Don’t Make Pelvic Health an Afterthought—It’s Your Foundation

January tends to bring a familiar wave of intention.

Move more.
Feel stronger.
Loose that 15lbs.
Get back into routines.
Take better care of yourself...

There can be an urgency around get better, be better, do better.

That can lead to a mix of excitement and overwhelm.

And ultimately, every year, many people find themselves stuck, exhausted and frustrated. Falling off of their goals and often dealing with pain, leaking, heaviness, or a sense that their body just isn’t cooperating the way they hoped it would.

It’s not a lack of motivation or effort.
It’s that pelvic health was never part of the plan.

When we get swept up in that "get, be, do" energy we often overlook the small stuff, the tiny details and tend to move from a sense of urgency, nervous system dysregulation and frankly a place a self punishment. We will dive into how all of that isn't so great for your pelvic floor which can stall your progress.

Pelvic health isn’t something to circle back to later.
It’s the foundation everything else is built on.

What Pelvic Health Really Means

Pelvic health is often misunderstood. It’s not just about pregnancy, postpartum, or doing Kegels. And it’s not about “fixing” a body that’s broken.

Your pelvic floor is part of a larger system that includes your breath, core, hips, nervous system, and daily habits. When these systems work together well, they support:

• Comfortable, confident movement

• Bladder and bowel function

• Sexual health

• Postural support

• A sense of ease and trust in your body

When pelvic health is supported, daily life tends to feel more manageable. When it’s ignored, symptoms often start to shape what you avoid, how you move, how safe your body feels and even your confidence.

The Pillars of Pelvic Health (and Whole-Body Wellness)

Pelvic health doesn’t live in isolation. It’s deeply connected to how we move, rest, eat, and respond to stress. These pillars stress management, movement, nutrition, sleep are the same pillars we often talk about in overall wellness—just viewed through a pelvic health lens. The problem with our goals is that we usually don't take a holistic approach we get hyper fixated on one aspect often at the expense of the others.

That derails your wellness and derails your pelvic health.

Nervous System Regulation & Stress

Stress doesn’t just live in the mind. It shows up in the body. Often as tension, shallow breathing, and holding patterns we don’t even realize are happening.

For many people, chronic stress leads to pelvic floor overactivity. This can contribute to pelvic pain, discomfort with penetration, urinary urgency, constipation or even be a contributor to pelvic organ prolapse. When the nervous system is always in “go mode,” muscles—including the pelvic floor—don’t get the chance to fully relax or adapt.

Supporting pelvic health often starts with helping the nervous system feel safer. Regulation, not force, creates change.

Looking to move out of overwhelm specifically in early motherhood? Read more here.

Movement That Builds Confidence, Not Fear

So many women start movement routines while quietly working around symptoms of leaking during workouts, pelvic pain, or a sense of heaviness they’ve been told to ignore.

Pushing through these signs isn’t a sign of strength. More often, it leads to frustration, setbacks, or pulling away from movement altogether. In fact studies show that urinary incontinence (bladder leaking) is a top barrier to physical activity in women.

The good news is you CAN get back to doing whatever activity you love but it might take a little more intention and groundwork before you do.

Pelvic-aware movement focuses on coordination, breath, and gradual loading. It prioritizes trust in the body over intensity. When movement is built on a solid pelvic foundation, it becomes something you can sustai, something you feel good doing.

Nutrition That Supports Function

Pelvic health is closely tied to digestion and bowel habits. Constipation, straining, and inconsistent nourishment can all increase pressure on the pelvic floor and contribute to symptoms like pain, prolapse, or leaking.

There is a large interplay here between pelvic health and diet. The importance of fiber and hydration for bowel motility and consistency, micronutrients such as magnesium for muscle relaxation and OMega3s for inflammation and certain foods can even be a direct trigger for your bowel and bladder health.

Nutrition in this context isn’t about control or restriction. It’s about supporting tissue health, hormonal balance, and energy for healing and daily life. When the body is nourished, it has more capacity to adapt, recover and get you where you want to go.

Sleep, Recovery & Capacity

Growth doesn’t happen during workouts, it happens during rest. This is also true for healthing and recovery.

Poor sleep can heighten pain sensitivity, increase muscle tension, and make it harder for the nervous system to regulate. This is especially relevant postpartum, when sleep disruption is real and unavoidable. Don't panic here it is about optimizing where you can, supporting your energy in other ways and maybe focusing more on the other pillars in this stage.

Supporting recovery doesn’t mean striving for perfection. It means recognizing that rest is a necessary part of pelvic health (and again health in general)—not a reward you earn after doing more.

When Pelvic Health Is an Afterthought

When pelvic health is overlooked, progress often stalls in quiet but impactful ways.

Pelvic pain can limit intimacy or movement or both.
Leaking can change how—or if—you exercise.
Heaviness or pressure can create fear around lifting, running, and daily tasks.

It can even present in more subtle ways, things you can't quite pinpoint like a lower libido then you want (even though you hit the weight you thought would make you feel sexy again), having sluggish bowels that leave you feeling low energy and bloated even though you hit a new PR while lifting, lacking confidence even though you just got that promotion because you might have a little leaking when you laugh, and simply not feeling like yourself.

These experiences are not personal failures. They’re signals. Signals that the foundation needs support.

Listening to those signals early often prevents symptoms from becoming louder or more limiting over time.

Why Starting With the Basics Leads to Better Results

Sustainable health is built from the ground up.

Addressing pelvic health early can improve confidence, reduce setbacks, and support both physical and mental well-being. Pelvic physical therapy isn’t about rushing the process or chasing a specific body outcome—it’s about education, guidance, and helping your body function better in the context of your life.

When the foundation is supported, everything built on top of it becomes more stable.

And being PROACTIVE in your pelvic health this year can lead to improved consistency, reaching your health and wellness goals allowing not only for longevity but also a life well lived.

Health Isn’t About Hitting a specific target by some randomly assigned date —It’s About Living Well

Goals are great. They can be motivating and fun.

The truth is we aren't really striving for that random goal we wrote down.

What most people are really looking for is a specific feeling. For improved quality of life.

Less pain.
More confidence.
The ability to move, connect, work, play, and rest without constantly managing symptoms.

That’s what pelvic health supports!

Build From the Foundation

Don't lose sight of the pillars. Focus on one thing at a time and slowly build from there.

If pelvic symptoms are holding you back—or quietly shaping what you avoid—pelvic floor physical therapy can help you build a foundation that supports the life you want to live.

Reminder: Don’t make pelvic health an afterthought.
It is your foundation.