Kegel exercise is also known as pelvic floor exercises. While it is known as exercises to strengthen the muscles around the vagina in women, men can also apply these exercises. It is reported that women and men can strengthen the pelvic floor muscles by doing these exercises and prevent urinary incontinence and urinary problems that may arise due to problems that may occur in this area.
Exercises support the muscles in the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum, preventing discomfort and problems that may occur. In addition, in men who apply these exercises; problems such as premature ejaculation, erection, prostate and urinary incontinence can also be prevented.
What are Pelvic Floor Muscles and What Do They Do?
The other name of the exercise is pelvic floor muscles exercise. What needs to be done in this case is to know where the muscles are and what they do before the exercises. It is known as the area between the lower abdomen and the legs of the human body. In other words, it is the area about 4 fingers below the navel.
The base of the region consists of layers of muscle and different tissues. It is located between the coccyx and pubic bone. In women, it supports the uterus, bladder and colon. These exercises, which support control of the bowel and bladder, also help with sexual function. Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles is important for one's health.
Why Should I Do Kegel Exercise?
Like all other muscles, the muscles in this area are muscles that are strengthened and strengthened over time. It is important for women of all age groups to have strong muscles in this area.
Some conditions for the muscles in this area to weaken and lose strength are as follows:
- Muscles are not exercised and lose their activity
- Pregnancy or giving birth
- Obesity
- Constipation
- Having a chronic cough problem
- Advancing age
Stress-induced coughing and sneezing in women can cause urinary incontinence problems. Activating these muscles by activating them helps to prevent these problems.
When done during pregnancy, it reduces the effect of the baby's increasing weight. The muscles formed before birth will benefit after birth. Exercises should be started again immediately after birth.
Depending on the advancing age, having strong muscles in this area can prevent some problems that may occur in the future. In women, it can prevent bladder problems that may occur after some hormone changes and menopause due to old age.
How to Do Kegel Exercise?
The important point of these exercises, which can be done anywhere and anytime, is to exercise the right muscle. Most people train the abdominal and hip muscles, thinking that they are training the muscles in this area and do not get positive results.
For people who have not done the exercises before, it is important that the muscles find their place and progress at that point. In this case, the person should try to stop the flow of urine while sitting in the toilet and then continue.
Attention should be paid to the muscle group felt during this process. Too much stopping during urination is not beneficial and can cause some urinary tract problems. This is why it should not be done often.
In addition, the thigh muscles, buttocks and abdomen should be relaxed and relaxed. To find the muscles, one can imagine that one is sitting on a marble and lifting it inwards and upwards and squeeze these muscles. At first, one should not strain too much and the seconds can be kept short. The muscles should be squeezed and held for about 3 seconds and then relaxed.
The things to be considered while doing Kegel exercises are as follows:
- Breath control
- Tightening and lifting of muscles
- Failure to tighten the buttocks
- Leaving the thighs relaxed
- Doing it sensually and slowly
Kegel Exercises for Women;
Exercises are important for women in terms of strengthening pelvic muscles. It is recommended to empty the bladder by going to the toilet before exercise. For women, it can be done daily with 10 or 15 sets and 4-5 repetitions.
During the exercise, the pelvic muscles are tightened and relaxed after about 5 seconds. In order for the exercise to be effective and to get positive results, it is important to work only the muscles in that area and focus on that area.
Kegel Exercises for Men;
The muscles in this area may weaken due to advancing age. There are also some factors that can cause the muscles to weaken. These may include conditions such as prostate and diabetes.
At least 3 sets and 15 repetitions can be done daily in exercises. The muscles should be tightened and held for about 5 seconds and then slowly relaxed. If these procedures are repeated daily, the results will be positive.
How Many Times and How Often Should Kegel Exercises Be Performed?
After making sure that the correct muscle group is working, the person can do these movements daily in 10 or 15 sets of 5 repetitions for women and 3 sets of 15 repetitions for men. In terms of doing the exercise, the person may experience difficulty at first.
Over time, these difficulties will decrease and the squeezing time of the muscles will increase. In the future, sets and duration can increase with the development of the muscles. The person should pay attention to the correct point in the exercises and perform the movements using the correct breathing technique.
What are the Benefits of Kegel Exercises?
Exercises have many benefits for human health. It is beneficial for some prostate problems, premature ejaculation, hardening, prostate in men. It also prevents problems such as urinary incontinence.
The benefits of kegel exercises for women can be listed as follows:
- Prevents urinary problems
- Prevents uterus and bladder problems
- Prevents sexual problems and increases pleasure
- Prevents sexual anorexia problems
- Contributes to problems that may occur during pregnancy
- Reduces postpartum pain
- Reduces the impact of menopause-related problems