WHAT ARE PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES?
Pelvic Floor Exercises, also known as Kegel exercises, are essential to every woman’s exercise routine and they can be done anytime, anywhere, and without anyone noticing. Not only do they increase your control over your bladder, your pelvic floor supports your vagina, uterus and bowel, so keeping your pelvic floor in good working order is beneficial for women of all ages and stages of life.
A strong pelvic floor may also help shorten the second stage of labour and, after childbirth, Pelvic Floor Exercises may also help to heal any damage by increasing blood supply to the area.
Pilates are a great way to strengthen your Pelvic Floor Exercises as these muscles need slow exercises as well as fast exercises.
HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR PELVIC MUSCLES
Identifying your pelvic floor muscles can be difficult and it takes practice to find and squeeze your pelvic floor correctly. Whilst locating these muscles, refrain from using your stomach, buttock and leg muscles when trying the methods below.
If you continue to have difficulty, speak to your doctor to determine the best ways to manage and reduce leaks for you and your body.
Method
1
You can identify the muscles located around the bladder opening by starting and stopping your urine stream. If you are able to stop mid stream, you’re using your pelvic floor muscles.
Method
2
Another way to identify pelvic muscles and complete your pelvic floor exercises is to tighten the muscles around your back passage (as when holding back wind or at the end of a bowel movement).
Method
3
A proper pelvic floor squeeze also works to lift the engaged muscles upwards. Use a hand mirror to see if you can notice any upward movement when you contract your pelvic floor muscles.
BEGINNER EXERCISES FOR PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES
HOW TO GET STARTED
Exercising your pelvic floor can be implemented into your everyday life, and can be done anywhere and at any time. It is a gentle exercise, yet very effective in treating bladder leakage.
Like any form of exercise, it’s best to try different methods in order to get all of the pelvic floor muscles working. These can include quick exercises, where the pelvic floor muscles are quickly tightened then relaxed; and slow exercises, where the pelvic floor muscles are tightened for 10 seconds before relaxing. These exercises work best when each squeeze of the pelvic floor muscles is as tight as possible.
YOUR 4 STEP GUIDE ON
HOW TO EXERCISE YOUR PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES
Pelvic Floor Exercises can be done daily by following the 4 simple steps below.
Use the step by step guide to exercise your Pelvic Floor Muscles and strengthen your pelvic floor.
STEP 1
HOW TO EXERCISE YOUR PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES
Sit, stand or lie down with your legs slightly apart and relax your thighs, buttocks and abdomen muscles.
STEP 2
FINDING YOUR PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES
Tighten the ring of muscle around your front and back passages drawing the pelvic floor muscles up inside.
STEP 3
PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES ROUTINE
Try to complete up to 10 slow squeezes and 10 fast squeezing exercises.
STEP 4
HOW OFTEN TO EXERCISE YOUR PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES
Repeat these exercises 4-5 times every day.
