Episode Overview

Title: 1KHO 687: How to Be Kind to Your Pelvic Floor | Jenn Lormand, Tighten Your Tinkler
Host: Jenny Ertz, 1000 Hours Outside
Guest: Jenn Lormand, Clinical Exercise Physiologist & Co-Founder, Tighten Your Tinkler
Date: January 22, 2026

Theme:
In this engaging and refreshingly candid episode, host Jenny Ertz speaks with pelvic floor expert Jenn Lormand about the misconceptions, challenges, and everyday impacts surrounding pelvic floor health. They explore non-invasive alternatives to common pelvic floor concerns, address why symptoms like incontinence and back pain are widespread, and unpack why conventional advice (like doing Kegels) may not be enough—or may even make things worse. This episode is both practical and empowering for women at every life stage—from puberty through perimenopause and beyond—dispelling myths, sharing hope, and offering actionable solutions to reclaim confidence, mobility, and comfort in daily life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jenn Lormand’s Personal Story: From Trauma to Advocacy

• Jenn shares her deeply personal journey through birth trauma, incontinence, and stage 2 prolapse of all three pelvic compartments following her third child.
• Facing repeated surgical interventions, she chose to pursue holistic, non-invasive healing.
• “I left that appointment, cried my eyeballs out, and the Lord just convicted my heart… Your body's made to heal, and that's really the starting point of Tighten Your Tinkler...” (06:01-08:52)

What is Prolapse & Why Does It Happen?

• Definition: Prolapse is “the falling down and in to one another of the pelvic organs.” (09:40)
• Frequently caused/exacerbated by intervention in birth (forceps, vacuum), tissue damage, and pressure imbalances—sometimes to the point where organs begin to descend outside the body.
• Early intervention (stage 0-2) has high hope for non-surgical recovery. (09:40-11:17)

The Limits—and Risks—of Kegels

• Kegels are best understood as a very isolated contract-release of the pelvic floor muscle but, “It's only going to strengthen that muscle group in that particular position,” making them impractical for real life.
• Overusing Kegels can cause hypertonicity (“over-tightness”), leading to symptoms like pain, urgency, gas leaks, back pain, and even more incontinence.
• “They can cause something called hypertonicity, which is an over-tightness of the pelvic floor. And then that produces... a spiraling cycle of increasing all of these symptoms that we're talking about.” (13:02)

The Hormonal Connection & Perimenopause

• Perimenopause is described as a “second puberty” with fluctuating estrogen, progesterone, and potential testosterone loss—leading to reduced tissue elasticity and collagen production.
• Declining estrogen specifically impacts the pelvic floor and vaginal tissue, causing dryness, loss of support, and a rapid onset of symptoms like urgency, leaks, pain, and pressure.
• “Now, specific to the pelvic floor tissue, the decrease in estrogen decreases the elasticity and the collagen in all of our tissues... that's why to that particular age group, all of these different products are recommended.” (14:59-16:38)

Surprising Symptoms: Pelvic Floor & Back Pain

• Back, hip, and even neck pain can have origins in pelvic floor dysfunction, due to direct muscular and ligament attachments between these areas (17:30-17:50).

Preventative & Proactive Care Across Life Stages

Puberty & Adolescence:

• Early warning signs can arise without childbirth; repetitive high-impact sports (cheer, running) as well as chronic coughing/sneezing (allergies or asthma) can weaken the pelvic floor.
• Chronic use of compressive garments (Spanx, tight tights) also increases abdominal pressure, further risking pelvic weakness and prolapse. (34:06-38:29)

  “When you squeeze the middle of a tube of toothpaste, where does the pressure go? ...it goes right down... And that's your pelvic floor.” – Jenn (34:32)

Pregnancy:

• The growing uterus places more strain; supportive bands (termed “V2 supporter garments”) can help, but major interventions are limited.
• “If you’re peeing more than 10 times a day... during pregnancy, it's going to be a challenge.” (41:12)
• Prevention (strengthening, decompression, breathwork) is more effective before pregnancy.

Postpartum Recovery:

• Rest is essential: “In order to heal, you have to be in rest and digest, so you have to be in a less stressful place.” (48:42)
• Recommendations include gentle decompression positions, diaphragmatic breathwork, fiber & hydration, and healing sitz baths.
• Rest is advocated as a “fourth trimester”—with cultural and social supports to protect new mothers.

  “You have to fight for it... She would put a sign up on the door... ‘Do not stay for longer than this amount of time... if you are, make sure that you're helping!’” – Jenny (47:23)

Adulthood & Menopause:

• The protocol can be used as prevention, maintenance, or post-symptom intervention up to stage 2 prolapse.
• Jenn's protocol is not appropriate for severe, advanced prolapse—hands-on therapy may be required for “red zone” cases (50:10-50:55).

