Kegel Exercises for Women: A Simple Exercise for Better Health and a Better Sex Life
“Kegel exercises are often mentioned when we talk about women’s sexual and reproductive health. What are these exercises? What are its benefits?
What are Kegel exercises for women?
In the gym, we often use words like “feet day” or “arms day” to refer to exercises related to specific body parts. But have you ever heard of “Vagina Day?” Yes, the vagina needs a workout, and we're not talking about masturbation or sex.
There are exercises specifically for the vagina, known as Kegel exercises.
The exercises are named after Dr. Arnold Kegel, an American gynecologist who developed them in the 1940s.
They are also called pelvic floor exercises because they strengthen the pelvic muscles that support the vagina, uterus, rectum, bladder, and small intestine. That's a lot of organs, more than your pelvic muscles can handle. Isn't it?
Can Kegel exercises help me exercise my pelvic floor?
Your pelvic floor muscles may weaken over time due to overloading. Weak pelvic muscles can lead to issues such as leakage of urine, feces or foul odors.
Severe weakness of these muscles can lead to a condition called “pelvic prolapse,” which means that one or more of the organs supported by the pelvic muscles have moved out of their original position, pressing against or separating from the vagina. As you can imagine, this condition can be uncomfortable and painful.
Pelvic prolapse may be caused by aging, pregnancy, natural childbirth, or constant coughing and sneezing. Symptoms of pelvic prolapse may or may not be present.
Performing Kegel exercises regularly and correctly can prevent pelvic prolapse and alleviate its symptoms if you suffer from it.
Can Kegel exercises lead to a great orgasm?
Yes. Kegel exercises improve the sexual experience by enhancing muscle strength, thereby enhancing orgasmic contractions. And a great orgasm means a great sex life.
In addition to Kegel exercises, there are other exercises for a better sex life, such as squats, where you stand with your feet slightly wider than arm's length apart, then lower yourself down so that your thighs drop below 90 degrees, and stand back up again. This exercise also strengthens your pelvic muscles.
Are Kegel exercises good for pregnant women?
Pregnant women who practice Kegel exercises regularly usually experience an easier delivery. Strengthening those muscles during pregnancy makes you able to control your muscles during childbirth.
Pregnant women who practice Kegel exercises regularly usually experience an easier delivery. Strengthening those muscles during pregnancy makes you able to control your muscles during childbirth.
Strengthening these muscles alleviates two common issues during pregnancy: poor bladder control and hemorrhoids.
Kegel exercises are also recommended after pregnancy, as they help speed up the recovery of the perineum after delivery, restore bladder control and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
How do you do Kegel exercises?
The word exercise always implies a difficult commitment, but Kegel exercises differ in that they can be done while lying in bed, on your way to work, while watching TV or surfing the Internet, or generally while doing any other work.
The relatively difficult part is trying to feel the position of the pelvic muscles until you isolate and exercise them.
It's only hard at first, and it gets easier with practice.
Here are some ways to identify your pelvic muscles:
While urinating, stop the flow of urine for several seconds. Remember which muscle you pulled to stop urination. The muscles that do this are the pelvic floor muscles that we want to identify and exercise with Kegel exercises.
But remember not to repeat the process of stopping urination too often because it can lead to diseases and other health issues.
Pretend like you're farting. Let's face it, we've all been there, trying to stop a fart in an elevator, a conference room, a crowded bus or a train car. So we've all felt the position of our pelvic muscles.
Imagine contracting your vaginal muscles around a tampon, menstrual cup, sex toy, or penis. This feeling connects you to the contraction of your pelvic muscles.
One of my favorite ways to feel pelvic muscles is while lying on your back. It's important to make sure you don't move your stomach, butt, or thigh muscles. We want to move the pelvic muscles and nothing else with them.
The moment we identify the pelvic muscles, we can do Kegel exercises. It's as simple as that.
Repeat this muscle movement ten times while holding the contraction for 3 to 5 seconds, and then relax for the same amount of time.
After you get used to Kegel exercises, you can gradually increase the duration of the contraction to ten seconds and the number of repetitions to 40.
It is important to avoid putting pressure on muscles other than the pelvic muscles.
It's also important not to expect results too quickly; Kegel exercises, like any other exercise, require consistency and patience. Most likely you will see results within a few weeks of practicing the exercises.