Sally is a qualified personal trainer who understands the REAL issues related to The Pelvic Floor and exercise and works closely with a Women's Health Physiotherapist.
After losing 17kg Sally ran a 1/2 marathon in September (1hr.50min) - She was thrilled, but ignored the fact that she had 'wee drenched' socks. Sally first thought she just had a weak bladder - it wasn't until she went to the physio about an injured knee that she learned that her weak bladder was most probably a weak pelvic floor. The exciting news about that was that there is a cure and she no longer had to 'put up with it' and she could do something to fix it. So with the help of her women's health physio (that she now works closely with through every stage of her PT business) can now run a 'dry' 6km.
Sally holds a BAppSc (Health Education) and is a fully qualified personal trainer who has been working in mental and physical health for the past 20 years. Sally brings a passion to exercise and the pelvic floor like no other. Sally's motto for all her classes and PT sessions is 'Leak Free'. Leak Free may sound silly if you haven't experienced it - but if you have, you will know that being leak free throughout an exercise session and for life is a blessing.
Sally is also the Consumer Representative on the Pelvic Floor Fitness Project working group which is coordinated by the Continence Foundation of Australia.
Sally specialises in personal training for women who have a weak pelvic floor or for those who are at risk of developing pelvic floor problems. Women who are at risk are those who:
- Have had children
- Going through or have gone through menopause
- Have a family history of weak pelvic floors
- Never exercise their pelvic floor
- Are unsure they can correctly identify their pelvic floor muscles
- Are unsure they can correctly perform pelvic floor exercises
- Are or have been overweight
- Lift heavy loads/weights
- And/or exercise incorrectly.
Symptoms of a weak pelvic floor:
Any urine leakage that is uncontrolled is a sign that your pelvic floor is not as strong as it should be.
Women should not leak urine at all – not even when they cough, laugh and sneeze let alone when they run and jump.
What can be done?
Research has now shown that there are many ways women can cure and prevent a weak pelvic floor. The pelvic floor muscles can be consciously controlled and trained much like an arm, leg or abdominal muscle. It can be improved and prevented by:
- Following an appropriate exercise program for women at risk
- Women doing their pelvic floor exercises daily and
- Seeing a women's health physiotherapist
Sally believes through her experience that exercise induced incontinence is on the rise. One of the reasons is because women go back to high impact/ heavy weight lifting exercise to early post birth. They do exercises that are not safe for the pelvic floor (especially when it has been weakened through pregnancy and childbirth). For example, curl ups, star jumps, wide leg squats and high impact aerobic work put enormous pressure on the pelvic floor. These exercises, along with many more, can often further damage and weaken an already weak pelvic floor. This in turn can lead to women being unable control their bladder, and sometimes even their bowel.
Exercise induced stress incontinence not only occurs immediately post birth - it can occur years after your last birth. It can occur when a women returns to exercise and performs exercises of a kind and at a level that are above what her pelvic floor can cope with.
Sally suffered exercise induced stress incontinence and knows how hard it is to cope with. Your mind is focused, the rest of your body is strong but the one muscle that was not brought up to the same 'fitness' level (and consequently weakened in the process) lets you down. The good news is that something can be done about it. A stronger pelvic floor can help (a lot!). A stronger pelvic floor can stop leakage due to exercise, a cough, a laugh and even a sneeze!
Urine leakage is not normal and is not just a female thing you have to deal with because you have had a baby or because you are heading towards or post menopause.
Who suffers from this?
- One in three women suffer a level of incontinence in their lifetime
- 50% of all women who have had a baby suffer a level of incontinence
- 36% of women over the age of 45yrs suffer a level of incontinence
What can happen if you don't do anything about it?
If nothing is done to strengthen or reverse the symptoms then the muscles will continue to weaken - particularly leading up to and during menopause when oestrogen levels drop and the muscles naturally begin to weaken. A very weak pelvic floor can lead to incontinence and a prolapse.
Sally's Pelvic Floor Safe Personal Training:
All Sally's programs are Pelvic Floor Safe and are specifically designed and tailored to meet individuals needs and goals.
You can join a small group, come with one or some friends or have private one on one sessions. Please see Timetable Tab for more information on session times.
Please call to chat about what is best for you and which training option is most suitable. Some people like small groups but others would prefer a more one on one private scenario.
Sally's classes are at Darnley Oval, Gordon and operates a mobile service for the Upper North Shore.
Sally also provides 'one off' sessions for women who would like pelvic floor safe exercise instruction and confirmation that they are correctly identifying and exercising their pelvic floor.
Sally also provides 'one off' sessions for women and their personal trainer to provide information on pelvic floor safe exercises that can be implemented into current exercise programs. Sally understands how important your relationship with your personal trainer can be but this information can be tricky to address and talk about. The main aim of this session is so you and your trainer understand how you can exercise safely without causing your pelvic floor any or further damage.
See Sally in The Australian:
Find Sally on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SallyAnnaliseThompson/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
For more information on incontinence: www.continence.org.au
