Table of contents:
- 1. Kegel isn't just a "loose hand"
- 2. Kegel not only tightens the vagina, it improves its strength
- 3. Not all women can do Kegel, but all men can!
Kegel exercises are often associated with exercise for new mothers to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles again after childbirth, or in adult women who are going through menopause.
Kegel is commonly used by menopausal women as a way to rejuvenate the area around the pelvis. As we get older, the activity of the pelvic muscles begins to weaken, causing internal organs (such as the uterus, intestines, and bladder) to loosen and fall into the vaginal area.
Basically, Kegel exercises are simple physical exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor. Pelvic strength is important not only for preventing urine leakage, but also for tightening the vagina, and a myriad of other health reasons.
Before starting, here are some things you should understand about Kegel exercises.
1. Kegel isn't just a "loose hand"
Many people misunderstand the basic Kegel techniques. The most common mistake is doing Kegel exercises with the muscles of the thighs, buttocks, or stomach. To find the right muscles, do this: while urinating, try to hold back the flow of your urine, then release it again. The muscles you use to hold your pee are the muscles you train during Kegel exercises.
In essence, the Kegel movement is not just squeezing a muscle and then releasing it. According to Julia di Paolo, a veteran physiotherapist, here's how easy it is:
- take a deep breath and relax your pelvic muscles
- while exhaling, imagine that you are lifting an imaginary marble with your vagina, pulling it up and into the body
To determine whether the movement you are doing is correct, you can check it with a mirror. Lie down and place the mirror between your legs. The correct Kegel motion is when you see your clitoris twitch as if it is pulled down, and the anus appears to be shrinking and tightening.
2. Kegel not only tightens the vagina, it improves its strength
Kegel can indeed tighten the vagina. However, if it is not done regularly, you will not be able to build muscle strength around the vagina which will give you more strength to tighten these muscles. The tighter your vagina is, the tighter these muscles can grip.
But remember, if you just sit or lie down while doing Kegel exercises, the benefits you feel will not be optimal. Once you've mastered the technique, do a Kegel routine anytime and anywhere. Do Kegel exercises while you're doing squats, lunges, or bridges at the gym, or even during sex!
Kegel exercises build a solid foundation for your pelvic bones. In short, Kegel can also help you deal with lower back pain that may have been interfering with your activities.
After routine Kegel exercises, you may feel pain around the pelvic muscles and vagina, but don't worry. Like any physical exercise, muscle soreness is the body's startled reaction to a new contraction and will fade away over time. If the pain does not go away, contact your doctor immediately.
3. Not all women can do Kegel, but all men can!
If you often complain of pain or tightness in your vagina during sexual intercourse or at other times, Kegel may not be a good exercise for you. In addition, for people with certain medical conditions such as vaginismus, muscle tension and soreness are common effects. Contracting tense muscles is something you shouldn't do. Check with your gynecologist to find out the best treatment plan you can follow.
The good news is that men can also try Kegel exercises. Leaking urine (wetting the bed), whether when coughing, laughing, or sneezing, is an embarrassing issue that affects not only women, but also men. In addition, the risk of a hernia in men is as great as in women when they reach old age.
Doing Kegel for at least five minutes a day, you will begin to see significant improvements in your ability to hold urine and control your bladder. Another bonus: regular Kegel exercises (for men and women) can also help you achieve more satisfying orgasms and more intense erections.