Fitness Savvy

Pulling your stomach in isn’t the same thing as engaging your deep core. And that difference matters.

When you constantly “suck in” your stomach, you’re mostly creating tension by drawing the abdominal wall inward with a shallow breath. It may make your waist look smaller, but it can also interfere with how pressure is managed throughout your core.

Think of your core like a pressurized cylinder. If you squeeze it in the middle, that pressure has to go somewhere—and it often gets pushed upward toward the diaphragm or downward into the pelvic floor.

Instead of simply pulling your stomach in, focus on creating pressure that is shared throughout the entire system.

Here’s what effective deep core engagement looks like:

• As you inhale, your diaphragm lowers and your pelvic floor naturally lengthens.
• As you exhale, your deep abdominal muscles (including the TVA) gently wrap around your trunk like a corset.
• Your pelvic floor responds by lifting naturally rather than being forcefully squeezed.
• Pressure stays balanced, giving you better stability and support from the inside out.

The goal isn’t to make your stomach look flatter—it’s to create a strong, coordinated foundation that supports your spine, your pelvic floor, and your movement.

A well-functioning core isn’t about holding your breath or sucking everything in. It’s about learning how your breath, diaphragm, abdominal wall, and pelvic floor work together.

I remembered strawberry picking being a lot more fun when I was younger… now it’s just 45 minute squat workout with snacks. 🍓😂

Scroll this app long enough and you’ll hit both extremes: kegels are pointless, or you should be doing them on every rep. Neither is right.

Every pelvic floor has its own story, prolapse, leaking, a hypertonic floor, weakness, asymmetry, hypermobility, scar tissue, injuries. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

Most women are taught one cue: stop the flow of p*e. But your pelvic floor has four parts, and a true kegel lifts the whole floor up and in, then fully releases. A partial squeeze only does half the job.

The release matters as much as the lift. It’s what keeps the floor flexible and able to coordinate with pressure. Contract without releasing, and it gets tight and fatigued, and a fatigued muscle stops responding well.

Here’s the good part: your breath already does this. With a full 360 breath, your pelvic floor releases as you inhale and lifts as you exhale. We can build on that natural rhythm through breath or exercise.

So when does a kegel actually earn its place? Early postpartum. Learning to coordinate your diaphragm and pelvic floor with breath. A gentle assist while lifting heavy or before a sneeze. Coming back from an injury or surgery, or simply wanting to slow down and reconnect.

The goal beyond that: a pelvic floor that fires ahead of time, before movement even happens, the way your core is designed to work. Sometimes manually controlling it gets in the way.
It comes back to the foundation: breathing, mobility, alignment, and pressure management. Get those working together, and your pelvic floor comes along for the ride.

If this feels like you, message me and let’s build a strong core together.

Here’s what most people miss before ab work.
Coning at the linea alba → a ridge running down the centre of your abs during core work. It’s a pressure issue, not a strength issue. Your system is telling you the load is more than it can manage right now.
Pressure management → before you do a single rep, set your internal environment. Inhale to expand. Exhale to engage. Move from that place and not from bracing without breath.
Breathe through the work → exhale on effort, inhale to reset. Engaged core is not the same as a clenched one. When you hold your breath, pressure spikes. That’s where coning comes from.
Strength is built on a foundation your body can actually handle. Coning is feedback, not failure.
These aren’t three separate fixes. They’re one system.
Work with your body, not against it.

There’s a step between rehab and real strength that most people skip entirely.

It’s called rebuilding.

Not just reducing pain.
Not just stretching.

Learning to move with strength, control, and confidence again.

This 90/90 complex is one of my favourite ways to bridge that gap.

Save it and give it a try.

Learning a new skill isn’t just about becoming “good” at something new. It’s about reminding your nervous system and your mind that growth is still possible.

When we stop challenging ourselves, it’s easy to fall into survival mode: same routines, same thoughts, same limits. But learning something new creates new pathways in the brain, builds resilience, improves confidence, and reconnects us to curiosity instead of fear.

That’s why I encourage clients to focus on more than just workouts.
Strength isn’t only physical.

It’s:
• trying again after setbacks
• being willing to feel uncomfortable
• rebuilding trust in yourself
• proving you can adapt and grow

Whether it’s learning to lift properly after an injury, improving mobility, cooking healthier meals, hiking a harder trail, or simply regulating stress differently, every new skill becomes evidence that you are capable of change.

Growth keeps us alive mentally, emotionally, and physically.
And confidence is built through repetition, not perfection.

Rebuild with strength. Move with confidence