LIZ TREVASKIS, PRESENTER: Don’t know if it is, but the power that you have plugs over your pelvic floor.
Did you know you had one? It’s breaking news here on ABC Radio Darwin and across the Territory and together we are going to work on our pelvic floor strength. Little group exercise coming up next.
And look, I do a lot of social media scrolling to see what’s happening out there in the world. A lot of it is a bin fire except recently I scrolled upon this public service announcement which read thus. Alright fellas, did you know there’s a workout that you can do anywhere anytime and without breaking a sweat or your suit. Not push ups or sit ups but pelvic floor exercises. Yep, those ones.
And this was a post on the page of Federal New South Wales MP Dan Repacholi. He is the Special Envoy for Men’s Health. He’s a former Olympic shooter, former owner of a Territory worthy beard.
Dan, good afternoon.
DAN REPACHOLI, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MEN’S HEALTH: Good afternoon Liz and good afternoon listeners.
TREVASKIS: You used to have a very good beard but I think the beard’s gone.
REPACHOLI: The beard has gone. I shaved it off. I made the big decision to shave it off but I did it for charity. So we raised over $142,000 and that got split between three charities. That was the Mark Hughes Foundation which is all around brain cancer got 50 per cent. 25 per cent went to CareFlight Australia and 25 per cent went to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
TREVASKIS: Alright and how did the loved ones in your life react when you came home a skin face. Have you got kids. Did they freak out.
REPACHOLI: My daughters were filthy about it. They’re 10 and 12 and have never seen me without a beard. My wife married me without a beard so she knew what she was in for but my daughters were filthy.
TREVASKIS: Yeah I bet they were. Who is this strange man in my house.
You’re not here to talk about the disappearing beard. We’re going further down the anatomy, further down the body towards a part of the body that I have to confess until I saw your post last week I didn’t even know that men have a pelvic floor. Men have a pelvic floor. They do what how why.
REPACHOLI: So your pelvic floor is basically a little hammock of muscle that sits between your tailbone and your pubic bone. And when it’s working properly it helps control the bladder, it helps bowel control and also helps what we’re all into which is sexual function.
The reason that I think a lot of women know about this is because this important piece of infrastructure that holds those things in place can be quite damaged during pregnancy and childbirth and then we know about it through incontinence and bladder issues.
TREVASKIS: When do men start realising that they have a pelvic floor and they need to do something about it.
REPACHOLI: For men it’s usually when they’re older that they find out this and wish that 10 years ago they started pelvic floor exercises. And it’s quite simple really. It’s just standing there and trying to hold in a fart, suck in a fart and hold it for three seconds.
If you can do that 10 times in one session, two sessions a day that take no time whatsoever, you’ll have massive dividends at the end of it when you’re older and you possibly could be having some incontinence issues, some sexual function issues as well and not looking after your bowels as well. So just got to make sure we’re onto these early.
And you can do them anywhere. Gents you can be sitting at the pub. The blokes around you have no idea. You could be sitting at bowls. It could be anywhere. You could be sitting on the couch as well.
TREVASKIS: I will of course get you to lead us through the exercise together. You just described it but we’ll warm everyone up to this and we’ll do it all together as one in a moment.
Dan when did you find out this piece of information though. Did you always know that you had a pelvic floor that needed some attention or is this new information for you as well.
REPACHOLI: So no this is relatively new for me. I’ve known for a couple of years now. I myself had a couple of little issues with my bowels in the past. No major issues but the doctor said you should just get onto this. And so I started doing it.
It’s something that I do regularly as you end by one of my social media posts but sometimes I’m lazy on it but I should be doing a lot more. And since putting that post back up it’s reminded me to get onto my sucking my farts.
TREVASKIS: I mean you should just do that anyway shouldn’t you. Like that’s probably a different conversation. Gastroenterologist might need to address that question for us.
Have you been doing them on the floor of Parliament House because this is my favourite thing I’ve seen on social media for a long time. Are you actually doing them out there.
REPACHOLI: Look it’s a good time when you’re sitting there on your own or when you’re sitting next to Matt who’s my buddy at the booth there. You never know what’s happening in those places. But I certainly do them where I can and when I can. So there’s a bit of downtime in there. So I can promise you it happens occasionally. As a matter of fact I’m doing them now.
