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Issue #4

Power to the Pelvis

Happy New Year, friends!!

Here's your Power to the Pelvis newsletter for January! I hope you all have enjoyed some rest and relaxation through the holidays and are diving right into 2024!

I'm not really one for New Year's Resolutions. I believe in a healthy balance of good food and comfort food, movement/exercise and times of rest, hard sweat sessions and more leisurely hikes. Whatever your thing is, make it a great year! But if you are a resolution maker, let me know about your successes and wins. I'd love to celebrate those with you!

* Tip of the Month: Relax your pelvic floor

This is something that I touched on during the 12 Days of Christmas - Pelvic Health Edition, but wanted to cover more in depth for my subscribers. These are some of my favorite stretches for the pelvic floor that you can do on your mat, on the floor, and even on your bed if you prefer! These moves can be done as a gently flow all together or you can pick and choose the positions you like best, or that feel best to your body.

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Figure 4 - this can be done lying down on your back or seated in a chair (or even standing for a balance challenge). Place one foot over the opposite knee with foot flexed. If lying down you can use your hands to gently pull your bottom leg toward your chest. If seated you can lean forward over the crossed knee. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds. Repeat on the opposite site.

Happy Baby - lay on your back with knees bent and grab the outside of both feet. If this is too challenging or if painful, you can modify the position using a belt or yoga strap around the outside of your feet, holding onto the ends of the strap with your hands in a similar position to this picture. Hold this stretch for 60-90 seconds. You may choose to rock side to side on your back if that feels good or stay still.

Cat/Cow - start on your hands and knees. Gently lift your chin and sit bones upward as you drop your belly on an inhale. As you exhale, drop your chin and round your spine bringing your tailbone under. Hold each position briefly and move back and forth several times. Be mindful not to overdo it, but feel free to play around with movement like a side to side hip swing or circles.

Adductor Stretch - kneel on one leg and bring other leg straight out to the side. Gently sit back toward your heel feeling a stretch on your inner thigh. Only move as far as comfortable. If you don't feel a stretch, you may need to modify your position of your foot or leg of the extended leg. Hold this stretch for 45-60 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

Child’s Pose - kneel on the floor with hands in front of you. Sit back toward your heels. You might be more comfortable with a block or pillow under your bottom if sitting on your heels is too intense of a sensation. Hold for several breaths.

Deep Squat - this is one of my favorite positions. My kids sit like this all the time and I've gotten out of the habit, but it's so good for your hips, your ankles, balance, and your pelvic floor. Sit into a deep squat. Hands can be placed in front of you, held in a prayer position, holding onto a study table leg. If you cannot sit in a deep squat, you may find sitting on a yoga block or small stool helpful to still get the benefits of this position for your hips, ankles and pelvic floor. Hold position for up to a minute. You can increase this time if it's comfortable.

* Tools of the Trade

Do you have difficulty splaying your toes apart? Do your feet feel stiff or painful? Do you wear tight shoes?

If you answered yes to any of these questions you might want to try wearing some toe spreaders. Daily use can help alleviate foot pain, discomfort, improve circulation and overall foot health.

​These are my favorite ones. I tried several different toe spreaders and these worked the best for my feet. I use the firm, but you if you have Prime you might order the soft and firm and see which feel best for your little piggies!

If you want more information on the use of toe spreaders for your foot health, click here! And if you're asking "how the heck will this help my pelvic floor issues?" I encourage you to look back at my 12 Days of Christmas - Pelvic Health Edition Day 7 on Foot Mobility. You can access that here in case you missed it. I've talked about it before and I will continue to talk about it, but foot health is so important to pelvic floor health. If you have questions or want more information, please reach out to me.

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Did you try any of these tips? I'd love to know what you think. I read every email!

See you next month!

P.S. Having a good, clean lube is SUPER important. Right now I'm loving Uberlube - it's silky, smooth and has multiple uses - Style/Sex/Sport. Use discount code pelvichealth10 for 10% off of your purchase.

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