Urinary Incontinence

July 20, 2022

What is Urinary Incontinence

“Generally, when we hear the word incontinence, we think primarily of urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control),” said Char Challenger-Smith, a physical therapist, certified athletic trainer and sports specialist with Rehab and Sport Medicine at Northern Nevada Medical Center. “It is important to know incontinence can be both urinary and/or fecal. We most commonly think of women, especially post-partum, suffering from urinary incontinence. Though women are more predisposed to urinary incontinence, men are also very commonly affected.”

Urinary incontinence is common amongst athletes, walkers, runners and powerlifters. It can be a common cause of people not exercising, especially if the exercises include walking, running, jumping or squats, anything that pressures the pelvic floor.

For some people this happens when they cough, laugh or sneeze, others may not know they suffer from incontinence until they commence an exercise program and physically stress their pelvic floor muscles. This can be really embarrasing for the athlete.

Urinary incontinence is something that is not generally discussed because of the potential stigma.

When you look at the high incidence of urinary incontinence it is reasonable to assume that one in three women suffer from urinary incontinence and also a high percentage of men.

What Can I Do About It – For Women

The kind of treatment you have will depend on:

the type of urinary incontinence you have
how severe it is
your age, health and medical history.

Your doctor may refer you to a women’s health physiotherapist or a doctor who specialises in women’s pelvic floor problems (called a urogynaecologist). They may recommend one or more of these treatment options:

Lifestyle changes such as losing weight, quitting smoking, eating more fibre, drinking more water or lifting less.
Medication to help relax the bladder muscles, which play an important role in urge incontinence.
Physiotherapy to strengthen the pelvic floor, which supports your bladder. A physiotherapist can design a special pelvic exercise program for you.
Surgery to support or ‘hold up’ your bladder or urethra (the tube that links your bladder to the outside of your body). Surgery is usually only considered if medication or physiotherapy have not been successful.
The success of treatment can vary. While treatment may not ‘cure’ your incontinence, it can still help you live more comfortably with it.
Choose a well fitting garment or or incontinence pad to protect you while you are going about your daily activities or exercising.

Why Kegel exercises matter

Many factors can weaken your pelvic floor muscles, including pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, aging, excessive straining from constipation or chronic coughing, and being overweight.

You might benefit from doing Kegel exercises if you:

Leak a few drops of urine while sneezing, laughing or coughing (stress incontinence)
Have a strong, sudden urge to urinate just before losing a large amount of urine (urinary urge incontinence)
Leak stool (fecal incontinence)

Kegel exercises can also be done during pregnancy or after childbirth to try to improve your symptoms.

Work out a plan to do your Kegal Exercises at least three times a day. These exercises can be done while you are sitting at the computer or while you are standing in the kitchen preparing a meal. There is no preparation just to remember to do them.

How to do Kegel exercises

To get started:

Find the right muscles. To identify your pelvic floor muscles, stop urination in midstream. Once you’ve identified your pelvic floor muscles you can do the exercises in any position, although you might find it easiest to do them lying down at first.
Perfect your technique. To do Kegels, imagine you are sitting on a marble and tighten your pelvic muscles as if you’re lifting the marble. Try it for three seconds at a time, then relax for a count of three.
Maintain your focus. For best results, focus on tightening only your pelvic floor muscles. Be careful not to flex the muscles in your abdomen, thighs or buttocks. Avoid holding your breath. Instead, breathe freely during the exercises.
Repeat three times a day. Aim for at least three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions a day.

Don’t make a habit of using Kegel exercises to start and stop your urine stream. Doing Kegel exercises while emptying your bladder can actually lead to incomplete emptying of the bladder — which increases the risk of a urinary tract infection.

What Can I Do About It – For Men

Benefits of Kegel exercises for men

Male pelvic floor muscles

Many factors can weaken your pelvic floor muscles, including the surgical removal of the prostate (radical prostatectomy) and conditions such as diabetes and an overactive bladder.

