Pelvic Floor Exercises: How To Do Them & Why You Should

Are regular Kegel workouts important? How do you do pelvic floor exercises, and do they really matter? The pelvic floor muscles give a person control over various facets of their personal life. Their main function is to control the flow of urination from the bladder and there is also control over the bowel. These muscles are in a sling shape, from the pelvic bone at the front of the body to the base of the spine at the back.

As a 21st century woman, I lead a very busy life –and I know I’m not alone in that. In between a full-time job, running a busy household and trying to maintain my fitness, taking the time to think about other, more intimate aspects of my health can feel pretty impossible. I recall being told about the importance of Kegel exercises and made feeble attempts to incorporate it into my routine -but to be honest, I just couldn’t be bothered. After all, I was too busy, and my internal area still felt firm.

This sort of thing wouldn’t affect me for decades yet… would it?

Prevent Future Problems

The more I speak to women my age, and sometimes younger, the more I realise that a weak pelvic floor is a problem which is affecting people regardless of gender or age. In fact, it is estimated that 3 to 6 million people in the UK suffer some degree of preventable urinary incontinence.

So, whether you have vice-like pelvic floor muscles or you’re amongst the millions who require some help in this area, the chances are that at some point in your life, you will find the following tips useful.

What Do Pelvic Floor Muscles Do?

How To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises - And Why Regular Kegel Workouts Are Important

The pelvic floor muscles relax as the bladder contracts to let out urine when you go to the toilet. You can imagine the mess then if you didn’t have these muscles, or if they slackened entirely! That’s just one reason why pelvic floor exercises are important.

Continence care isn’t the only purpose of the pelvic floor muscles though. Those with good pelvic floor control and tight pelvic floor muscles often experience a greater enjoyment of sex as well as stronger orgasms.

Why Are They Called Kegel Exercises?

They are called Kegel exercises because of the American gynaecologist Arnold Kegel, who was the first to publish a description of these exercises in 1948. That’s why Kegel should always have a capital K, and why it is spelled Kegel, not ‘Kegal’ or any other variant.

As well as devising the Kegel exercises, Arnold Kegel also invented the Kegel perineometer which is an instrument which measures the strength of voluntary contractions of the pelvic floor muscles. Combined, these provided a non-surgical treatment of urinary incontinence due to internal muscle weakness.

8 Reasons To Keep Up With Kegel Workouts

Need a bit of motivation to get started? Here are eight reasons why you should never forget to do your Kegel exercises:

  1. How To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises - And Why Regular Kegel Workouts Are ImportantThe pelvic floor muscle is more important than you may realise.
  2. Work it now, or lose it later.
  3. Kegel exercises will help enhance shared sexual pleasure.
  4. Combine Kegel exercises with masturbation for mind-blowing orgasms.
  5. Smart phone apps mean there are no excuses.
  6. Strong pelvic floor muscles contribute towards a healthy pregnancy.
  7. Kegel exercises are easy to do anytime, anywhere.
  8. These exercises will save you money in the long term.

Let’s take a look at these in more detail.

1. The Importance Of The Pelvic Floor Muscle

The pelvic floor muscle resembles a large hammock which stretches from side to side across the floor of the pelvis. The role of the pelvic floor muscle is to support the abdominal contents and pelvic organs (vagina, uterus, bowel and bladder) in place too.

2. Work It Now, Or Lose It Later 

As we get older, we place a lot of stress on the pelvic floor due to pregnancy, childbirth and sometimes, just old age. This causes the muscles to weaken, which is turn can lead to problems such as incontinence, loss of sexual pleasure and more seriously, pelvic organ prolapse. I remember this happening to a friend of mine; she was told at the time that this could have been prevented with regular Kegel exercises.

As always, prevention is better than cure.

3. Enhance Shared Sexual Pleasure

fireworks in the bedroomYour pelvic floor is the muscle responsible for those delicious clenches you feel during orgasm. Regular Kegel workouts help to tone the vagina and enable you to keep a better grip of your partner during PiV (penis in vagina) sex. As you climax, a more toned vagina will clench harder which intensifies sensation for both partners.

That’s one fantastic reason to keep on top of your pelvic floor workouts!

With strong and tight pelvic floor muscles you can not only go about your daily life with an added confident spring in your step, but you’ll also be doing everything possible to heighten both your (and your partner’s) enjoyment of sex when the moment occurs.

4. Enjoy Mind-Blowing Orgasms During Masturbation

Ylva and Dite Fruit Green Aria Dildo ReviewGrab one of your favourite internal sex toys, such as a vibrator or dildo, and give your pelvic floor a workout as you masturbate. If you fancy even more stimulation, combine the internal sensations with some clitoral stim from a wand vibrator or bullet vibrator for a fully body and truly mind-blowing finale.

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5. No Excuses: Use A Smart Phone App

With plenty of smart phone apps available which teach you how to do your Kegel exercises, and remind you to work that pelvic floor muscle, there really is no excuse.

There are dozens of apps available on both the Apple and Play stores (iPhone/Android) which help you formulate an exercise plan. They can be toggled to notify you when it is time to do your exercises. The NHS pelvic floor app is called ‘Squeezy’, but there are many others, too.

Just type ‘pelvic floor’ into whichever app store you use, and you’ll discover many different options to choose from.

6. Contribute Towards A Healthy Pregnancy 

Being pregnant places a lot of stress on the pelvic floor and can lead to bladder weakness both during and after pregnancy. By strengthening the pelvic floor with exercises during your pregnancy it helps to support the extra weight of the baby.

