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Certified personal trainer Amy Cooper discusses: the 3 “Ps” you need to watch out for in regards to pelvic floor health; if and when it is safe to run and practice kegels; and a simple exercise you can do to tap into your pelvic floor.
As a mother of two children, Amy has a wealth of personal experience in postpartum rehabilitation, as well as being a prenatal and postnatal fitness specialist with training in Hypopressives and yoga.
As Amy says, having children doesn’t mean that you’re going to have pelvic floor struggles and not having children doesn’t mean that you’re not going to have pelvic floor struggles. Pelvic floor health is not just about being postpartum.
In this episode, Dr. Toni and cover:
- How having kids can be transformative for your body, core and pelvic floor, physically and hormonally
- Who is more at risk for pelvic floor dysfunction and organ prolapse
- That if you have pelvic organ prolapse, it is not necessarily a problem!
- How your symptoms and functional problems may not correlate to a structural or anatomical problem
- If it’s a good idea to go running while you’re pregnant and after you’ve given birth
- The Rule of 3 P’s that are red flags you need to watch for
- Changes in peeing, pooping or passing gas
- Changes in pain
- Changes in pressure
- Why Kegels are only one piece of a pelvic floor fitness program and might not be a good idea for you to practice right now
- How to know if you are doing your Kegels effectively
- How relaxation and release is as important as strength and contraction of your pelvic floor muscles
- Amy’s favourite exercise to relax your body – just “let go”!
- The difference between getting an assessment from a family doctor, gynecologist and pelvic health physiotherapist
Check out why sexologist Dr. Trina Read talks about Kegels for improving your sex life in Episode 23
You can contact Amy at amy@cultivatefitness.ca and on Instagram @cultivatefitnessyyc
Today’s Mama Must Have:
Dr. Toni is grateful for her pelvic floor physiotherapist and recommends that you find one for yourself, especially if you’re experiencing any of the 3 P’s!
Amy loves her hand mirror to be able to look, see and appreciate her vulva. She recommends actually looking when you do a pelvic floor contraction to see if it’s effective. She just might be constantly looking at her vulva in her mirror…check out Haley Shevener’s Privates Investigator blog at if you want to understand what you’re seeing when you dare to take a look.
Thank you for joining us today!
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Stay safe everyone!
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