Top 5 Pelvic Floor Exercises for Busy Moms

Learn five essential exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor and fit them into your busy mom life!

Welcome back to our Pelvic Floor Essentials series!

This week, we’re focusing on strengthening exercises that will help keep your pelvic floor muscles in top shape. These exercises are easy to incorporate into your busy routine and are essential for maintaining pelvic health during and after pregnancy.

1. Diaphramatic Breathing Exercises

How to Do It:

Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor and hip width apart.
Inhale. Thinking about filling your pelvis and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles. Your chest, sides and back should all expand equally (vs. all into your belly or chest).
Exhale. Start by lifting the pelvic floor, then tightening (“cinching”) your deep core, followed by the ribs exhaling back and down. As if you are pushing the air out from the bottom up.
Make sure to use a “ha” or “Sh” sound on the exhale.
Each inhale and exhale should be as full as possible, and not rushed.
Repeat 5-6 full breaths. Do this multiple times a day.
As you master this, you can start adding more advanced movements to the exercise and make it harder. This will work your core and pelvic floor from the inside out.

female laying on her back with arms to the ceiling and knees bent with feet on the floor breathing deeply

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Benefits:

As you master this, you can start adding more advanced movements to the exercise and make it harder. This will work your core and pelvic floor from the inside out. It is like an internal stretch and strength exercise in one.

2. Hinging

How to Do It:

Feet should be no wider than hip width (not shoulder width).
Keeping your eyes about 2 feet infront of your toes, push your hips back behind you.
Your knees will bend and remain over your midfoot/heel.
Your chest will lower and stay relatively flat (don’t over arch or actively round).
Thinking of squeezing your glutes (butt) and the back of the knee together to stand.
Keep your core engaged.

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Benefits:

Helps the back of the pelvic floor and butt lengthen and relax a bit. Creates good movement patterns for daily life and helps reenforce good posture.

3. Dead Bugs

How to Do It:

Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor and hip width apart.
For a more advanced version you can bring your knees up to 90 degrees over your hips.
Exhale, lifting the pelvic floor and tightening the core.
Extend your right arm up over your head and your left leg down and straight.
Working really hard ro keep the core tight and the hips from moving.
Repeat 10-15 times per side.

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Benefits:

Dead Bug strengthens the pelvic floor, core, and back muscles.

4. Bird Dog

How to Do It:

Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position.
Extend your right arm forward and your left leg back simultaneously.
Do not let your low back change shape (it should not round and arch as you move).
Hold for a few seconds, squeezing your pelvic floor muscles.
Return to the starting position and switch sides.
Repeat 10 times on each side.

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Benefits:

Bird Dog strengthens the pelvic floor, core, and back muscles.

5. Pelvic Tilts

How to Do It:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Flatten your back against the floor by tightening your abdominal muscles and tilting your pelvis up slightly.
Hold for 5 seconds, then relax.
Repeat 10-15 times.

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Benefits:

Pelvic tilts improve pelvic floor strength and lower back flexibility.

Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine can make a significant difference in your pelvic floor health. Start small and gradually increase the number of repetitions as you get stronger. For a handy list of these exercises, download our "Pelvic Floor Essentials for Moms" freebie!

Live Confidently,

Jen