I’m happy to provide this information on my blog (by by Brianne Grogan, DPT) so anyone who might be in need of some simple exercises can benefit. Read on if lack of bladder control is relevant in your life…

As women, we have all heard about kegels. We know we “should” do them, but why?! And how? Can kegels really help?

Why kegels matter: Pelvic floor dysfunction including weakness and poor coordination can lead to issues such as loss of bladder control and pelvic organ prolapse. Did you know that 47% of women between the ages of 20-49 have experienced urinary incontinence(1)? Leakage is not confined to the elderly! Have you ever heard the following line: “I laughed so hard that tears ran down my legs?” Amusing? Yes… But incontinence is very treatable – so let’s get serious about improving this area of our lives if it bothers us!

Learning how to properly contract and relax your pelvic floor muscles – how to do kegels – will help you gain strength, endurance, and coordination of the pelvic floor muscles, which will keep you in control of your bodily functions as you age. Want some of that?!

Control = Confidence, and confidence is hugely connected to quality of life: If you don’t pee when you laugh, you might feel more comfortable socially. If you don’t leak when you exercise, you might be more likely to head outside for a walk. If you can hold your bladder long enough to make it to the store and back, any anxiety you might have about knowing every rest stop en route and in the shopping center should greatly decrease.

So you’re excited about improving your pelvic floor strength, coordination, and endurance… Now how do you do it? Take a moment to practice right now.

Lie on your back or on your side. Lying down takes gravity out of the picture and gives your pelvic floor muscles the greatest advantage for a strong contraction. Visualize your pelvic floor muscles. They sit at the base of your pelvis and surround your vagina and your anus. Try to squeeze and lift these muscles toward your head. Imagine that you’re using these muscles to pull a marble into your vagina. I know, I know… It sounds strange. But this visualization works. Now relax the muscles and imagine that you’re letting the marble roll out. You just completed a kegel! Do another kegel, but this time hold the contraction for 5-8 seconds before relaxing. Complete 5 to 10 repetitions. These “slow hold” kegels are great for increasing strength and endurance of the pelvic floor muscles. This is important for preventing incontinence and prolapse, and – bonus – can amp up your sex life as well.

Kegels are the “gold standard” when it comes to pelvic floor strengthening, but there are thousands (hundreds of thousands!) of exercises that contribute to pelvic floor health and fitness. Every time you use your hip rotators or your inner thigh muscles, you are helping to activate the pelvic floor. This means that dance, roller skating, Pilates, yoga – even simply walking – are all fantastic pelvic floor strengtheners!

Set yourself up for success. Let’s face it: Kegels are boring. Participants in pelvic floor strengthening programs make great strides toward controlling or improving incontinence while completing kegels on a daily (or even every-other-day) basis, but after they discharge from the program they tend to stray from their kegel routine. You know the old adage, “use it or lose it…” Well, it’s true. Women who stray from a consistent kegel routine usually revert back to their former levels of incontinence and pelvic floor dysfunction.

You get out what you put in… So make kegels fun! Here are a few suggestions:

~Insert a set of kegels into your regular fitness routine. Every time you lie down to do your abdominal work at the gym, slip in a few kegels.

~Do kegels to music! Hold the contraction during slow, melodic parts of a song to work on endurance. Complete quick contractions (i.e. squeeze, release, squeeze, release) when the song has a driving beat.

~Connect your kegels with a daily task such as blow drying your hair or brushing your teeth.

Another strategy that helps when dealing with any tedious (read: forgettable) task is to purchase a pack of small dot stickers and place them in various locations that you look at or notice on a regular basis. For example, stick a dot on your bathroom mirror to remind you to do a kegel (or two) when you first wake up, another on your computer screen to remind you when you get to your office, and another on your refrigerator to remind you when you are in the kitchen.

As females, we should not ignore our pelvic floor fitness. While they are not “glamour muscles” like six-pack abs and bulging biceps, the pelvic floor muscles should not be a source of shame or embarrassment. We need to talk about the deep core muscles – particularly the pelvic floor – with our daughters, our mothers, and our friends. We need to make sure our fitness instructors are aware of the inner core muscles and the importance of activating them regularly and effectively.

Who’s ready to join me for some kegels right now? I’m doing my kegels… Are you?

Your turn: Do you do kegels or other pelvic floor-specific strengthening exercises? How do you incorporate pelvic floor fitness into your daily (or weekly) routine? Please post in the comments below!

1: Culligan P, Heit M (2000). Urinary incontinence in women: evaluation and management. Am Fam Physician, 62(11), 2433-2444. (http://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/1201/p2433.html)

Brianne Grogan, DPT, is a women’s health physical therapist, an AFAA certified group fitness instructor, and the founder of FemFusion Fitness™. Originally from Oregon, she currently lives in the Rhineland-Pfalz region of Germany with her husband and son where she teaches FemFusion group fitness classes in her local community and on U.S. military installations. Brianne is preparing to release her first book, titled FemFusion Fitness for Intimacy. For more information about Brianne, FemFusion Fitness, or FemFusion Fitness for Intimacy, please visit www.femfusionfitness.com or email her at brianne@femfusionfitness.com.