Experts Explain: 5 Simple Ways to Support Your Pelvic Floor This Fall

Fall has a way of changing the pace almost overnight.

School schedules start back up. Work calendars fill. Activities return. Travel picks up. Maybe you’re spending more time commuting, standing on the sidelines at practices, carrying kids and bags, or trying to squeeze a workout into an already-full day.

And when life gets busier, the habits that help us feel our best are often the first things to slide.

The good news is that supporting your pelvic floor doesn’t have to mean adding another complicated routine to your calendar.

Across our Expert Spotlight conversations, pelvic health professionals come back to the same idea again and again: small, practical adjustments matter. Paying attention to your breathing, hydration, bathroom habits, movement, and the support tools you use can all help you feel more comfortable and confident as you move through a busy season.

Here are five expert-backed ways to give your pelvic floor a little more attention this fall.

1. Pay Attention to Your Breath During Everyday Movement

Breathing might seem almost too simple to make the list. But according to pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Beth Olson, PT, DPT, PCES, it’s one of the foundational things she addresses with patients.

Dr. Beth explains that your diaphragm, abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, and low back all need to coordinate as you move. That’s why she starts with diaphragmatic breathing rather than jumping straight into pelvic floor exercises.

Dr. April Morrison, PT, DPT gives similar advice, encouraging people to notice what happens to their breath during ordinary tasks.

Think about the last time you:

• Got up from a chair
• Lifted a laundry basket
• Picked up your child or grandchild
• Carried groceries inside
• Did a squat at the gym

Did you automatically hold your breath?

Dr. April recommends noticing those moments and practicing an exhale instead of bearing down or breath-holding during effort.

“Those little tiny things, keeping conscious of what your breath is doing and keeping hydrated are the easiest ones that we can start doing.” — Dr. April Morrison, PT, DPT

Your fall reset: Pick one activity you do repeatedly every day: standing from your desk, lifting your toddler, unloading groceries, and simply start noticing your breath.

You don’t have to monitor yourself all day. Even one recurring cue can be enough to start building awareness and noticing patterns over time.

A great tool to support that process is Hem Support Wear’s Pelvic Floor Symptom Tracker. It can help you notice when symptoms show up, what you were doing at the time, and whether certain activities or parts of your routine seem to make a difference. Those patterns can give you useful information to bring to a pelvic floor physical therapist or other healthcare provider, too.

2. Don’t Let Hydration and Bathroom Habits Get Lost in the Rush

Busy days can turn basic needs into afterthoughts.

You realize at 3 p.m. that you’ve barely touched your water bottle. You put off going to the bathroom because you’re trying to finish one more thing. Or you rush through a bowel movement because everyone suddenly needs you at the exact same time.

Your pelvic floor notices those patterns, too.

Dr. April calls hydration a “heavy hitter” when it comes to simple everyday habits. She specifically cautions against drinking less because you’re worried about needing to urinate or experiencing leaking.

For people living with pelvic organ prolapse, Dr. Anna McMaster, PT, DPT, PRPC also emphasizes bowel mechanics.

Repeatedly holding your breath and straining during bowel movements increases downward pressure. Dr. Anna recommends paying attention to stool consistency, getting enough fluid, and using a footstool or similar setup so your knees sit higher than your hips. She also encourages exhaling rather than holding your breath while bearing down.

These aren’t glamorous habits. But that’s exactly why they’re useful: they happen as part of life you’re already living.

Your fall reset: Try pairing hydration with something already built into your schedule. Drink water when you make your morning coffee, fill your bottle before school pickup, or keep one at your desk during meetings.

And when you do have time to use the bathroom, give yourself permission not to rush it.

3. Modify Movement Instead of Automatically Giving It Up

When fall routines get busy, movement can easily become an all-or-nothing thing. Maybe you miss a few workouts, then feel like you need to jump right back into your previous routine. Or pelvic floor symptoms make you hesitant to move at all.

Dr. Kaleigh Mulpeter, PT, DPT, PCES encourages a more gradual approach.

She points out that staying active can be supportive of pelvic health because the pelvic floor is designed to work alongside the rest of the body during movement. And that movement doesn’t have to look one particular way.

“If you are generally active in whatever makes you happy: walking, yoga, strength training, you are taking care of your pelvic floor strength as well.” — Dr. Kaleigh Mulpeter, PT, DPT, PCES

She also emphasizes the importance of progressing back into activity rather than going straight from very little movement to your usual intensity.

“You don’t want to just go from zero to 60... You really want to have a progressive approach back to activity.” — Dr. Kaleigh Mulpeter, PT, DPT, PCES

While Dr. Kaleigh was speaking specifically about postpartum return to activity, the reminder translates well to any season when your routine has shifted: you don’t have to make up for lost time.

