Sometimes, the muscles in your pelvic floor are strong. Sometimes they’re weak.
And while a supportive pelvic floor has been known to reduce urine incontinence, as well as intensify sensations in the vagina during sex, these muscles can stretch and sag, meaning you may find yourself losing control over your urine, and sex may not feel as good as it could.
Introducing Kegel exercises: the no-fuss, no-time-spent workout that solely focuses on strengthening the pelvic floor to prevent these muscles from weakening.
The best part about Kegel exercises, which were, in fact, derived in a bid to prevent urine leaks post-childbirth in the 1940s, is that you only need to invest two minutes a day of your time to do it. As WebMD shows in the exercise plan below, you don’t need to leave your house, your chair or even your bed full the full effects of this workout.
The simple Kegel workout
STEP 1: Identify the muscles (pubococcygeus, or PC for short) in your vagina that stop you from urinating.
STEP 2: Squeeze and clench these muscles for three seconds and release for another three seconds three times a day. Make sure you don’t tighten your stomach and thighs as your vagina won’t experience the full effects of the exercise.
STEP 3: Once you start to get hang of it, increase this by one second per week so and, eventually, stop at 10 seconds.
STEP 4: Do this exercise 10-15 times during each session.
If you have urine incontinence, or would like to know about strengthening your pelvic floor, contact your GP.
