Transcript

#77 Alex Main

[00:00:00] Welcome back to episode of the Hormone Hub Podcast, where we talk all things perimenopause, menopause, and have the conversations no one else is having. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode. Hello. Hello ladies and welcome back to the Hormone Hub Podcast. I’m your host, Kylie Pinwill, and today on the podcast I have a very beautiful friend of mine, Alex Main. So Alex is a personal trainer and women’s health coach. She has a passion for women living pain-free and a lot of this is associated back ladies to our pelvic floor.

Kylie: You’ve heard me talk about this before. And you know, we’re gonna share some of, some of my journey, Alex’s journey and, you know, just [00:01:00] how important it is that we start looking after our pelvic floor so no one needs to wee in their pants by mistake. Well, welcome Alex. It is so good to have you on the podcast and yeah, it’s, it’s been a long time coming actually.

Alex: I know, I know. Oh, thank you so much for having me, Kylie. It’s such a joy to be here with you. 

Kylie: So Alex, tell us a bit about your background. So you’ve been working with Women Women’s Health for, you know, over 15 years, so yeah, just give us a little insight into who you are and what you do. 

Alex: Yeah, so I just love what I do.

I think that’s the main thing. And over the years I’ve worked with lots of different women, and realize that there are so many women living with pelvic floor issues, but not really knowing that they’ve got a pelvic floor issue. And I think the turning point for me was when I was working, I actually moved to Australia and started left the UK the cold cold

yeah, [00:02:00] the cold UK in, in search for some sun. And then ended up working in F 45 and I saw so many women during workouts. That were, you know, like, oh my goodness, I’ve worn the wrong leggings or they’d be scurrying off to the toilet to avoid an exercise or needing to pee all the time. But actually that it wasn’t, that comfortable for them.

And you know, especially if you’ve got a male trainer, it’s not always the conversation you wanna be having with them. 

Kylie: I was gonna say, you’re, you’re hot 25 year old male trainer. Yes. Understand that you just weed yourself a little bit. 

Alex: Yeah, exactly. So I (Kylie) I’ve been there.

I’ve been there too. And you know, I just realized that there’s solutions.

But actually it’s getting to grips and understanding your core and pelvic floor better. And your pelvic floor is a muscle. So it is just like any other muscle in the body. You can train it, you can heal it. But we need to connect with it. And I think because we live such live such busy lives, we don’t spend [00:03:00] that time connecting with our body.

Yeah. So that was my mission. I was like, right, how can I create something and bring awareness and education to women that is accessible and affordable? Because not everyone has the, you know, ability to go and see a pelvic floor physio or know where to go or where to start. So, yeah. That is my mission is to try and help more women feel confident and, you know, have supersonic pelvic floors.

Kylie: Absolutely. So we can, you know, jump, get back on that trampoline. Yeah, exactly. I don’t think I’m quite there yet, but you know, we’re, we’re working on it. Sorry. Like if we sort of roll it back, what does it show up? You know, what does it look like, you know, for someone who may or may not be aware that they might have pelvic floor issues, so how does that sort of even show up in the first place or what should you know, ladies sort of be looking for? 

Alex: Yeah, so do you know what actually shows up in so many different ways? And I think the thing to remember is pain is your body telling you [00:04:00] something. And just because you’re experiencing pain, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the root cause of something.

 (Kylie) Yeah. 

So your body, your skeleton actually floats inside your body and all of your soft tissues and ligaments hold that skeleton in place. So if you do have tension in one area, it can affect somewhere else, and that is so key with the pelvic floor. So things that I might see is, women with chronic back pain, they’ve got hip pain, little niggles and you know, you go and see the chiro, you go and see the physio, the osteo, but until you address the root cause of what’s going on, then you’re not treating the cause of the problem.

 And you just feel like you’re constantly a patient to someone. So the reason why I say this floating analogy is that you need a holistic approach. And actually your pelvic floor is part of an integrated system, so we’ve gotta look at the diaphragm, the way you are managing pressure. Have you got good glutes?

You know, did, did we reconnect them after having babies? [00:05:00] Yeah. All of these muscles surrounding the pelvic floor help to support their function. Yeah. So you might experience symptoms such as leaking, painful sex, constipation. There’s so many little things that give indicators. Even painful feet or a tight jaw.

Yeah. That’s all connected to your pelvic floor. Um, so yeah, so. Bringing some awareness to what is your body trying to tell you? What are we doing to our bodies? And then how can we understand them a little bit better and come back and have this holistic approach to our pelvic floor? 

Kylie: Yeah. Yeah. And I think that’s so important because I remember being told, I think I was in a, it was a menopause workshop and there was a, a pelvic physio running the session and she sort of said, you know, incontinence or, you know, leakage is the second biggest reason that women get admitted to nursing homes.

 (Alex) Yeah. 

