You may have heard of these "Kegel exercises" ( You may have heard the name Kegel exercises before, or maybe you haven't. However, these are very simple, yet very useful exercises. Especially as a woman, it is very important for you to know about them. Today, we will talk about them in detail, just like you would tell a friend.
What are Kegel exercises? Where in our body do they affect?
Simply put, Kegel exercises are exercises that strengthen the muscles in your pelvic floor . Now you may be wondering what these pelvic floor muscles are. Imagine, in your lower abdomen, that is, your bladder, intestines, and in women, your vagina, there is a system of muscles that help keep those organs in place and provide support from below. It is like a net that holds these organs up.
It's important to keep these muscles working properly. They help with things like peeing, pooping, and even sex. Kegel exercises involve deliberately tightening and then slowly relaxing the pelvic floor muscles. Just like lifting dumbbells to build muscle in your arms, this strengthens the pelvic floor muscles.
What are the benefits of Kegel exercises?
This Exercise can help you with a number of problems. Take a look:
- Urinary Incontinence: Some people leak a little urine when laughing, coughing, sneezing, or lifting heavy objects, so this is a good solution for that situation.
- Urge Incontinence: A sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate.
- Inability to control bowel movements ( Fecal Incontinence : Sometimes a small amount of stool leaks without you even realizing it.
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Sometimes it feels like something is coming out of the vagina, or an organ drops into the vagina. Kegel exercises can help with this too.
In addition to this, Kegel exercises are also said to help improve your sexual health and increase sexual satisfaction (orgasms). In fact, almost everyone can benefit from these Kegel exercises.
What really happens with Kegel exercises?
Think of this exercise as helping to keep your pelvic floor muscles "fit". We need to keep them strong like any other muscle . If we don't, the problems mentioned earlier will arise.
If these pelvic floor muscles become weak, you may have difficulty controlling your bladder and bowels, and you may even pass gas without realizing it. These muscles can weaken as you age, during pregnancy, after childbirth, or after surgery.
Who really needs to do these Kegel exercises?
Anything that puts pressure or strain on your pelvic floor muscles can weaken them, reducing the support they provide to your organs. Here are some situations where your pelvic floor muscles are more likely to weaken:
- Pregnancy : The weight of the baby puts a lot of pressure on these muscles.
- Childbirth: These muscles can become weak during normal childbirth as well as after a cesarean section (C-section) .
- Obesity or Overweight: You are at risk if your Body Mass Index (BMI) is over 30 (obese) or over 25 (overweight).
- Surgery in your pelvic area:
- Aging: Like all muscles in the body, this one naturally weakens with age.
- Constipation or chronic coughing: Both of these put unnecessary pressure on the pelvic floor.
- Certain exercises: These muscles can also be stressed during exercises such as jumping, sprinting, and heavy lifting.
But one thing to remember is that Kegel exercises are not for everyone. Sometimes, doing too many Kegels, or doing them unnecessarily, can make the muscles tense or tight. Therefore, it is best to seek medical advice.
Pregnancy and Kegel exercises
If you're pregnant, doing Kegel exercises during pregnancy is said to make delivery easier. This is because it gives you greater control over your pelvic floor muscles during labor. It also helps with:
- Bladder control.
- Strengthening the muscles to support the weight of the baby in the womb.
- Reducing conditions such as frequent urination.
- Helping with pushing during normal childbirth.
- To speed up the healing of perineal wounds after childbirth.
How do I find these pelvic floor muscles?
This is the problem that many people have. Okay, try this:
1. Try to stop urinating: When you are sitting on the toilet and peeing, try to stop urinating suddenly. That is when you are looking for the muscles that tighten. But don't do this all the time, just do it to identify the muscles. Stopping urinating all the time can cause an infection.
2. Imagine stopping the flow of air: When you feel like passing air, remember the muscles you use to stop it. These are the pelvic floor muscles.
3. Try using a finger: Insert a clean finger into your vagina and try to squeeze the muscles around your vagina with your finger. You should feel a pressure and tightness around your finger.
Remember that "claw vending machine" you used to play with when you were a kid? It has a claw that comes down from the top to grab a toy. It comes down, opens, grabs the toy, and then closes again and goes up. That's how you should feel when you tighten these muscles, like you're grabbing something and pulling it up.
Okay, now how exactly do you do these Kegel exercises?
This is very simple. All you have to do is tighten the pelvic floor muscles you have identified, hold for a while, and then slowly relax them. Start by doing it a few times. Then gradually increase the time you hold the muscles and the number of times you do them (in a set). It is good to do this exercise two or three times a day.
Try it this way:
1. First, find your pelvic floor muscles as mentioned earlier.
2. Hold those muscles for about 3 seconds. Breathe normally. Do not tighten the muscles in your stomach, buttocks, or thighs. Only the muscles in your pelvic floor should tighten.