Practical Tips & Memorable Moments

“How To Be Kind to Your Pelvic Floor”

• Use a Squatty Potty:
  “A deep squat is actually ergonomically correct to empty your bowel and your bladder. So a very kind thing you can do for yourself is get thyself a toileting stool, aka a squatty potty for your restrooms.” (27:47)
  – Knees should be higher than hips for proper positioning. This is recommended for all ages, even for children to ease constipation.

• Avoid Compressive Garments:
  “Anything that's too tight… what you're doing is increasing your abdominal pressure, which increases the amount of force going down onto the pelvic floor.” (34:06)

• Functional Strengthening Over Kegels:
  Programs should focus on natural, functional movement and diaphragmatic breathwork, not isolated Kegels or internal devices (11:42; 24:11).

• Hydration & Fiber:
  Recommended for bowel regularity—milled chia/flax seeds, electrolyte support, and sufficient water intake (32:14).

• Weighted Vests Warning:
  Contrary to popular advice, wearing weighted vests for women with pelvic floor symptoms/prolapse can create additional downward pressure and worsen problems ("If you score in the gold zone or the red zone, please don't wear a weighted vest." 53:25).

  “The latest research shows that weighted vests do not help increase bone density. Jumping or heavy lifting is going to help increase bone density.” (53:25-53:53)

Notable Quotes

• “Our bodies are designed to heal. God did design our bodies to heal.”
  —Jenn Lormand (11:17)
• “Kegels are really just a contract release... it's only going to strengthen that muscle group in that particular position.”
  —Jenn Lormand (11:42)
• “You don't just wake up one morning with prolapse. Yes, childbirth is a big impetus for prolapse, but there was weakening that was happening before this.”
  —Jenn Lormand (36:47)
• “When you squeeze the middle of a tube of toothpaste, where does the pressure go? ...it goes right down... And that's your pelvic floor.”
  —Jenn Lormand (34:32)
• “Anything that's too tight… what you’re doing is increasing your abdominal pressure, which increases the amount of force going down onto the pelvic floor.”
  —Jenn Lormand (34:06)
• “In order to heal, you have to be in rest and digest, so you have to be in a less stressful place.”
  —Jenn Lormand (48:42)
• “If you’re peeing more than 10 times a day... during pregnancy, it's going to be a challenge.”
  —Jenn Lormand (41:12)
• “Weighted vests… if you're dealing with pelvic floor issues, it's going to progress and worsen those issues.”
  —Jenn Lormand (53:25)

Useful Timestamps

• Jenn’s birth trauma and origin story: 04:41 – 08:52
• What is prolapse (definition & risks): 09:40
• Why Kegels may not work (and may harm): 11:42 – 13:40
• Perimenopause & hormonal changes: 14:59 – 16:38
• Connection to back/hip pain: 17:30
• Jenn’s evidence-based, non-Kegel approach: 22:41 – 24:11
• Daily pelvic floor self-care routine: 24:11 – 25:20
• Squatty potty/squatting habit: 27:47 – 32:14
• Avoiding Spanx/tight garments: 34:06 – 37:24
• Prevention for teens/athletes: 38:56 – 40:49
• Pregnancy & postpartum restorative advice: 41:12 – 49:09
• Weighted vest caveat: 51:32 – 53:55
• How often should you pee? 54:00

Additional Resources

• Jenn & Christina’s Program:
  tightenyourtinkler.com (includes free quiz; signature program with code “1000hours” for discount)
• Free techniques available: Decompression positions, diaphragmatic breathwork (on website)
• Stages of prolapse: “Green, Gold, Red” guide via online quiz for personalized recommendations

Memorable Ending

Favorite Outdoor Childhood Memory
Laying in the grass, cloud gazing and making up stories about the clouds—an ordinary but deeply restorative outdoor ritual Jenn now shares with her own kids (56:21).

“All my kids laugh at me because I always make them do this… but it’s so much better than a video game, can't you tell?” —Jenn

Closing Encouragement:
This episode offers vital hope—whether you’re a young woman, a mom, or years past menopause, you don’t have to live with pelvic floor symptoms. Empowering, evidence-backed solutions exist to help regain your freedom and confidence in movement, play, and daily life.

For More:
Visit tightenyourtinkler.com to take the free assessment and access programs, or share this episode with a friend who quietly struggles with symptoms—sometimes the most helpful thing you can do is pass along good information (57:16).