You might benefit from doing Kegel exercises if you:

Have urinary or fecal incontinence
Dribble after urination — usually after you’ve left the toilet

How to do Kegel exercises for men

To get started:

Find the right muscles. To identify your pelvic floor muscles, stop urination in midstream or tighten the muscles that keep you from passing gas. These maneuvers use your pelvic floor muscles. Once you’ve identified your pelvic floor muscles, you can do the exercises in any position, although you might find it easiest to do them lying down at first.
Perfect your technique. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles, hold the contraction for three seconds, and then relax for three seconds. Try it a few times in a row. When your muscles get stronger, try doing Kegel exercises while sitting, standing or walking.
Maintain your focus. For best results, focus on tightening only your pelvic floor muscles. Be careful not to flex the muscles in your abdomen, thighs or buttocks. Avoid holding your breath. Instead, breathe freely during the exercises.
Repeat 3 times a day. Aim for at least three sets of 10 repetitions a day.

What are Pelvic Exercises

I have included a YouTube video by Pelvic Exercises’ presenter Michelle Kenway, Michelle is a health professional (Physiotherapist), internationally renowned author and exercise instructor for women.

Pelvic floor exercises or Kegels involve contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles in a controlled manner. This is an excellent short video that describes the muscles you are targeting, how to do the exercises and the desired frequency of the Legal exercises.

This training can improve the function of your pelvic floor muscles and help you recover and maintain your pelvic health and fitness. Scientific research tells us that pelvic floor exercises provide evidence-based treatment for a range of pelvic floor problems including muscle weakness and bladder leakage (stress incontinence).

Protective Underwear

There are several brands of discreet incontinence pads and underwear on the market now. Choose a brand that suits your confirmation and you will be able to regain your confidence knowing that you are protected from incontinence leakage when you are walking, running and at the gym. This also includes those who need protection because of more sever leakage.

TENA Men Guard Level 3 Absorbent Protector, Heavy Incontinence (Pack of 8), 8 count, Pack of 8

TENA Extra Pads, Standard Length, Light to Medium Incontinence (Pack of 24), 24 count, Pack of 24

Causes of Stress Incontinence

Urinary incontinence can be caused from medical and physical conditions, it is important to have a medical assessment to exclude any medical condition and also to identity what will be the most effective management of the condition.

It may be that a referral to a physiotherapist or an incontinence professional will assist you and give you the best initial management and treatment. Most importantly give you the support and confidence to achieve your goals, whether it be an exercise program or managing an issue that is impinging on your quality of life.

Pregnancy

Hormonal changes and the increases weight of the baby during pregnancy can lead to weakening of the pelvic floor muscles

Childbirth

Vaginal delivery, particularly if you have a difficult birth experience, can weaken muscles needed for bladder control and damage nerves and supportive tissue. This can also lead to prolapsed (dropped) pelvic floor.

Changes with Age

Aging of the bladder muscle can decrease the bladders capacity to store urine. The involuntary contractions of the bladder become more frequent as we age.

Menopause

After menopause women produce less oestrogen, a hormone that helps keep the lining of the bladder and urethra healthy. Deterioration of these tissues can agrivate incontinence.

Enlarged Prostate

For men stress incontinence can often stems from prostate gland issues. Again as men age the prostrate can become enlarged for various reasons and applies pressure to the bladder.

Obstruction A tumour along your urinary tract can block the normal flow of urine leading to overflow incontinence. Urinary stones, the hard stone like masses that form in the bladder can also cause urinary leakage.

Neurological Disorders

Multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons disease, stroke, spinal injury can interfere with nerve signals involved in bladder control and cause urinary incontinence.

Types of Urinary Incontinence

Stress Incontinence

Urine leaks when you exert pressure on your bladder by coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising or lifting something heavy.

Urge Incontinence

You have a sudden urge to urinate followed by an involuntary loss of urine. You may need to urinate often, including throughout the night. Urge incontinence may be caused by a minor condition, such as infection a more severe condition such as a neurological disorder or diabetes.

Overflow incontinence

You experience frequent or constant dribbling of urine because the bladder does not empty completely, or has no muscle tone to fill and empty.