So the first reason is, you know, dementia and she said [00:06:00] closely followed by incontinence. And that really shocked me because it was sort of like, well actually this can’t be just some little secret that we just put up. We actually need to do something proactive about it. And I, you know, Of course, the sooner you do something, the better.

 (Alex) It’s never too late, that’s thing. 

Never. Hundred percent. So, Alex, you know, what’s been your journey with your pelvic floor experience? 

Alex: Oh gosh. So I come from a background of doing so much exercise. I am probably super flexible and have been since a child, so I was constantly trying to like strengthen my body.

And I always used was told, you know, suck in your tummy. Suck in your tummy. Yep. So I come from a background of actually having a really tight pelvic floor and it’s not until I delved into this whole world, I discovered so many things about my own body and I’m so [00:07:00] lucky I have.

And then I had a very quick birth with my daughter who’s two years old and I ended up having an episiotomy scar. Yep. And you know what, it’s like you have your baby and then you have to feed them and all of this stuff and life happens around you. And I started getting this crazy back pain and things were be, you know, even like using a tampon was just so, so painful.

Yeah. And I was like, what is it? And then it came back to my pelvic floor. So this is where working with an amazing pelvic floor physio as you’ll be able to share, I’m sure Kylie. Changed my life and she was able to release years of tension inside my hips and it’s not something that I could have done myself.

I actually needed a bit of external help with that. And now using my methodology, using connecting my breath, my core, my pelvic floor, my pelvic floor is actually better than when I was 18 years old. And that’s what I want for so many women is that. Just because you might be living with these symptoms and you feel like this is your life story.

It’s not, [00:08:00] it’s never too late to fix it. 

Kylie: Yeah. Yeah, a hundred percent. And you know, because I do work with women who are, you know, in their fifties, in their sixties, you know, it’s not too late ladies at all. So, so how do you now sort of like, as a personal trainer, and as a coach, you know, how do you work with women?

Alex: So in many different ways I run workshops, which I absolutely love. I think having and something we can share. Very exciting. We’ve got 

Kylie: something coming in. 

Alex: Um, I run workshops. I start with education. I do online training. I’ve also got a, um, eight week program that women can join and do at home, which is self-paced.

And I work one-on-one with, with my clients, and it’s all about bringing it back to this holistic approach. So how are you breathing? You know, if you breathe in, where do you feel your breath? Do you feel like your back’s super tight? A lot of us have these diaphragms from [00:09:00] shallow breathing all day. As we both roll our shoulders back, (Kylie) sitting up, putting our shoulders back.

Yeah. You know, and actually because the diaphragm and the pelvic floor work in a relationship with each other, your pelvic floor is only as good as your diaphragm. So sometimes we think we have a pelvic floor issue, but it actually might be a diaphragm issue. So working on massage, breathing, connecting that core and also working with supporting the muscles around it, so reconnecting the glutes, your adductors, the muscles, those inside thigh muscles. 

Kylie: I started this morning, I’m feeling my adductors. (Alex) That makes me very happy 

that they’re on fire. 

Alex: Good, good. Yeah, so once you sort of bring that balance back to the body, everything that you do becomes more enjoyable.

The way you move better, your sleep, all of those things actually have a huge impact. So that’s how I work with women. And the more women I can help, the better. 

Kylie: Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, so I’ll drop all of, Alex’s details. You know, [00:10:00] her website is themainmethod, so her name is Alex Main, themainmethod.com.au.

So we’ll drop all of that in the show notes for you. So you. There’ll be women listening going, yeah, but you know, I’m too far gone and like I will put my hand up and, and you know, I actually thought I was too far gone. Never. But is it really doom and gloom with our pelvic floor as we get older? 

Alex: No it’s not.

No, it is about seeking the right help and also spending that time with your body. So it might be that you need to start your journey with finding a good pelvic floor physio and getting a one-on-one assessment. And then just looking at how you’re connecting to your body. So are we, like doing Pilates is amazing, but just learning how to get those cues and learning how to, to connect the breath to movement for me is key because that [00:11:00] connection then strengthens the whole system. And if you don’t have that connection and you get to your eighties, I mean, I, if I could get every woman out of a nappy in a nursing home, then we’ve done something amazing. And it, you have to remember, it is a muscle and muscle needs just like any other muscle in your body.

If you don’t exercise it, you don’t strengthen it. You don’t teach it how to lengthen. It’s not gonna be there to serve you. In your nineties, and you know, it is like if you’ve got a child and they, they did the splits from day one and they kept doing it every single day for the rest of their lives, they’d still be doing it in 90.

But as soon as you stop using your joints and your muscles and your movement patterns, you lose them. And your pelvic floor needs that support throughout the rest of its life. So it is definitely not doom and gloom, Kylie.

