Kegels exercises are designed specifically to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. They are also called pelvic floor exercises.

They affect the muscles that support your uterus, bladder, small intestine, and rectum.

Kegels help to keep them fit and toned. You can also avoid bladder leaks and passing gas by accident as you age by having strong pelvic muscles. They can even improve your orgasms and those are very important for your health too.

Most of the time, we don't think much about them when they’re working as they should. But as you age, they can start to weaken.

This puts you at risk for a condition doctors call pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Basically, your pelvic organs start to droop.

They can fall into or out of your vagina. If you’ve had a hysterectomy, your vaginal tissues can start to come out of your body. This sounds challenging, but you can do preventative care at any stage of your life for a better tone.

Other things that put you at risk for POP include:

• Pregnancy
• Birth through vagina
• Surgery in the pelvic area such as C-section
• Aging
• Genetics
• Frequent coughing, laughing and sneezing as this pushes on the pelvic organs

In today’s video, you will hear my guest, Dr. Lindsey Paczkowski, talk about pelvic health for women throughout the lifecycle of a woman’s life.

Dr. Lindsey Paczkowski is a Performance Physical Therapist and a Pelvic Health and Postpartum Specialist.

She received her Bachelor’s Degree in exercise science and her clinical doctorate in Physical Therapy from Carroll University (Waukesha, WI).

She is the co-owner of their business Inside Out Strength and Performance with her husband Dave.

Lindsey’s work passion includes building movement confidence for new moms and women seeking to live life strong through physical therapy, exercise, and healthy cooking.

In this video, we talk about:

• The anatomy of the pelvic floor
• What pelvic floor does
• Postpartum pelvic recovery
• Postmenopause pelvic health
• Exercises like Kegel to strengthen the pelvic floor
• Getting back to intimacy, exercise, and movement
• Benefits of working with a PT specializing in Pelvic Floor
• nd many, many more.

When she’s not working with clients, Dr. Paczkowski is developing her strength through weightlifting and running outside, healthy cooking, taking beach walks with her husband, Dave, and sipping coffee with friends.