Functional Incontinence

This is due to a physical condition for example not being able to get to the toilet because of a physical ailment.

Mixed Incontinence

This is experiencing more than one type of urinary incontinence and most often refers to a combination of stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

When to Contact Your Doctor

You may feel uncomfortable discussing incontinence with your doctor. But if incontinence is frequent or is affecting your quality of life, it’s important to seek medical advice because urinary incontinence may:

Cause you to restrict your activities and limit your social interactions
Negatively impact your quality of life
Increase the risk of falls in older adults as they rush to the toilet
Indicate a more serious underlying condition

A doctor may be able to help treat your urinary incontinence by resolving the health issue that’s causing it. Or, they may be able to help you manage the condition through behavioral therapy, bladder training, medication, or other treatments.

Don’t Quit Exercising

Though it occurs more often as people get older, urinary incontinence isn’t an inevitable consequence of aging. If urinary incontinence affects your daily activities, don’t hesitate to see your doctor. For most people, simple lifestyle and dietary changes or medical care can treat symptoms of urinary incontinence.

Check out the discrete incontinence gear that is available and choose one that is right for you. Discuss your problems with a health professional and this will give you the confidence and support you need to manage this common problem.

This can be a temporary issue, such as one caused by an infection, or a more persistent one that may be caused by another health condition, such as an enlarged prostate or pelvic floor weakness.

Even if the cause is not serious, urinary incontinence can affect your quality of life. It is important to talk with a doctor to discover the cause and find a treatment option that works for you.

Tips to Exercise Safely

July 14, 2022

Almost anybody can safely take up walking, and light to moderate exercise is usually fine for healthy adults with no symptoms or potential for injury. If you plan your exercise program to follow guidelines to exercise safely this will reduce or eliminate injuries and you won’t loose valuable time sitting out injured.

It’s wise to talk to a doctor if you have any questions about your health or plan to start more vigorous workouts, especially if you haven’t been active recently.

The best person to discuss your health with initially is your doctor. Definitely if you have any injuries, but also to exclude and monitor any chronic or unstable health conditions. For example heart disease or to exclude risk factors for heart disease, a respiratory ailment like asthma, high blood pressure, joint or bone disease (including osteoporosis), a neurological illness, or diabetes. Also consult your doctor if you suspect you may have an illness that would interfere with an exercise program or if you have been experiencing any troublesome symptoms, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness.

Your doctor will conduct a physical examination and check your blood pressure, weight and talk to you about your history. You may get a referral to a dietitian, exercise physiologist or another health professional to help you get started and monitor your progress.

Tips for Exercising Safely

When you have discussed your current health situation with your doctor, go ahead and start your program.

These tips below can help you avoid injuries and enable you to move forward with your plan.

Take five to 10 minutes to warm up and cool down properly. In your program have a warmup session, this may be upper and lower body exercises and light cardio. This will prepare your body for your exercise session. An example may be if you are out walking, walk slower for about 500 meters and allow yourself to warm up.

Start slowly and boost your activity level gradually unless you are already exercising frequently and vigorously. This would definitely be if you are a newbie. Remember your tendons, ligaments and muscles need to strengthen to cope with the increased activity and load.

Be aware that training too hard or too often can cause overuse injuries like stress fractures, stiff or sore joints and muscles, and inflamed tendons and ligaments, as above.

Different sports will have different effects on body parts. For example swimming (shoulders), jogging (knees, ankles, and feet), tennis (elbows) — are often overuse culprits, too. If you vary your sports, stretch and rest sufficiently after each session you will reduce and/or eliminate injuries. Shoulders, knees and ankles are very prone to injury especially in the over 50/60 age groups, start any of these exercises slowly.

Listen to your body. Hold off on exercise when you’re sick or feeling very fatigued. Cut back if you cannot finish an exercise session, feel faint after exercise or fatigued during the day, or suffer persistent aches and pains in joints after exercising.

If you stop exercising for a while, drop back to a lower level of exercise initially. If you’re doing strength training, for example, lift lighter weights or do fewer reps or sets.

