Have you ever had this happen to you? You are on a zoom call with friends of yours, you have some wine (or if you are a real rebel, you actually go to their house! You actually sit on their sofa and pet their pussy cat while casually/discretely lifting your N-95 mask to sip your chardonnay or nibble on a cracker or some cheese)….then it happens….a joke, a funny moment or some antics happen and then the dreaded guffaw and laughter ensues! You feel it coming but there is nothing you can do! I am not talking about the bursts of laughter, I am talking about the dribble, warm wetness that spreads into your underwear (and possibly their sofa) due to yet, another leak! Fortunately for you though, you planned ahead and are using a guard, pad, or Depends or Tena disposable underwear and feel you are covered. It is commonly believed this scenario only happens to women “of a certain age” but this can happen to women of all ages as well as men and trans people too! However…what if I were to tell you that there is a way to keep from having accidents when you cough, sneeze, or laugh? It is called the knack! No, not the 1970’s band who did “My Sharona” but a simple trick you can do to reduce the risk of accidental leaks when you cough, sneeze, or laugh. Do you remember your Kegel/ Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise (PFME)? For those of you who do not know what I am talking about, a Kegel/PFME is when you contract/tighten/clentch your pelvic floor muscles, often by tightening the anus and/or the muscle up front that keep you from peeing, and even the vaginal muscles, if you have one. Basically you are trying to raise the taint up into you, which for some of us is like trying to raise the dead! Read one of my earlier articles for more information about Kegel/Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise (PFME). So…..you are now sitting at your computer, reading this article, doing a Kegel/PFME. Faaaabulous! The next step is to continue holding that Kegel/PFME whenever you feel the need to sneeze, cough, or laugh! This also works when you are needing to stand up or sit down from a chair or lift anything of weight. This is also known as stress incontinence, which is not because you are stressed out but because your pelvic floor muscles are too weak or too tight to keep the valves closed while they are under the stress of coughing, sneezing, laughing, or moving. Do you want to get back to exercising but hate having to use a pad, or even one of the designer disposable underwear? Try the knack first and if that is not working well enough for you, then call or text me (Charles) at 443-742-0019 or even email me at charles@dudleypt.com. If you are not ready for that step yet, I am having a free zoom workshop July 11th at 10am. Still unsure if this really is you? Do you think you may have a bladder issue but uncertain not ready yet to talk to another person about it? Take this quick and easy survey and find out! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7CX2K6T