wellness

Before new moms return to jumping jacks, trampolines, or running, the pelvic floor needs to be ready. Leaks or pressure during impact aren’t something to push through—they’re a signal. Your pelvic floor is a system, and high-impact movement is safe once it’s strong and coordinated. Cross-training rebuilds that foundation so you can jump confidently. Ongoing leaking warrants a pelvic-health assessment. Your pelvic floor, the trampoline gauntlet, and cross-training for a lifetime of adventure. One of the many profound awakenings that occur the moment you become a mother and meet your newborn is how much you suddenly understand your own mother’s life and behaviors—like why they never jumped on a trampoline! These moments are what I refer to as, “aha—now I get why my mom was the way she was” epiphones. And, in the vein of self-awareness and evolving together, I’m here to ask you today… When was the last time you jumped on a trampoline? It’s a very common tale. Our moms, grandmas, and best friends alike stopped jumping the second they delivered their first baby and we all just accepted that it was something our bodies just couldn’t do anymore, because, well…we’re moms. I’m here to dispel those assumptions and challenge the status quo while getting you back on the trampoline, running those stairs, doing the jumping jacks and loving the body you live in. For many women, difficulty with jumping postpartum isn’t just about weakness—it can also be due to pelvic floor dyssynergia, a condition where the pelvic floor muscles fail to coordinate properly. This imbalance can make activities like jumping, running, or even sneezing unexpectedly difficult. Here’s what you need to know about your pelvic floor and how it works as a part of your functional core. Plus, how to keep it strong, pliable, and rebounding for a lifetime of adventure. Your pelvic floor muscles are a system. They want to be trained, healed, and strengthened with the whole body, not alone in isolation. The first point of entry on your pelvic floor is actually your transversus abdominals (or TVA). They anatomically connect to your pelvic floor and are essential for lifting your upper body weight out of your pelvis. If your upper core is compromised (for example, you just gave birth), then your pelvic floor muscles are not only stretched and injured themselves, but they are bearing all the weight of your abdomen and upper body against the constant pull of gravity. This makes any increased pressure, like from jumping or sneezing, almost unbearable. Pelvic floor core exercises are key in stabilizing these muscles, allowing them to function properly and reducing issues like leakage or discomfort when jumping. So, the first step in long term pelvic floor health is recalibrating your abdominal pressure by training your TVA and pelvic floor to co-contract and release together. See this video for a deeper tutorial. Tight pelvic floor muscles are a thing. If your muscles are tight or not moving, then they can’t perform the job they were intended for and a cycle of weakness and disengagement ensues. This tightness, known as pelvic floor hypertonia, is a common issue that can make high-impact movements like jumping or running feel nearly impossible. Tension in these muscles occurs most frequently as a result of scar tissue adhesion and restriction resulting from tearing, c-section or internal scarring that can go unnoticed at your regular check-ups. They can also become overly tight against the downward pressure of a weakened TVA/core system that is constantly bouncing, cradling, and lifting an increasingly heavy baby. This tightness puts a lot of pressure on your urinary tract and supporting muscles, often leading to incontinence, like when you jump or cough. Releasing your pelvic floor with diaphragmatic breathing and “RM Pelvic Corridor” functional strength-training is the first step in building reliable functioning muscles. Kegels—let’s break it down. Our pelvic floor does not want to be strengthened like a bicep. Please STOP putting things in your vagina and squeezing them to “get stronger!” Your vaginal wall post-baby definitely needs to be re-toned, but it will take several months to a year, and is most effective when you are integrating your entire core system with breath, contractions, and release work. Remember, your pelvic floor does not want to just be tight. It’s like a soft, well-knit fabric that wants to stretch and rebound back into place.The RM Pelvic Corridor is how I cue a kegel—we start with breath, relaxation, and then isolating your transversus abs (because when they engage, they lift and support your pelvic floor as whole). Then, we add on by engaging the vaginal wall (I like to use the imagery of trying to lift a tampon that’s about to fall out) and then follow that contraction up the birth canal to your belly button. This is mental as much as physical. It takes as much effort to relax and isolate as it does to strength-train this muscle system. The payoff is a well-calibrated and reliable co-contraction of your foundational core that you can intentionally activate as you move forward in your overall cross-training—jump squats, anyone? Progress is achieved through consistency. Keep showing up and trust the process, especially on days when you’re tired because that’s when your muscles become the most passive. I often tell moms, if you get 2 contractions out of a set of 10 reps, then you’re doing it right. The next day, you’ll get 5, the next maybe only 1, but progressively, you are getting stronger and changing the way your body moves as a system. Do the work in your videos, and then challenge yourself to bring your pelvic corridor into action in your hardest mom’ing moments as well, like bending over the bathtub and picking up your child, climbing the stairs or running on the playground. This is how your core becomes a reliable part of your body and life. You have to cross-train your body. Motherhood is so repetitively one-sided. You get wonky and won’t even realize how much you can’t do until you try to do a jumping jack and everything feels like it’s going to fall out. In RM, I have you doing jump squats by week 6—just little ones that keep nudging your forward and testing your strength. By Phase 2, we’re doing mountain climbers, wide leg squats, and yes…jumping jacks! It’s humbling work and SO satisfying to feel your body say “yes” and to realize you have the power to make positive change on way more than your body, but your mind, heart, and soul too. Everything works as one when it comes to happiness and health for your life and your family. So, go on…take your kids to the trampoline park and take your pelvic corridor for a test drive! If you pee yourself, get over here and start with Day 1 of Phase 1 and then go back in 8 weeks and try again. Your mind will be blown, I promise! Keep reading: Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Your Complete Guide Intimacy and Your Pelvic Floor: Reclaiming Comfort After Birth How to Cross-Train Like a Badass: A Woman's Guide to Lifelong Strength RM Strengthen — the Revolution Motherhood method Start your free trial with Revolution Motherhood →