Kylie: You know, We, regardless of what age you are, like if you are in your forties, if you’re in your forties, if you’re in your sixties, and we plan on living, [00:12:00] say until we’re 90 or a hundred, we have another 30, 40, 50 years. I know, I know, I know. 

Alex: Our best years as well.

Kylie: Hundred percent. So yeah, like if you ladies, if you take away one thing from today’s talk is that it’s not too late to do something.

And I think, you know, We sort of tend to look for the shortcuts. We look for the, mm-hmm. You know, how can we make it easier or, but you really do need to, to do the work, you know? Yeah. 

Alex: And I also jump in Kylie, ’cause I think there’s been a disservice to women over the years that we, even when I gave birth to Ollie, I got given this like eighties piece of paper with this hold, squeeze, hold, squeeze.

You know we got told to do our pelvic floor exercises on the toilet. Ladies, please don’t do that. We were doing them at the traffic light, but actually it’s not about that. That actually when we are moving, we are doing our squats, lunges, dead lifts, Pilates exercises. We do them all day, all these movements standing up, sitting down.

But if we have that [00:13:00] awareness and the breath and the pelvic floor, the pelvic floor exercises happen throughout our day, we don’t actually have to sit down and you know, be like, oh, I need to set 10 minutes to do my pelvic floor exercises. ‘Cause it doesn’t work on its own. It’s a system. And that’s the key thing that I would love women to take away that yes.

You know, this eighties information is old. We need to move away from 

that 

Alex: now. 

Kylie: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And it does, you know, just that, you know, engaging in everything before you stand up. 

Alex: Yes. Not holding our breath, please don’t hold your breath, 

Kylie: but, you know, but using your glutes rather, you know, rather than using your hands to heat you up.

Yeah, yeah, no, I, a friend of mine who is a physio and she said to us years ago, you know, always put your knickers on. Stand on one foot and then stand on the other foot. Keep your balance. ‘Cause and again, she works in aged care and she said, you know, to keep our balance and keep that core stability and, engage in our glutes, engage in, you know, our,[00:14:00] abdominal muscles, engage in that pelvic floor, will serve us well for the long term.

Alex: Yeah. And it is long-term health. You know, it’s not just about what we do now. It’s the same when we’re talking about menopause. It’s like what we do now sets us up for the rest of our life and we’ve got so many years ahead of us, and why not make them our best years? You know, we don’t need to be dealing with these pesky pelvic floor issues that hold us back and choosing different colored gym leggings because worried we are gonna have a little accident.

So, Let’s make it our best, Kylie. 

Kylie: Absolutely. Absolutely. So, you know, just to, for those of you who haven’t heard my story previously, so I had three vaginal birth of three very large babies. And you know, I did all the Pilates beforehand. All the Pilates afterwards, but you know, it still wasn’t enough.

And you know, I sort of recently, for those who were following along on Instagram, did the Lara pinta trail, And that was a big issue for me was [00:15:00] a, it was freezing cold, so, you know, and there’s no toilets, so it was bush wees, I also had my period at the same time. It was freezing. So the thought of like digging under all those layers to, to go to the toilet and do a bush wee was, you know, it wasn’t that.

And it was pouring rain as well. So it wasn’t the easiest thing to, to navigate at the time, but it. But I really felt it and I couldn’t go a whole day, you know? And because I’m very conscious of hydrating and drinking water all the time, regardless of the fact that it’s cold. So, but I really had this mental struggle between I need to keep drinking water.

And I don’t wanna go to the toilet, you know? And it, for me, like it was really, it was, I guess it was, for me, it was the tipping point. It was like, okay, I need to get back and I need to do something about this because this is not okay. You know? I wanna do more hikes, I wanna do more things. And I don’t want this to stop me from doing the things I like.

So, you know, I’ve certainly been having [00:16:00] treatment and it’s made a world of difference. Yay. So, you know, and ladies, Just so you know, treatment, it is an internal treatment. So, you know, just be prepared for that because, you know, as, as my uh, practitioner said, it can come as a shock to some women. 

Alex: Actually, I was so relieved when I had mine, and thanks so much for sharing that, Kylie, because even knowing all the things I knew, I was still nervous to go and have an internal assessment, but.

I came out there feeling so liberated and so free, and then layering all of the connection exercises and what I was putting out through my program. On top of that, I now don’t have to go back and see practitioners. I don’t have to go and see the chiropractor. I don’t have to go and see the osteopath. So actually, when you make that pathway for yourself. You set yourself up A to save your time, save your money. Yes. And you can enjoy the things you love. So I know that I can go and [00:17:00] do a jump in the gym. I can run after Alia, I can enjoy all those things. Lift up heavy things knowing that my pelvic floor’s not gonna be a problem.

And if I do fill those little niggles, I know, oh, okay, maybe I need to use my glute ball and do a little bit of release work or do some stretching. So, It’s so worth it. And if you can just take that leap of faith and, and love for yourself to go and do that, that you set yourself up for so many great things on the other side of it.

