Traditionally, when most people think of kegel exercises, they think of women. Don't be fooled, however. Doing kegel exercises can benefit all genders, and are surprisingly similar in practice and benefit across the board. Pelvic floor exercises can benefit your general, as well as sexual

health.

First and foremost, you need to locate and isolate the correct pelvic floor muscles. The “pelvic floor” is a group of muscles between the hip bones. This group of muscles holds and supports your bladder, lower bowel, and reproductive organs. Just generally clenching your muscles “down there” might accidentally help strengthen the correct muscle group, but as with any exercise, proper form and technique will always be much more beneficial. The easiest and most common ways to locate the muscles to target for kegels is to;

● Cut off your urine mid stream
● Hold in a fart
● Insert a finger into your rectum or vagina and “clench” the muscles to grip the finger

Congratulations, you have successfully identified the pelvic floor muscles. Now, with an empty bladder, squeeze these muscles, hold for a count of three to five seconds, and release for a count of three to five seconds. Be sure you are isolating the pelvic floor and are not flexing the abdominal muscles or thighs. If you feel pain in your abdomen or back, please stop with your exercises and consult your doctor. Try to avoid holding your breath while flexing. Do this 10 times, up to three times a day. Work up to the point at which you can complete a set of kegels while walking. Do not exceed the recommendation of three sets of ten repetitions. You could tire the muscles and actually do more harm than good.

Benefits of regular kegel exercises can be felt in and out of the bedroom. Regular kegels to strengthen the pelvic floor can help with bladder and bowel function. It helps to stop bladder leakage and aids in fully emptying the bladder and lower bowel. Fully emptying the bladder is critical to preventing infection. It will also aid in sexual function and enjoyment. Do not be discouraged if you do not notice results right away. It can take months of regular practice to notice results, especially in cases of urinary incontinence, but the results are worth the wait.

It is a myth, however, that kegels keep a vagina "tight" as we discussed before in the blog, the vagina is a sleeve of muscles. It can be affected by age, childbirth, weight gain, and other factors, but is not "loose" or "tight" based on sexual activity or numbers of partners. Kegel exercises can, however, give more control over the pelvic and vaginal muscles, making it easier for some to achieve orgasm. Flexing on the pelvic floor can also be enjoyable for the partner in both vaginal and anal sex. For mothers, Kegel exercises can be especially important. The pelvic floor can be weakened by pregnancy and childbirth. This often leads to bladder weakness and incontinence. It has been an established medical consensus that regular pelvic floor exercises can be a significant benefit to overall and sexual health .

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