Kegel Exercises: Why They're Important and My Personal Experience

Disclaimer - There are gifted items in this post. 
See the end of the post for more information.



Is there a stigma attached the words 'pelvic floor'? Even though we all have a pelvic floor, for some people, it can be a source of embarrassment.



As somebody who has had pelvic floor issues in the past because of my illness, I should know. I think a lot of people relate pelvic floor problems with the elderly. However, that isn't the case. It can be an awkward issue for younger people also. From pregnant women to people like myself who cough on a daily basis, it can be humiliating, especially when you're out in public and have an 'oops' moment because you necked your Diet Coke too quickly in the previous pub.





Like I said, I've had pelvic floor issues since I was a late teenager. Years of coughing up phlegm until I'm red in the face has had a profound effect on me downstairs. And not in a good way. Thankfully, I don't have too bad a problem at the moment as I do my Kegel AKA pelvic floor exercises.



The physiotherapists down the hospital always ask me if I do my exercises. Hmm...sometimes a little white lie has to be told. I do them often, but not as much as I should. I just forget. It's like invisible exercising in a way. You can feel it happening but you can't actually see it happening.



So, wondering what this all means? Here's some commonly asked questions and the answers:



WHAT  IS  YOUR  PELVIC  FLOOR?
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Your pelvic floor is the group of muscles in your pelvic area. It kind of acts as the support for your bladder and uterus as well as other parts of the body down there.


WHERE  IS  YOUR  PELVIC  FLOOR?
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Well, I've told you where it's sort of positioned in your body. But the one way to really to tell is by stopping yourself when you are going mid-wee. However, please don't try doing that every time you go to the toilet, I don't fancy being sued by you for giving you a dodgy bladder. 



WHAT  ARE  PELVIC  FLOOR  EXERCISES?
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Pelvic floor exercises help to strengthen the muscles around your bladder. By doing these exercises, you'll be helping to prevent urinary continence amongst other things. Even men can benefit from doing these exercises - it's not just a 'woman thing'.



HOW  DO  YOU  DO  PELVIC  FLOOR  EXERCISES?
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Sit down on a chair. Sofa. Edge of the bed. Whatever floats your boat. After finding somewhere comfortable to sit, squeeze the muscles 10 to 15 times. Like I said a couple of paragraphs ago, imagine your trying to stop yourself from going for a wee. You'll probably feel the muscles better when thinking like that. Hold the squeeze for about 1-2 seconds. You can try and add more squeezes as you do them more often. But please don't overdo it, that can do more harm than good. The good thing about Kegel exercises is that you can do them anywhere, who the hell is going to know that you're doing them? Well, unless you randomly just tell the person you're sat next to on the bus. That wouldn't be a good idea. 


DO  THESE  EXERCISES  REALLY  WORK?
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If you keep persevering with them and actively do them, then it does work. Take it from me, I do them a couple of times a week and I have noticed a difference.



WHAT  ARE  THE  BENEFITS  FROM  DOING  THE  EXERCISES?
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Well, surprisingly, I thought the pelvic floor exercises were just made to stop leakage. However, as I've recently found out from doing a little research for this post and from what physiotherapists have told me in the past, there are other benefits from doing this type of exercise, they are:


~ Prevented pelvic floor prolapse
~ Less risk of incontinence after pregnancy now and in later life
~ Increased sensitivity during sex and stronger orgasms



Yep, the sex one was an unexpected benefit. Who'd have thought?! Maybe that'll give you a good excuse to attempt these exercises now eh?!



One thing I have tried is the KegelSmart from Intimina. The device is aimed to imrpove and tone the strength of your pelvic floor. To use it, you insert into your vagina, like you would a menstrual cup and you will then feel a series of three vibrations which means the exercise routine will begin. The KegelSmart also automatically sets the exercise level to suit you. You would only need to use it five minutes a day.



I've used this device a few times now and I've already noticed an improvement. I use it for five minutes a about 2/3 days a week. I don't use it everytime I do Kegel exercises but it's great to kind of mix things up a bit, for want of a better word. I'd definitely recommend buying one if you were having trouble with your pelvic floor.



For more information on the pelvic floor and exercises, read the NHS page here



*The KegelSmart was gifted to me in exchange for this post. All pelvic floor views are my own. For more information, please read my disclaimer.
22 comments
  1. Thanks for sharing Lucy.

    I need to do more exercise and look after myself more in general, so this was really helpful.

    Kate | thelittlecrunch.co.uk

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  2. Thanks for sharing this! Its never something I thought I needed to do but maybe it's worth a try!

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  3. Okay, I'm terrible at this. I go through phases where I'm on top of it then somehow forget for months at a time. Thankfully, I don't really have any whoopsie moments so I'm guessing mine isn't experiencing too many problems right now but it's definitely something I need to work on. I had no idea you could get little devices like this to help you out with them!! Thanks for sharing x

    Sophie
    www.glowsteady.co.uk

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    1. You're not the only one lovely, I'm terrible for keeping on top of it too sometimes! I never realised that either until the brand reached out to me! x

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  4. This was such an interesting read Lucy - it's something I feel a lot of us forget about :-)
    Sarah x

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed reading the post Sarah! x

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  5. This is something that I'm always forgetting to do. I think because, as you mentioned, it's an invisible exercise so it's really easy to forget to do them. I'm glad that you're getting results from doing them though! X

    https://www.femaleoriginal.com

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  6. This was so informative. Thank you so much for having the courage to share this with us. I'd love to talk more about sex, female issues etc on my blog in the future.

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    1. I'm glad you found this post informative lovely x

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  7. A really important subject here, It is so important that we normalise these topics. No one should feel embaressed by issues like this.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Claire x
    www.ourfavouritejar.com

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    1. I completely agree Claire, more people need to talk about subjects like these and end the stigma attached to them x

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  8. I'm definitely going to try and remember to do more pelvic floor exercises, I always feel like I'm on top of it, then forget!

    Love, Amie ❤️

    The Curvaceous Vegan

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    1. That's how I feel Amie! I feel like I'm on top of it then I forget to do them! x

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  9. Thank you for sharing this! Like you say pelvic floor is such a taboo subject so it's really important to normalise it. I always forget to do mine - years of working in retail and not being able to go for a wee when I need to has really had an impact! 😂
    Amy | sassycatlady.com

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    1. It really does have an impact when you don't do the exercises! I'm trying to do them more often but I always seem to forget!

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  10. Hi Lucy,

    I’m very shy and nervous about this stuff but I was just wondering if this can also help with leaning how to climax? I really struggle in that area and am too shy to by anything intended for that purpose! Do you think it would help?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Emma, like I said in the post, doing these exercises can help with having stronger orgasms during sex so I would think that the KegelSmart would help with climaxing x

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  11. Hi Lucy,

    I ended up getting a little something for myself online, it wasn’t one of these but a small bullet thing, I’ve never had sex so have been unsure about it all, but the item I got enabled be to have my fist orgasm by my self, sorry if it’s too much into but I just wanted to thank you for being so open about this topic, I’ve never had the chance to talk about this stuff particularly doing things on my own, which until recently I’d never done either, but I’ve managed to orgasm for the first time, do you think it’s ok to do this more than twice a week? It feels really beautiful but I worry about becoming addicted.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Emma,

      Don't ever think that you having an orgasm more than twice a week is a bad thing, it's how you feel is all that matters!

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