Bailamama: Squeeze tight and baila!

V ery often, women pay more attention to their triceps and biceps than to their pelvic floor muscles – even though those muscles keep the stomach flat and the posture straight, and can have a crucial effect on women’s sex lives. Scan Magazine spoke to Maija Kiljunen, co-ordinator of the Squeeze Tight campaign and creator of Bailamama®.

The campaign, supported by Finnish midwives, gynaecologists and physiotherapists, encourages women to take part in a pelvic floor exercising challenge. By signing up, you get a free pelvic floor training programme and a weekly newsletter. The campaign also offers a seven-day online kick-start Venus programme. The campaign headline, ‘Squeeze tight when you see red traffic lights’, works as a memory technique.

A few years ago, Kiljunen herself came up with a concept of fun group exercise classes called Bailamama®. After having two babies, she got fed up with the serious tone health professionals were using when encouraging women to train their pelvic floor muscles. She thought it would be much more fun to train in a group.

With Bailamama®, women can go ‘baila’, while training their pelvic floor muscles. The secret of the brand’s success is basically that the classes are a lot of fun. With Bailamama®, training becomes regular and part of a routine.

Kiljunen is hoping that the Squeeze Tight campaign and Bailamama® will take the feeling of embarrassment away from the topic of pelvic floor muscles, so that women can enjoy their bodies fully.

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