Best Incontinence Exercises for Seniors to Improve Bladder Control (2025)

A leaky bladder isn’t the end of the story—it’s your body asking for attention. Urinary incontinence can feel frustrating, but for many seniors, it’s not just about weakness. It’s often about pressure imbalances, postural misalignment, tension, and forgotten breath patterns. The good news? With the right exercises, you can begin to restore pelvic vitality and feel confident again.

Many incontinence symptoms come from a disconnect in the body’s pressure system. Your core, breath, and pelvic floor are a team. When that team is out of sync—due to age, surgery, habits, or trauma—leaks happen. Movement helps you:

• Reconnect with your pelvic floor
• Release unnecessary tension
• Realign posture for optimal bladder support
• Rewire the nervous system to feel safe and strong again

Let’s explore exercises that help—not through strain or force—but through softness, breath, and awareness.

Related article: Tight Pelvic Floor and Bladder Issues: Causes & Solutions

Before strength comes softness. Before control comes awareness. Breath is your first tool in reconnecting to your pelvic floor.

How to Practice Lateral Breath

1. Sit upright or lie down with knees bent.

2. Place your hands around your lower ribs.

3. Inhale through your nose and feel the ribs expand sideways (not upwards).

4. Exhale softly, relaxing the belly and jaw.

5. Continue for 5–10 rounds.

This breath allows your diaphragm and pelvic floor to move in rhythm—lengthening, releasing, and coordinating again. Most women don’t need to “tighten” the pelvic floor. They need to teach it to respond.

Here is a complete follow-along playlist to get started with:

This gentle pose helps you engage the deep core and glutes while staying connected to your breath.

How to Do It:

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat.

2. Take 2 rounds of lateral breath.

3. On your next exhale, gently press your heels into the floor and lift your hips just a few inches.

4. Imagine your tailbone lengthening and your pelvic floor gently lifting.

5. Inhale to stay. Exhale to lower slowly.

6. Repeat 8–10 times.

Modifications:

• Place a folded blanket under your pelvis for support.
• If lying down is difficult, perform pelvic tilts seated or standing with a wall.

Squatting is a natural way to train the pelvic floor to both lengthen and lift. It engages glutes, legs, and core without strain.

How to Practice:

1. Stand in front of a chair with your feet hip-width apart.

2. Inhale to prepare.

3. As you exhale, gently engage your lower belly and sit back into the chair.

4. Inhale to stay.

5. Exhale and stand back up using your glutes.

6. Repeat 5–10 times.

Tips:

• Keep knees in line with your toes.
• If balance is a concern, hold onto a countertop or wall.

Sometimes, incontinence comes from over-tensioned pelvic muscles. This restorative pose helps soften and rebalance.

How to Practice:

1. Lie on your back with the soles of your feet together, knees falling open.

2. Place pillows under your knees if needed.

3. Rest one hand on your heart, one on your belly.

4. Breathe slowly, allowing your body to melt and release.

5. Stay for 3–5 minutes.

This is not about “doing,” but undoing the patterns that cause tightness and fatigue.

Poor posture = pressure on your bladder. This gentle exercise realigns your spine and opens the chest to reduce downward pressure.

How to Practice:

1. Stand with your back and head against a wall, feet slightly forward.

2. Bring your arms up like a goalpost, elbows and wrists touching the wall if possible.

3. Inhale and slide your arms upward.

4. Exhale and slide them down slowly.

5. Repeat 5–8 times.

This helps restore spinal alignment so your pelvic organs have the support they need from above.

When the nervous system is stuck in “freeze” mode, the pelvic floor stays tight and unresponsive. Gentle shaking resets your body’s natural regulation systems.

How to Try It:

1. Stand or sit in a chair.

2. Bounce your heels gently up and down.

3. Let your arms swing. Shake your wrists, your head, your shoulders.

4. Do this for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

5. Breathe and feel.

This may feel silly—but it’s powerfully effective at restoring flow, circulation, and vitality to the whole body.

Here is a practice to follow-along to:

Your brain plays a huge role in muscle response. If you think of your pelvic floor as broken or collapsed, it will respond that way. Visualisation reprograms that.

Try This:

1. Close your eyes and take a few slow breaths.

2. Imagine your pelvic organs supported and buoyant, floating upward on each exhale.

3. Picture soft, healthy tissues gently hugging and releasing with ease.

4. Repeat silently: “I am healing. I am strong. I am supported.”

Even five minutes of this daily can rewire how your brain interacts with your body.

Here is more:

Set Up a Routine That Works for You

• Practice 2–3 of these exercises daily.
• Link them to existing habits (after brushing teeth, before bed).
• Use soft music, a timer, or reminders to stay consistent.

Celebrate Subtle Wins

• Fewer leaks on walks? Celebrate.
• More awareness during sneezes? Celebrate.
• The ability to feel your pelvic floor again? That’s a huge win.

Support Your Body Beyond Exercise

• Hydration: Sip water throughout the day, avoiding large amounts before bedtime.
• Nutrition: Include collagen-rich or anti-inflammatory foods.
• Movement Snacks: Stand, stretch, or shake every hour.
• Sleep: Elevate hips slightly using a pillow to support overnight healing.

If you’re unsure where to begin—or want to ensure you’re doing movements safely—consider working with a pelvic-aware movement guide or joining a structured program like our 12-week Total Pelvic Freedom Program. It’s never too late to start. Women in their 60s, 70s, and 80s have seen remarkable changes using these gentle methods.

Incontinence isn’t a life sentence—it’s a signal. A sign that your body is calling you home. That it’s time to listen, move, breathe, and reclaim.

You are wise. You are resilient. You are worthy of a body that holds you with strength and ease. Start small. Stay curious. And remember—healing doesn’t happen in a rush. It happens in rhythm.