Do your kegel exercises before and after childbirth

Kegel exercises are designed to strengthen the muscular floor of the pelvis and have a great many benefits. The most functional is avoiding urinary incontinence. As you get older and have more children, there is a higher risk of forming some kind of urinary incontinence. Many women have problems with dribbling when they laugh, cough, or sneeze. If this is not dealt with early it can lead to an early onset of full incontinence, when the bladder has lost all control. There are exercises that can be done without anyone knowing to tone these muscles and give one better control and reduce the risk of having a leaky bladder now or later. Kegels are easy and effective. They get the job done really well and don’t interfere with life in any way. You can do them while sitting, standing, taking a shower, cooking dinner, as you read this, and any other time no matter what your vagina is doing. In fact, doing them while having sex is a good thing for everyone involved. All you have to do is squeeze the vagina and perineal area as if you are trying to hold in urine. Do this for 5-7 seconds multiple times in a row and many times a day, you won’t be disappointed.

Now the incredible part about Kegels is that they also increase sexual stimulation. These easy and fabulous exercises tone the vaginal walls and increase the duration and pleasure of an orgasm. You will also be able to increase your partner’s sexual response by squeezing the penis with the vagina. This increases sensitivity and pleasure for both partners and makes hitting the G-spot easier. It also tightens the vagina, which increases the sexual pleasure for both partners as it creates more friction and higher sensitivity. Women who have and do Kegels have a better chance of achieving and receiving an orgasm and having it be stronger and last longer in duration. Do these exercises often and regularly through out your life and you will benefit in many ways.

In addition, Kegels increase the blood flow to the vaginal area and so this increases the sensitivity. This increase can make many women capable of achieving multiple orgasms that keep increasing in pleasure. A woman who has this type of vaginal control can enjoy foreplay and intercourse more and can stimulate her partner in a fabulous way. For men Kegels can make them have more control over ejaculation and better orgasm. With better stimulation the need for synthetic lubrications is lowered due to the higher sexual response that makes the vagina lubricate itself. The natural body fluid are better and a bigger turn on to both partners.

Kegels are the ultimate exercise whether you are pregnant or not, and they are so easy to do. You don't even need to stand up to do them. Kegel exercises help to strengthen and tone your pelvic floor muscles, this will not only give you more control during labor, but will improve sex as well. After labor and delivery your pelvic floor muscles will be loose, which can lead to incontinence and other complications. After delivery you can do these to re-strengthen the muscles and tone and tighten the vagina. All you need to do is squeeze your pelvic muscles for a few minutes everyday, as if you were trying to hold your bladder. Childbirth brings on many changes to the body and vagina too. A pregnant woman can benefit from doing kegels for the same incontinence issue and sexual pleasures, but also in another way. This can help gain control over childbirth. Knowing how to control the vaginal muscles will aid you in push and holding to deliver your baby. It will also make you more susceptible to healing. After birth you can get the vagina back into shape by doing more. This will tighten her back up to her pre-pregnancy tone and in some cases more. This will lessen the risk of pregnancy-induced incontinence as well.

So no matter when, where, or why you do your Kegels, you will reap the benefits in so many ways and so will your partner. There is nothing easier in the world as far as exercise goes than these. How many exercises can you do anywhere, no matter what you are doing, and at anytime?

Kegel Exercises For Pregnant Women To Strengthen The Pelvic Floor Muscles!

Kegel exercises can also be called as pelvic floor exercises.

These exercises help in strengthening the muscles that support your uterus, rectum, bowels, bladder and also help in strengthening your vaginal muscles.

Kegel exercises during pregnancy help in developing the ability to relax and control the muscles while preparing for labor and delivery.

Also, these exercises are recommended during the postpartum period in order to promote the healing of perennial tissues and control increased urination.

