The Best Kegel Exercises For Women

Working the pelvic floor muscles is no easy task at the beginning because it is often difficult to locate them. One way of locating this set of muscles is to insert a finger into your vagina and tighten your vaginal muscles around it, in the same way you would if you were trying to hold in urine. We should point out that holding in urine mid-flow is not advisable.

Another way to identify these muscles is to sit down and cough hard. You'll notice that - in addition to the contraction of your abdominal muscles - another region lower down contracting: these are the muscles you need to contract when performing Kegel exercises.

Image: intimina.com

You could perform Kegel exercises at any time and anywhere, provided of course, that your bladder is completely empty. Otherwise, you risk contracting a urinary infection, especially if you're susceptible to them. Therefore, we suggest you carry them out after you've used the bathroom.

Aim to exercise your Kegel muscles three times a day: morning, afternoon and evening. If you are short on free time, take advantage of those moments when you have to stay still for a time, e.g. on public transport, waiting in a queue, etc.

If you have trouble being consistent, set aside three periods during the day which you'll dedicate to doing Kegel exercises. These three periods could be, e.g. after you wake up, after having lunch and when you're in bed.

Here are two different methods of performing Kegel exercises.

• Method 1: Contract the muscles for five seconds and then relax them completely. Repeat ten times. The more you practice, the longer you'll be able to contract the muscles - gradually increase the length of time until you are able to hold them for ten seconds.
• Method 2: Contract and relax your pelvic floor muscles as fast as you can, repeating this action ten times. Over time, try to build up to thirty contractions.

So, what position should you assume when performing Kegel exercises? You could do them whilst:

• Standing.
• Lying on your back.
• Squatting.

The more you perform these Kegel exercises, the more control you'll have over your pelvic floor muscles. Little by little, you'll notice positive changes filter into your everyday life - from experiencing more intense orgasms to improvement in urine incontinence. If you're pregnant or are recovering from childbirth, Kegel exercises can be invaluable. In these cases, always consult your doctor beforehand.

As you'll be able to tell, these exercises don't require much time or effort. The most important thing is to be consistent don't skip a day. As the years go by, you'll have your Kegel exercises to thank for helping you to prevent incontinence - a very common problem among mature women.

If you want to read similar articles to The Best Kegel Exercises For Women, we recommend you visit our Sentimental relationships category.