Contents:
- Medical Video: Kegel Exercises Beginners Workout For Women
- What is Kegel Gymnastics?
- What are the benefits of Kegel exercises?
- Benefits of Kegel exercises for women
- Benefits of Kegel exercises for men
- How to do Kegel exercises for women
- How to do Kegel exercises for men
- What not to do when doing Kegel exercises
- How often do Kegel exercises so that the results are felt?
- Do you need to use a tool?
Medical Video: Kegel Exercises Beginners Workout For Women
Lately, Kegel exercises are increasingly popular both men and women. Initially, gymnastics was better known as gymnastics for mother who just gave birth. However, Kegel exercises turned out to offer a myriad of benefits that were not only good for women who had given birth.
Therefore, now Kegel exercises are recommended for anyone who wants to train or tighten the pelvic muscles. Don't worry first, even though it's referred to as gymnastics, actually this muscle training does not require certain strength or physical endurance. Kegel exercises are easily done by anyone anywhere. Just look at the various benefits and how to do the following Kegel male and female gymnastics.
What is Kegel Gymnastics?
Although referred to as gymnastics, actually Kegel exercises are exercises to tighten only your lower pelvic muscles. Therefore, the body and other members of your body do not need to move.
The lower pelvic floor is located in the pelvic area (groin), precisely the muscle used to control the rate of urine (urine).
Initially this exercise was developed by an obstetrician from the United States, namely Dr. Arnold Kegel in the 1940s. The main goal at that time was to overcome the problem of urinary incontinence in women who had just given birth.
Over time, this gymnastics has been proven to be able to overcome various problems around the pelvis and intimate organs if done routinely. Therefore, at present, obstetricians or urologists around the world have often recommended Kegel exercises as home care for various health conditions involving reproductive organs or a person's intimate organs.
Make no mistake, this gymnastics is not only beneficial for women, but also for men. However, how to do male Kegel exercises and female Kegel exercises is certainly different. More clearly about the lower pelvic floor exercises with Kegel, read the following information.
What are the benefits of Kegel exercises?
Anyone who routinely does this exercise will feel the changes and benefits. Kegel exercises are muscle exercises that focus on the pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor muscles are located in the area of male and female sex organs. So, those of you who regularly do Kegel exercises will get changes including the following.
Benefits of Kegel exercises for women
- Close the vagina after normal labor.
- Speed up vaginal recovery after an episiotomy (vaginal scissors during childbirth). Because, Kegel exercises can improve blood circulation smoothly to the vaginal area. Blood containing oxygen and various nutrients is needed to regenerate various cells and vaginal tissues that have been damaged by episiotomy.
- Helps overcome hemorrhoids (hemorrhoid), especially after giving birth vaginally. This is because Kegel can accelerate blood circulation to the anus and vagina.
- Vaginal tightening which has loosened, for example when a woman enters menopause. This benefit can help create more satisfying sexual performance.
- Helps overcome symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse. Pelvic organ prolapsenamely the condition when the muscles and ligaments that support the organs in the pelvic area are weakened. This was evidenced in a study by experts from Norway in 2012. The study was published in the Journal of Urology.
Benefits of Kegel exercises for men
- Helps relieve urinary incontinence. Urine incontinence is a difficult condition to resist urination or always feels there is an urge to urinate, both men and women. Kegel's success in overcoming this problem has been discussed in a 2009 study that was thoroughly examined by Cochrane, an international organization engaged in the field of medical information.
- Blood circulation so that the penis can stronger erection during sex. An expert team from Israel found that lower pelvic floor exercises can help men with erectile dysfunction (impotence) in order to maintain their erection. Experts believe that this exercise can help control your function and sexual response better.
- Prevent and help overcome premature ejaculation. The effect of Kegel training in dealing with premature ejaculation is proven in the International Journal of Andrology. According to this study, doing Kegel exercises for approximately twelve weeks can help more than 50 percent of men with problems with premature ejaculation to delay orgasm so that sex feels more satisfying.
- Prevent urination not complete or post-micturition dribble (urine still drips after urinating) especially in men. Research in the journal BJU International said that this exercise was indeed able to help men control the discharge of urine, especially after undergoing prostate surgery.
- Maintain male prostate health. Gymnastics is good for exercising the muscles around the prostate so that it can sustain various male reproductive organs strongly.
How to do Kegel exercises for women
Just like male Kegel exercises, female Kegel exercises can be done while lying down, sitting, standing, or walking. If this is the first time you have tried this pelvic floor exercise, you should do it while lying down, with your knees bent. This position will minimize the gravitational force so that your body relaxes more.
To determine the location of the pelvic floor muscles, try to tighten the muscles in the vaginal area as if you were holding back urine when urinating. The contracting muscles are your pelvic floor muscles.
If you already know the location of the pelvic floor muscles, see how to do the following female Kegel exercises.
- Tighten your lower pelvic floor for about 3 seconds.
- During tightening these muscles, do not hold your breath or tighten your abdominal muscles, thighs, and buttocks.
- Relax your lower pelvic muscles for 3 seconds.
