Kegel exercise for women has become a common and main discussion amongst women, meanwhile, there are some women who do not know what kegel exercise is or how much of benefits kegel exercise holds.
What Is Kegel?
The contraction of the pelvic floor muscles, which are the sling-like muscles that surround and supports the vagina, bladder, uterus and rectum is called kegel.
Kegel exercise for women can help women in their sexual activity by improving their sex.
Another name for kegel exercise is pelvic floor exercise. Kegel exercise for women is a very good exercise because it helps to maintain and also improve bladder function and bowel movement.
Kegel exercise is not only done by women, but men also because it strengthens the pelvic and improves leakage of the bladder in both women and men.
In these article on Kegel exercise for women, we are going to learn the different ways of doing the kegel exercises and its overall health benefits.
Pelvic floor muscles are the muscle that is used to stop urine flow when sitting on the toilet. Kegel exercise for women is done to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
When you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, there will be no sudden or accidentally passing of stool, gas or urine
Kegel Exercise For Women- Who Should Do Kegel Exercise.
As mentioned before, Kegel exercise for women is not just for women, but for men also. Kegel exercise is a great tool for everyone, whether you are suffering from urine leakage or you just want to keep your pelvic floor healthy.
Kegel exercise may be good, but when done in excess, then it tends to harm you instead. Kegel exercise may cause more harm than good if you do to often or too much.
Some pelvic floor disorder is as a result of an overactive pelvic floor. If the pelvic is too active, the pelvic floor finds it difficult to rest or relax. When the pelvic is in an overactive state, it results in disorder.
When the pelvic floor is overactive, it becomes hard for it to respond when you need it to contract not only because the muscle is already fatigued, but because there is little range for it to contract further. The muscle is already in a shortened state. Therefore, clenching when you sneeze or trying to keep from having an accident when you really have to go may result in leakage because the muscles are less effective in their reaction to the situation.
In these cases, doing Kegel exercises to strengthen or improve tone is discouraged. It’s difficult to know if you are suffering from a weak pelvic floor, or an overactive pelvic floor without consulting a pelvic floor therapist. For this reason, get advice from a therapist before you embark on this kegel exercise journey.
The Benefits Of Kegel Exercise For Women.
There are great and numerous benefits of kegel exercise for women. Some of the benefits are:
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Improves Sex:
Kegel exercise for women improves sex by tightening the vagina and increasing the intensity of orgasm. The pelvic floor muscle is responsible for the pleasurable contraction that is felt in the vagina when an orgasm occurs. Women who do not reach orgasm may heave weak pelvic floor muscles because when your pelvic floor muscle is healthy, you can get an intensive and long orgasm.
When you exercise your pelvic muscle, you improve blood circulation, you increase the flow of blood to the pelvic which helps to increase sexual arousal that can lead to orgasm.
Kegel exercise for women also makes women have a strong grip to their partner when the man tries to penetrate which is also pleasurable to their partner.
When the pelvic floor is flexible, it allows the vagina to be penetrated with ease. Women who find it difficult for their vagina to be penetrated may have vaginismus which can be very painful, so she should see her pelvic physical therapist.
Vaginismus is a condition that can be treated. Good training can lead to pleasurable sex without experiencing any pelvic pain.
Read Also: Exercise For Pregnant Women
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Cures Bladder Leakage:
Another great benefit of kegel exercise for women is that it can help cure leakage in the bladder.
The bladder, rectum and uterus are supported by the pelvic floor muscle. If these muscles are weak and uncoordinated, the bladder will have less support around the sphincter which cause results in incontinence.
Stress urinary incontinence is the leakage of the bladder that happens with strenuous movements like the lifting of heavy objects, exercising, sneezing, coughing, or laughing hard. Kegel exercise for women it an excellent cure for urinary incontinence.
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Recovery From Childbirth:
The pelvic floor becomes weak during and after pregnancy. Even if you gave birth through the vagina or by cesarean, the pelvic floor muscle gets weak.
These muscles eventually heal just like every other muscle and will respond to kegel exercise as other muscles do.
It’s a good practice if you keep strengthening your pelvic floor muscle even if you are pregnant as long as you do not experience contractions of the uterus while doing it. Make sure your consult with your doctor before you start any kegel exercise during pregnancy.
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Helps With Overall Fitness:
Kegel exercise for women is very helpful when it comes to overall fitness. Sitting for a very long time, pregnancy, injury and repetitive movement can cause health challenges to your body. Stretching the abdominal muscles when pregnant can weaken the core. The weight of a pregnant belly pulls your centre of gravity forward, thereby causing back pain, and the hormones of pregnancy can cause ligaments to loosen which also causes clumsiness and injury.
Weight gain is certain during pregnancy and after delivery. But after delivery, busy lives of work like caring for kids, and other social activities can help you get back in shape faster after delivery.
Prolonged sitting, injury in the hip, pregnancy and back pain causes the pelvic floor to get weaker, so therefore, adding kegel pelvic floor exercise to your daily routine is essential. When you do the kegel exercise for women, your toned pelvic floor muscle can help to reduce the risk of pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence and painful sex.
