Kegel exercises were developed and introduced by Dr. Arnold Kegel in 1948, notes the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Since then, doctors have been prescribing Kegel exercises to women and even some men who need to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles. With age, excess weight gain, pregnancies or surgery, the muscles become lax and can sometimes result in urinary and fecal incontinence. Practicing your Kegel exercises can help improve your urinary control and stop embarrassing incidences from occurring.
Step 1
Empty your bladder, advises the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Attempting Kegel exercises while your bladder is still full could result in leakage, and may be more uncomfortable for you. Avoid drinking too much liquid before completing Kegels.
Step 2
Practice Kegels by exercising the muscles that you would use to stop the flow of urine. You can practice this while on the toilet to make sure that you are engaging the right muscles, says the Mayo Clinic. Some women may also use a vaginal cone from their health care provider that can be inserted and "gripped" by engaging the pelvic floor muscles.
Step 3
Engage the muscles for three seconds and then relax them to complete one repetition of Kegels. Do these engaging and releasing actions 10 times to complete a set. Try to complete a set at least three times per day.
Step 4
Do Kegels whenever you have a spare moment, and put a reminder on your phone or planner so you remember to do them throughout the day. Kegels are discreet enough that you can even do them when around other people; standing in line at the grocery store, driving in your car or while watching television are all excellent opportunities to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
Step 5
Continue your Kegel exercises, even if you don't see drastic improvement right away. The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that it can often take six to 12 weeks for your muscles to become strengthened enough that you see a change in your bladder control.
Step 6
Keep track of how often you manage to do Kegels, and after six to 12 weeks see your doctor about evaluation your progress.
