Motivation, The Moves

Choosing to Kegel

Kegels!

There’s been a lot of talk for the last few decades about Kegels and still many of us can’t seem to find the time and discipline to do them.  Well read on because this could be the day that it all changes!

What are you talking about?

For those unfamiliar, Kegel exercises refer to activating the small muscles at the front of the pelvic floor.  You use these muscles when you need to stop your pee mid-stream.  Although this trick is a great way to make sure you’ve got the right muscles only use it for locating them, practicing your kegels regularly while you pee can actually weaken your pelvic muscles.

Go ahead practice using the muscles right now as you read this.  We’ll wait…

Found it?  Great! Then read on!

Why are we talking about this?

Kegels are MIRACLE WORKERS when it comes to preventing many common health related issues.  Most notably urinary incontinence (letting a little pee out when you sneeze for exmaple. This happens to most women as they age UNLESS they do their Kegels).  Kegels make childbirth easier and healthier for your body and they will also make your orgasms stronger and (potentially) more plentiful!  So how about that for a carrot?

Ok Ok, but I’ve heard this before but I never do it!

You’ve probably never made this happen because you did not 1. Decide it is now a part of your daily routine and 2. Decide on a time every day that you’ll do it. 3. You don’t have a ROUTINE to give you something to do.

Decide. The power of decisions on our minds and actions is enormous.  As you read this, consider committing to it.  Don’t tell yourself “yes I should do that!” these “shoulds” pile up and erode our sense of agency in our own life.  Instead consider deciding “I’m going to try this!” Affirming that YOU and only YOU have control over what you choose to undertake.  We also like the word “try” because it leaves room for you to have days when you fall off the plan.  If you don’t expect perfection you are more likely to get back on track the next day.

Choose the same time everyday to do your kegels.  There’s been a lot of talk of doing them while driving. It turns out that for most, driving involves so many other things that kegels are not usually the first thing we remember to do.  Instead choose a time that is a bit more focused.  I like to do kegels while I’m brushing my teeth.  Some experts say to make sure you’re doing nothing else while you are doing your kegels, like right before you go to sleep or after you wake up.  Whenever you choose, make it the same time every day so your routine can take over.  Pretty soon you wouldn’t think of going to bed without your kegels.  It will become second nature.

Lastly, commit to a routine!  As with any exercise start small so you can succeed with minimal effort and then build up from that.  A big piece of exercising is getting used to the routine of a building a new habit.

Routine 1: At first you’ll work to just locate the muscle so you can contract it and relax it on command.  Try doing this ten times with a few seconds of rest in between.  Stay on routine 1 for at least a few days.

Routine 2: Hold your kegel muscle for 5 seconds at a time, and then relax for 5 seconds.  See if you can do this 10 times.  This takes less than 1 minute.

Routine 3:  Hold your kegel muscle for 10 seconds at a time, and then relax for 10 seconds.  See if you can do this 10 times.  This takes less than 2 minutes.  Repeat 1-3 times a day.

Happy Kegeling!