Do you remember when you learnt how to ride a bike?
How difficult it was developing the skill to ride a bike?
I can remember, as a young child, learning how to ride an adult bike that had no pedal part for my foot, just the mechanism that went round. Talk about dangerous! There I was out on the street, watching out for cars, and only able to hold the bike up if I leant on one foot tip toe. Lots of scrapes and failures but, you know what, I learnt how to ride that bike! And I guess it’s that tenacity that I applied when it came to delving into all things bladder control and learning how to hone my skill there as well.
Because that’s what you need to do to achieve better bladder control, polish up your skill of control. As young children we learn to listen to the signals our bodies are sending us. At first it’s nigh impossible to control but over time we learn how to recognise the signals our brains are sending us and before you know it, have proudly done our business, flushed the loo and emerged victorious!
So, bladder control is a learned skill and it’s a skill that needs practise – especially during menopause. If you believe the old adage or wive’s tale that our bladders get weaker as we grow older, then you can very easily accept the inevitable decline in control and slip into the habit of using pads and other support products.
It’s a bit like putting trainer wheels back on your bike when all you need to do is practise and regain your skill! Just a bit of time and effort to hone those skills again can see you back in control, or at least achieve better control.
Repeat after me…bladder control is a learned skill!
And just like any learned skill, it requires practise to maintain it. To ensure that you don’t have to live an existence of pads and gadgets.
I’m a short-hand typist from way back and I’ve kept up my shorthand over the years because I remember my teacher at secondary school saying if you let it go, it will take a real effort to get it back again.
Even with Dry Swan exercise, I practise it regularly, because it not only maintains my bladder muscle strength and core muscle strength, but it also keeps my upper body and leg muscles toned.
So – bike or bladder, doesn’t matter. It’s all a learned skill and one that you can improve.
It’s a matter of taking the first step – just like it was a matter of all of us, at least those who ride bikes, taking the first steps towards soaring free as a bird as we finally stopped falling off that darn bike!
There’s nothing like the thrill of achieving a new skill – or brushing up an old one.
The thing is, when you brush up on your bladder control skills, your whole life benefits. You can enjoy the whole movie again – woohoo! Sleep through the night – even bigger Woohoo!
Not to mention meeting friends for lunch or coffee and not having to get all stressed out about where the nearest bathroom is situated.
It is truly liberating.
