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Here's Why you Should Practice Your Kegel Exercises To Improve Your Pelvic Health.
By Sarah Thomsen
Generally, when it comes to our health, we pay attention to certain areas in our bodies more than to others. When it comes to topics like pelvic health and what to do to maintain it, we often don’t have a clue what to do. Thankfully, things like Kegel exercises, which are easy to practice and simple to understand, are readily available to us.
Still, due to the general omission of our pelvic well-being, few people know about the benefits of Kegel exercises in relation to pelvic health. That's why this list compiles all you need to know about them, along with the ways in which you can add them to your daily or weekly routine.
Though, before we get into the actual benefits of Kegels, we must let you know what these exercises are all about.
What are Kegel Exercises?
In short, Kegel exercises are pelvic floor strengthening techniques. Depending on what you need these exercises could be short and fast-paced, or slow and long-lasting.
Kegels are mostly favored when it comes to pelvic health treatments because they can be practiced at home, and they don’t require equipment. Therefore, they might be recommended by a medical specialist when there are issues regarding the pelvic muscles.
Brief History of pelvic floor training
They were first properly described in a medical setting by the gynecologist Arnold Kegel. Having invented the perineometer in 1948 and realizing pelvic muscles could be toughened via training, he came up with an exercise regime that would continue to exist under his name.
However, pelvic floor exercises had been encouraged by other medical practitioners before they were named and detailed by Kegel, primarily including them as part of childbirth preparation for pregnant women.
Some argue that oriental cultures have been practicing pelvis-fortifying exercises for centuries, mainly as part of varied spiritual rituals focused on energy.
All in all, Kegels have become the default method to maintain our pelvic muscles in check. But what are the actual benefits for our health?
The role of Kegel exercises in pelvic health
Although pelvic muscles will most likely be affected by aging, obesity or pregnancy, it is now known that performing Kegel exercises helps the region’s overall resistance and durability.
Pregnant people can benefit immensely from a Kegel routine during the gestation process and even afterward during recovery, as it can help prevent leaks and it speeds up healing after childbirth.
Likewise, multiple studies show that people with urinary and/or prolapse problems who perform Kegels regularly, experience less (or lighter) symptoms and ameliorate their pelvic region conditions.
On top of that, these exercises can improve sexual experience as well, as the pelvic floor muscles play an important role during orgasms (both for men and women). Training these muscles can enhance the sensations during sex and extend the duration of said orgasms.
These are all fact-checked benefits that might arise from adapting a Kegel-ing routine to your life, and the best part is that doing so is not difficult at all. Which finally leads us to the question: how do you it?
First things first: Basic How-To-Kegel
If you have no idea how to start your pelvic floor trainings, the first step is to simply recognize the muscles you’re trying to work with.
The ultimate hack for beginners is to imagine a scenario where you’re trying to stop your urine flow; the muscles that you feel contracting when you try to do to that are the ones you want to work with when doing your Kegels.
Once you’ve identified them, the actual training will consist of mainly three things:
- Squeezing: contract the muscles for 3 to 5 second
- Holding: hold that contraction for other 3 to 5 seconds
- Relaxing: let go and relax for 10 seconds
Repeat this cycle 10 times or for 5 minutes and there you have it, a basic Kegel routine!
But what about making it interesting?
5 different ways to do your Kegel exercises
There are plenty of ways in which you can practice your Kegels, some might be better for people with weaker pelvic muscles, some are just simply more comfortable, and others are just fun to try. It’s up to you to choose the one that fits your needs.
1. Lying down: The most common method for a comfortable Kegel when you’re a beginner is to simply lie down on your back, as this is a naturally comfortable position for your pelvis area; this is a perfect way to focus on the muscles you’re trying to exercise. People with recent pregnancies or prolapse surgeries might benefit the most from a practice in this position.
2. Sitting down: Although sitting down and getting to work is virtually all you need to start your routine, you do need to be mindful about your posture. Bad posture while sitting down is already an overall damaging behavior, and when it comes to the pelvic floor, a bad posture can actually exert unnecessary pressure on it. A relaxed, yet correct position is the key to a great Kegel routine while sitting down.
3. Meditation: Some people believe that practicing Kegels during a meditation session gives the best results. If you’re into mindfulness and its benefits alongside healthcare, you might want to try this method. Plus, it’s a relaxation method that allows you to really focus on what you’re doing, so trying it at least once could be really positive.
4. Kegel aids: Though Kegels can be performed without any equipment, there are some tools you could add to your routine to level-it-up. Stability balls, for example, could be used for a dynamic type of regime, as it requires full body movement yet sets the focus on the pelvis area. But there also Kegel weights, biofeedback devices and vaginal cones that can be used during Kegel sets to help with the process of fortifying your pelvic muscles.
5. Assisted/supervised: If you feel like you could use some guidance while performing your Kegels, then supervised sessions are the best for you. Your healthcare professional might even suggest this option if your pelvic floor is especially weak, but this is available to anyone who requires or prefers peer-to-peer instructions.
Kegel-up your routine with Kegel Reminder
Kegel exercises are incredibly useful, and you can easily master them if you’re comfortable with your chosen methods and you pay attention to your body. Once you’ve planned out a routine, all that’s left to do is be consistent and grow accustomed to it.
If that last part sounds a bit challenging, you can always count on the Kegel Reminder Newsletter to remember your Kegel schedule.
This isn’t just a plain reminder though; consider it a fun, yet helpful tool that includes easy instructions, useful and entertaining information, and a hand-picked song on every edition for you to listen to while you Kegel. And the best part is that it’s completely free!
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So what are you waiting for? Subscribe now and Kegel-up your routine with the Kegel Reminder Newsletter!
We have an amazing blog on Why Having Strong Kegel Muscles Improves Mental Health In Women.