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Maintain Pelvic Health During Pregnancy:
Kegel exercise for women helps you because during menopause fluctuating levels of estrogen can lead to less blood flow in the pelvic floor muscles and an overall decrease in muscle tone. what Kegel exercise does to your tissues is that it squeezes out the old blood and pulls in fresh blood to help with the restorative and strengthening process.
Read Also: Kegel Exercises For Men
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Develops Back And Hip Support:
The pelvic floor muscles are a component of the inner core, the muscles that support the trunk and hips. These muscles work in coordination with the deep layers of the abdominals to support the spine, and they connect to the deep hip rotator muscles for hip stability.
When the pelvic floor muscles are not at optimal strength and coordination, it can affect the joints of the pelvis, tailbone, and lower spine. It is estimated that 38% of women with urinary leakage also experience low back pain, and Kegels address both of these conditions.
- Reduces Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP):
Pelvic organ prolapse is a condition in which one or more of the pelvic organs press into the walls of the vagina. This usually occurs after the pelvic floor muscles or their ligaments have been stretched or weakened, such as after pregnancy and childbirth.
Women may also develop POP from prolonged heavy lifting for work or exercise and from more chronic conditions such as constipation, periods of heavy coughing, or obesity. Pelvic organ prolapse is not life-threatening, but it can cause pain, fear, and issues with the bladder or bowel. It can also lead to overall decreased enjoyment in life.
Pelvic organ prolapse is a condition characterized by a sensation of pressure in the pelvis or vagina. Often, the descended organs can be felt in various degrees by placing a finger into the vaginal opening.
They can also be viewed using a hand-held mirror to observe the vaginal opening. It may feel as though the pelvic organs have become heavy, or as though they are falling out of the body. The feeling of pressure may be worse in the evening or after exercise or physical exertion such as heavy lifting.
It is not uncommon to experience odd dribbling after urination, especially when standing up from the toilet to pull up underwear or zip pants.
POP is caused by tearing and weakening of the pelvic floor muscles themselves or the tendons suspending the organs. It is estimated that 50% of women who have had a child will experience prolapse to some extent.
Age also is a factor in developing POP for 50% of women who are 50 years of age or older.
Prolonged pushing during labour and delivery (pushing for longer than two and one-half hours), tearing of the pelvic floor during delivery, and delivery of a large baby are all factors that can lead to prolapse.
Women who are on their second, third, or more births are at higher risk for POP to occur. Women who have undergone C-Section can also experience POP in some cases, especially if they are pushed during labour prior to undergoing C-section. Sit-ups, crunches, and heavy lifting should be avoided, as this can lead to worsening of the prolapse.
POP is classified based on which organ or organs have dropped into the pelvic bowl. A urethrocele is a prolapse of the urethra through the lower anterior vaginal wall, while a cystocele is a prolapse of the bladder through the upper anterior vaginal wall.
A uterovaginal prolapse is the descent of the uterus, cervix, and upper portion of the vagina. A rectocele is a prolapse of the rectum into the lower wall of the vagina, while an enterocele is the prolapse of the upper back part of the vagina involving parts of the small intestines.
Kegel exercise for women can help to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles for better support of the pelvic organs and reduction of prolapse. Low levels of prolapse can be completely cured, and moderate levels of prolapse can be reduced to the point where they do not interfere with daily life activities.
How To Find Pelvic Floor Muscles?
Pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles that form a small ‘sling or hammock’ that runs between the pubic bone in the front of your body to your tailbone ie the end of your spine at the back.
You do not have to break the bank or wrack your head to find your pelvic floor muscles. Try stopping the flow of your urine when you are sitting on the toilet. Only do this until you learn how it feels (otherwise stopping and starting of urine flow can lead to other health problems). You can also insert a finger into your vagina and squeeze the muscles in your vagina around it. You should feel pressure around your finger. The muscles you feel ‘lifting’ inside of you when you are trying these activities are the same ones you strengthen during Kegel exercises.
How To Do The Kegel Exercise For Women
You perform the Kegel exercise by lifting and holding and then relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. Start by doing a small number of exercises (ie, lifts/squeezes, holds, and relaxes) over a short period of time, then gradually increase both the length of time and the number of exercises you are doing in each ‘session’ (which is called a set). You should perform at least two sets of exercises a day.
Start by lifting and holding for three seconds then relaxing for three seconds. Repeat this 10 times in a row – this would be one set. (If 10 times in a row is too high to start with, reduce this number.) Do this set of exercises at least twice a day. As you improve, increase all of these numbers. In other words, increase the length of time you are lifting, holding and relaxing; the number of exercises making up a set and the number of times per day you are doing these exercises. For example, instead of holding for three seconds and relaxing for three seconds, hold and relax for four seconds each, then up to five seconds each. Increase the number of exercises in a set to 10 in a row (if not already there). Finally, increase the number of times you do these exercises from twice a day to three times a day.
Conclusion:
In as much as kegel exercise for women is a great workout routine, always consult with your therapist before you start.
Hope this article on Kegel Exercise For Women was useful and informative to you.
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