There is a lot that can be done to maintain female health, including proper diet, working out, and getting enough sleep. Besides the obvious general health recommendations, there are also some other ways to keep oneself healthy without doing anything difficult or too time-consuming. Kegel exercises are an incredible way to make sure that your pelvic organs work the way they are supposed to and stay healthy. In this article, we will discuss the way the exercises should be done and which benefits you can get from them.
Which area do Kegel exercises target?
Kegel exercises, often referred to as just Kegels, are the clench and release exercises that are aimed at strengthening the pelvic area and are great for both men and women. The pelvic floor is the area of tissue and muscles between the hips that ensures the proper placement of the reproductive organs. When these muscles are weak, numerous problems can occur, such as the inability to control one’s bladder. When not exercised properly, these muscles weaken with age, but there are also other factors that can lead to this problem.
The benefits of Kegel exercises for women
Kegel exercises are universal and anyone can benefit from them, but in some situations, they are especially crucial.
When it comes to the benefits of Kegels for women, they include:
- Easier experience during pregnancy and after childbirth. During the process of delivering a baby, pelvic muscles have to go through intense stretching. In addition to that, constant pressure of the baby weight during pregnancy can really affect the state of your pelvic muscles. If you are in your third trimester of pregnancy and you notice that you are unable to hold urine at times (when coughing, sneezing, etc.), it means that your pelvic muscles cannot properly deal with the pressure. By incorporating Kegel exercises into your life, you will be able to fix this problem. Also, a benefit of doing Kegels not only after giving birth but during pregnancy is that the delivery process should be smoother.
- Strengthening the muscles during weight gain. Similarly to carrying a child during pregnancy, gaining weight has a detrimental effect on the pelvic floor muscles. If you have gained a significant amount of weight, your pelvic floor needs to be strong to support the organs, so it’s definitely a great idea to start doing the exercises even if you are in the process of losing weight.
- Supporting the body during the aging process. Aging affects our bodies in numerous ways and this includes making the muscles weaker, especially if you are not into exercising. Pelvic floor muscles get affected significantly because most people don’t consciously pay attention to them. The weakness of pelvic floor muscles can get manifested in the urine and feces incontinence. For this reason, starting to perform these strengthening exercises as soon as possible is an excellent way to prevent potential problems in the future.
- Improved sensations during sex. The previously mentioned factors can not only make your life more difficult than it should be but also lead to the reduction of the sensations during sex. Practicing Kegels allows your muscles to remain strong so you can tighten them during sex and experience more pleasure. This ability will not only improve your sensations as a woman, but also allow your partner to get more stimulation.
Happy Family Store suggest that urinary incontinence may not always be the sign of pelvic floor weakness but rather other health issue, such as nerve disorder. In such a way, it’s important to first determine whether your problems are caused due to the weak pelvic floor by consulting a medical specialist and undergoing a physical examination if needed.
Locating the right muscles
The first step in doing the exercises correctly and getting the results is to determine which muscles have to be clenched and released in the process. The easiest way to locate the Kegel muscles for the majority of people is to pretend that they have to urinate and then stop the flow of urine. If pretending seems difficult, you can do this while actually urinating. All you need to do is start urinating and then stop. Repeat this several times until you get an understanding of which muscles have to be engaged.
When Kegeling, females should feel that the muscles around vagina and anus tighten and move upwards. At the same time, the abdomen, thighs, and buttocks should be relaxed. A way to determine whether you are using correct muscles is to insert a clean finger into a vagina. When clenching the pelvic floor muscles you will feel them tighten around your finger.
How do the exercises have to be performed?
After you find which muscles you have to squeeze, you can start doing the exercises. At first, it may be difficult to do the recommended number of repeats, so you should do as much as you can on a regular basis to progress.
The following Kegel exercises for women should be performed 2-3 times a day:
- Make sure that your bladder is empty before you start.
- Breathe deeply and try to relax.
- You can do the exercises while lying down or seated, whatever feels most comfortable.
- You should squeeze the muscles and count to 10 or as much as you can.
- Repeat the squeezing 10 times 3 times a day. Do not squeeze too hard, as it can cause your vagina muscles to tighten too much, thus making penetration during sex more difficult.
- With practice, you will be able to do Kegels 20 times 3 times a day, which is generally considered enough to get the most benefit.
- There is no need to go overboard and do more exercises than necessary, as it can lead to too much straining in the area.
- Another precaution to remember is that doing Kegels while peeing is recommended only at the beginning stages to find the right muscles. Once you know what you are doing, you should not perform them while urinating, as it can negatively affect your bladder.
- There should be no pain in the process and if there is, you are either doing them incorrectly or you need to consult a medical specialist to figure out the cause of the issue.
You should be able to notice the reduction of the symptoms in about 4-6 weeks depending on how severe they are. If you have suffered from urinary incontinence or other noticeable symptoms of pelvic floor weakness, it’s important that you continue doing the exercises even after you get the results. Just like other muscles, when not worked out, they will become weak again over time.
Overall, Kegel exercises are easy to repeat and with enough practice, you can do them anywhere without anyone noticing.