New Year, New Goals — Get Strong This Year Without Sacrificing Your Pelvic Floor

Every January, we notice something predictable happens in the pelvic floor physical therapy world. Women who feel motivated, energized, and ready to “get back in shape” might suddenly notice symptoms they haven’t felt in months — or ever: leaking during workouts, pelvic heaviness or pressure, and discomfort with lifting, running, or jumping.

And the timing feels confusing. Why now? Why when I’m finally being consistent again?

The answer isn’t that your body is failing you. It’s that your pelvic floor is being asked to do more — often without preparation.

Why these symptoms show up in the new year

When exercise ramps up quickly after a break, your pelvic floor experiences a sudden increase in demand.

Common January shifts include:

• Higher training intensity

• More impact (running, jumping, HIIT)

• Heavier lifting

• Less rest and recovery

  
  

Your pelvic floor is part of your core system. It manages pressure, load transfer, and impact. When those demands increase faster than your system can adapt, symptoms can appear.

This doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means your system needs smarter training.

What to do if this is already happening

If you’re noticing leakage, heaviness, or discomfort: don’t ignore it, don’t push through it, don’t assume it’s normal or permanent. Pelvic floor physical therapy helps identify whether muscles are underactive, overactive, or poorly coordinated, how your breath and core are managing pressure, and what modifications allow you to keep training safely. Addressing symptoms early allows us to nip the issue in the bud before it worsens, helping prevent pelvic floor concerns from becoming limiting, persistent, or chronic.

How to prepare so this isn’t you

If you’re motivated to get stronger this year, preparation matters.

1. Set outcome-based goals

Instead of: “Work out 5 days a week”

Try: “Run without leaking” or “Lift without pelvic pressure” or “Train consistently without pain”

These goals guide smarter training decisions.

2. Progress load gradually

Your pelvic floor adapts with graded exposure, not sudden spikes.

Increase intensity or volume slowly

Build endurance before adding impact

Respect recovery days

3. Train coordination, not just strength

Your pelvic floor must respond automatically during movement.

This means:

• Breathing with effort

• Avoiding constant core clenching

• Allowing full relaxation between reps

• Strength without coordination often leads to symptoms

4. Modify — don’t quit

Needing modifications doesn’t mean you’re failing.

It means:

• You’re training intelligently

• You’re listening to feedback

• You’re protecting long-term progress

You can still “get in shape”

Getting in shape doesn’t require sacrificing your pelvic floor. In fact, when your pelvic floor is trained properly:

• Workouts feel stronger and more confident

• Recovery improves

• Consistency becomes easier

Your body isn’t holding you back — it’s asking for a smarter plan.

Take-home Message

The new year brings motivation, movement, and momentum — but your pelvic floor needs to be part of the plan.

Leakage and heaviness aren’t reasons to stop. They’re reasons to train differently.

This year, strength doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from building capacity the right way.

This year, you don’t have to navigate those symptoms alone — Freya is here to help you train smarter, feel stronger, and move forward with confidence in the new year.