The Continence Foundation of Australia has released a new, free, safe-exercise app which aims to both prevent incontinence and enable people already experiencing problems to continue to exercise without further straining their pelvic floor or suffering embarrassing accidents.
The Pelvic Floor First app has three customised workouts to cater for people with a range of fitness levels and pelvic floor strength. The wide range of exercises have been designed by physiotherapist and fitness instructor Lisa Westlake to ensure people enjoy the benefits of a total-body workout without straining their pelvic floor.
Given the large numbers of people affected by incontinence and the close association between inappropriate exercise and incontinence, fitness professionals play a vital role in maintaining and improving clients’ pelvic floor function. Unfortunately, most people are too embarrassed to discuss bladder or bowel control problems with personal trainers, so the app is a great way for instructors to raise the issue with individual clients or in group activities to ensure they are pelvic floor aware.
Features of the app include:
• Pelvic floor anatomy
• Where to get help with pelvic floor issues
• Instructional videos and audio for all workouts
• Detailed pictures and instructions for each exercise
• Pelvic floor muscle exercise guide
• Ability to save favourite exercises for personalised workouts
• Ability to exercise to your favourite songs
• Links to useful websites to learn more about your pelvic floor.
The Pelvic Floor First app is completely free, without the need for in-app purchases to access different levels.
The app, based on the Continence Foundation of Australia’s Pelvic Floor First website Pelvic Floor Physio is suitable for smart phones and tablets and can be freely downloaded from iTunes and Google Play – so download it today and encourage your clients to do the same!