Category — Sexercise: Kegels and Beyond…
Kegel Exercise: The Facts
KEGEL EXERCISE: THE FACTS
If you have a vagina and you’re old enough to vote, then Kegel Exercise belongs in your feminine fitness daily routine. Before you dive into pelvic fitness, it’s important to know what Kegel muscles actually DO. Kegels—or the levator ani muscles—wrap around a woman’s most important parts: her bladder, vagina, and rectum.
Research shows that toned levator ani muscles can reduce urinary incontinence, prevent problems with vaginal laxity and help a woman achieve a stronger orgasm. Clinicians and researchers in urogynecology also suspect, but have yet to prove, that these muscles help prevent pelvic organ prolapse, a condition in which a woman’s bladder, rectum, or uterus falls into her vagina.
For women looking to live their best lives, strengthening your Kegel muscles—or pelvic floor fitness—just makes sense!
HOW TO CHECK YOUR KEGEL EXERCISE ACCURACY:
To get started, sit in bed relaxed against pillows, knees up and separated, using a hand mirror to look at your perineum,which is the skin between your anus and vagina.
Pull in using the muscles you use to urinate, as if you’re trying to stop urine midstream.
If you’re Kegeling correctly, you’ll see your perineum retract into your body.
You should feel the pull in your urethra and anus, NOT your butt or abs.
If you have trouble with proper Kegeling, talk to your gynecologist about pelvic floor physical therapy.
Pelvic floor physical therapy involves working with a Kegel coach, using biofeedback, and/or pelvic muscle electrical stimulation, each designed to “train” your pelvic muscles to perform correctly.
Once you’ve got the art of Kegeling down, get in the habit of doing tKegels daily.
Here’s Dr. Romanzi’s “Starter Set for Kegel Beginners”:
For the first set, perform 10 controlled, sustained contractions, holding each for five seconds, relaxing out of each slowly, and contracting into the next one without taking a break in between. Don’t forget to BREATH. If you find yourself holding your breath, count softly or sing while contracting the levator muscles.
For the second set, perform 30 quick contractions, holding for just one second each.
There’s no need for a break between the two sets. Simply move from one right on to the next.
Do 2-3 of each set per day. Be creative! There are many ways and settings in which one can Kegel – no one will know if you’re Kegeling on the bus or in a meeting or while driving your car (at a stop sign, preferably).
In terms of where you should do your Kegel exercises, there’s only one rule: NEVER do them on the toilet!
Not only is 8 seconds of urination too short to really benefit your muscles, but it’s also distracting to your bladder, which has an important job of its own to do!
Other than that, you can fit in a Kegel routine whenever—and wherever—you prefer!
For more information, check out this video \”Kegel Exercise: The Facts\”, courtesy HealthGuru.com
Content herein does not represent medical advice. To learn more about pelvic floor disorders such as fistula, pelvic organ prolapse, dropped bladder, dropped uterus, hysteropexy uterine resuspension, vaginal laxity, rectocele, postpartum rehabilitation, vaginal rejuvenation, labiaplasty, vaginoplasty, Kegel exercise or incontinence please visit other posts in this blog and the Urogynics website at www.urogynics.org.
May 31, 2011 No Comments
Diapers Putting a Damper on Your Mojo?
Sexy = no pull-up Huggies in the ocean
Apr 2011 Journal of Sexual Medicine Literature Review
Handa VL, Whitcomb E, Weidner AC, et al. Sexual Function Before and After Nonsurgical Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg 2011;17:30-35.
A secondary analysis of the larger “Non-surgical management of stress urinary incontinence: ambulatory treatments for leakage associated with stress (ATLAS) incontinence” published in 2010, this study of 445 sexually active and inactive women described sexual function in women seeking stress incontinence therapy, compared the impact on sexual function of incontinence pessary alone, Kegel exercise and behavior modification alone, and combined pessary/Kegel/behavior modification, in addition to determining whether or not these non-surgical management therapies for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) improve sexual function.
Women who were sexually active answered 2 validated questionnaires before and 3 months after therapy, both the Pelvic Organ Prolapse – Urinary Incontinence Sexual Function Questionnaire (PISQ-12) that has been validated only in sexually active women in heterosexual relationships, and the generic short form Personal Experiences Questionnaire (SPEQ) that is validated among peri-menopausal women both sexually active and inactive. The SPEQ total score and individual domain scores of libido, arousal and dyspareunia were included for all women while the sexually active women also underwent PISQ data analysis included total score and questions directly evaluating impact of incontinence on sex; “Are you incontinent of urine with sexual activity?” and “Does fear of incontinence (urine or stool) restrict your sexual activity?”
