QUICK TIPS
9
You do pelvic
floor exercises...
but do them while you wee
One in three women suffer from stress
incontinence – accidental urinary leaks
that happen due to a weak pelvic floor.
To strengthen these muscles, you’re
often advised to imagine stopping
your flow of urine. But this is just
a method to locate the muscles- you shouldn’t actually do
the exercises while weeing,
says Dr Ruth Maher
(restorethefloor.com). ‘It can
lead to incomplete bladder
evacuation, which in turn
can lead to infections.’
✿To strengthen the pelvic
floor, make sure muscles
are fully contracted and
then fully relaxed, rather
than merely contracted.
Sit comfortably and slowly
squeeze and pull up the muscles,
holding for a few seconds before
releasing. Try 10 times in a row
without tightening your stomach,
buttocks or thigh muscles.
11
You don’t hold
in your wee...
but you go ‘just in case’
Regularly holding on until you’re
bursting can lead to infections. The
longer any stagnant urine hangs around
in your bladder, the more opportunity
any bacteria present has to multiply.
But going before you really need to
‘trains’ your bladder to recognise that
it’s full before it truly is – and you’ll
feel the need to go more often.
✿Empty your bladder soon after
you get the signal that you need to
go – but not before you feel the urge.10
8
Yo u
eat your
5 a Day...
but mostly by juicing
Juicing removes the fibrous
pulp from fruit and veg, which
helps to ‘sweep’ clean our
bowels and is key for digestive
health. Lots of us don’t eat
enough fibre – most people
get around 18g a day, when we
should be aiming for at least 30g.
✿It’s fine to juice, but try to
incorporate more whole fruit
and veg so you get fibre too.
Aim to use more green veg
than fruit when juicing to
prevent sugar rushes.
Add leftover fibrous
pulp to soups or
muffin mixes.
but swapped them for diet versions
It’s great to cut back on sugar-laden fizzy
drinks, but a recent study published in Stroke,
the journal of the American Heart Association,
suggested that drinking artificially-sweetened
soft drinks daily was associated with a higher
risk of stroke and dementia.
✿If it’s fizz you’re after, try sparkling or soda
water. Or add ice to tap water for extra zing.6
You eat
salads...
You do sit-ups...
but your technique is wrong
Sit-ups can help build definition in the abs – but a common
mistake is to hold the back of your head in your hands while trying to
yank yourself up, which puts a huge strain on the neck. Fitness expert
Julia Buckley (juliabuckleyfitness.com) says, ‘It’s also important to keep
the back very straight. If you bend your back – which a lot of people
do if their core isn’t very strong – the discs of the spine can get
compressed, which can cause nerve damage or hernia.’
✿ ’Sit-ups aren’t something I’d recommend to beginners unless
under instruction,’ says Julia. Try the plank instead, which works
the abs but carries a much lower injury risk.but cover them with
fat-free dressings
Drizzling a no-fat dressing over
your healthy salad might seem
like a saintly option, but studies
have shown that adding a small
amount of fat makes it easier for
the body to absorb vitamins and
phytonutrients like betacarotene
and lycopene from the veg.
✿Monounsaturated fats are
best, so swap the no-fat
dressing for a drizzle
of olive oil.7
You’ve ditched
fizzy drinks...