Takeaway: Let’s talk about Kegels! Kegel exercises are simple clench-and-release exercises that you do to make the muscles of your pelvic floor stronger. Once you understand the concept of Kegels you can do them anytime and anywhere - in the privacy of your home or standing in line at the grocery store!
Kegels seem to be a concept everyone knows about and is curious about, mentioning them in passing or as a joke but never talking in depth. However, they can improve your health and your sex life so let’s start changing that today! Benefits include stronger and longer orgasms, more pleasure for partners, better bladder control, and smoother recovery after childbirth; and what’s better - they aren’t like other muscle-strengthening exercises that require a trip to the gym or carving out an extra hour from your day, cause you to break a sweat or make your body hurt the next day. Kegels are not so vigorous that you’ll ever experience muscle weakness from them, and you can do them sitting at your desk at work, standing in line at the grocery store, relaxing on the couch watching TV, or waiting in the carpool lane.
Pregnancy, childbirth, ageing, weight gain, and other everyday issues can cause the woman’s pelvic floor to weaken. If the muscles are weak, the pelvic organs can lower into the vagina, causing discomfort and urinary incontinence. This is called a prolapsed uterus and is not uncommon - more than three million women annually experience it and it often requires surgical intervention including hysterectomy. Kegels tighten the muscles supporting your uterus, bladder, small intestine, and rectum. Interestingly, men may also experience pelvic weakening due to age, leading to incontinence of both urine and feces, so Kegel exercises have benefits for both men and women!
There are a couple of easy methods to find the correct muscles for Kegels. The easiest way - and this works for both men and women - is to stop your urine midflow. The muscle you use is the one you will tighten during Kegels. This is for learning only - repeated stopping and starting of the urine flow and Kegels with a full bladder can cause urinary tract infections. Women can also insert a finger inside the vagina and tighten around the finger. Men can do the same with the rectum, without tightening the abdomen, thigh, or buttock muscles. Men might also try tensing the muscles used to prevent gas from passing.
To begin Kegel exercises, tense the pelvic muscles for a count of three, then relax for the same amount of time. Do ten repetitions. Over the course of several days, continue practicing until you can hold the count to ten. Your goal should be to be able to do three sets of ten repetitions every day. As with any exercise, don’t overwork the pelvic muscles. They’ll become tired and won’t function properly. If you feel any pain in your back or buttocks after a Kegel exercise session, you’re doing it wrong. Remember that the muscles in your back, abdomen, buttocks, and sides should always be loose while contracting the pelvic muscles.
Kegels don’t require exercise equipment, but they can get monotonous or even be forgotten during a busy day, so products for pelvic floor strengthening are good investments. These elegant Luna Beads by LELO, a modern ben wa ball alternative, come with the option of mixing and matching weights. There are two 28g balls, and two 37g balls, which you can combine in a silicone harness. The Inspire Weighted Silicone Kegel Training Kit allows for changes in size as you gain strength. Crystal Kegel Eggs are beautiful, durable, high-quality glass insertable that can be heated or cooled to your preference and provide textured stimulation while performing Kegels. The Je Joue Ami is a customer favourite with three progressive weights for use from beginning to advanced pelvic fitness, and also has a vibration feature for pleasure as well as strengthening.
Pelvic floor strengthening is important for optimal health but also delivers powerful orgasms for both men and women. The workout can be performed in public or in private, while running errands or resting at home, without requiring time be built into a person’s day. There’s absolutely no good reason to not take a few minutes every day and ensure you maintain optimum sexual health.
Article by: Miranda at JOUJOU
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