For most people, simply drinking plenty of water is sufficient. But if you’re working out especially hard or doing a marathon or triathlon, choose drinks that replace fluids plus essential electrolytes. This is necessary in the hotter months of the year when you are sweating more during your sessions.

Choose clothes and shoes designed for your type of exercise. Monitor your shoe condition and replace shoes every six months or as necessary when cushioning wears out. Buying shoes can be confusing because of the market. A suggestion would be to go to a local sports store and seek assistance from a professional. Some sport shoe shops measure your foot and also identify variants in your foot and suggest the most appropriate fitting shoe for you.

For strength training, good form is essential. Initially use no weight, or very light weights, when learning the exercises. Never sacrifice good form by hurrying to finish reps or sets, or struggling to lift heavier weights.

Exercising vigorously in hot, humid conditions can lead to serious overheating and dehydration. Exercise during cooler morning or evening hours or at an air-conditioned gym. Watch for signs of overheating, such as headache, dizziness, nausea, faintness, cramps, or palpitations.

Dress properly for cold-weather workouts to avoid hypothermia. Depending on the temperature, wear layers you can peel off as you warm up. Gloves and neck scarves can be a helpful addition to your sports gear.
Purchase reflective gear for the times when you are out in the early morning or late afternoon.

Delayed muscle soreness that starts 12 to 24 hours after a workout and gradually abates is a normal response to taxing your muscles. By contrast, persistent or intense muscle pain that starts during a workout or right afterward, or muscle soreness that persists more than one to two weeks, merits a call to your doctor or physiotherapist for assessment and advice.

_{This post offers information that is designed for educational and information purposes only. Do not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace medical treatment or advice. If you have any concerns about your health, you should always consult your doctor or health professional. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice because of something you have read in this article.}

Exercise: benefits of regular physical activity

May 12, 2022

We all know that exercise is good for us, but are we aware of just how good it is? The benefits range from boosting our mood to improving our sex life. Just a minimum of 30 minutes a day can allow you to enjoy these benefits.

Physical activity or exercise can improve our health and reduce the risk of developing several diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Physical activity and exercise can have immediate and long-term health benefits. Most importantly, regular activity can improve our quality of life.

Benefits of physical activity

If you are regularly physically active, you may:

reduce your risk of a heart attack
manage your weight better
have a lower blood cholesterol level
lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers
have lower blood pressure
have stronger bones, muscles and joints and lower risk of developing osteoporosis
lower your risk of falls
recover better from periods of hospitalisation or bed rest
feel better – with more energy, a better mood, feel more relaxed and sleep better.

Physical activity can help control weight

Exercise can help prevent weight gain or help maintain weight loss. Physical activity burns calories. The more exercise you do the more calories you burn.

Regular exercise is best, even a minimum of 15-20 minutes a day if that is all you can manage. Get more active during the day, look at ways you can increase you physical active. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park the car a couple of blocks away from your office. Do you need to drive to work? Start a walking group at work in the lunch hour.

Physical activity can improve your mood

A number of studies have found that exercise improves your mental health. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier, more relaxed and less anxious. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly. This boosts your self esteem and self confidence.

Increased fitness may help to lift your mood and improve your sleep patterns. It is a great way to destress after a stressful day.

Exercise is a great way to increase social activity, you can meet people at the gym or organise walking groups.

Physical activity will increase your energy

Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance.

Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle daily chores and the stressors in your life.

Physical activity promotes better sleep

Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster, get better sleep and deepen your sleep. Just don’t exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energised to go to sleep.

Regular physical activity can promote your sex life

The benefits of exercise can have a positive effect on your sex life. This is largely because of your improved energy levels, enhanced self esteem and confidence about your physical appearance.

Research indicates that men who exercise regularly have fewer erectile dysfunction problems than those who don’t. It is also indicated that exercise enhances arousal in women.

Exercise can be fun and social

Exercise and physical activity can be enjoyable. They give you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply engage in activities that make you happy. Physical activity can also help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting.

Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. Exercise is not restricted to the gym, take a dance class, join a walking group, cycling group or exercise with your family or friends.