Women in all three treatment arms were about 49 years of age, mostly white, and evenly divided between pre- and post-menopausal women of normal BMI. Analysis included women with only SUI and women with mixed stress and urge urinary incontinence. PISQ scores were lower, indicating lesser sexual satisfaction, the mixed compared to pure stress urinary incontinence group. Women successfully treated for pure SUI had greater improvement in overall PISQ score, greater reduction of leakage with sexual activity and greater reduction in restriction of sexual activity due to incontinence-related anxiety than did the women not successfully treated, such that improved sexual scores correlated most strongly to whether or not treatment of incontinence was successful. The improvement in incontinence during sexual activity was greatest for the combined therapy group than for the pessary only group and similarly for the behavior/exercise only group compared to the pessary only group. While pelvic muscle score (Brinks model) was associated with successful SUI therapy, it did not, in turn, correlate to improvement in either the PISQ or SPEQ score. SPEQ scoring did not differ between stress only or mixed incontinence groups except for dyspareunia that was higher in the mixed incontinence group, nor were changes in SPEQ score different in successful and unsuccessful treatment. The results suggest that consideration ought to be given to Kegel exercises and behavioral incontinence strategies for non-surgical treatment of women suffering incontinence during sex and who restrict sexual activity due to coital incontinence anxiety.
March 23, 2011 No Comments
According to Orgasmo-graph, all’s equal between the sexes
Content courtesy Alan Fogel
Enjoy this excellent clinical review on orgasm written by Dr. Alan Fogel, Professor of Psychology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. This piece highlights the crucial role of the pelvic floor, aka Kegel, muscles in the experience of orgasm.
The excerpt below includes measured activity of the Kegel muscles during orgasm in women and men:
Two studies done at the University of Minnesota Medical School and published in the early 1980′s measured the intensity, frequency, and durations of pelvic muscle contractions (measured with a pressure sensitive anal probe) of males and females during masturbation. There was basically no difference in the pattern of these contractions between males and females.
***Quite possibly the sexiest graph you’ll ever see***
KEGEL MUSCLE ACTIVITY DURING ORGASM
As shown in the diagram, taken from one of these studies, orgasm begins as a series of 6 – 15 regular contractions of high intensity occurring over about 20-30 seconds. There are individual differences (but no gender differences) in what occurs after this series of regular contractions. For some men and women, these regular contractions are the primary orgasmic experience. These Type I orgasms are the most frequent. Other men and women, however, may continue to experience irregular contractions (shown in the diagram) for another 30 – 90 seconds, so called Type II orgasms. A relatively few people have mixed patterns of regular and irregular contractions.
Please click through to the full article here:http://ow.ly/1zYMv
Kegel exercises – sexy and smart!
August 3, 2010 No Comments
Living the Life of Ripeness: Advice for the Pregnant Gardener
(c) 2010 Lauri Romanzi
- Courtesy Amy Wentz Photography, NYC
Summertime is high season for gardening. Pregnant gardeners need to take extra precautions to avoid chloasma and melasma (dark blotches) on the face and neck, protect backs, knees and pelvic support, and be extra-careful with gardening aids that may be toxic if inhaled or coming in contact with skin. For the full scoop on healthy gardening while pregnant read this piece from www.sheknows.com, including content from PHIT’s medical director, Dr. Lauri Romanzi:
PHIT tips for the Pregnant Gardener – your skin, your joints, you pelvis, your baby!
by Tracy B. McGinnis
If a fun day of shopping includes visiting your favorite home store and filling your cart with potting soil and flats of blooming plants and herbs, then chances are you’re one of the many people who enjoy gardening as a hobby. But if you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, does your green thumb need to go dormant until after baby arrives?
“When you’re pregnant, a little time spent working in the garden is a great way to get outdoors in the fresh air, get some light exercise and enjoy the beauty of your garden,” said Vinnie Drzewucki, CNLP of Hicks Nurseries Inc. “But remember to keep to the less strenuous activities like raking, light pruning, deadheading spent flowers and weeding.”
While you may not need to eliminate certain activities from your daily routine there are extra precautions and modifications you should make to some of your activities in order to keep yourself and baby healthy.
Toxins
“Studies show an increased rate of congenital anomalies in the babies of men and women who are exposed to pesticides, and also an increased miscarriage rate in women exposed to pesticides,” said Dr. Lauri Romanzi, Clinical Associate Professor of Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. “Women (and the men of women) who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant should minimize or totally avoid exposure to pesticides.”
In addition to avoiding any pesticide exposure throughout your pregnancy (including interior pesticides) Andrew Pratt, Grounds Manager at Cleveland Botanical Garden also suggests women research the active ingredients in all products including “organic” or “natural” products.
