Sex, babies and an uncontrollable bladder, all of which you will have at some point of life. If you need to hit the loo, you better do it now because this what you’re going to read in the next few minutes will probably change your life. Someday, you’re going to grow old because with age comes all sorts of complications and there are some things that money just can’t buy or fix but you know what the scary part is?
The problems that we’ll be highlighting to you in just a bit afflicts women of all ages. Oh and we’ll have a little something for you to take home as well so keep reading!
We exercise all parts of our body from our face right down to our feet but somewhere along the way there’s a very important muscle that’s not getting the attention it deserves. Exercising this particular muscle will make all the difference in the world when it comes to your pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and sex. By now, you should know that we’re talking about the all elusive Pelvic Floor Muscle. Sure you may think that you know where it’s located, but which one exactly?
The Pelvic Floor Muscle is attached to the pelvic bone and acts as a hammock to hold in your pelvic organs (bladder, vagina, uterus and rectum). Certain conditions may cause the pelvic muscles to weaken. Some of these conditions include being overweight, aging, or pregnancy and childbirth. When your pelvic muscles become weak, you may have urinary incontinence or other problems.and they also are in control of your flow of urine so if you find yourself leaking every now and then or even frequently without control, then you may have weak pelvic muscles. A woman with weak pelvic muscles also experience less sensations during sex and in order to strengthen your pelvic muscles, it is highly recommended to practice the Kegel exercise named after Dr. Kegel who discovered this exercise. The Kegel Exercise however, must be done correctly and regularly in order to help strengthen the pelvic muscles.
Over 50% of women over the age of 40 suffer from urinary incontinence or involuntary leakage of urine and 1 out of 3 women who ever had a baby wet themselves. You may think, “Oh I’m single and I have yet to have a baby,” but it happens to younger women as well as many suffer in silence out of embarrassment.
If your dream family consists of up to 5 children then get this, the more babies you have, the more chances there is that you will leak and wet yourself. As a result, you may find yourself unable to wear anything but black, you try to avoid going out too often and your sex life may suffer. The leaking will not go away or heal itself because your pelvic muscles just like any other muscle, needs to strengthened especially if you’ve already had a baby or two. Here are other factors that can weaken your pelvic floor muscles:
Not keeping them active
Constipation
Being overweight
Heavy lifting
Long term cough due to bronchitis or asthma
Old age
WHAT ARE KEGEL EXERCISES?
Kegel or pelvic floor muscle exercises are done to strengthen the muscles which support the urethra, bladder, uterus and rectum.
WHY SHOULD I DO KEGEL EXERCISES?
There’s no point praying for good health if you’re not taking any steps to prevent problems that may occur later in life. Stronger pelvic muscles will ensure a healthy and sex life with your partner because those muscles are actually contract rhythmically during orgasms so if you’d like to hit the big O together more often then Kegel is the way to go. Kegel exercise also make menopause a more pleasing experience and avoid the need for adult diapers for incontinence or surgery for organ prolapse.
HOW DO I DO THE EXERCISE?
For starters you need to figure out where the muscle because over one-third of women start out squeezing the wrong muscles. You know that feeling when you squeeze your private parts and you immediately feel like peeing, yep you’re almost correct. Here are some methods you can follow to find out where your pelvic muscle is located but make sure to empty your bladder prior to the exercise:
1. Lie down on your back with your thighs, stomach and buttocks relaxed. Then squeeze the ring of muscle around your back passage, relax and squeeze again until you find the right muscle. When you’ve figured out the right muscle, repeat squeezing for between 5-10 seconds then letting go. Repeat up to 12 squeezes, three times a day.
2. The second method is to place a clean finger in your vagina and squeezing around it. When you feel pressure around your finger, you are using the correct muscle. Try to keep everything relaxed except the muscles right around the vagina. Breath slowly and deeply, it may be difficult during the first two weeks but don’t give up!
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO THE KEGEL EXERCISE?
The Kegel Exercise should be done for 5 minutes, twice a day. With practice it will become easier as the muscles get stronger. It can be done in the morning after you wake up and before you go to bed. You should be able to see improvements to your symptoms within 6-12 weeks.
The Kegel Exercise should be practiced throughout your life and even after you acheive your goals, you can lessen your practice to thrice a week at the very least.
So girls, when they say that prevention is better than cure, you better take this seriously or else you’ll be kicking yourself many years from now wishing that you’ve done something about it. Now that you know the importance of the Kegel exercise, we’ll be featuring a device that will ease and encourage the Kegel exercise into your daily routine. The best part is, one of you lucky ladies will stand a chance to win it as well so keep us bookmarked!