Benefits of Physical activity post COVID-19

Physical activity has never been more valued as a health benefit since the start of the COVID-19 restrictions and subsequent finalisation of the restrictions.

The continual need for isolation and other measures taken to contain the virus caused major health and social issues for people. There are several long term effects from this including loneliness, weight gain, overeating increased dependancy on alcohol and drugs, which has led to increased physical health, mental health and social issues.

Physical activity is being promoted as a key factor in assisting people to “get their lives back on track”, and with awareness of the positive effects of physical activity and promotion of these benefits the overall benefits will be evident.

Safety first

Whatever physical activity you decide make sure it is safe.

don’t go walking by yourself at night or early in the morning wen it is dark
follow the road rules if you are cycling
always make sure someone knows if you are going out for a walk or run
wear safety gear so you are seen
make sure you are well hydrated if you are out in the sun
don’t engage in physical activity if you are unwell

Physical Activity and Exercise Guidelines for all Australians

This article is extracted from the Australian Government Department of Health. There are guidelines for different ages https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians/for-adults-18-to-64-years and populations https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians/for-people-with-disability-or-chronic-conditions.

About the guidelines

“Staying active regularly is essential for good physical and mental health and wellbeing. This is true no matter how young or old you are. But the amount of activity varies, depending on your age.

To help Australians understand how much activity they need, we have developed physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines for each age group and for pregnancy.

These guidelines outline:

how much physical activity you should do each day
ideas to fit more physical activity into your daily lives
the importance of reducing and breaking up the time you spend sitting or lying down when not sleeping
how much sedentary screen time is recommended
how much sleep children and young people should get
how children and young people can get good quality sleep.” (Australian Government Department of Health)

See your Doctor first

It is a good idea to see your doctor before starting your physical activity program if:

you are aged over 45 years
physical activity causes pain in your chest
you often faint or have spells of severe dizziness
moderate physical activity makes you very breathless
you are at a higher risk of heart disease
you think you might have heart disease or you have heart problems
you are pregnant
you have not exercised and are starting an exercise program
you wish to include weightloss into you exercise program
you are feeling depressed and/or anxious, this would be to monitor your mental health

Pre exercise screening

Pre-exercise screening is used to identify people with medical conditions that may put them at a higher risk of experiencing a health problem during physical activity. It is a filter or ‘safety net’ to help decide if the potential benefits of exercise outweigh the risks for you.

Print a copy of the adult pre-exercise screening tool (PDF) and discuss it with your doctor, allied health, exercise professional or life coach.

Where to start

Your Family Doctor for an assessment, especially if you meet any of the criteria listed above
Exercise physiologist
Personal Trainer
Physiotherapist
Life Coach

AUSactive

Another initiative of the Government is AUSactive. AUS Active is a united body for Australia’s health and wellbeing.

Activating Every body. Every way. Every day. AUSactive is a not-for-profit industry association that exists to professionalise the exercise and active health industry through engaging in partnerships, advocacy, delivering education, quality and accreditation. AUSactive supports the industry to deliver an environment for more Australians to adopt a healthy, active lifestyle.

I would like to hear about your progress or if you have any queries send me an email (jillie@jilliesblog.com)or comment below.

References

Australia’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines, Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Government.

Fabulous at Fifty Plus

January 1, 2022

You can be fifty plus, be fit, look fabulous, feel foxy and have a great time……Guys this is directed at you to!

You have learned so much from your past and you still have years ahead of you, you owe it to yourself to be the best version of you!

Have you said to yourself for the last maybe years or months that this is going to be an amazing year. You have decided to go all out by sprucing up your wardrobe, starting a new exercise routine and getting your mojo back. You start with great intentions then you lose your focus and don’t achieve your goals. This then becomes too much and you lose motivation and you feel like a failure.

Change is by Choice!

Making the decision to change is relatively “easy”, continuing the commitment to yourself is where the challenge is, particularly if you have done this before, and in your own eyes “failed”. Therefore you lack confidence to be able to move forward with your plan.