- Repeat this exercise for up to 10 times.
- For maximum results, do this exercise 3 times a day.
After you get used to doing Kegel exercises, try to hold the pelvic floor muscles for much longer. Start by holding for 5 seconds, until you can hold for 10 seconds. Give the appropriate pause, which is 5-10 seconds. Don't forget to breathe as usual while doing female Kegel exercises.
You can train the pelvic floor muscles anywhere and anytime, for example when sitting behind a desk or while watching television. Do not hold the pelvic floor muscles when you urinate because it can endanger the bladder.
How to do Kegel exercises for men
Men's Kegel gymnastics do not require special preparation or equipment. You can do it anywhere. However, for the first time you can do Kegel exercises while lying down. This is so that your body relaxes and the lower pelvic muscles become more sensitive.
All you have to do is make sure your pelvic floor muscles are located. To do this, try to tighten the muscles as if you were holding back the rate of urine when urinating. The contracting muscles are your pelvic floor muscles.
After finding out the location of the pelvic floor muscles, follow the procedure male Kegel gymnastics the following.
- Tighten your lower pelvic muscles for three seconds.
- During tightening the pelvic floor muscles, breathe as usual and do not hold the abdominal muscles, thighs, or buttocks.
- Relax the lower pelvic floor muscles and pause for about three seconds.
- Repeat this muscle exercise for about 10 times.
- Try to do Kegel exercises three times a day.
If you are used to doing pelvic floor exercises, try to hold back the contractions of the pelvic floor muscles for longer, which is 5 to 10 seconds. Give a balanced pause too, about 5 to 10 seconds.
You can also do male Kegel exercises while standing, walking, or when sitting behind an office work desk. Do not tighten the pelvic floor muscles when urinating. This risks causing interference with the bladder.
What not to do when doing Kegel exercises
Although this exercise is quite easy for anyone to do, there are several things that must be considered. Keep this in mind, yes.
- Don't hold your breath while doing Kegel exercises. Breathe as usual through your nose. To make it easier, you can take a deep breath while holding back the contraction of the lower pelvic muscles. Then, while relaxing your muscles, exhale slowly.
- For men, do not tighten the muscles down, like wanting to urinate. This exercise is actually done by tightening the muscles upward, as if you are holding urine.
- Relax the muscles in the area of the abdomen, thighs, or buttocks. Reflexively you might accidentally tighten muscles in various areas. To prevent this error, you can do Kegel with one hand on the stomach and the other hand on the buttocks. That way, you will feel movement or contraction when the muscles that are not in the lower pelvis tighten. However, with regular practice you will get used to relax the muscles besides the lower pelvic muscles.
- Always relax the muscles in the lower pelvis every time you run out of contraction.
- Do not do this exercise if you are urinating or defecating. This will only have a bad effect on your bladder. Therefore, it is important for you to do this exercise after you urinate or urinate. Indeed, the best time to do this exercise is when your bladder is empty.
How often do Kegel exercises so that the results are felt?
For maximum results and changes, the WebMD health site says that this exercise should be done routinely. Just like other muscles in your body, the lower pelvic muscles will also be more flexible and stronger if you diligently train it.
For beginners or people who have never done Kegel exercises at all, you can start by practicing once a day. Find the most appropriate time, namely when you can relax and not feel rushed. For example after you take a bath in the afternoon or at night.
If it's normal, gradually increase the duration of the exercise and its frequency. However, you are not advised to do Kegel exercises more than three times a day. Too often doing this exercise can actually make the muscles tired so you actually experience interference when urinating or defecating.
According to various studies, usually this exercise will only feel the effects and changes after you routinely do gymnastics for four to six weeks. However, the effect is certainly very beneficial for the health problems that you are facing.
Now, in order to be routine, you can do Kegel exercises while doing various other daily routines. For example while watching television. You can even do this exercise together with your partner. That way, you can simultaneously increase intimacy and increase sexual pleasure thanks to this exercise.
Do you need to use a tool?
There are now many assistive products offered for your training session. The most common example is Kegel balls (Kegel ball) for female Kegel exercises.
Basically, this tool is created by borrowing another body's fitness concept, that is to give a load to the muscles can help shape and train the muscle strength. This is why many people who want to build muscle do weight training.
Well, the concept of the Kegel ball is more or less like that. While sitting or standing, the woman must insert the special ball into the vaginal opening.
Then, if the ball has fully entered, hold it as much as possible so that the ball does not move in further or falls out of the vagina. This can be done by slightly closing your legs so that the position is not too straddling.
Trusted, the weight of the Kegel ball that you use can help women to tighten and form the muscles in the lower pelvic area.
However, keep in mind that there are no studies that prove that Kegel training is more effective than regular exercise. In addition, you are at high risk of having a bacterial or fungal infection if the aids used are not hygienic and sterile.
Not to mention the risk of injury if the tools used are stuck in the vagina or hurt the vagina. In the end, the risks that might occur are greater than the benefits of doing gymnastics with aids.
Therefore, it is better to discuss further with your nurse, midwife, or obstetrician the most appropriate and safe way to do Kegel exercises.
