Kegel Exercises

Just what are kegel exercises and what do they do?

Unfortunately, one problem that many women face as they get older is the problem of incontinence. Yikes, who saw that coming? It's not an issue that we often talk about.

The problem of incontinence arises when the muscles of the pelvic floor weaken. At first, it's not that noticeable. But then, you start to have little leaks when sneezing, coughing or laughing. Eventually, when you need to use the restroom, you need to go "NOW!"

The best defense against this is kegel exercises. They are very simple to do, but the key is to do them regularly. I heard of one woman who was out of the country for several years. Her pelvic organs actually started to drop, called a prolapse. She was supposed to return home to have surgery. But by doing kegals regularly and often, she was able to reverse the problem. She stayed where she was. I'm not a doctor, so if you have questions or a specific medical condition, please see your doctor.

To find the muscles that need strengthening, try this quick step. When you are going to the bathroom, try to stop the urine flow. Those are the muscles that need strengthening. Just don't get in the habit of stopping your urine flow regularly. That can cause urinary tract infections.

Procedure

To do the kegals, contract those muscles you found and hold for 5 seconds. Release for a count of 5. Then repeat for a total of 10 times. Do this every day. Eventually you can work up to 25 times, twice a day.

Another option is to do the exercises quickly 10-15 times then wait 30 seconds. Repeat. Eventually, you can work up to 100 of these, twice a day.

That's it. It's so simple and you can do them anywhere. Don't wait until your symptoms are so bad that you need medication to control your incontinence. In fact, women have the most success when starting these in their 40's and 50's. But even older women have had good results. Start using kegel exercises now and help to avoid a common aging women's problem.