However, you can also experience pelvic pain or pelvic instability, which are signs that something is wrong with your pelvis. It’s important that the pelvic floor muscles are strong and fit. These pelvic floor muscles keep the urethra and anus properly closed and keep the organs in the right place. A weakened pelvic floor can cause many pelvic issues. Do you know how to find your pelvis and do you have control over it? Then it’s fine! You know how to use a healthy pelvis when it doesn’t cause you issues in or around the pelvic girdle.

 

A healthy pelvic floor

Now, it might sound like you need to feed your pelvic floor an apple and a banana daily, but that isn’t typically recommended. Maybe you already know that. There are many muscles and ligaments in the pelvis, which we call the pelvic floor and pelvic ligaments (but you probably already guessed that). These pelvic floor muscles and ligaments are positioned in the pelvis like a hammock. This isn’t for relaxing but to keep your organs in place and close off your pelvis, otherwise, it would be quite a mess. This hammock tightens up when you’re too scared to do number two at work, and relaxes again when you’re on the toilet at home. When you cough or lift something, you can feel the pelvic floor area briefly tighten. The pelvic floor is a busy bee. I’m sure you don’t want to imagine involuntarily losing urine or feces.

How to recognize a healthy pelvis:

• Retaining feces, especially during coughing, lifting, etc.
• Controlling gas, letting it out shamelessly or holding it in at will.
• Keeping organs in place to prevent prolapse.
• No problems with urination.
• Being able to let feces flow away properly at intended moments.
• Exerting yourself (‘Woo!’) without pain.
• Your pelvis is stable for your lower back and doesn’t develop issues.

What do the pelvic floor muscles do?

The pelvic floor muscles consist of different layers. These layers work closely together and are very dependent on each other. You don’t often notice this. Often, you don’t notice tightening these muscles either, but you can actively tighten them. Try holding in a fart. Exactly, there you go! You don’t tense one muscle in that area, but multiple simultaneously. It’s an all-or-nothing mentality.

A male has two openings through the pelvic floor muscles, and a female has three, but I don’t think I need to explain why that is. To be complete, the male has an anus and urethra, while the female has the vagina added.

The bladder and intestines have their own shut-off valves, such as the anus, which closes the intestines off from external air and water. Your brain controls this subconsciously, so you don’t have to consciously keep your bottom clenched all day. This is a good thing; otherwise, days would go very differently and everyone would walk a bit awkwardly.

A weakened pelvic floor

A pelvic floor can cause pelvic issues in two ways: muscles can be weak or too strong and overactive. With a weakened pelvic floor, people may have trouble holding in urine or stool. Sex can also be an issue and might feel numb. Men might experience erectile problems because blood doesn’t stay properly in the penis. When pressure is put on weakened pelvic floor muscles, it can be difficult to keep them tightened. Think about coughing fits, laughing fits, or lifting heavy objects. It’s important to train and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Also, learn how to control abdominal pressure and keep breathing steadily while lifting so your pelvic floor isn’t overloaded.

Symptoms of weak pelvic floor muscles:

• Difficulty maintaining an erection.
• Numbness during sex.
• Urinary incontinence.
• Fecal incontinence.
• Organ prolapse.

An overactive pelvic floor

An overactive pelvic floor has muscles that are too tense or overloaded. This can happen due to heavy lifting or chronic coughing. Overflow incontinence is a concern here: urine or stool overflow because the bladder or intestines are too full and muscles can’t fully relax. Sexual problems such as vaginism or difficulty getting an erection can also result.

Symptoms of overactive pelvic floor muscles:

• Erectile dysfunction due to impaired blood flow.
• Vaginism or vulvitis. Difficulty with vaginal penetration.
• Overflow urinary incontinence.
• Overflow fecal incontinence.
• Pain in or around the pelvis, such as in the groin, lower back, and abdomen.

How your pelvis stays healthy

Maybe you aren’t experiencing pelvic issues now, which is great. But now is a good time—while you’re still healthy—to reduce the chance of future problems. For example, if you know pregnancy is coming, or you just had a pregnancy, or you anticipate pelvic surgery (like prostate surgery), it’s smart to have a strong pelvic floor. The healthier you are going into such events, the lower the risk of pelvic issues later. Recovery will also be quicker if you already know pelvic floor exercises.

Maintaining your pelvis

Now, maintenance is key. You already maintain your pelvis by moving and exercising consciously. Think about your pelvic floor muscles when you sneeze, cough, or laugh—these are moments of sudden abdominal pressure. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles during those times; they aren’t always unexpected.

Tips to train your pelvic floor muscles:

1. Gain control: First, become aware of your pelvic floor muscles. Sit cross-legged and tighten the anus, vagina, or penis as if holding in urine or gas. Slightly suck in your stomach to engage your core muscles.
2. Apply during daily activities: Tighten your pelvic floor when standing up, sitting down, climbing stairs, or before coughing, sneezing, or laughing.
3. During exercise: Whether at the gym or playing sports, think about tightening your pelvic floor and engaging your stomach muscles during workouts like sit-ups or cycling. No one will notice.

Tightening and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles

Do you sometimes need to relax rather than tighten? Take rest moments and make them routine. Go to the toilet regularly, even if you don’t need to. You can also do pelvic floor relaxation exercises (click the blue links for exercises).

If you feel stressed and notice pelvic issues, calmly restart relaxation or tightening exercises. Set your own frequency but stay consistent—routine is where people often fail.

Tips to relax the pelvic floor:

• Find a quiet, calm place.
• Make sure you won’t be disturbed (put your phone away).
• Briefly tighten then fully release pelvic floor muscles several times.
• Practice regularly to regain control.
• Schedule rest moments during your day.
• Breathe deeply through your lower abdomen to keep pressure low. Place your hands on your lower stomach to guide your breathing.

You can always practice pelvic exercises

You can practice pelvic floor exercises anytime—even at your desk. Place your hands on your lower stomach during stressful moments to breathe properly. Being aware of your pelvic floor during gym workouts or sports helps maintain strength and control.

Treat your pelvic floor with care

It’s important to think about your pelvic floor regularly. Treat it with awareness and maintain it—it can work wonders. Your body is your home, and like your home, it deserves care and maintenance.

Looking for more information?

Hopefully, this information was useful! We covered topics such as signs of a healthy pelvic girdle, pelvic floor muscle functions, differences between weak and overactive pelvic floors, maintaining pelvic health, and advice on exercising your pelvic floor. If you want more details, feel free to explore the website. It’s packed with in-depth info, tips, a webshop, and exercises. Click the blue links to jump to specific pages.