If you are eager to get started on your journey, here are some health tips to help you get started!
- Exercising regularly helps not only improve your physical health but also increases your energy and stamina. At the same time, exercise can also help you improve your mental health — reduce feelings of depression and stress and enhance your mood and overall emotional well-being. The better your physical state, the easier it is to see the world positively.
- If you’re struggling with your mental or physical health, there could be a relatively easy fix: Make conscious efforts and develop healthy eating habits of a balanced diet, a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, and nutrient-dense foods from other food groups. Not only do you reduce your risk of chronic diseases and some cancers, but you also get to improve your gut health and enhance your mood.
- Sleep is a natural state of rest for the body and mind. As you drift off into slumber, your body gets to rest and rejuvenate, repairing tissues and boosting your immune system. Plus, your mind is freed from the worries and stress of the day. Without enough sleep, you’ll have to operate with less energy and might find concentrating harder. Worse, poor sleep impacts moods and may increase frustration and irritability.
- Stretching can be beneficial to strengthen the muscles that support the bladder and other pelvic organs, in addition to improving your posture, improve your posture and increase blood flow to your muscles which helps reduce muscle soreness and stiffness. And it can be a great way to relax and reduce stress because when you stretch, you focus on your breath and your body, which can help you feel more centered and calm. For instance, Yoga could help relieve the symptoms of incontinence. The breathing techniques improve blood flow throughout the body, which helps keep the pelvic area healthy. The mula bandha (root lock) is one of Yoga’s best pelvic floor muscle exercises. It strengthens the pelvic floor muscles, which helps prevent urine leakage.
- While taking a break from screens may not have a direct impact on incontinence, it can still have a positive effect on overall pelvic floor health. For instance, if you spend long periods sitting in front of a screen, you may be neglecting the pelvic floor muscles. This can contribute to weak or tight pelvic floor muscles, which can be a factor in urinary incontinence. Taking a break from screens and engaging in other activities, like going for a walk or doing a yoga class, can help you move your body muscles and engage your pelvic floor muscles.
- Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment or distraction. Practicing mindfulness can help reduce stress and anxiety, common triggers for incontinence. When you are stressed or anxious, your body produces hormones that can affect the pelvic floor muscles, leading to incontinence.
- Everyone knows that dealing with incontinence can be embarrassing and isolating. And it is prevalent among women. So, if you feel this way, talking with others experiencing the same issues may be helpful. These individuals can also provide additional advice for managing the symptoms.
- One of the more important healthy habits on this list, regular check-ups can help identify any underlying medical conditions that may be contributing to your incontinence. For example, conditions like diabetes or multiple sclerosis can affect bladder function and cause incontinence. By detecting these conditions early on, you can work with your doctor to manage them and reduce the impact on your bladder function.
- Keeping a personal journal can still be therapeutic and, at the same time, help you cope with the challenges of living with incontinence. Writing in a journal provides a safe and private space to express your thoughts and feelings about your condition. It can also help you to identify any negative thoughts or beliefs that may be holding you back and find ways to reframe them in a more positive light.
- Learning new skills or engaging in mentally stimulating activities improves cognitive function and brain plasticity. This, in turn, can positively affect the pelvic muscles and nerves that control bladder and bowel function.
Disclaimer: This site is authored and maintained by “Chris Angel Serrano” It is not an official website of the Maricopa County Community College District, and Maricopa is not responsible for the content of this site.