You’ve heard of them again & again, but what’s the big deal about pelvic floor exercises (otherwise known as kegels)? Well, I am going to give you the low down on why you should start doing your pelvic floor exercises today and not put them off for a day longer. What you are about to find out will give you the inspiration you are looking for!
1. Stay dry & say no to prolapse.
The evidence speaks for itself – pelvic floor exercises have been shown to prevent incontinence and prolapse. Yep, that’s right, if you do your pelvic floor exercises (correctly), you will be able to run across the road without leaking & without feeling like your insides are going to fall out. This may sound graphic, but it is a serious & unwelcome problem for 50% of women. The good news is – I am here to tell you that you can prevent it.
2. Optimize childbirth.
Childbirth & the horror stories that surround it can instil fear into many women, so why not prepare your birth passage (i.e. the pelvic floor) as much as possible? This preparation is two-fold; firstly having a strong pelvic floor will facilitate your recovery, allowing you to bounce back quicker after birth than if you didn’t do any pelvic floor exercises. Secondly (& equally as importantly), exercising your pelvic floor also involves learning how to relax the muscles. Relaxing your muscles completely aids the birthing process.
3. Better sex life anyone?
Regular pelvic floor exercises have been shown to increase sexual desire, arousal, lubrication & orgasms. And the good news doesn’t stop there – not only do you experience these improvements under the covers, but your partner will too. Strengthening your pelvic floor increases the sensation for both of you – it’s a win-win!
4. Strengthen your core.
Did you know your pelvic floor muscles make up part of your core muscles? This means that when you do your pelvic floor exercises you are also strengthening your deep abdominal muscles (transversus abdominis to be exact). Together these muscles make up your core and assist in stabilising the spine & pelvis. You see, having a strong core is incredibly important – it can improve your posture, enhance physical performance, help prevent back pain, and assist you to look & feel stronger.
5. Prevent going downhill later in life.
Getting old & muscle weakness go hand in hand – this is unless you exercise! By doing pelvic floor exercises now, you can age with dignity. You see, menopause brings about a reduction in oestrogen. Since we rely on oestrogen to keep our pelvic floor muscles strong and supple, our pelvic floor can weaken, causing a prolapse or incontinence. However, if you do your pelvic floor exercises in your 30’s and 40’s you can kick these undesirable issues to the curb.
With these 5 nuggets of inspiration in mind, I invite you to make a commitment to your pelvic floor…to start exercising them today! But before you do, the key is making sure you do them correctly, and I have just the thing for you…
Grab your FREE guide to learn pelvic floor exercises correctly!
If you think this information could help your friend, mother, sister or daughter, please share it with them so together we can empower more women 🙂
Anna x