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Potential Exercise Challenges and Tips for Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder might seem like a barrier to exercise. But by choosing appropriate activities and taking precautions, you can stay active while living with this condition.
Life with overactive bladder (OAB) can make doing the things you want to do feel more complicated. You might find it difficult to stay active if you're worried about having sudden and frequent urges to pee or experiencing leaks while exercising. Many people with OAB simply avoid exercise.
But exercise has many benefits for your physical and emotional health, and you don't have to let OAB get in the way.
By adjusting your exercise plan and managing your symptoms, you can stay active with OAB.
Symptoms of OAB can be disruptive and upsetting and may interrupt your plans to stay active. If you're feeling a constant need to pee, it's hard to get excited about going out for a walk or playing pickleball.
Some forms of exercise might make your symptoms worse. Anything that puts extra pressure on your bladder and pelvic floor muscles can increase the risk of bladder leaks. Doing high impact exercises or holding your breath while lifting weights can make your symptoms worse.
You might also find it hard to focus on exercise if you're experiencing ongoing symptoms and feeling stressed about the possibility of bladder leaks.
What exercises to avoid when you have overactive bladder
When it comes to managing OAB, not all exercises are the same. Activities that put extra stress on your pelvic muscles can increase your symptoms.
High impact exercises like jumping, playing volleyball, skipping rope, and running increase the pressure on your pelvic muscles. Increased pressure can strain those muscles, especially if they're already not so strong. Exercises that require having both feet off the floor at some point are considered high impact.
If you really love high impact exercises, you can try doing a shorter workout or reducing the intensity. You might find that you can tolerate a shorter or less intense workout without worsening your OAB symptoms.
Does lifting weights affect your bladder?
Depending on how much you're lifting and your technique, weightlifting might affect your bladder.
Lifting heavy weights can strain your pelvic muscles. And if you tend to hold your breath while lifting, the pressure on your pelvis will be greater.
Don't forget to breathe! Breathing properly while lifting weights is a good idea whether you have OAB or not. Breathe out slowly while you do the hard work of lifting the weights, and breathe in slowly as you put down the weights.
You can support your pelvic health by practicing pelvic floor exercises while you're lifting. Engage your pelvic floor muscles before you lift, and keep them engaged until you put the weights back down.
Living with OAB doesn't have to stop you from being active. Here are some ideas to help you stay active without making your OAB symptoms worse. There are even some steps you can take to reduce your OAB symptoms.
Choose lower impact activities
If you're used to high impact workouts, try moving your body in a more gentle way. Lower impact exercises don't stress your pelvic floor muscles as much as higher impact movements do.
Consider activities such as biking, hiking, walking, using an elliptical machine, stretching, and swimming. You can experiment with different activities and see what you like.
If you're including weights in your routine, try using lighter weights or make sure to engage your pelvic floor muscles while you lift.
Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles
Your pelvic floor muscles support the organs in your pelvis. They hold your bladder, bowel, and uterus (if you have one) in position. Strong pelvic floor muscles allow you to have more control over the passage of stool and urine. Strengthening these muscles can help prevent bladder leaks and reduce urgency.
You can do pelvic floor exercises at home. If you need more guidance on how to do them properly, consider working with a pelvic floor physical therapist.
Practice bladder training
This is another approach to managing OAB that might help reduce your symptoms during exercise. Bladder training can help reduce the sense of urgency, increase the volume your bladder can comfortably hold, and help you feel more in control.
One strategy involved in bladder training is delaying urination: When you notice the urge to pee, you wait a bit before heading to the bathroom. At first, you might wait for only 5 minutes or less, but the goal is to gradually increase the amount of time.
Bladder training can also involve peeing at scheduled times during the day and performing pelvic floor strengthening exercises.
Use absorbent products
It can be reassuring to know that if you have a leak, you'll be protected. Wearable products such as absorbent underwear or pads might help you feel more secure. Experiment to see which type of product feels right for you.
Wear black workout pants
If you're nervous about leaks showing, try wearing black or another dark color. Black can help hide any wet spots that might show up on your clothing as a result of urine leaks. Light-colored clothing won't conceal leaks as much.
You can also wear a longer top over your pants for more coverage. And if you're wearing a pad or absorbent underwear, you might feel more comfortable with looser pants.
Be mindful of what you eat and drink
Some research suggests that what you eat or drink may affect your OAB symptoms.
Caffeine can irritate your bladder, so it's a good idea to avoid or limit caffeine intake before you exercise. Alcohol, spicy foods, and artificial sweeteners can also make OAB symptoms worse.
Your overall fluid intake makes a difference too. It's important to drink enough fluids but not to drink too much, which can cause even more symptoms.
You might have heard that you need to drink 8 cups of water every day, but that's not right for everyone. Some guidelines suggest that drinking 6 cups is enough for many people and can reduce OAB symptoms.
On the other hand, drinking too little might make OAB symptoms worse. If you don't drink enough fluids, your urine will be more concentrated, which can irritate your bladder. It's a good idea to sip away at fluids throughout the day rather than to drink large amounts at once.
Eating salty foods might also increase OAB symptoms. Consider avoiding processed meats, canned foods, pickles, and salty snacks before a workout.
Work out at home or with a friend
If you're avoiding activity because you're nervous about experiencing bladder leaks while out in public, remember that there are other ways to stay active.
You might want to try online exercise classes that you can do at home. It's a bonus if they're live classes so that you can still feel a connection to the instructor and your peers.
If you're looking for in-person company, consider doing activities with a trusted friend who won't judge you for any bladder issues you might experience.
