Ever had a little leak from sneezing or laughing too hard? That is a sign that your muscles down there are pretty weak and might need some working! The good news is that Kegel exercises are an easy solution. They help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, which often get weak from surgery, childbirth, pregnancy, chronic coughing, being overweight, or even ageing.
The best part about Kegel exercises is you can start them at any age, and do them anywhere, anytime – while sitting at your desk at work, waiting at a red light in your car, or relaxing on the couch at home.
Benefits of Kegel Exercises
A regular Kegal exercise routine will help:
- Control the flow of urination and avoid those weird leaks when you sneeze, cough or laugh too hard
- Provide support for your organs by keeping them up
- Improve sexual health
- Facilitate a normal vaginal delivery
- Ease menopausal symptoms when you get there
How to do the Kegel exercise
- Always empty your bladder before doing Kegel exercises.
- The first step is to locate your Kegel muscles; these are the muscles that you use to stop the flow of urine when urinating.
- Contract these muscles for 10 seconds.
- Now relax for 10 seconds and repeat the process again.
- You can do this 10 to 20 times in one session, and do this at least 3 times a day.
Watch out for these three common mistakes while you do Kegel exercises.
- Don’t hold your breath, make sure you are breathing normally.
- Don’t be an overachiever, these are small muscles that only require subtle movements.
- Make sure your other muscles like glutes, abs, and thighs are not doing all the work.
Pelvic floor exercises work and strengthen the muscles surrounding the vagina and ensure better bladder control.
Here are 5 super easy exercises that will help you work on your pelvic floor muscles:
1. Pelvic Bridge Exercise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARDeqd6J1sg
2. Wall Squats
3. Dead Bug Crunch
4. Jumping Jacks
