Kegels also more commonly known as pelvic floor exercises strengthen the invisible but very vital muscles that support our uterus, bladder and rectum.
Unlike your quads or biceps, our pelvic floor muscles do not get quite as much “air time” but are probably the muscles that degenerate the most for women above the age of 30. Here are 5 reasons why you should make the Kegel Workout a priority from today!
#1 Prevent Urine leakage
When they’re working like they should, your pelvic floor muscles never cross your mind. But over time — as we age — these muscles can start to weaken. This is accelerated by life events such as pregnancies and it is not unusual for young mothers to experience the ill-effects of weakened pelvic floor muscles with embarrassing accidents like bladder leakage when they jump, sneeze or cough.
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#2 Eliminate Embarrassing Incidents of Passing Gas or Stools
As our pelvic floor muscles weaken further, it is even possible for gas or stools to be passed inadvertently when one coughs, sneezes or laughs. This is not only distressing but will limit the extent that you are able to enjoy and live your life.
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#3 Improve your orgasms
Our pelvic floor muscles feels tighter as we strengthen them. This can improve our sexual function and overall enjoyment. In fact, one motivation for stronger pelvic floor muscles is that they can even improve your orgasms!
#4 Hold in your tampons
As a woman, the first thing that got me after my third child was the fact that my tampons would not even stay in place anymore. My pelvic floor muscles were so loose that my tampons would slip out with time, making it impossible for me to wear them with any degree of comfort. More distressingly, it was the realization of how weakened these “invisible” muscles have degenerated which prompted me to seek help.
#5 Prevent Pelvic floor prolapse
Weakened pelvic floor muscles are like a building with crumbling walls. Sooner or later, the entire structure is at risk of collapse. As our pelvic floor muscles weaken with pregnancy, childbirth and age, this puts us at risk for a condition doctors call “pelvic organ prolapse” (POP). Basically, your pelvic organs start to droop. They can start to fall into or out of your vagina. Sometimes, if you’ve had a hysterectomy, your vaginal tissues can start to come out of your body, too.
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Sounds scary? Well, it is. The good news is that all this deterioration happens over time and there is plenty you can do to halt its progression and even improve your overall muscle tone. The first is to ‘get down and dirty’, and strengthen your pelvic floor with these methods below:
1 Kegels
Sit on the toilet and try to pee. Once urine starts to flow, squeeze your muscles to hold it in. You should feel the muscles inside your vagina “lift.” You just did one Kegel. Relax the muscle and do it again. But don’t get into the habit of doing them while you pee. You can actually cause other problems, like urinary tract infections.
Start slowly. Try squeezing your pelvic floor muscles for 3 seconds, then release for 3 seconds. Do this 10 times in a row. That’s one set. If you can’t do 10, do as many as you can and build up over time. Try to work up to one set of 10 Kegels two to three times a day.
2 Magnetic Muscle Sculpting
Functional magnetic stimulation using Magnetic Muscle Sculpting directly activates motor neurons which results in contraction of the muscle or a group of muscles. Functional Magnetic Stimulation (FMS) is more comfortable than the traditionally employed electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). Magnetic Muscle Sculpting is able to reach deep muscle groups that are not accessible by electrical muscle stimulation which predominantly work only on the surface. This allows for areas such as the Kegel muscles or the pelvic floor muscles to be treated effectively. Each 15 minute session is equivalent to approximately 10,000 kegel contractions, and is a good adjunct to women looking to strengthen their pelvic floor.
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