The ITV doctor has shared advice that really could help
Dr Amir Khan has shared guidance over an exercise technique that could help 1 in 3 women. A third of women in the UK have pelvic floor muscle-related problems, according to NHS information.
This means they can have trouble controlling their bladder or bowels. Macmillan says pelvic floor exercises can “help with bladder and bowel control.”
Now Dr Amir Khan, a regular on ITV shows such as Lorraine, has offered a simple insight into how to do these exercises. It offers a guide to how they can be done in everyday life – and, as the post on Instagram addressing the issue notes, “Dr Amir Khan shares pelvic floor exercise technique ‘you’ll never forget'”.
He told the podcast No Appointment Necessary about two scenarios that offered a way to exercise pelvic floor muscles. He said: “This is the scenario. This is how you isolate these pelvic floor muscles. So let’s do the front first. So you are going for a wee.
“You know at some point today there’s going to be a delivery that you’ve been waiting for forever and you cannot miss it because you can’t be bothered to go to the post office to pick it up.
“So just as you are mid wee, the doorbell goes and it’s the delivery. You have to stop that wee. Imagine it. Do it now.
“Stop the wee. That is your front pelvic floor muscles, right? We’re holding that wee and keep holding it.”
Then he moved on to another exercise. He said: “Now, new scenario. We’re in a lift. Rihanna walks in and you love Rihanna. She’s an icon but you need to pass wind. You need to pass wind, but you can’t pass wind in front of Rihanna because she’s iconic. So you’re holding that gas in, you’re holding that fart in, so now you’re holding your wee and your fart in. That is your front and back pelvic floor muscles.
“That’s what I tell my patient. I adjust the celebrity depending on who. Sometimes it’s the queen.”
Macmillan says you need at least 3 months to strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Their website notes: “You need to do the exercises regularly and keep doing them. Aim to do the sets of slow and quick squeezes 3 times every day. Try doing them at the same times each day to get into a routine.”
The NHS says the exercises can be important to reduce the risk of leaks. Its website says that in order to do them, squeeze your pelvic floor muscles quickly – trying not to pull your tummy in. It advises to hold that squeeze for 2 seconds, then relax the muscles – and repeat this 10 times.
You can get more information about pelvic floor exercises from the Bladder and Bowel Community website.
