STOP Bladder Leaks with One Simple Exercise (60+)

There's something that affects millions of over-60s, yet barely anyone talks about it. It's frustrating, it can be embarrassing, and it can lead people to suffer in silence for years. But the good news is, there's a simple exercise you can do today that can make a massive difference. In this video, I'm going to reveal what this hidden problem is, why it happens, and the The issue I'm talking about today is bladder control problems. Now this might mean small leaks when you laugh or cough, it might mean a sudden urge to go to the toilet, or it could mean difficulty holding it in when you're out for a walk. And if that sounds familiar, you are definitely not alone. Bladder problems affect millions of people over 60, and even though they're common, they're certainly not just a normal part of aging. The problem is, most people are told, oh this is just what happens when you get older, or even worse, they're just given pads and told to manage it. But in many cases, this is not something you just have to live with. Many bladder problems start with weakness or a lack of coordination in a group of muscles we call the pelvic floor. I'm going to show you one of my terribly drawn diagrams now. So this is the body, you've got the legs here, you've got your pelvis here, and these blue things are your pelvic organs. Now your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that sits almost like a sling, protecting all of your pelvic organs. And they are the things that control the function of your bladder, your bowel, and everything in this region here. Now it's very common to get weakness or a loss of control of these muscles, particularly with age. And that's where we're going to start today, because there's a simple way to strengthen your pelvic floor and regain control of these muscles, which can fix so many different bladder problems. Now the key to this exercise is doing it correctly. I'm not just going to show you the standard way that everyone seems to already know. The key here is technique. Let's have a look at how to do it now. So here's the little exercise that will help you switch on your pelvic floor and build strength so you can stop those annoying bladder problems. And I learned this exercise just the other day from a leading pelvic health expert. Now I've got an interview coming up with her, which will be on the channel in a few weeks. And the best way to hear about that is to join 3 Tip Friday, which is my weekly newsletter. If you're interested in doing so, there's a link below the video where you can sign up. Anyway, here's how the exercise looks. I want to stress first that this is a very subtle movement. So no one should be able to see what's happening. It should just be you feeling it. And we don't want to use the core muscles. We don't want to use the buttock muscles. So you shouldn't feel like your bum is clenching together. It should be an invisible movement and just one that you can feel. The movement itself is very simple. Going to start sitting. And all I want you to imagine is you're trying to stop wind from escaping your back passage. Okay, so just squeeze those muscles that stop wind passing without switching on your buttocks and without switching on your tummy. Hold that contraction for a moment. And now move that contraction underneath you towards your front end as if you're trying to stop a wee mid-flow. Hold that contraction. And now is the important part and the bit that everyone gets wrong. I want you to fully relax that contraction completely as if it's just fully melted away. Okay, so I'm going to show you that again. So we're going to go back to the back passage. Squeeze the back passage as if you're trying to stop yourself from breaking wind. Hold for a second. Move the contraction underneath you to the front end as if you're trying to break the flow of urine. Hold for a couple of seconds. And now do the opposite. Completely relax and allow the pelvic floor to drop away from you. Now if you've done that correctly, you're going to notice a couple of things. The first thing you'll notice is as you squeeze your back passage, it feels like some muscles underneath you have started to lift you up like this. That's a really good thing. And as you start to move that contraction forward, you'll feel like the muscles are coming up this way. But then the important part that people miss is that full relaxation because the pelvic floor is just like any other muscle in the body. You need to work it through its full range of motion to get the benefits. And when people do Kegels or those exercises where they squeeze the pelvic floor, they often do lots of squeezing, which means that the pelvic floor is contracted, contracted, contracted, but never drops right down to a relaxation phase. And that can cause a whole host of other problems. And it's also why people don't build the stamina and the full ability to connect to those muscles as I've just shown you. So sitting is a good position to start. But if you found that very difficult, you can try it lying down. And that would look exactly the same, but just lying on your back, have your head and your shoulders supported. You want to have your legs bent up and start off just by fully relaxing everything, let everything just melt away, all the tension in your tummy and your glutes and in your pelvic floor, and then contract at the back, move it round to the front, and then fully relax out. Now doing this exercise, it takes time and consistency, but try five or 10 contractions several times per day as a great starting point. Start with just five or 10 reps per day. You can do it sitting or lying down, whichever place is most comfortable for you. But remember, to see results, this exercise takes consistency. You're not going to see results overnight, but if you stick with it, it can make a huge difference. Over time, you should feel more in control, more confident, and less worried about bladder leaks. Anyway, I hope you found this video useful. If you have, do drop a comment below and maybe share it with someone who you think could benefit from this video as well. Anyway, thank you for watching and I'll see you on the next one.