If you have bladder problems, you may be worried about exercising. When you move, of course, you put strain on your bladder. In fact, many seniors admit to being afraid to exercise due to worries about leakage. But a new study shows that exercising can actually reduce the risk of bladder problems.
The study looked at more than 100,000 women between the ages of 54 and 79 who took part in the Nurse’s Health Study. Of these women, 2,365 reported developing urinary problems.
Dr. Kim Danforth of the Harvard Medical School and colleagues analyzed the data. They concluded that the most active women in the study were 15% to 20% less likely to report leaking urine then women who were inactive.
In fact, women who did the most walking had a 26% lower risk of urinary leakage.
Dr. Danforth suggested that exercising probably helped to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
And exercise was helpful in preventing urinary leakage that happens when you sneeze, cough, or lift a heavy object. Active women were 30% less likely to report this type of problem than those who were inactive.
Dr. Danforth and the team of researchers also reported that urinary risk factors had little to do with weight. Slim women who were inactive were still at greater risk of incontinence than active, heavier women. This supports the conclusion of the study that bladder control was helped by strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and not by weight loss.
The researchers concluded their article in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology by saying, “Our results suggest that women who avoid exercise…might be reassured that low-impact activity does not appear to increase the risk of developing incontinence.”
Besides walking, what other exercises can you perform to strengthen your pelvic muscles?
Try Kegel exercises.
Kegel exercises are a series of exercises that specifically strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. It can be difficult at first to identify the right muscles to exercise. Talk to your health care provider or a specialist if you’re interested in giving these exercises a try.
According to some research, you can expect to see less urine leakage within about eight to twelve weeks. At the very least, the exercises should keep your urinary problems from getting worse. At best, they might be able to eliminate your symptoms altogether.
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Tags: exercise, natural weight loss
