Why Are We Peeing Our Pants? The Needed Pelvic Floor Conversation with Nikki Bergen

<p>EP. 99<strong> Leaking when you sneeze, jumping on the trampoline, or working out?</strong> Feeling pressure or heaviness? Wondering why your core doesn’t feel the way it used to? <strong>So many women quietly deal with pelvic floor issues</strong> and assume they’re just a normal part of aging, motherhood, or menopause. But <strong>according to Pilates expert and women’s health educator Nikki Bergen, there’s so much more we can do.</strong></p><p>In this episode of <strong>Bright Side Up, we’re going there. Nikki, </strong>founder of The Belle Method and a leading voice in women’s pelvic health, breaks down what the pelvic floor actually does, how to recognize when<strong> something isn’t working properly,</strong> and the everyday habits that can either support or strain it.</p><p>We also <strong>talk about the biggest fitness mistakes women make, </strong>including common ab exercises that may be putting unnecessary pressure on the pelvic floor, and what we should be doing instead. Plus, <strong>Nikki explains what happens to our pelvic health during perimenopause</strong>, why symptoms can suddenly appear in our 40s, and how Pilates and strength training can help us feel stronger and more confident in our bodies.</p><p>If you’ve ever <strong>felt like your body is permanently “broken” after having kids or getting older, this conversation is for you. </strong>Nikki shares why it’s never too late to rebuild strength, improve your pelvic health, and feel at home in your body again.</p><p><strong>We cover:</strong></p><p>• What the pelvic floor actually does and why every woman should understand it<br>• Why leaking is common, but not something you simply have to live with<br>• The biggest pelvic floor mistakes women make at the gym<br>• What your favorite ab exercises might be doing to your pelvic floor<br>• How perimenopause and hormonal changes affect pelvic health<br>• Pilates vs. traditional core exercises<br>• Kegels: are they actually the answer?<br>• How to protect your pelvic floor for life<br>• What to do if you feel like your body will never be the same<br>• The one thing Nikki wants every woman to stop doing and start doing today</p><p>This is a must-listen for any woman who wants to get stronger, understand her changing body, and stop accepting discomfort or dysfunction as “just part of getting older.”</p><p>Watch the Show <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@brightsideup-d7v?si=671AjascymNJugPa" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a></p><p>Connect with The Belle Method <a href="https://thebellemethod.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a></p><p>Connect with Nikki <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thebellemethod/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a></p><p>Connect with Bright Side Up on IG<a href="https://www.instagram.com/livebrightsideup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"> here</a></p><p>Connect with Erin Salvetti on IG <a href="https://www.instagram.com/erinsalvetti/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a></p><p>Connect with Chelsea Valentino on IG <a href="https://www.instagram.com/healthy_with_chelsea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a></p><p>Sign up for our BSU Edit <a href="https://www.livebrightsideup.com/2026-retreat" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a></p><p>This Episode is sponsored by <strong>Epicutis: </strong>Skincare that works as hard as you do. </p>