Ladies, try these 5 exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor

Kegel workout is the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to strengthening pelvic floor muscles. There are, however, many exercises that can help you out. But, before you start doing pelvic floor exercises, you should know how the pelvic floor muscle affects your health.

About your pelvic floor muscle

The uterus, bladder, small intestine, and rectum are all supported by the pelvic floor muscles. When they’re in good shape, they can help with sex life as well as pregnancy and delivery. These muscles can deteriorate over time as a result of advanced age and other circumstances. So if you simply want to improve your sex life and planning to get pregnant, practice pelvic floor exercises to strengthen the muscles around it. 

Try these 5 pelvic floor exercises to enhance your sexual health:

1. Squats

Squats aren’t just an exercise to burn calories and lose weight but it’s a lower body workout and can help strengthen the pelvic floor, tone the abdominal area and improve posture by engaging the maximum muscles in your body.

Here’s how to perform it:

• Start by standing with your feet shoulder width apart, and place your arms down by your sides.
• Keep your hands on the back of your head.
  Note: You can also hold kettlebells or dumbbells.
• Bend your knees and push your hips back as if you’re going to sit in a chair.
• Keep the weight centered; do not lift from your heels or toes. Also, keep your torso erect, chest up, abs tight, and look straight.
• Inhale as you lower.
• Now, when your thighs are parallel to the floor, pause and slowly return to the starting position while keeping your torso and back erect and hips under the bar.
• Exhale as you come up. Repeat. You can do 10 to 15 squats and at least 5 sets.

2. Frog pose (Bhekasana or Mandukasana)

Along with a strong core, you can also strengthen your pelvic floor muscles with a frog pose aka Bhekasana or Mandukasana. It is also well known for strengthening ankle and knee joints, strengthening the lower back, and weight loss.

Here’s how to perform it:

• Start in the tabletop position on both palms and knees.
• Slowly widen the knees (wider than your hips) as you feel a comfortable stretch in your inner thighs, maintaining the inside of your calf and foot in touch with the floor.
• Align your heels directly behind your knees.
• Flex your feet to point your toes face outward.
• Make sure your ankles are in line with your knees.
• Place your forearms on the ground and walk your hands forward.
• Attempt to elevate your stomach off the ground.
• Place your full weight on your forearms and hands, with your shoulders over your elbows.
• Allow your hips to hang heavily downward as you relax.

3. Glute bridge pose

If done correctly, bridge pose is a great exercise for your glutes, core, and of course pelvic muscles. It can also help in stretching the chest, neck, and spine while strengthening the back, buttock, and hamstring.

Here’s how to perform it:

• Lie on the floor with a thickly folded blanket beneath your shoulders to protect your neck if required.
• Your knees should be bent and your feet should be flat on the floor.
• Exhale and lift your tailbone into the pubis while actively pressing your feet and arms to the floor.
• Maintain a strong buttocks position and lift them off the floor.
• Keep your inner feet and thighs parallel. To stay on the tops of your shoulders, clasp your hands below your pelvis and lengthen your arms.
• Raise your buttocks till your thighs are nearly parallel to the ground.
• Maintain a straight line between your knees and your heels, but push them forward, away from your hips, and lengthen your tailbone toward the backs of your knees.
• Maintain a tight grip on your outside arms and broaden your shoulder blades, lifting the area between them at the base of the neck up into the body.
• From 30 seconds to 1 minute, stay in the stance.

4. Bird dog

Bird dog pose is a balance exercise that forces or puts pressure on your core, including pelvic floor muscles to develop good balance, posture, and stability.

Here’s how to perform it:

• Begin in the tabletop posture on all fours.
• Place your shoulders directly over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
• Engage your abdominal muscles to keep your spine neutral.
• Extend your right arm forward and lift your left leg behind you, keeping your left foot flexed, keeping your shoulders and hips parallel. Don’t forget to engage your abdominal and pelvic muscles.
• To deepen the stretch, imagine pressing your heel into a wall behind you and reaching your hand forward.
• Hold this position for a few moments before returning to the starting position.
• Rep on each side for eight reps.

5. Lunges

Lunges may seem simple and less effective but they are not. It’s an effective move for toning up your pelvic floor muscles and core. It also helps to build lower body strength and stability. You can add weights to this and make it more challenging.

Here’s how to perform it:

• Stand tall and place your hand on your waist or in the prayer position. Bring your left leg forward with your toes facing forward.
• Lower your upper body to a 90-degree angle between your left thigh and calf.
• Return to the beginning position after 3 seconds of holding the pose. Repeat.

You can also try kegel to strengthen your pelvic muscles:

This is most likely the activity that most women have heard about. According to Dr Swati Gaikwad, a gynaecologist at Motherhood Hospital in Pune, Kegel activities essentially strengthen your pelvic muscles.

Pointing out their benefits, Dr Gaikwad says, “Apart from urinary incontinence, kegel also aids sexual intercourse by helping with lubrication and reducing pain while penetration.” She adds, “Women in their 20s and 30s must try kegel exercises so that they can avoid post-delivery strength loss of the pelvic muscles. Doing these exercises can also make pregnancy and labour a less painful affair.”