Kegel exercises are a bunch of clench and release exercises that strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Your pelvic floor muscles hold your reproductive organs in place. When these muscles become weak, it may lead to loss of bowel and bladder control. As we all get older, Kegel exercises are important, for men and women alike.
How to Perform Kegel Exercises?
Before you begin Kegel exercises, you need to get into a comfortable position with your buttocks and tummy relaxed. Start by squeezing the muscles of your pelvic floor for 5 seconds. Release the muscles and wait for 10 seconds before repeating to avoid straining the muscles altogether. Repeat 10 times and do this 3 - 4 times a day.
Do it the Right Way!
When you do a Kegel exercise, make sure you are contracting inwards and upwards which is a sensation of stopping urine midstream or holding gas. It shouldn’t feel like a bowel movement; if it does, then you are doing it all wrong, and that can cause more harm than good.
It is also important that you follow a routine with the right number of contractions during each session. You should monitor your progress, and the routine should increase in difficulty as your strength increases. If you are facing difficulty performing the exercises you should seek help from your doctor.
The Best Kegel Exercises To Try Out
Here are some of the best Kegel exercises you can try out. They don’t need a lot of work, and you can try them out in the comfort of your home.
1 Pull-in Kegels: Pull your legs up and in as you tense your buttocks while lying on your back. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then release. Repeat 10 times.
2. The Bridge: Do the regular Kegel exercise, but this time put your body in a bridge position. This strengthens your pelvic floor and your glutes as well.
3. The Clamshell: Lie on one side, lift one knee up and rotate it outwards to strengthen the pelvic muscles.
4. The Reverser: This is also like the classic Kegel, only you need to forcefully exhale as you release your pelvic floor muscles.
5. Building Endurance: Lift your pelvis as you squeeze your pelvic floor muscles and hold the position for as long as you can.
6. The Relaxer: Squeeze your pelvic muscles as hard as you can and hold them for about 2 seconds and then relax completely. Breathe deeply as you clench and relax.
7. The Quick Hit: Clench and release your pelvic muscles in quick successions without relaxing in between.
The Pelvic floor muscles consist of two different kinds of muscle fibres - The fast-twitch fibres that react quickly to pressure like a cough or sneeze and the slow-twitch fibres that are useful for the long-term support of your organs. Both these fibres need different types of exercises.
For a fully strengthened pelvic floor, you should use combinations of the different exercises listed above to maintain a strong bladder and bowel control.
Follow @Natural_Answers