Benefits of kegel exercises:

• Mostly pregnant women are encouraged to do kegel exercises as they make pelvic floor muscles stronger and help during childbirth, especially pushing makes easier.
• Kegel exercises lesses your chance of tears happening during labor.
• During the postpartum period, kegel exercises can help in perennial healing of episiotomy wounds and also in preventing postpartum incontinence and toning your stretched vaginal muscles so that it makes sex better.
• Kegel exercises prevent incontinence from occurring in the later life.
• They create your orgasm healthier.
• They decrease the chance of hemorrhoids.
• They improve the vaginal sensation.
• Help in regaining bladder control and decrease your urinary problems.
• Women who have weak pelvic floor muscles such as vaginal delivery, obesity, menopause, chronic coughing and pelvic surgery can gain a lot from kegel exercises.

The best thing about kegel exercises is you can do them at any where and no one will recognize you are doing them.

Doing kegel exercises:

• In order to find the correct muscle, stop to practice the flow of urine when you are urinating.
• Put your finger inside the vagina while lying on the floor. Try to squeeze when you are trying to stop urination. Feeling tightness around your finger makes you to find the pelvic muscle.
• Contraction of your pelvic muscles at least for 10 seconds and then relaxing and repeating it for 10-20 times help in strengthening the muscle.
• Breathe normally while you are doing these exercises and practice this for 3 times a day.
• Don’t move your abdominal muscles, legs or buttocks while you are doing the exercises.

Right time to do the kegel exercises:

• When you are waiting for your doctor in a waiting room
• When you are stopped at the signal
• When you are in the shower
• While watching the TV
• While sitting in front of the computer at your work place

Kegel Exercises For Women

A kegel is the name of a pelvic floor exercise, named after Dr. Kegel who discovered the exercise. These muscles are attached to the pelvic bone and act like a hammock, holding in your pelvic organs. To isolate these muscles try stopping and starting the flow of urine. Involuntary leakage of urine (urinary incontinence) is the bane of many of us who've reached our 40's — and often affects younger women, too. Decreasing levels of estrogen can weaken the muscles that have control over the urethra (the tube carrying urine from the bladder to the outside of the body). Other factors, such as weight gain as we get older, can make incontinence worse.

What Are Kegel Exercises for Women?
Kegel, or pelvic floor muscle exercises are done to strengthen the muscles which support the urethra, bladder, uterus and rectum.

Why Do Kegel Exercises?
Often the pelvic floor muscles are weak which contributes to problems with losing urine. Doing the exercises correctly and regularly with resistance can strengthen the muscles. Stronger muscles lead to little or no urine loss for many women.

How Do I Do Them?
Over one-third of women start out squeezing the wrong muscles. Therefore, it is helpful to work with a doctor or nurse who can teach you the correct technique. You can also check yourself by placing a 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. At the same time, do not bear down or squeeze your thigh, back or abdominal muscles. Breathe slowly and deeply. At first you can do the exercises with your knees together (lying or sitting).

How Often Should I Do The Exercises?
Be sure you are doing them correctly before you start. We recommend doing the exercises for five minutes twice a day. You should squeeze the muscle for a count of four and relax for a count of four. At first, you may not be able to do the exercises for a whole five minutes or hold the squeeze for a count of four. With practice it will become easier as the muscles get stronger.

When Should I Expect Improvement In My Symptoms?
It takes from six to twelve weeks for most women to notice a change in urine loss. Remember, if you do the exercises with resistance regularly you could see results sooner and prevent stress incontinence.

How Should I Do The Exercises?
If you read that these exercises can be done anywhere, anytime - that is not necessarily true. We have studied different ways of doing the exercises to see what works best to decrease urine loss. What we found worked best was five minute sessions done twice a day. Many women report that five minutes before they get up in the morning and five minutes before they sleep is a helpful routine.

Is There Anything I Should Change Once The Exercises Become Easy?
Once the exercises become easy, you can further strengthen the muscles by squeezing to a count of eight and relaxing to a count of eight with our recommended resistance exerciser. Repeat this for five minutes two times a day. It will also work the muscle more to do the exercises with your knees apart.

