Top tips for Optimal Pelvic Health while travelling
You have arrived. Sunhat, suncream at the ready. Bring on the nice coffees, baguettes and croissants and all the treats. You are on holidays after all. Until you realise its been three days since you went to the toilet, and the discomfort begins.
So we don’t want to bring a downer to holidays. We work hard and deserve a break. A break from the routine, a break from ‘being good’ be it with food, drink or exercise. Just an escape from our normal routine right?
So here are my top tips for avoiding uncomfortable bladder and bowel symptoms while you are away without being too restrictive.
Do try to keep up your daily bowel motion;
Most important and top of the list. Many describe a lack of routine as the thing that really brings with it slow bowels and constipation. Not to harp on this point but the pelvic floor and the organs sitting within the pelvis held up by the pelvic floor do not appreciate stool sitting in in the rectum for days. It can lead to a feeling of heaviness, tight pelvic floor muscles and ultimately can have a knock effect to our bladder habits.
You want to give your body time to settle especially if you are on a different time zone but given a few days and things haven’t regulated check out the advice below.
choose a high fibre breakfast; fresh fruits, vegetables with your eggs, the odd slice of brown bread thrown in there.
pack a high fibre drink with you like Circle of light tea or Fibrogel (if you can)
If you are able pack a small bag of linseed, dried prunes. Snack on nuts and seeds while travelling. Stay well hydrated at all times especially when in warmer climates.
When shopping locally search out kiwis and prune/ orange juice to get things moving if its been more than a day since you went.
Try to avoid straining : use what you can to elevate the feet: often the hotel room will have something: a big book. Be inventive. You can still use the same tricks while you are away that you do at home.
Don’t go overboard with the caffeinated / artificially sweetened drinks
We often will sneak in a coffee or two extra or a coca-cola on our evening drinks. I guess every one is different but caffeine may really effect you if you have urgency ( having to run to the toilet urgently or you feel like you may be incontinent), frequency ( having to go more regularly than every three hours) or urge incontinence where you are actually incontinent if you can’t act on the urge. Urgency and frequency often go hand in hand. Both caffeine and artificial sweeteners act on the bladder to irritate the lining and to make the detrusor muscle of the bladder more activated espcially in a bladder that may this way inclined already. This will result in you needing to go more frequently and urgently. Trying to be aware of your caffeine intake and be selective if you can. Be aware that if you are drinking a sugar-free drink does it have an artifical sweetener in it such as Aspartame.
Do know where your toilet stops are.
If on a long drive or flight be prepared for public toilets. Try not to avoid toiletting if you can. Bring a small bag with hygienic products that may help use public toilets. Do not hover over a toilet and never push out urine in a hurry. Try not to curtail liquids to avoid having to use toilets if possible.
Don’t ignore any major changes in your bowel, bladder or pelvic health while you are away.
As we all know changes in temperature. diet, swimming, sand and other things may all cause changes to our pelvic health. Medical care should be seeked out if something crops up that is highly unusual for us and is persistent or significant. This may be serious bowel changes that are not alleviating, bleeding or for example a urinary tract infection.
Take a trip to your pharmacist pre trip and make sure you have some gentle products to deal with urinary tract infection or bowel changes in the short term until you can seek medical help. Don’t be afraid to attend a pharmacy while abroad - they are often very helpful.
You want to enjoy your trip away so hopefully these tips will help!
x Elaine