Kylie: A hundred percent. A hundred percent. And it’s maintenance. You know, health is the journey. Not, 

Alex: and you also have better orgasms and sex afterwards. If that’s not bonus, I don’t know what is.

Kylie: I, but I’m looking, I’m not married to some young hot French guy like you are. Sorry, Sean. I, I know he’s not listening. I know he’s not listening to this.

And Yes. My, you and you, you, you’re still hot and sexy to me.

[00:18:00] Oh, okay. So should we share our news? Yes, let’s do it. 

Alex: We’ve made, this has been in the, the pipeline for a long time and it’s so, so it has, 

Kylie: So Alex and I, we are very excited to announce we are teaming up and we are holding a one day retreat on, in Noosa on the 7th of October. Yay. Ladies, are you ready for this?

So it is open for everyone. You are all invited to join us, it is going to be amazing. We’ve been putting this together, so it’s menopause, gut health, pelvic wellness, so you will have the expertise of both. Alex and I for the whole day. And we want it, it’s not just sort of like a nice thing where you come and you sit and you listen.

Okay? This is going to be a very transformative event. It’s gonna give you all the practical insights to help you navigate that menopause transition and the years beyond.[00:19:00] So you’re gonna walk away confidently knowing exactly what to eat, how to nourish your body. How to optimize and engage your pelvic floor and your core function as well.

 I would love to invite you to our Nourish and Thrive one day retreat in the beautiful Noosa coming up on Saturday, the 7th of October. This menopause, gut health and pelvic wellness retreat is hosted by myself and also by the beautiful Alex Main. Join us for this transformative one day event, which will give you all of the practical insights into navigating this perimenopause menopause transition. So you’ll walk away confidently knowing how to nourish your body, optimize your pelvic floor, and core function. Hope to see you there.

Alex: It’s gonna be such a good day, such a good day, and it’s gonna be such a safe space as well. I think that’s really important that you know that you’re not alone if you’re experiencing these [00:20:00] things. We’ll be sharing. And that’s what I love about doing these workshops is that these women just leave on such a high, and that’s what we want for you as well.

So, 

Kylie: Yes, we’re absolutely to spoil you on this day. Yes. We have lots of beautiful sponsors. We have lots of prizes. We have lots of giveaways for all of our ladies to, so we, I will drop the link for that also in our show notes. So kyliepinwill.com/noosa. Yeah. And yeah, so you get to come and join Alex and I in our backyard, which is, which is great.

 (Alex) Beautiful. So, and it’s on a Saturday, so we thought for those of you traveling interstate and even from New Zealand, you can come and spend the, the beautiful weekend in Noosa. So make a weekend of it. We are all day on the Saturday, but you know, You’ve got Friday. You’ve got Sunday to come and play in Noosa. 

Alex: And they have a fantastic spa there as well.

So, oh, oh, thankfully we could go to that on Sunday, [00:21:00] Kylie. 

Kylie: We could book in a Sunday for anyone who would like to join. It just gets better. Oh. So as you can imagine, Alex and I have had, we’ve put a lot of work into this and we are very excited to be running, this retreat for you all on the 7th of October in Noosa. All right, Alex.

Well thank you so much for being on the show. Now you do have a little freebie for us, which is the 10 minute lower back reset routine. Yes. So anyone who can feel that is niggles in your lower back, and I want you to say goodbye to those and hello to Pelvic Floor Strength. Yes. So it’s a guide which gives you gentle daily stretches and exercises designed for ultimate relief and support so you can get back to doing more of what you love doing.

So I will pop that in the show notes for you as well. So, so much goodness [00:22:00] today, Alex, thank you so much. 

Alex: Thank you. Thank you. And I’m so excited for our retreat. I cannot wait to meet you… 

Kylie: It’s gonna be great and by the way you and I are gonna have a great time.

Maybe we should do the at the anyway, ladies, if you’d like to join us. Um, you know, you are more than welcome. We would love to have you. The link is in the show notes and thank you Alex, so much for coming on the show today. I’m sure this is going to be helpful for a lot of women. Just that penny dropping that ladies, you do not have to push through this.

This is not something we suffer through. This is something we take action on. Exactly. Alright, well thanks so much, Alex. 

Alex: Thank you, Kylie. Have a beautiful day. 

Kylie: Thank you, and thanks everyone for listening. Bye for now.

 Thank you for taking the time to listen today. You can head on over to the show notes at [00:23:00] kyliepinwill.com/podcast where you’ll find all the links. Now, before we go, it would mean the world to me if you’d head on over to your favorite podcast channel, subscribe and leave a review. Don’t forget to share it with your friends.

Then stay tuned for next week’s episode and I can’t wait to see you then.