TREVASKIS: Dan Repacholi, he is the Special Envoy for Men’s Health, New South Wales Federal MP, former Olympic shooter, former owner of a Territory worthy beard but shaved it off for charity so we’ll allow it.
Have you been having conversations with the men around you about this stuff and how’s it been going down. Because I asked a colleague on air before if he was doing his and off air he said to me are you allowed to ask me that or do I need to call HR.
So how have the conversations been going.
REPACHOLI: So they’re interesting conversations and I’ll be absolutely honest with all the listeners here. I am not a typical politician. I left school at 15 to become a tradie. I’ve worked blue collar my whole life and I’ve been lucky enough to represent the country in a sport I love.
So I am a very different person and I speak normal language. If you come across this and talk like you’re talking like a politician everybody turns off and I don’t blame them because I bloody would as well.
So we need to talk to blokes where blokes are at. If they’re at the pub, if they’re on the sports field, if they’re watching sport, if they’re sitting on the couch. However it is we need to speak in very simple language that men understand because we are simple creatures. There’s no doubt about that.
You women are amazing and all over the health of yourselves and the health of your bodies. Unfortunately us as blokes we’re not as in tune with ourselves as what you amazing women are and that’s something that we are getting a bit better at. We’ve got a long way to go.
And having conversations like this really open up. I talk a lot about prostate issues. I talk a lot about bowel cancer. It’s just simple little tests that we need to get done.
For instance with your prostate you no longer need a finger in the bum. It’s a simple little prick on your finger and a blood test. But so many men still think it’s that harsh conversation with the doctor. It’s simply not that anymore.
We need to be having these simple honest conversations with men all around the country to make sure we’re looking after our health so that we’re around for our loved ones for as long as we possibly can.
TREVASKIS: Absolutely and I love Dan that you’re a man leading this conversation because sometimes that’s not how this goes. So I’m very impressed.
The exercises you’re going to lead us through those in just a moment but we skimmed over maybe one of the main reasons that men might be interested in looking after their pelvic floor. Bowel and bladder is relevant for women as well but sexual function must be specific for men. Does the pelvic floor keep all of that in place. How does that work.
REPACHOLI: It keeps all that going quite well. I’m not a medical expert so I can’t tell you the exact things it does. But if you are concerned definitely speak to your GP.
We need to be going in as blokes talking to our GPs every 12 months and having a blood test. If this triggers you to go in and get a blood test done and have that conversation then that’s a job well done.
We service our cars every 10,000 kilometres but we don’t service ourselves. So we need to make sure we’re looking after ourselves and having these conversations with medically trained experts. Sometimes we just need a little nudge in the right direction from someone from a different area and a different point of view.
TREVASKIS: Alright well talk us through it. It’s not going to take very long. No one’s going to know you’re doing it. If you’re behind the wheel, waiting in line, on the bus, no one knows what we’re about to do together as a team right across the Territory from Alice Springs to Tennant Creek, Katherine, Darwin and Palmerston.
Dan Repacholi, Special Envoy for Men’s Health, lead us in this exercise.
REPACHOLI: So a couple of deep breaths in. Squeeze the muscles. Which muscles are holding it. The muscles you hold. The holding muscles. Your sphincter muscles. Squeeze those in. It should feel like you’re pulling everything up.
Hold there for a few seconds. Just three. And then relax.
Do this 10 times twice a day sitting or standing or lying down. You know what would be a good conversation. If you’re sitting at the pub or the club with your mates and go you know what gents let’s get into this. Let’s do our pelvic floors.
TREVASKIS: Alright well we’ve done one. Does it get difficult by the time you get to 10. I reckon it probably does, revealing that I am not doing my pelvic floor exercises regularly as I need to as well.
Dan Repacholi we’ll get you back on the show to talk more men’s health. Thanks for your time.
REPACHOLI: Thank you very much and thank you listeners. Enjoy those pelvic floor exercises.
TREVASKIS: Enjoy them my friends.
He is a bloke spoke. That is Dan Repacholi, Special Envoy for Men’s Health. Did you know fellas that you had one. And did you know about the new prostate exam. Don’t need a finger up the bum. I’ve learned so much.