3. Then relax those muscles completely for 3 seconds. This is one Kegel exercise.
4. Try to do this about 10 times in a row. If 10 times is too difficult at first, start with about 5 times. Increase the number as you get stronger. We call this a "set."
5. Do one set in the morning and one set at night.
6. As you get stronger, increase the number of times. For example, instead of holding for 3 seconds, hold for 5 seconds. Make the relaxation time 5 seconds.
7. Next, increase the number of Kegels you do in one set to 10 (if you don't already have one).
8. Finally, increase the number of sets you do per day from two to three.
The best thing to do is to tighten for 5 seconds, relax for 5 seconds, and do that 10 times (one set) three times a day.
How do I know if I'm doing these Kegel exercises correctly?
Kegel exercises should not hurt anywhere. If you feel pain in your stomach, lower back, or head, you are probably holding your breath or tightening the wrong muscles.
If you have trouble finding your pelvic floor muscles, or if you feel pain or discomfort when doing these exercises, you may be doing them wrong. In such cases, it is best to seek help from a healthcare provider .
If you do Kegel exercises correctly, you will notice that your symptoms will gradually decrease over a few weeks. For example, you will notice that your urinary frequency has decreased.
How do I know if my pelvic floor is strong?
If your pelvic floor is strong, you may experience things like:
- There is little or no involuntary leakage of urine or stool.
- Frequent, sudden urge to urinate or defecate.
- Feeling like you can control your bladder and bowels.
- Being able to do Kegel exercises easily.
How hard should you squeeze when doing Kegels?
You want to tighten your Kegels until you feel them "working." However, be careful not to tighten your inner thigh muscles, back muscles, buttock muscles, or stomach muscles. Tightening these muscles means you're not doing the exercise properly.
Also, don't squeeze so hard that you suffocate. Breathe normally while doing Kegels. You may find it helpful to count out loud to help you maintain your normal breathing pattern.
What is the best position to do Kegel exercises? Sitting or standing?
You can do this exercise lying down, sitting down, or standing up. If your pelvic floor muscles are weak, it may be easier to do it lying down first. Choose the position that is most comfortable for you. In each position, focus on squeezing and lifting the pelvic floor, as mentioned above.
How long should you hold a Kegel?
When you start, do as many as you can comfortably do. For example, do 5 Kegels, holding for 3 seconds, twice a day. Gradually increase the number as you get stronger. The best thing to do is to hold for 5 seconds, relax for 5 seconds, and then do 10 times, at least two or three times a day.
What is the best Kegel exercise?
There really is no "best" Kegel exercise. Every Kegel you do correctly has benefits. Do it in the easiest, most comfortable position for you.
What if I have difficulty doing Kegel exercises?
If you have difficulty doing Kegel exercises, a doctor may suggest biofeedback training and electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor muscles .
In biofeedback, a doctor inserts a small device (probe) into your vagina. Then, they ask you to do a Kegel. A monitor shows you how hard you are contracting the muscles.
Electrical stimulation is a way to give you a taste of what a Kegel exercise should feel like. Here, the doctor sends a small electrical current to your pelvic floor muscles. The muscles then tighten in response to the current.
If you're having trouble doing Kegels, or if you can't identify the exact muscles, don't be afraid to see a doctor. They're here to help you.
What are Kegel Balls?
Kegel balls are special devices that you wear inside your vagina. Sometimes they are also called "Kegel exercisers." These roughly circular devices work to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Just like you would put in a tampon, you insert the Kegel balls into your vagina. As you go about your day, your pelvic floor muscles hold the balls in place. You can start by wearing them for a few minutes a day, and gradually increase the time.
How long does it take to see results?
If you do these exercises consistently and consistently, you can expect to see results in 6 to 8 weeks . The time it takes depends on how hard you work out and how weak your muscles are.
Can men do Kegel exercises too?
Yes, absolutely! Anyone can benefit from Kegel exercises. Men can benefit from doing Kegel exercises, including:
- Helping with urinary incontinence (depending on the cause).
- Helps control prostate pain and swelling caused by prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) .
- Increasing sexual satisfaction by helping with erections and ejaculation.
Final Take-Home Message
Kegel exercises are a great way to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. There are many reasons why these muscles can become weak. Symptoms such as involuntary leakage of urine or stool, or a sudden urge to urinate even when you don't feel like urinating, are signs that your pelvic floor is weak.
Gradually work your way up to doing Kegel exercises several times a day. If you have any questions about this or are unsure if you are doing it correctly, don't hesitate to seek help from a doctor. Your health is very important to you!
` Kegel exercises, pelvic floor muscles, urinary control, women's health, pregnancy health, childbirth, physical fitness
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