Habits... and sucking in.

Habits die hard... with mindfulness and awareness.  When it comes to pelvic health, learning to tune into those automatic circuits will allow the body and mind to stop the dysfunction cycle and create healthy patterns.
 
Take for instance sucking in the stomach.  Many people that I see in my clinic with pelvic floor dysfunction also have a habit of sucking in their tummy.

Sucking in may be sexy in a swim suit, but this upward force of the diaphragm opposes our natural downward necessary functions like: digestion, elimination, menstruation, circulation and birth.

Not too sexy when you bloat, can’t poop, have menstrual cramps, and need to have a c-section.

So, let’s do a habit check: are you sucking in right now?

Many of us have been sucking in so long that we don’t even realize it.  So, check again.  Go to the mirror and lift up your shirt.  If your are sucking in, you will see an upward pull of your abdominals at the bottom of the ribs.

This is sucking in. See how there is an upward pull and the ribs stick out.

This is the abdomen relaxed. Notice no upward pull.

Many people mistake sucking in for contracting their “core”. A contraction of the deep abdominal muscle, the transversus abdominus, is inward toward the spine, not upward.

In order to regain the optimal function of our “core”, sucking in needs to stop.  Practice an abdominal release on your hands and knees. Feel the tummy relax and drop toward the floor.  It may feel uncomfortable at first as the diaphragm relaxes back to its natural position. Start to become aware of how often you suck in during the day, and let it go. You can break the habit!

Starting position on hands and knees.

Allow the abdomen to relax. Feel the tummy drop to the floor.