The pelvic floor muscles, which support the uterus, bladder, rectum, and small intestine, are thus known as "Kegel muscles," first described in 1948 by Dr. Arnold Kegel, a gynecologist (women's disease expert) who discovered this exercise as a non-surgical treatment for genital relaxation. Incorporating Kegel exercises into your daily routine can help ward off pelvic floor problems, including problems with urinary and irregular stools, and can also improve your sex life. The most important thing is that you learn to separate those Kegel muscles and then commit to a daily routine.
Men can also strengthen their pelvic floor muscles by doing PC muscle exercises.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing to Do Kegel Exercises
Step 1. Locate your pelvic muscles by stopping the flow of urine midway
Before you do your Kegel exercises, it is important to find your pelvic muscles. This is the muscle that forms the floor of your pelvic floor. The most common way to find it is to try to stop the flow of your urine midway. This way of tightening is the basic movement of Kegels. Let the muscles loose and continue the flow of urine and you will get a better sense of where the Kegel is. Just remember to see a doctor before you start Kegel exercises if you have a medical problem that could prevent you from doing Kegel exercises safely.
However, don't stop urinating in the middle as your general Kegel exercise routine. Kegel exercises while urinating can actually have the opposite effect, weakening your muscles
Step 2. If you are still having trouble finding your Kegels, insert your fingers into your vagina and squeeze your muscles
You should feel the muscles tighten and the pelvic floor moving up. Relax and you will feel your pelvic floor moving back again. Make sure your fingers are clean before you insert them into your vagina.
If you are a sexually active woman, you can also ask your partner if he or she can feel you "hugging" your partner's penis and releasing it during sex
Step 3. Use a mirror to find your Kegels
If you're still having trouble finding or separating your Kegels, place a mirror under your perineum, which is the skin-covered area between your vagina and anus. Practice pressing and relaxing what you think are your Kegel muscles. If you do this correctly, you should see your perineum contract with each pressure.
Step 4. Make sure your bladder is empty before starting your Kegel exercises
This is important. You don't want to do Kegels with your bladder full or half full, or you may feel pain when you do Kegels, as well as some leaks. Before you start your exercise routine, do a bladder check so that you can perform the exercise as efficiently as possible.
Step 5. Concentrate only on toning your pelvic floor muscles
Your Kegel exercises should focus only on these muscles, so you should avoid stretching other muscles, such as your buttocks, thighs or abs, for best results. To help your concentration and the efficiency of your movements, make sure you inhale and exhale as you perform each set of Kegels, rather than holding your breath. This will help you relax and make the most of your pelvic floor exercises.
- One way to keep your muscles relaxed is to put one hand on your stomach to make sure your stomach is relaxed.
- If your back or stomach hurts a little after you finish a set of Kegel exercises, then this is an indication that you are not doing it right.
Step 6. Take a comfortable position
You can do the exercise sitting on a chair or lying on the floor. Make sure your glutes and stomach muscles are relaxed. If you are lying down, then you should lie flat on your back with your arms by your side and your knees up and together. Also keep your head down to avoid straining your neck.
Part 2 of 3: Doing Kegel Exercises
Step 1. Press your pelvic floor muscles for five seconds
When you are just starting out, this is good practice. You don't want to strain those muscles too much by pressing for too long. If even five seconds is too long for you, you can start by pressing for only 2-3 seconds.
Step 2. Relax your muscles for ten seconds
Ideally, you should always give those pelvic floor muscles a ten second break before you repeat the exercise. This gives the pelvic floor muscles enough time to relax and avoid straining. Count to ten before you start the next repetition.
Step 3. Repeat the exercise ten times
This can be thought of as a set of Kegel exercises. If you started by pressing the muscle for five seconds, then press the muscle for five seconds, relax for ten seconds, and repeat the exercise ten times. This should produce enough Kegels for one time and you should do the same set 3-4 times a day, but no more.
