10/17/2025
Does your belly puff out or engage when you’re lifting something heavy?
Are you able to contract and engage your abs while doing something hard?
Engaging your deep core and lifting and contracting your pelvic floor on the exhale breath can help manage intra-abdominal pressure, meaning better breathing, safer lifting mechanics and less likely to put excessive pressure on the pelvic floor (or a diastasis!)
Not sure how your core reacts under pressure? Try blowing up a balloon!
Lay on your back with one hand on your belly. On your inhale breath, feel your belly expand into your hand and imagine the pelvic floor relaxing. On the exhale breath, blow into the balloon, engage your pelvic floor and contract your deep core, feeling your abs tighten and flatten beneath your hand. Repeat for 4-5x. Once you’ve mastered blowing up a balloon while engaging your core in supine, try it in quadruped, then plank pose!