One of the reasons for this could be that you are inexperienced to move forward. You have spent years in your comfort zone and now lack the experience and confidence to be fit, look fabulous, feel foxy and have a great time.

You probably look around and see other women or men who seem to be much more confident than you are. What this means is that with the right support, knowledge and training you can do it too. You can be self confident in any situation with the right support and mindset. The assumption that the way you are is unchangeable is just not true. If you keep saying that this is the way I am, or I am just not self-confident then you will sabotage yourself over and over again.

Sometimes when making changes or doing something new you can become overwhelmed or even doubtful about your ability to learn or apply the changes. Many people believe that because they feel like this in the beginning it is because they are unable to learn or apply the new skills or concepts, what you need to understand is that this initial stage of feeling overwhelmed or doubtful is a normal part of the learning process. You may benefit from Lifestyle Coaching which in essence is supporting and encouraging you to formulate a plan and make changes to your lifestyle. Lifestyle Coac hing Packages

The path to change does not go in a straight line, it goes something like this:

First there is a short burst of improvement then followed by a falling back a little bit, then sticking with it then another little burst of improvement followed by a falling back a little, then another little bit of improvement followed by a falling back and another little burst of improvement and so on…. Said another way the path to mastering the change is “2 steps forward and one step back”.

If you are unaware that this is the process, when you take that one step backwards the tendency is to get discouraged. You may say to yourself “what’s wrong with me I’m just not as confident as I would like to be”. However if you are aware that this is part of the change process, (which is a short burst of improvement followed by a falling back a little, sticking with it, another short burst of improvement followed by a falling back a little) then you will know that when it seems like you are falling backwards, when it seems like you are not making progress then that’s the time to recommit and redouble your efforts because the next big improvement is just around the corner.

You continue to move forward to being fit, looking fabulous, feeling foxy and having a great time and the life changes you make will be lasting.

Just relax and enjoy the journey and you will find that your confidence will continue to increase. You can do this, it is not rocket science, just allow yourself to go through the learning cycle and if you do then you will develop a pattern of unstoppable self-confidence and empowerment.

SELF SABOTAGE -THE PARKRUN

November 12, 2021

Self Sabotage- The Parkrun

I have just completed my second Parkrun at Kawana. I haven’t completed a Parkrun for about 12 months due to illness.

The first one last week was good, great to be out there again, and I finished in 41 minutes. This was good considering all the happenings of the last 12 months.

So my self-talk for the last week has focused around 41 minutes…. Does this sound familiar?

My Irrational Self

Can I beat that time?
I have to beat that time
What if I cant beat that time and I embarrass myself with a slower time, the results are out there for everyone to see!
Have I done enough training
What if I get sick and cant finish
I wont do the run, its too hard to think about
I just want to hide!
I wish I hadn’t started the runs again

My Rational Self

It doesn’t matter what time I do
I am going well its only 5 k
I can run walk
No pressure feels good
It’s a good course just go out there and have fun
What if I am slower who is going to notice, if they do why worry

Can anyone relate to this? I didn’t sleep well the night before. I had all that stuff going on inside my head. I ended up exhausted even before I began.

I decided that 41 minutes was just a number and I will aim for 42 minutes today. This made me feel more relaxed and confident. I convinced myself that its not about the time, just about getting out there and going for it!

It takes a lot of energy to have this chatter inside ones head; it affects sleep, concentration and is generally a distraction and pain in the neck. Doesn’t matter how much rationalisation happens the irrational runs riot!

Start with the end in mind. Think how good you will feel after you have achieved your goal. Don’t worry about other people, you will find that most are too wrapped up in their own stuff to worry about what anyone else is doing. The important thing is that you are doing it for yourself. We are all different shapes, sizes and abilities. Yours is just as good as everyone elses!

OUTCOME

I finished the Parkrun, I ended up a doing a quicker time. Maybe because this week at Kawana it wasn’t a beach run for the first kilometre, maybe I relaxed into it and enjoyed the run. It really doesn’t matter depends on what happens on the day and I was out there doing it! My age group is 70-74.

Whatever you are doing don’t allow the negative self talk to take over find your rational head space and just go for it!