Step 4. Practice toward pressing your pelvic floor muscles for ten seconds at a time
You can increase the number of seconds to squeeze the muscle each week. There's no need to do it longer, or to do it more than one set at a time. When you've reached the magic number of ten seconds, keep it that way, and continue to do one set of 10 presses for 10 seconds 3-4 times a day.
Step 5. Do Kegel pull-ins
This is another variation on Kegels. To do Kegel pull-ins, think of your pelvic floor muscles as a vacuum. Tense your buttocks and pull your legs up and in. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then stretch. Do this 10 times in a row. This should take about 50 seconds to complete.
Part 3 of 3: Getting Results
Step 1. Do your Kegel exercises at least 3-4 times a day
If you really want exercise to be continuous, then you must make it a part of your daily routine. 3-4 times a day should work, as each Kegel session won't take long, and you can find ways to incorporate Kegel exercises into your daily routine. You can aim to do it in the morning, afternoon and evening so start doing it like a clockwork, instead of worrying about scheduling time to do your Kegel exercises.
Step 2. Incorporate Kegel exercises into your busy routine
The best part about doing Kegel exercises is that you can do them without anyone knowing. You can do it while you are sitting at your office desk, having lunch with your friends, or just relaxing on the couch after a full day of work. While lying down and separating your Kegels and full focus is important for beginners, once you find a way to separate those muscles, you can do your Kegels almost anywhere.
- You can even make a habit of doing Kegels during routine activities, such as checking mail or email.
- Once you've found a set of Kegel exercises that work for you, you should stick to this routine instead of doing more Kegels, or doing them harder. If you overdo it, you may suffer from pulling muscles when you have to urinate or move your bowels/stomach.
- Just remember that while stopping the process of urinating in the middle is a great way to find your Kegels, you shouldn't do Kegels regularly while urinating or you could suffer from problems related to urine control.
Step 3. Expect results in a few months if you do Kegels regularly
For some women, the results are dramatic; for others, Kegels prevent further urinary system problems. Some women get frustrated because they do Kegels for several weeks and don't feel any difference. Hold on long enough to feel the changes in your body. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you may see results as soon as 4-6 weeks.
Step 4. Get help if you don't think you're doing Kegels properly
Your doctor can help you identify and separate the right muscles to perform the exercise. If you feel like you have been doing Kegels for a long time to consider, such as several months, and there are no results, then you should seek help from your doctor. Here's what your doctor can do for you:
- If necessary, your doctor can provide biofeedback exercises. This involves placing an observer into your vagina, and electrodes externally. The monitor can tell you how successfully you are contracting your pelvic floor muscles and how long you can hold the contraction.
- Your doctor may also use electrical stimulation to help you identify your pelvic floor muscles. During this process, a small electric current flows into the pelvic floor muscles. When activated, this current automatically contracts the muscle. After a few uses, you will probably be able to reproduce the effect on your own.
Step 5. Continue doing your Kegels if you want to keep minor water control problems away
If you want to keep those muscles strong and keep urination problems away, then you should continue your Kegels. You will have to train to keep those muscles in good shape and be ready to commit.
Tips
- Try not to hold your breath, squeeze your buttocks or thighs, pull your stomach tight, or push down instead of pressing and lifting.
- As you become more confident with this exercise, you will find that you can do it standing. The most important thing is to keep practicing throughout the day and you can do it while you are washing dishes, waiting in line, or even sitting at your office bench, during a television commercial, or when you stop at a red light while driving.
- You can do slow and fast Kegel exercises at any time and no one will even notice what you are doing. Some women find it easy to incorporate the exercise into their routine when driving, reading, watching TV, on the phone or sitting at the computer.
- Try to eat healthier foods too.
- Pregnant women can do Kegel exercises.
- Imagine your lungs are in your pelvis and relax your perineum when you inhale and inhale when you exhale.
Warning
- Always do Kegels with an empty bladder. Doing Kegels with a full bladder can weaken your pelvic floor and increase your risk of contracting a urinary tract infection.
- Don't do Kegels while in the shower, except to find the muscles beforehand. Cutting off the flow of urine can lead to infection of the urinary system.
