Shedding Pounds and Cardio Can Also Fix Leaks

Photo: Peppergrasss, Flickr

Last week, I let you in on a wonderful secret: Kegel exercises can not only cure your incontinence, they can improve the intensity of your orgasms. But it's not the only solution for these embarrassing leaks, even if it is the most enticing.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and detailed in The New York Times found shedding just 8 percent of your excess pounds can relieve enough pressure to cut accidents nearly in half. The clinical trial included 338 overweight and obese women who had at least 10 urinary incontinence episodes a week. This makes sense since all that extra baggage bears down, putting pressure on your bladder and pelvic floor. The average age of the women was 53.

Regular moderate aerobic activity has also been shown to help women between the ages of 54 and 79 according to a report published in Urologic Nursing. Look at this as one more reason to get moving! Take a hike, ride your bike, swim laps, go kayaking or enroll in a dance class.

And finally, consider acupuncture, which can reduce the amount of accidents by 50 percent.

If these strategies don't help, you should see your doctor because you may have a different type of leaking called urge incontinence, which can be caused by other factors like pelvic irritation or a spastic bladder muscle.