Start where you are and build from there.

Your fall reset: If your movement routine has fallen away over the summer, choose an approachable starting point this week.

That might mean:

• Taking a walk after dinner
• Doing a shorter strength workout
• Returning to yoga once a week
• Adding movement in small pockets throughout the day
• Gradually increasing the duration or intensity of an activity you enjoy

Consistency doesn’t require going from zero to 60. A routine that fits your life is much more useful than one you can’t realistically maintain.

4. Build a Routine That Can Survive Real Life

One of the fastest ways to lose a wellness habit is to design it for a life you don’t actually have.

Jordan Searles, GGS & PRONATAL Certified Pre/Postnatal Personal Trainer, sees this constantly while working with moms. Between her own roles as a teacher, business owner, trainer, and mother, she understands how quickly a schedule can change.

She hears things like:

I can’t make it to the gym anymore today.

Or:

Something came up and now I only have 20 minutes.

That’s one reason Jordan structures her online training so people can fit movement wherever it works rather than relying on one rigid appointment time.

That may be one of the most useful reminders heading into fall.

Five minutes counts.

Ten minutes counts.

Doing something differently because your schedule changed still counts.

Your fall reset: Create three versions of your movement routine:

• Full version: for days when you have plenty of time
• Short version: for the typical busy weekday
• Five-minute version: for the days when everything goes sideways

You’re no longer deciding between “doing the whole thing” and doing nothing.

You already have a Plan B.

5. Use Support Tools for the Parts of Your Day That Need Extra Support

Sometimes a busier routine simply means more time on your feet. Maybe fall means longer workdays, more walking, more lifting, more exercise, more travel, or more afternoons running from one activity to another.

If you’re living with pelvic organ prolapse, those can also be times when you want additional support.

Both Dr. Beth Olson and Dr. Anna McMaster have discussed using tools such as pessaries and external support garments to help people continue participating in activities that matter to them.

Dr. Beth knows that experience personally.

After developing prolapse symptoms postpartum, she initially felt emotional about the idea of using a pessary. Once she found one that fit well, however, it became a tool that helped her feel comfortable getting back to activities she loved, including running. She also used external support garments during times when she couldn’t wear her pessary.

The point isn’t that everyone needs the same tool—or that you need to use one all the time.

It’s about finding the support that works for your body, your activity, and your day.

A pelvic floor support garment, for example, can provide external support while you’re wearing it, whether you’re exercising, taking a long walk, carrying kids, traveling, or simply spending a busy day on your feet.

Your fall reset: Think ahead to the parts of your week when you tend to want more support.

Instead of waiting until you’re already uncomfortable, consider making your preferred support tools part of your routine, just like grabbing your walking shoes, water bottle, or gym bag.

Your Pelvic Floor Reset Doesn’t Need to Be an Overhaul

There’s a reason “fall reset” content can sometimes feel exhausting.

It tells us to reorganize the house, overhaul our schedules, start a brand-new workout program, meal prep everything, wake up earlier—and somehow become an entirely new person by Monday.

Your pelvic floor doesn’t need that.

A more realistic reset might look like:

• Notice when you’re holding your breath.
• Keep your water bottle within reach.
• Pay attention to bathroom habits instead of rushing.
• Modify movement when your body asks for it.
• Take the five-minute option instead of skipping movement entirely.
• Use the support tools that help you feel comfortable doing what matters to you.

Most importantly, pay attention to what your body is telling you.

Pelvic floor symptoms aren’t one-size-fits-all, and neither is pelvic floor care. If leaking, pressure, heaviness, pain, or other symptoms are new, changing, or interfering with your everyday life, consider connecting with a pelvic floor physical therapist or another qualified healthcare provider for individualized guidance.

And if pelvic organ prolapse is part of your life, remember: support can become just another part of your routine.

Hem Support Wear’s pelvic floor support garments are designed to provide comfortable external support while you wear them so you can keep moving through busy days and keep doing more of what you love.

Sometimes the best reset isn’t doing more. It’s finding small ways to feel more supported in the life you’re already living.

About the Hem Support Wear Team

Meet Cristin, Lauren, and Alexa: a small, mission-driven team passionate about helping women feel supported, seen, and strong—especially when it comes to pelvic health. Hem Support Wear was founded by Lauren Fleming, whose personal journey with prolapse sparked a mission to make healing feel less lonely and a whole lot more empowering.

**Medical Disclaimer: This post is intended to provide information and resources only. This post or any of the information contained within should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment, or advice. Always seek the guidance of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your healthcare, conditions, and recommended treatment.