Kegel exercises also increase blood flow to the perineum (the area between the vagina and anus) which helps the area to heal after childbirth. As I required several stitches in this area after one of my labours, I wish I’d known about this previously!

7. Exercise You Can Do Anytime, Anywhere

You can do your pelvic floor exercises without any additional equipment – that’s right, they’re absolutely free. Plus, they’re totally silent and private. That means you can even do them in public; no one will know that you’re in the middle of a very important workout.

Like traditional exercise, Kegel workouts must be done regularly. This will ensure that firstly, you see/feel any results; and secondly, make sure those results are long-lasting. I recommend making them a part of your daily routine and sticking to it.

8. Save Money In The Long-Term

How To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises - And Why Regular Kegel Workouts Are Important

The price of Tena lady (at my local supermarket) currently stands at £2.30 for 12 pads. Add up the cost of using 4 pads a day for a whole year and that equates to about 122 packets of Tena lady per year. Add up the cost and you’re spending £280 on Tena lady every twelve months!

Why not spend some of that money on some top quality, effective and sensational sex toys, and the rest on that outfit you’ve had your eye on? After all, there’s nothing holding you back now!

How To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises

How To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises - And Why Regular Kegel Workouts Are Important

Locating your pelvic muscles might seem easy –however, exercising the right muscle takes a little more work. From my experience, some women (myself included) find it difficult to maintain the required ‘squeeze’ each time and this causes them to become disheartened and give up.

When I was looking for my own pelvic floor muscles, I found it easier to hunt them down whilst having a wee. The muscles you use when you (briefly) stop the flow of urine are your pelvic floor muscles. As squeeze upwards to hold the urine inside your body, that is the squeeze you replicate when performing the Kegel workouts.

The recommendation is to aim for up to three times a day when exercising your pelvic floor muscle. Try to aim for breakfast, lunch and dinner time. However, if that isn’t convenient, look at your schedule and work with the times that suit you best.

To complete your pelvic floor exercises you need to tighten and hold them for a series of reps. This feels the same as if you were stopping the flow of urine while going to the loo. Instead of doing this on the toilet though, you should do your pelvic floor exercises elsewhere, and regularly. This will keep them strong and tight and assist you with a greater enjoyment of sex and orgasms for many years to come, as well as lessening worries about incontinence with age.

Hold each squeeze for a max of a couple of seconds and do about 10-15 in one session. Don’t overdo it!

It is never too late to repair the damage caused by a weak pelvic floor, but wouldn’t you prefer to avoid this sad situation altogether?

Kegel Workout For Beginners

  • Squeeze the pelvic floor muscle
  • Hold for up to 6 seconds
  • Release
  • Repeat 5 times at first and increase as your strength builds

If you struggle to hold the muscle for longer than a couple of seconds, don’t worry too much about it. With plenty of practice, the muscles will become stronger so for now, concentrate on the exercises that feel comfortable and build up from there.

Kegel Exercisers and Internal Workout Tools

If you’d like a little extra help with your pelvic muscle workouts or want to spice up your Kegel workouts with a specially designed sex toy, you’re in luck. With so many Kegel exercisers and internal workout tools available on the market, pelvic floor exercises really couldn’t be easier or more fun.

How To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises - And Why Regular Kegel Workouts Are Important

Jiggle balls (also known as Ben Wa Balls) are a pair of solid or weighted balls, which may be separate or held together in a holster or by a connector integral to its design. The balls are usually weighted so that the person using them can feel and benefit from the sensation of the internal weights rolling inside the vaginal area. Keeping jiggle balls inside, especially due to the weighted aspect, requires practice and provides a great internal workout. The erotic pleasure of these internally worn balls is a bonus; you’re getting a pelvic floor workout as you wear them, too.

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A love egg is a smooth, rounded or oval sex toy which is also worn inside the vagina. Love eggs might be weighted, solid or vibrating, to provide different intimate stimulation options.

You can find out more about these sex toys in my Big Guide To Jiggle Balls and Love Eggs, as well as in our many jiggle ball reviews and love egg reviews.

Je Joue Ami Silicone Kegel Balls Training Set ReviewSome of the Kegel exercisers available feel just a little more luxurious than standard and you can opt for a heavier weight once you’re ready, to provide more intense Kegel workouts. Instead of relying on your memory to perform exercises during the day, insert the weighted balls into the vagina and your pelvic muscles instantly clench to hold them in place. This gives the pelvic floor a really good workout and helps to tone the muscles.

For results in as little as six weeks, wear your Kegel exerciser for just 15 minutes a day, perhaps whilst brushing your teeth and showering. If your chosen Kegel exerciser is completely silent and therefore discreet, you could even enjoy some secretly saucy adventures outside of the house.

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Do People With A Penis Need To Do Pelvic Floor Exercises?

People with a penis are also advised to regularly exercise their pelvic floor muscles. This is because research has shown that exercising these muscles regularly can help to overcome erectile dysfunction, help guard against prostate problems as well as enhancing your sexual pleasure.

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Locate your pelvic floor muscles and discover how to exercise them by feeling like you’re trying to stop a bowel movement. There’s no clenching of the buttocks, only the particular internal muscles involved.

At the same time, tighten the muscles as if you were trying to stop the flow of urine when you go for a wee. This should be done at the same time as the internal clenching motion mentioned just above, to complete a ‘proper’ pelvic floor exercise.

 


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