Doing kegels or other pelvic floor work can help reduce your bladder leaks, but just like flossing our teeth, sometimes the things that are good for us can be hard to make a habit. If that sounds familiar, a recent study from Stanford may be encouraging: The randomized trial determined that staying active in general through strength conditioning and stretching is almost as effective at reducing bladder leaks as focused pelvic floor exercises.
The study enrolled 240 women between the ages of 45 and 90 to try to determine whether different forms of exercise could reduce their bladder leaks. The results may surprise you.
Can Pelvic Floor Yoga Help with Bladder Leaks?
The scientists behind the study assigned a regimen of gentle, pelvic floor-focused yoga for half of the participants. Each participant in the yoga arm of the trial did about four hours of Hatha yoga each week with a focus on poses that would strengthen the pelvic floor, much like kegels do. Perhaps unsurprisingly, because these types of exercises are frequently recommended to reduce bladder leaks, this trial provided further evidence that the pelvic floor exercises led to fewer leaks.
Need help working on your pelvic floor? There’s a therapist for that! Learn more about pelvic floor therapy and how it could benefit you.
Can Stretching and Strength Training Exercise Reduce Incontinence?
Here’s the surprising part of the study findings: half of the participants were assigned a weekly regimen of general stretching and strength conditioning that was not pelvic floor-focused. Just like the pelvic floor group, these participants also experienced significant reductions in instances of urinary incontinence, with about 60% fewer bladder leaks after 12 weeks. Though the study hypothesized that pelvic floor workouts would be effective, the efficacy of general strength conditioning came as a bit of a surprise.
Best Low-Impact Exercises to Help with Urinary Incontinence
This study suggests that low-impact physical activity—like walking and water aerobic—can help reduce bladder leaks, not just exercises that emphasize the pelvic floor. There are so many low-impact forms of physical conditioning to choose from, including:
-
Using a stationary bike, erg, or elliptical at the gym
-
Walking on a track or treadmill
-
Sports including pickleball, golf, and even bocce
-
Activities like horseback riding, tai chi, and hiking
Unexpected Benefits of Exercise With Bladder Leaks
Falls are the #1 cause of injury for adults ages 65 years and up, with 1 in 4 older adults report falling every year. Hustling to the bathroom because you have to go now or getting up in the night to pee are both situations that can lead to falls. We already knew that staying active can help reduce falls and strengthen you for recovery if you do take a tumble, but this study also suggests that staying active may decrease episodes of incontinence/urgency that could lead to falls.
How to Feel Confident While You Move
Though the findings of this recent Stanford study offer a compelling argument to stay active, it can be hard to get back in the swing of things. If you experience bladder leaks when being active, having a great Attn: Grace product can help you reap the benefits of being more active. Whether you deal with stress incontinence leaks while jumping or doing sit-ups, or an overactive bladder that just won’t quiet down, our pads have you covered. Pick the absorbency that’s right for you, from light Liners to Ultimate Pads, stick it, and stay dry—even while you work up a gentle sweat.
Of course, we’re huge fans of kegels; they’re fast, effective, free, and you can do them anywhere, anytime. If you are a pelvic floor purist, there are plenty of ways to stretch and strengthen. But with this new data from Stanford, we’re excited to see that other accessible and fun forms of staying active can also lead to fewer bladder leaks, so stock up and get out there!