What Are The Best Kegel Exercies To Do?
Better Options for the Proper Exercise
Kegel exercises are very simple to perform daily to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Recommended for women after childbirth or for perinea laxity problems in people with incontinence, they are often very effective if performed correctly. Here are 7 tips to achieve them and prevent the risk of urinary leakage.
How to fight against urinary leakage with Kegel exercises?
The crucial role of pelvic floor muscles in preventing urinary leakage was highlighted by an American gynecologist, Arnold Kegel, in the 1940s. True support for the uterus, bladder, rectum and small intestine, the perineum does not grow spontaneously, but must be strengthened through specific rehabilitation called Kegel exercises. Very effective, these exercises nevertheless deserve that we follow some tips to be executed correctly. Now the question is Arekegel exercises safe? The answers are here.
The first advice: Locate the perinea muscles to strengthen
Many women think they contract their perinea musculature, whereas they exert on the contrary a counterproductive abdominal thrust. To clearly identify the muscles to be toned, the help of a professional, physiotherapist or midwife, may be essential to begin. You can also feel them during urination, since they are the ones that allow you to stop the flow of urine.
Here are the precautions to take before starting your Kegel exercises
If the “stop-pee” trick allows you to locate your perinea muscles, you should not train when you urinate, as they may weaken you or make you more susceptible to urinary tract infections. Remember to empty your bladder before starting your “gymnastics” session.
Gather the right conditions to practice Kegel exercises
Before you start exercising, relax, preferably on your back, arms at your sides, and knees bent. When you have gained experience, you will be able to perform sitting or even standing while going about other occupations. Concentrate on your perineum, and make sure all your muscles are relaxed.
Tonify yourself with effective tips and progressive training
Tighten the pelvic floor muscles for 5 seconds, then release for 10 seconds. Perform series of 10 contractions, up to 4 times a day. You will progress as you practice to combine contractions and relaxation of 10 seconds. Attention, it is essential to respect phases of rest sufficiently long.
What you should not feel during your Kegel exercises
You should not experience any abdominal or dorsal pain. Make sure that you only contract the pelvic muscles: you do not need to use the abdominals or the gluts. Also remember to inspire during relaxation and to exhale during the contraction of the pelvic floor.
Patience and perseverance will be effective
The practice of these exercises should be daily, throughout your life, to prevent or effectively fight against incontinence problems. If you persevere enough, you will see the beneficial effects of this training after about 2 to 3 months. But do not over-train your perinea musculature! You could get the opposite effect and cause urinary leakage.
Mixed councils: gentlemen, to your Kegel exercises
Kegel exercises are not just for women. After removal of the prostate in particular, this male perineum training is widely recommended to prevent problems of urinary and fecal incontinence. Note that these exercises also benefit men and women looking for more intense sexual pleasure. You can click here and learn more about kegel exercises.
The ultimate remedy for strengthening the perinea muscles
If you have trouble identifying the pelvic muscles, ask your doctor for help. Thanks to a small electronic device placed in the vagina, it will send a weak electric current that will automatically contract the perineal muscles.
Here are exercises to practice at home, with or without geisha balls
Awareness of the Perineum
Tighten the vaginal muscles as if you wanted to hold back a urge to urinate,The working time of contraction of the perineum must always correspond to half the resting time (I squeeze for 5 seconds, I release the contraction for 10 sec).
This Kegel exercise will make you aware of the perineum, facilitate healing (after pregnancy) while activating the blood circulation, and begin to retrain the muscles of the perineum.
These exercises for the perineum can be continued for life, the ideal being to make 3 sets of 10 perineal contractions per day. The difficulty is not to do them but to think about them. So give yourself landmarks: during feeding, waking, driving, on the bus, while lying down.
Contraction of the perineum
Sit back on your back. Legs folded to have flat back. Begin by contracting the vagina, as if to retain urine or gas, always in small series of 10 contractions / 10 releases.
To go a little further
Stay on your back. Legs bent in support on the ground. Blow slowly while contracting the perineum. Block your breathing by plugging your nose. And lift the air in your belly to your chest under the ribs. This will dig the belly and swell the chest, which will help tighten the perinea muscles further.
The half-bridge
While lying on the back, Legs bent in support on the ground. Contract the perineum by slowly blowing
Tighten the buttocks and thighs to tilt the pelvis and then take off the buttocks from the ground (half-bridge) by blowing for 10 seconds. Go down very slowly while unrolling the column, vertebra after vertebra.
The lift
It is also possible to imagine the perineum as an elevator, here is a last exercise to do standing or lying:
Imagine that you are in an elevator and go up to the 4th floor. The more you go up one floor and more you will have to contract during this climb, while taking breaks on each floor reached.
The contraction of the muscles will be like the previous exercises except that on each floor, you put a little more contraction up the body.
1st floor: tighten your pelvic floor muscles for 1 second, then made a break by releasing the contraction
2nd stage: contract for 2 seconds, pulling up your muscles to the upper body then release
3rd floor: tighten your pelvic floor muscles, going back a little more muscle for 3 seconds then release
4th floor: contract one last time for 4 seconds and release.
Some recommendations for your exercises
Also remember to maintain a good posture, a straight back, a good rocking of the pelvis.It is important to do exercises for the perineum every day (Kegel exercises or others). If it may seem tedious at first, it will quickly become a habit, even a reflex.
Also remember to lock your perineum when you contract your abdominal muscles to cough, laugh, sneeze, or carry loads.
Indeed during the contraction of the abdominals, pressure is applied from the top to the bottom, so it is necessary to have a “solid base”, i.e. a tonic pelvic floor to avoid small inconveniences such as urinary leakage, vaginal farts or pelvic heaviness.
Some accessories can help you and motivate you everyday like the balls of Geisha as well as the practice of some sports such as gymnastics Pilates, yoga, postural gymnastics with accessories: Pilates Circle, Ball Pilates.
