No Time? Car-Friendly Pelvic Floor Exercises You Can Complete on Your Morning Commute

“I don’t have time” is the number one ~~reason~~ excuse people give for living with pelvic health issues rather than seek help, take the steps, or do the exercises to address [insert bladder, bowel or sexual pain and dysfunction here]. And I get it…I really do. My 24 hour days are split between working, mom-ing, wife-ing, sleeping, passions, projects, chores aaaaaaand the 67 other ~things~ that pop up on a daily basis.

Let’s also acknowledge the fact that, especially as women, just about anything and everything seems more pressing or important than our health and we’ll downplay it, ignore it, and put it off…until we can’t.

But one of my favorite things about the pelvic floor, and a rule I follow as a practicing and prescribing pelvic rehab therapist, is that seeing improvement in pelvic pain, strength, and function doesn’t require fancy tools, crazy time commitment, or even perfection to see results. In fact, I I’ve found that your morning commute – to work, school, drop the kids off, or simply grab that must-have cup of coffee – can be just enough time to see improvement.

Pelvic health can and should be accessible to everyone (which is my numero uno reason for creating this blog, btw), and if you’re in the car at any point in the day, it can be yours too.

While there’s plenty of car-friendly (and safe) strategies you can try the next time you hit the road, I recommend picking one or two from the list below and make them a part of your daily practice until they become second nature…then move on to adding another as needed. If you’re a fan of multitasking, efficiency, or even just using your time wisely, then this idea of spending your commute to improve your pelvic health is for you.

POSTURE

Believe it or not, something as simple as pelvic posture and how you sit is ~everything~ for pelvic health–

Sitting in an anterior pelvic tilt (with your back arched and booty sticking out the back) places the pelvic floor muscles in their longest and weakest position. Sitting in a posterior pelvic tilt (with your back slouched and booty tucked) puts the pelvic floor muscles in their tightest and most painful position. And consistently leaning to one side or another can create pelvic floor muscle imbalance.

None of these positions are conducive to pelvic floor strength, control, health, or function, and assuming these postures repetitively and for prolonged periods, day after day, is a recipe for pelvic pain and dysfunction.

Utilizing your commute as an opportunity to be aware of your posture and correcting yourself when needed is a great first step in training the mindfulness necessary to improve your pelvic health. The more you practice this in the car, the better it will carry over to other areas of life too, and you can be confident you’re setting your pelvic floor up for success.

BREATHING

You’re breathing 24/7, but breathing properly – where your diaphragm, core, and pelvic floor move with every inhale and exhale you tale – is a surprisingly effective method for improving pelvic pain and dysfunction. While I teach people to practice an exercise called piston breathing at night right before falling asleep (click here to get all the details inside this free guide to pelvic floor relaxing), once you get the hang of it, the car is the next best place to incorporate this strategy into everyday life.

Piston breathing causes the pelvic floor to descend with inhale and ascend with exhale, and this constant muscle movement not only ensures your muscles are relaxed (which can help with pelvic pain), but also strong as they move through their mid range…the strongest part of a muscle.

I don’t care how rushed you are, how loud the kids are ~~screaming~~ singing in the back, or how bad traffic is, you can use this time to breathe. Dare I say…you ~should~ use this time to breathe. All it takes it a bit of extra brainpower to tune into your body, and the benefits far outweigh the effort.

PELVIC FLOOR RELAXING

A tight pelvic floor is not a good thing and can be the cause of pelvic pain, pain with intercourse, bladder leakage, urgency, and frequency, period pain, even back and hip pain. Crazy…right??? I’ve found great success in addressing pelvic floor tightness with a little technique I’ve coined the “let it go” (you can find allllll the specifics in this free guide along with more information on the breathing and posture techniques I shared above), and the car is the perfect place to implement this.

Trust me when I say…you can completely change how your pelvic floor feels and functions by learning to release pelvic floor tension and practicing the “let it go” regularly.

Perfecting the “let it go” technique can take a bit of trial and error. I mean…have you ever thought about relaxing your pelvic floor before?? But your time spent relaxing behind the wheel allows you to focus on yourself (and the road…don’t forget the road!) and use that uninterrupted time to practice, practice, praaaaactice until you get it down pat.

KEGELS

While pelvic floor relaxing is the unsung, absolute, hands down ~hero~ of pelvic health, there is a time and place for kegels…and that time could 1000000000% be your daily commute. Kegels (or pelvic floor contractions) are a necessary step in strengthening the pelvic floor and take only a few minutes to complete, which makes them an ideal, car-friendly activity.

Now…kegels can be easily over or under done, leading to pelvic pain and tension or lack of improvement respectively. Before you just start car kegeling to your heart’s desire (should we make this a bumper sticker!?…I think we should make this a bumper sticker!!), I strongly recommend (1) learning how to do a kegel properly and (2) finding your personal kegel prescription, info that’s all located in this suuuuuuper helpful ultimate guide to kegels. Once you have those details, you can confidently kegel at stoplights, mid traffic jam, or as you cruise in the carpool lane.

I have most of my patients perform kegels two to three times a day, and my guess is you’re tallying ~at least~ that many trips in the car multiple days a week. Consistency is key when it comes to pelvic floor exercises, and the more regular you are with your strengthening efforts, the better results you’ll see. However, some is always better than none, and kegeling in the car is a totally fine habit to fall into.

LEARNING

Every once in a while you’ll catch (and hear) me jamming out in the car when the mood hits and the sun’s shining just right, but 9.999999999 times out of ten I’m listening to a podcast or audiobook while driving. My daily commute to work is about twenty minutes each way, and when I realized I could get an extra 40 minutes of learning in every day, it was game over.

Truth be told…I’m not ~always~ learning about pelvic health. Sometimes it’s personal development, business and marketing, parenthood, finance, or home improvement (I’m a woman with maaaaaany interests), but I’ve been able to expand my pelvic health knowledge more than ever before by simply listening in the car.

If “I want to learn more about pelvic health” (or any subject for that matter) has ever crossed your mind, but you barely have time during the day to sit and eat a meal let alone read a book, I must recommend taking advantage of your time in the car. I even listen to educational content while my daughter’s in the backseat yelling “that way!” or “chicken mailbox!” (IYKYK) because it’s a game changer that’s worth the effort.

I hope I have you convinced that the car is the ~perfect~ place to practice pelvic health techniques. Movement in limited, distractions are few, and it’s time you’ve already set aside. Why would you not take advantage and multitask your way to less leakage, pain, and dysfunction one mile at a time???

Now imagine if this became our normal – if women everywhere started using their commute to better their pelvic health. First, we would change the statics overnight for one in three women experiencing incontinence and 75% of women having pain with sex. Second, I think it would be soooooooo fun to pull up next to you and do one of those “I see you, girl” smiles, knowing you’re right there with me using that time to better yourself.

So what do you say…do we need to make those bumper stickers???

If I’m being honest, it’s sad to think that, as women, we have to consider cramming something like pelvic health into a car ride. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, and I sincerely hope that as you implement the strategies above and see success, they seep into other areas of your life too. Remember…some and done are better than none when it comes to pelvic floor exercises, and I’m rooting for you at every turn. Beep beep!

– Amanda

Disclaimer: The content provided here does not constitute medical advice, nor is it a substitute for personalized healthcare. If you have concerns about a medical condition, diagnosis, or treatment, you should consult with a licensed healthcare professional.