”Avoid lawn care fertilizers and pesticides and consider switching to an organic program your health and the environment,” says Pratt.
If pests are a problem in your garden Drzewucki adds that, “Many problems are easily handled using organic, biological or cultural controls such as insecticidal soaps, or releasing ladybugs to control insects like aphids or using herbicidal soaps or mulches for weed control.”
Infections
Toxoplasma gondi is a common infection that is spread from animals to humans and can be acquired by ingesting or direct contact with raw or undercooked meat as well as exposure to soil. Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant have long been advised to avoid cleaning their cat’s litter boxes, as this also puts them at risk of getting the infection.
A fetus can get infected with the virus if the mother becomes infected both during or prior to getting pregnant. Romanzi explained that while adults who get infected usually don’t have symptoms babies with the infection are at risk of visual and neurological impairment and/or mental retardation.
Most people recover from the infection with treatment, although you’ll want to check with your healthcare provider on treatment options you may need. There are a number of things you can do to help prevent toxoplasma including: wearing solid gardening gloves, shoes with socks, practicing good hand washing habits, and fully cooking your meat.
Protect your back
“Gardening can be a relaxing and therapeutic hobby when done correctly. However, it also can lead to many types of back injuries if you are not cautious,” according to Stephen Ritter, M.D., of Methodist Sports Medicine / The Orthopedic Specialists, a Clarian Health partner.
“Yard work can be considered another great form of exercise. But, with any physical activity, it’s important to warm up and stretch your muscles. Take some time to walk around outside to prepare your muscles for any moving, lifting, digging or bending in the garden. “
Ritter suggests stretching your back muscles by leaning forward to carefully and touching
your toes. “For a seated back stretch, lean forward from your hips and reach for the floor and hold. A five to ten minute warm up for your back muscles will help prevent any strains or soreness later.”
Ritter adds that the most common mistake people make when working in the yard is lifting heavy objects inappropriately.
“You should bend your knees and use your legs to lift your body up. Instead of reaching forward to move a heavy object, walk over to the object and lift it straight up off the ground by bending your knees and keeping your spine in an upright position,” suggest Ritter. “This will help avoid placing strain on your spine and back muscles.”
Ritter also suggests kneeling instead of bending over for long periods of time when working in the yard. “By kneeling in the garden, you are putting much less strain on your back and spine. If necessary, use knee pads to protect your knees from dirt or soreness.”
Using long handed tools will help you maintain a proper postures and Ritter suggests placing a shovel directly in front of you and parallel to your hip bones if you are doing any digging.
“Don’t overdo it: Gardening can cause back pain and overuse injuries,” says Ritter. “For example, after 15 minutes of raking, change to pruning or mowing your lawn. You should also avoid all-day marathon gardening sessions. Space out your gardening tasks over the course of several days.”
Chiropractor Dr. Greg Werner, www.gregwerner.com, suggests limiting the time you spending gardening and standing up and walking around between plantings as well as using a gardening bucket or bench to sit on when planting or pulling weeds.
“Use proper gardening tools when planting: using only your arms will put undo pressure on your wrists,” adds Werner. “When you are pregnant you are more prone to overuse syndromes such as carpal tunnel or tennis elbow.”
“Do your gardening a little at a time instead of trying to knock it all out in one try, and if you’re just trying to spruce up your yard and you are far along in your pregnancy (third trimester) have your husband/partner do it.”
Meditate
Debbie Mandel, MA, author of “Addicted to Stress,” says there are things you can do to make gardening a “moving meditation, instead of a toxic experience.”
“Protect yourself from searing sun with sun block, a hat and loose clothing,” says Mandel. “Even better avoid gardening midday.”
“Melasma (aka Chloasma) is a hyper pigmentation condition that affects 50-70% of pregnant women, most commonly appearing on the forehead, cheeks and chin,” says Dr. Romanzi. “While it can be treated post-partum with bleaching agents, laser, chemical peels and topical agents such as tretionoin(Retin-A) it can also be prevented by the liberal and regular use of SPF-50 UVA-PF 28 sunscreen (2007 study University Teaching Hospital IbnRochd in Casablanca, Morocco) . Pregnant women who want to prevent hypermelanotic changes in their skin should regularly use adequate sunscreen and sunhats outdoors.”
Mandel adds that women should, “Drink plenty of water as gardeners tend to get immersed in what they are doing and forget about hydrating.” And suggests avoiding gardening during the times mosquitoes in your area fee – generally 6-8am and pm.”
July 31, 2010 No Comments