Why Is Peeing Your Pants Normalized?

You would be hard pressed to find a woman that does not know what you mean when you say, “You know when you leak, when you laugh, cough or workout…”. Every woman will nod yes in conversation, regardless if they’re experiencing leaking during these activities or not!

Why is this normalized? Why do we accept that this is just “part of being a woman”? Why do we accept that we have to live in fear or embarrassment of leaking in basic, everyday activities?

Most women find it very difficult to talk about pelvic floor health and the symptoms they are experiencing. Even in 2023, it still is treated as a taboo subject. When they work up the courage to go to their doctor and ask for help, they are often told it’s a normal part of having children, or are given a pharmaceutical and told surgery is the only option. 

Women know all about leaking, but not many know about pelvic floor physio, which is known for helping women get relief, especially with pelvic pain. Pelvic Floor Physios are the leading experts in helping women with these issues. 

HOWEVER women who experience relief after visiting a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist may also experience a return of these issues. The pelvic floor physio that I was so lucky to learn from a decade ago noticed this, and termed it, “the revolving door”. The patient comes in, gets relief,goes back to the gym and gets hurt again…falling into a vicious, unending cycle.. She realized this and with the help of 2 other trainers, she created the course that we still teach today to  health professionals. The end result are women who are truly healed from the inside out and happier & healthier than before.  

Marrying these 2 modalities has proven to ensure long term success, not only for your pelvic floor but for your entire body!

You actually cannot completely solve your pelvic floor issues without strength training. This allows  your body to physically change its position (posture) (alignment), which eventually becomes a normal part of your everyday life…automatic, if you will.

Because it is your posture and alignment (or lack thereof) that caused the issue in the first place! Addressing only the location of the symptom and then falling back into your old habits that caused the symptom in the first place, will bring the symptom back.

Let’s dive deeper into this, together.. When you take a breath, your breath is meant to go into your body and fill your front side and back body with air, while at the same time essentially giving the pelvic floor a message, the core cavity then expands and relaxes. When you exhale, the entire bottom (pelvic floor), front back and top all contract. This repeats itself over and over with every single breath you take (and it’s pretty amazing). However, life happens!rolled forward shoulders and hips tilted inwards or outwards from sitting. Now when you take a breath (and I encourage you to try this on your own body,) the breath is stuck in your chest. If this is happening all day all the time now that the core is never filling with air and expanding and never or rarely contracting with the exhale, we end up with a non-functioning essentially dormant core/pelvic floor. Now when you ask your body to move suddenly or lift and you leak, or suffer from a hernia or prolapse symptoms that is the body trying to manage with atrophied non working muscles. The muscles at the very center of your body, your powerhouse, have become severely impaired.

This is what needs to be addressed and reversed. Your core needs to be re-taught how to function, how to engage again so you can do the actions you wish to do.

You have unknowingly allowed your muscles to tighten and weaken, causing your alignment to go off and now symptoms are arising.

This is why I say that pelvic floor issues are a fitness issue that is fixed in your workouts.

I also like to say if you have issues with your body (specifically pelvic floor issues), and there are no solutions from your healthcare provider, it’s because the issue is structural and not well taught in the world of healthcare. This can, however, be solved in your workouts. 

If you can take away one thing from this article, it is that leaking, pain and incontinence do not have to be a part of your everyday life. We do not have to accept or live with these conditions, despite what society tells us. If you’re ready to embrace a happier, healthier life, then I invite you to join my closed Facebook Group, Pelvic Floor Secrets, to chat with me and learn about my Foundational Approach. Change is possible!

If your interested in learning more about topics like these check out our class registration page.