Pelvic floor exercises or Kegel exercises are designed specifically for women who would like to strengthen their pelvic muscles. While women of all ages benefit by these workouts, these are primarily used for women who are pregnant or those who have just had a baby.
Pelvic muscles extend from the tail bone to the pubic bone and when these muscles are strong it helps prevent uterine prolapse, bladder prolapse, stress incontinence and also improves bladder control, apart from preventing sagging of pelvic organs.
The best way in which to perform the following pelvic floor exercises is to do these while sitting on a toilet seat.
Exercise #1
In this exercise, you will work on tightening the muscles of your pelvic floor. While sitting on a toilet seat, squeeze your pelvic floor muscles as hard as you can. Hold this position for 8 seconds and no longer. Release your muscles, give yourself a break for a few seconds and repeat the process. You can repeat this exercise periodically throughout the day for best results.
Exercise #2
This exercise is just an extension of the previous one. The difference in this is that instead of relaxing between each exercise, you would need to repeat the process continuously until your pelvic floor muscles feel fatigued. Use sets of five repetitions for this exercise. While you would need to repeat the exercise, do not push yourself too much at the beginning, or you might end up with further complications.
A point to keep in mind while performing pelvic floor exercises is that you should avoid holding your breath during the process. Apart from this, avoid squeezing your legs together and ensure that you do not work on these exercises when you have a full bladder. It is advisable to seek the advice of a gynaecologist or physiotherapist if you suffer from chronic health issues.
Do not be concerned if you do not see immediate results. For many women, results are seen only around 12 weeks after starting off these exercises. There are also instruments known as Kegel Exercisers, which aid the basic pelvic floor exercises. While they are largely effective, it is preferable to avoid them as far as possible so as to ensure long term benefits.
