Pelvic floor exercises

Exercises specifically called The Pelvic Floor Exercises, that is pelvic muscle training exercises, and in the some places also referred to as kegel exercises, are used predominantly for the recovery and the treatment of urinary incontinence.

What are Pelvic Floor Exercises

This form of exercises has been created for the purpose of making one’s pelvic muscles more secure and stronger. By performing this type of exercises you can help towards the prevention of incontinence and other such problems that can occur at an older age. The pelvic floor exercises are not, however, just for the elderly, they are also very popular among pregnant women in preparation for childbirth. Unfortunately the performance of the pelvic floor exercises are not always done correctly and many people will actually use the incorrect muscle groups when trying to do the kegel exercises.

Exercises for the Pelvic Floor Muscles

The great thing about the pelvic floor exercises is that they can be discreet and you can perform them anywhere and at any time. Nevertheless, if you are a beginner to this type of exercise you may want to start by sitting down on your toilet seat with your feet level on the ground. Allow yourself to urinate but half way through relieving yourself try to bring to a halt the stream of urine. By doing this exercise in this particular way for the first few tries will assist you in the identification of the muscles which you will need to be working on. An indication that you are using the incorrect muscles is if you feel your buttock and/or your thigh muscles tighten up.

Slow and Fast Contractions

The slow contractions assist one in strengthening their pelvic floor as well as helping to prevent urine leakage. To do the slow contractions you need to raise the pelvic floor muscles for ten seconds after which you can then tighten them up for another ten seconds and then release slowly. This can be repeated in sets of ten. You probably won’t be able to do this exercise for the full twenty seconds but you will work up to it. The fast contractions are the ones that are taught to the pregnant women as they assist in helping to hold the pressure together. You will need to raise your pelvic floor muscles rapidly and hold them tight for around two seconds after which you can relax only for a second. This exercise can be completed in sets of ten.