When done correctly, Kegels are a fantastic way to help strengthen the pelvic floor! However, not only can it be hard to find the time to be consistent with our Kegels, but many of us – around 40% – struggle to complete a Kegel with the correct technique.
With all this in mind – is there a wrong time to do your Kegels?
The answer is yes.
Here are a few times you should not be doing your Kegels
1. On the toilet
When you go to the toilet, the aim is to complete relax the pelvic floor muscles to let the bowel movement or urine go. Clenching the pelvic floor on the toilet regularly confuses your body – specifically the reflex loop of micturition. Your brain is telling your bladder to switch on and expel urine, but then your switching things up by turning your pelvic floor on instead which then relaxes and holds the urine.
Doing a single contraction occasionally to check that your pelvic floor is contracting properly isn’t too much of an issue, but if you do this regularly, it can affect the flow of urine, the frequency you need to wee and also increase your risk of contracting UTIs.
2. Tomorrow
You know when you hear someone say, “I’ll start eating better/doing exercise/quitting smoking tomorrow?” – and it never happens? The worse time to do you Kegels is to ‘start tomorrow’. It doesn’t matter your age, pelvic floor strength is important – not just for keeping you healthy now, but for prevention of a range of health conditions as you get older.
When should I do my Kegels?
1. During sex
Yep. You read right. Doing pelvic floor contractions during sex (for those with a vagina) increases blood flow and maximizes arousal – which leads to more intense contractions during orgasm, and can make the big O come quicker and stronger. Kegels help tighten your pubococcygeal muscle which is one of the muscles that contracts when you orgasm. And, although the contractions you experience during orgasm are involuntary, when those muscles are toned, it’s easier for your body to use them.
2. Regularly
Like any exercise, it’s important you do it consistently. We know how hard it can be to commit to doing your Kegels each day – or even a few times a week. That’s why we have the Emsella. The Emsella is FDA-approved pelvic floor treatment for stress urinary incontinence. It’s non-invasive and each 30-minute session is the equivalent of more than 11,000 pelvic floor contractions. So, if you’re having trouble committing to doing your Kegels regularly, the Emsella is a quick and efficient way to strengthen your pelvic floor beyond what you could possibly do at home.
3. In the bath
When you’re practising your Kegels, you want to be in a space where you’re relaxed – and how better to relax than in a warm bath? One way to practise activating these muscles is to place your thumb inside the opening of your vagina and pretend you are trying to grip and lift a marble into you. You should feel the back wall of your vagina pressing against the pad of your thumb.
If you struggle to activate your pelvic floor, or simply want to strengthen, tone and tighten your muscles, check out our Emsella technology. For more information, head to our contact us page.
