How to Manage Pelvic Health Issues During the Holidays
The holiday season brings laughter, dietary fluctuations, changes in routine, and sometimes stress. In the hustle and bustle of all the festivities, your pelvic floor may be the last thing getting any attention, yet the demands we place on ourselves and our bodies are often greater this time of the year than ever. Let's unpack the common holiday mishaps when it comes to pelvic health and how to get ahead of the curve.
Deck the halls - without needing a laxative
Constipation is one of the biggest complaints during the holiday season. There is often an influx of dairy and other nutritional considerations when we are diving into cookies and egg nog, and we may not be as quick to reach for our water as we are for our sangria or other bladder irritant to "wash things down."
Signs of constipation may include:
Increased time between bowel movements
Painful bowel movements
Needing to strain
Incomplete emptying
Issues with hemorrhoids or fissures
Stools that are dry, hard, and/or lumpy
Bowel movements that occur between once every 3 days and 3 times per day can all be considered normal, depending on what your "normal" typically is. For example, if someone is used to having a bowel movement 1-2 times per day and now all the sudden during the holidays is going once every 3 days, then that would not be their normal. However, if someone if used to usually going once every 2-3 days and continues to do so during the holidays, then they would still be considered "regular" as long as stool consistency and pain is not a concern.
Take a look at the Bristol Stool Scale below -- it's almost like a game of Clue for your bowel movements. Hard like rocks? Soft and fluffy? We all want to aim to have stools somewhere around Type 4, smooth like a snake and solid.
We all have heard the classic recommendations like "Eat your fiber!" and "Drink your water!" yet we often take this opportunity to bury that right under the rug as we indulge. While we do not think it is very reasonable or realistic to encourage you to completely avoid certain foods during this season, we do advise ensuring your basic nutritional needs are still being met while you are celebrating so you can stay in your "normal range," whatever that means for you.
The recommendation for water intake is roughly half your body weight in ounces of water -- and no, we are not counting the coffee, wine, etc. If you know you are prone to constipation or find yourself struggling with bowel movements, check in on that fiber intake too. Most adults should aim for between 25-30g of fiber per day. We find that people often think they meet this or well beyond it and find they are only near half this amount when they start taking a closer look.
Keep in mind, all kinds of fiber are not created equal. This is something your pelvic floor therapist can help you explore depending on what consistency your stool typically is as well as other factors.
Laughing all the way - without urinary leakage
If you have urinary incontinence or leakage, it is common for this to get a little more pesky with the holidays. Bladder irritants are abundant during this season, which include things like alcohol, carbonated beverages, coffee and other caffeinated beverages, artificial sweeteners, citrus, spicy foods, and sometimes dairy. This is not an exhaustive list and it is important to note that not all of these items are irritants to all people.
However, they are helpful to keep in mind if you are wondering what could be contributing to any flaring pelvic floor symptoms. When drinking your bladder irritants, try to match them with the same amount of water. Oftentimes, our water takes the back seat and then we are wondering why it feels like we need to go to the bathroom to pee every 30-60 minutes.
Healthy urinary voiding for most people is once every 2-4 hours. Use this as a frame of reference to consider if you are leaning on the more or less frequent side.
We sometimes see the opposite of urinary frequency during the holidays where instead people are so busy going from A to B, that they do not realize they have not taken a bathroom break in hours. They may be fine until they have that robust sneeze on a very full bladder or suddenly get home and open the garage door with the overwhelming urge prompting them to rush to the bathroom for fear of losing bladder control.
Make sure you are voiding regularly and if you find yourself in a pinch, try your best to calmly walk to the bathroom while telling you're bladder that you are in charge. The less we frantically sprint to the bathroom, the more successful you will be in making it there on time. We know this seems counterintuitive, but trust us, it works. If this is not working for you, you may need more specific and individualized guidance, which we are happy to support you with at Bloom Pelvic Therapy.
It's the most wonderful time of the year - without stress and tension
You may or may not have heard that people often hold stress and tension in their pelvic floor. When there is a threat or an increase in stress, our pelvic floor is often the first thing to clench. While your holiday season will hopefully be filled with peace and joy, we know that the reality of the hustle and bustle is very real and so is the impact on your pelvic floor.
When your pelvic floor holds more tension, symptoms that you may already be experiencing, such as urinary leakage or urgency, bowel concerns, pain with sex, pelvic heaviness or prolapse, and others, may want to rear their heads more than they typically do. You may find that one day things seem like they are on the up and up and then the next day you feel like you took 5 steps forward and 6 steps back.
Give your pelvic floor (and your mind!) some grace over the holidays as you try to navigate the impact of the season. When the go-go-go nature of December seems to be catching up to you, take some "you-time" to fill your cup. This could be quite literally filling your cup with your hot cocoa and bundling with a book on the couch, or it can be with some other options that are helpful for stress management and pelvic floor health:
Go for a walk, maybe just a solo one!
Meditation - Netflix also features Headspace: Unwind Your Mind that may also be worth checking out when winding down.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation - Ask your pelvic floor therapist about this! This involves a body scan to let go of any tension from your head to your toes.
Exercise or mobility - Try out 3 mindful movements to relax your pelvic floor
Diaphragmatic breathing - Focus on your rib cage and see if you can get it to expand 360 degrees with each inhale. Try to make your exhales a beat or two longer than your inhales.
15 minutes of you-time, whatever that looks like for you (we advise against Instagram doom scrolling as you will be wondering where your 15 minutes disappeared to, often without much fulfillment)
We are here to support you this season to make sure you are feeling like the best version of you, with your own cup filled before filling everyone else's cup (or stocking)!