We all have pelvic floor muscles.
They are attached to the inside of the pelvis and form a sling between
the legs supporting our internal organs. If they were not there, all
our insides would fall out !
The strength of these muscles is reduced in pregnancy and in very
obese individuals.
The tone of the muscle also reduces as we get older and gravity begins
to take over causing our internal organs to drop and rest on the
muscles causing them to weaken. When the muscle is weak, we experience
incontinence when coughing, sneezing or jumping.
It is therefore important to regain control of the pelvic floor muscle
and there is no age limit when in starting.
In Fitness Pilates, we focus on this muscle while re-educating the
other core stability muscles which form the internal corset.

Pelvic floor exercises
Learning how to use the pelvic floor again is an exercise in itself
and should be performed as often as possible.
To check the strength of your pelvic floor, next time you go to the
bathroom, try and stop the flow of urine half way. The muscle you use
to do this is the pelvic floor muscle.
If you find this impossible, you should consult your doctor to check
the severity of the weakness as it can lead to prolapse and
incontinence in both men and women.
This Kegel exercise will help :
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Relax the buttocks and leg
muscles.
Begin to tighten the muscle around the back passage. Don't squeeze the
buttocks when doing this.
Try to take this feeling now towards the front : the muscle you rely
on when you need to prevent passing urine.
Try to hold this for a couple of breaths and then relax.
Try doing these exercises on a regular daily basis.
You can do them while sitting in the car, standing in line in the
supermarket or just watching TV.
Doing these anywhere and anytime is extremely important to our health
and well being.

The pelvic lift / elevator
Think of the pelvic floor muscle as a lift/elevator inside the body.
When you engage the muscle, the elevator comes up to the 1st floor.
Hold it for at least one breath before relaxing back to the ground
floor.
As it gets stronger, it will feel as if it is coming up to the 2nd
floor - try not to let it drop back down but release it slowly.

The importance of working the pelvic floor
The above exercise helps us to work the pelvic floor slowly and with
control and by doing this, we increase the "slow twitch" fibres. These
fibres increase the stamina within the muscle and help to sustain it's
strength.
As we age, we fight against gravity but strengthening the pelvic floor
and core stabilisers keeps our muscles in place and assists in core
strength.
We also use our "fast twitch" fibres in cases of emergency ie when
coughing, sneezing, when we slip or jump and these also need
conditioning.
To condition them, do the above exercises but quickly like switching a
light on and off repeatedly : pulling up and releasing.
Do these anywhere, any time.

See the picture here : http://www.style-pilates.com/pilates-powerhouse.html