How Long Do I Have To Do The Exercises?
Once you have attained your goal, you can do the exercises for five minutes three times a week. If you start having problems again with urine loss, you may need to go back to five minutes two times a day.

How important this exercises?

Kegel Exercises for Men are used to strengthen the PC
or pubococcygeus muscle, just as they are for women. The muscle is similar in both men and women, stretching from the pubic bone to the tail bone and forming a hammock-like floor that supports the organs of the pelvis and contributes to the function of the sphincter muscles.

The exercise is recommended for treating prostate pain and swelling that result from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatitis, or inflammation of the prostate gland. It is used as a first step for treating urinary incontinence. It may be beneficial for reducing pre-mature ejaculation, and other sexual benefits have been reported. Overall, the exercise is good for you.

To begin, you must first be able to find your PC muscle. You can do this during urination. Once your flow begins, try to stop it completely. The muscle that you feel tightening is the PC muscle. If you don’t get it, you may try inserting a finger (use lubrication) into the anus and try to “grip” your finger. If you are able to do that, you’ve found the right muscle.

Once you have become accustomed to tightening the muscle, Kegel exercises for men can be done anytime, anywhere. They require no special equipment, although several aids are available, including “Peristal” and the “Prostate Massager”.

In order to improve strength of the muscle, you use a “squeeze, hold, release” pattern. You squeeze the muscle, hold for several seconds, and release. Gradually, you would like to be able to build up to a hold of 10 seconds, repeating the “squeeze, hold, and release” ten times.

When you perform the exercise correctly, you should be able to feel or see the testicles lift. This takes time for some men. But, if you practice the routine regularly, you should notice an improvement in 4-6 weeks.

There are many things that you can do to support the health of the prostate and reduce your risk of urinary incontinence, including the use of herbs and nutritionally supportive supplements. The risk of problems increases with age. One out of every 10 people over the age of 65 has some problems, although women are most often affected.

Since kegel exercises for men help reduce your risk of problems and reduce pain in the prostate, why not give them a try? They are easy to do in the privacy of your own home. Tell your younger friends about Kegel exercises for men, too. There are many benefits.

How do I start my pelvic muscle training?

At first you may need to perform these exercises while sitting. As the muscles strengthen you can progress to exercise standing up. Like any activity, start with what you can achieve and progress from there. Remember to use your muscles whenever you exert yourself during your daily activities.

If you can feel the muscles working, exercise them by:

1. Squeezing / tightening and drawing in and up around both your anus (back passage) and urethra (bladder outlet). Lift up inside and try to hold this contraction strongly for as long as you can (1 - 10 seconds). Keep breathing! Now release and relax. You should have a definite feeling of letting go.

2. Rest 10 - 20 seconds - repeat Step 1, and remember it is important to rest. If you find it easy to hold, try to hold longer and repeat as many as you are able. Work towards 12 long, strong holds.

3. Now try 5 - 10 short, fast strong contractions.

• do NOT hold your breath
• do NOT push down instead of squeeze and lift
• do NOT pull your tummy in tightly
• do NOT tighten your buttocks and thighs.
• 
  

Try to set aside 5 - 10 minutes in your day for this exercise routine, and remember, quality is important. A few good contractions are more beneficial than many half-hearted ones and good results take time and effort.

Remember to use the muscles when you need them most. That is, always tighten before you cough, sneeze, lift, bend, get up out of a chair, etc.

How do I improve on my exercises?

Increase the length of time and number of holds you do in succession before experiencing muscle fatigue. Work towards 12 long, strong holds. Increase the number of short, fast contractions - always do your maximum number of quality contractions.

Hints

keep your weight within a healthy range for your height and age

seek medical advice for chronic cough

develop good bowel habits

Anticipate that improvement in pelvic floor muscle strength will take 3 - 6 months of regular training of the muscles.

The best results will be achieved by seeking help from a physiotherapist (with training in continence) who will design an individual training programme especially suited to you. Pelvic floor exercises may also be useful for people on a bladder training.