Spring might be when nature comes back to life, but it’s also among the busiest times for fitness professionals.
The public is keen to get moving, but that enthusiasm can often land them in the physiotherapist clinic and other health professional’s offices when their winter-couch physiques aren’t quite ready for springing into action.
Kim Vopni answers to the moniker of “the Vagina Coach,” and is on a mission to increase awareness about common pelvic floor challenges and how fitness professionals can help.
“Spring is a fresh start, but make sure your client’s foundation, namely the pelvic floor is in check first,” she advises.
Since 2013, Vopni has helped fitness and movement professionals get certified in her Core Confidence Specialist certification. She believes it’s crucial for trainers, physiotherapists, and other movement pros to embrace pelvic floor health.
“The pelvic floor is talked about more frequently and women are seeking trainers who are in the know,” Vopni says.
Vopni believes fitness pros benefit from her course because they become better informed and in turn can better help their clients. It’s an investment worth making, since being certified and having the specialized know-how means charging more for services. Clients are willing to pay for that added value.
Women have long suffered in silence on matters like incontinence and organ prolapse, but they’re increasingly aware that these issues can be improved and sometimes resolved through exercise, breath work, posture and lifestyle modifications.
Fitness professionals can play a role in increasing awareness by being trained to screen their clients, understanding what certain movement patterns can suggest and what exercises can help their clients improve or eliminate their symptoms.
“If you train women, this is knowledge you really need to have,” Vopni says, since these conditions often prevent women from being as active as they should be.
This is information that applies to women at any stage from pregnancy to menopause. Pregnancy and birth are known contributors to issues like incontinence, organ prolapse, and diastasis recti, and since roughly 80 percent of women are likely to give birth at some point in their life, it is essential to understand these phases of life.
If you’re used to clients wanting “core-strengthening,” exercises then learning and understanding the female pelvic floor should come first. The pelvic floor is the foundation of the core after all.
Vopni offers two courses for professionals, “The Core Confidence Specialist” and “Pre/Post-Natal Fitness Specialist,” each of which comes with certification. Both courses are available in person or online, and come with 16 to 20 hours of training recognized by both canfitpro and BCRPA for annual continuing education credits.
For those who’d like to learn more about training their clients in pelvic floor health, Vopni has a discount on her online course for those registering before March 31st with the code “ccert15”, or visit www.vaginacoach.com.
