Throughout different aspects of a woman’s life, their adherence to exercise is inconsistent and there are a lot of factors that effect it. Pain due to menstrual cramps, or pelvic floor concerns, or conditions such as chronic pelvic pain, endometriosis and PCOS can contribute to this sporadic sedentary behaviour.
When women experience pain, there is the belief that exercise can make it worse or it becomes too hard. This can lead to difficulty creating and maintaining an exercise routine. During these times, it has been seen that doing certain stretches can help to relax muscles around the pelvis and abdominal muscles, resulting in a reduction of pain. By focusing on breathing as well, you can also increase serotonin to help improve mood and energy.
The Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia have a great resource that has seen great results and has been used in a recent school education program for girls. Find a link to the resource below and give them a try on days that you don’t feel up to exercising to help manage pain and help get you up and moving sooner.
https://www.pelvicpain.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Stretches-–-Women.pdf
