Why Kegels are vital for midlife women?

Midlife is the perfect time to commit to finally developing a consistent kegel routine you can stick with. If you have ever urinated just a little bit while you sneezed, laughed, or coughed you know what I mean. Many women first start taking kegels seriously during pregnancy, but never manage to build a lifelong habit. During the whirlwind of new motherhood, kegels can quickly take a backseat and often fall off the to-do list altogether. The good news is that it is not to late to start!

Now that you are an empty nester, lets revisit the reasons for committing to a kegel routine and learn how to make them happen.

The Benefits of Kegels

After speaking with Dr. Lisa Dabney, chairwoman of urogynecology at Mt Sinai West in New York City, midlife is the perfect time to revisit the idea of committing to making kegels a lifelong habit. Kegel’s are effective for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles which help prevent prolapse and incontinence and can even improve orgasms. If you, like many women over 45, have ever laughed, coughed, and sneezed and were surprised that you urinated at the same time, starting a Kegel routine should be a priority!

Keeping it Simple:

According to Dr. Dabney many women give up on kegels because they make it too complicated and overwhelming. They follow advice to do them multiple times a day or take on a daunting amount of repetitions or too much variety. Because of this, Dr. Dabney likes her patients to keep it SIMPLE. She is looking for patients to adopt this as a lifelong habit and recommends doing ten kegels in the morning and ten in the evening. Each repetition should be held for ten seconds. Find a time that works for you and stick with it. This is a habit that you need to practice long-term and being consistent is the key to improving pelvic floor strength through kegels.

Am I doing them right?

As with any muscular exercise, form is important. Products like Elvie Trainer and kGoal can help women master form while having fun in the process. These products both work in conjunction with your smartphone and use biofeedback to help ensure accurate form while measuring your strength and improvement through games.  When you engage the proper muscles you are able to succeed at the game.

Watch this video from Elvie to see how it works:

This video from the Continence Foundation of Australia helps you visualize the pelvic floor muscles in women and shows how kegels can strengthen them:

It is a good idea to discuss this with your doctor at your next visit and confirm that you are preforming kegels using the proper form.  If you feel you need more help with pelvic floor strength, a visit to a pelvic floor physical therapist may help as well.

Ladies, the key to pelvic floor health begins with taking the first step to develop a lifelong habit of consistent kegels using good form.  Whether you use a device or not, the benefits are clear.  Kegels in midlife can help reduce bladder leakage and your risk of a prolapse while increasing support and even improving orgasms.

Let us know in the comments below if you are ready to start a kegel routine or you are already well on the way!

To purchase Elvie Trainer:

To purchase kGoal: