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[For Seniors] Improve Your Body Concerns! A Summary of Exercises for Urinary Leakage
When we ask older adults about their physical concerns, many mention urinary leakage or incontinence.
It’s said that aging can lead to decreased function of the pelvic floor muscles and issues with the urethra, making leakage more likely.
Urinary leakage, which troubles many older adults, can hurt their sense of modesty and self-esteem, and may make them reluctant to go out or interact with others.
Ongoing leakage can also cause skin problems and infections.
In this article, we introduce exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
Some can be done standing, while others can be done seated or lying down, so you can find movements that suit each individual.
Incorporate these exercises into your daily routine and enjoy a more comfortable, fulfilling life.
[For Seniors] Improve Body Concerns! Summary of Urinary Leakage Exercises (1–10)
Pelvic floor muscle training performed while lying proneNEW!
This is a simple muscle-strengthening exercise done while lying face down.
Continuing this movement helps stabilize the pelvis and hip joints and strengthens the pelvic floor muscles.
Training the pelvic floor can help prevent urine leakage, relieve lower back pain, and ease PMS.
First, lie face down and bend both knees to 90 degrees.
Then bring your heels together and apart.
Key points: relax your body, and when closing your legs, engage your inner thighs and your pelvic floor.
Aim to do 10 reps every day.
Pelvic floor stretch with a towelNEW!
This is an exercise that makes it easier to feel where your pelvic floor muscles are and to focus on contracting and relaxing them—simply by sitting in a chair and placing a folded towel under your buttocks or between your knees.
As shown in this video, the sensation of the towel helps you understand “where to apply force,” so you can do it while watching TV or in small moments throughout your day.
Slowly tightening and releasing in sync with your breathing helps the muscles engage more easily, and as you continue, you may feel your pelvic floor strength improve.
Because it just involves sitting, it’s easy to keep up without strain and may also help improve your quality of daily life.
Pelvic floor muscle training with a towelNEW!
Here’s a seated strength exercise using a towel.
First, sit on a chair and roll the towel into a cylinder.
Place it lengthwise under your buttocks.
From here, you’ll train the pelvic floor with two movements.
First, squeeze the towel with your buttocks 10 times.
Second, keep squeezing for 10 seconds.
It’s important to focus on tightening your buttocks, so be mindful as you do it.
Strengthening the pelvic floor helps prevent and improve urinary leakage.
Continue within a comfortable range, and let’s work toward waking up feeling refreshed in the morning.
Pelvic floor muscle training in an all-fours positionNEW!
This is a hands-and-knees (all-fours) exercise that makes it easier to feel the muscles deep in the lower abdomen and pelvis while maintaining a stable position with your hands and knees on the floor.
By supporting your body with your hands and knees, the weight of your internal organs doesn’t press directly on the pelvic floor, making it easier to sense the muscles working.
Bend your knees slightly, engage your lower abdomen as if drawing your groin toward your navel, and hold the gentle “squeeze” for about 10 seconds.
You’ll feel the pelvic floor muscles working gradually.
It’s easy to continue without strain and helps improve stability in your posture and the way you walk, so it’s recommended.
Pelvic floor exercises while lying down (2): Side-lying positionNEW!
This is a training method that makes it easier to stabilize your body and sense your muscles.
First, lie on your side and bend your knees toward your abdomen to create a relaxed position.
While applying gentle resistance with your hand, try consciously tightening your anus and lower abdomen with a firm “squeeze” as you slowly exhale.
The pelvic floor muscles form the base of the pelvis, supporting the internal organs and playing an important role in urination and defecation.
Repeating these intentional contractions can be expected to enhance their function.
As you inhale, relax the effort, and repeat the same movement about 10 times on each side; your inner thighs and deep abdominal muscles will work together, helping to stabilize your core.
Urinary leakage prevention: pelvic floor exercises you can do while sittingNEW!
The pelvic floor muscles are a hammock-like group of muscles that support the internal organs, including the bladder.
They play an important role in controlling urination, so let’s train them properly to prevent leakage.
In this pelvic floor exercise, while sitting in a chair, you’ll alternately lift your left and right buttocks to move your pelvis, and open/close and raise/lower your knees.
All of these are simple movements, but do them at your own pace without overexertion.
You might not notice much effect from a single session, but continuing every day should bring results.
Pelvic floor exercises you can do lying down for 5 minutes every dayNEW!
This is a low-impact workout that’s easy to start.
First, lie on your back, bend both knees, and keep them together.
Tighten your anal muscles firmly and hold for 10 seconds.
After 10 seconds, spread your feet to shoulder width, lift your hips, and hold steadily for 5 seconds.
Then, as you inhale, slowly relax and return to the starting position.
Training on your back helps your body relax and makes it easier to understand how to engage your muscles, so you can easily keep it up for short sessions before bed or right after you wake up.
There’s also a method on all fours introduced here, so try incorporating it at your own pace without overexerting yourself.