Nope.
None of these are the reason that very few women have make a habit of doing Kegels. As a matter of fact, just the opposite is true. Done correctly, Kegels are a very effective form of conservative therapy for women’s urinary incontinence. Kegels are also helpful to maintain pelvic floor tone, which can definitely transform an intimate moment from “not to hot.”
If Kegels can be so effective for so many women, why don’t more women do Kegels?
Why More Women Don’t Have the Kegel Habit
When it comes to habits, it is sometimes useful to consider what forms a habit. To create a habit, according to effectiveness expert Stephen R. Covey, you need three things:
– knowledge
– skill
– desire
Knowledge of Kegels
Most women know about Kegels … at least they have heard of them. Many women have actually been handed instructions on how to do Kegels, usually by their doctors. Some women have even researched Kegels on the internet, and have tried them. So information about Kegels is readily available to any woman who seeks it.
Kegel Skills
When it comes to Kegel skills, though, women run into a bit of a problem. While many women have tried Kegels, half or more of these women are not doing them correctly. Studies have shown that half of all women who learn Kegels from written instructions alone are doing the exercise incorrectly. Rather than contracting the pelvic floor muscles, these women tighten other muscles, such as buttock or thigh muscles. Of course, tightening the wrong muscles won’t help resolve issues of urine leakage or decreased sexual sensation.
This is one reason that most women don’t have a Kegel habit.
Desire to do Kegels
While many women say they will do Kegels regularly, most find they forget to do them. Either their urinary incontinence doesn’t bother them enough that they are forced to integrate Kegels into their lives, or they have simply given up and have fallen into the mode of “coping rather than curing.”
Here we discover the second reason that most women don’t have a Kegel habit. There isn’t enough desire to integrate Kegels into daily life.
Why More Women SHOULD Have a Kegel Habit
With one out of every four women above the age of 18 suffering from urine leakage, and with the Kegel’s proven effectiveness, more women really should get into a Kegel habit. Women’s urinary incontinence is not a chronic incurable condition. Eight out of ten women can see symptom improvement with the right kind of therapy … therapy that often involves Kegels.
Kegels are simple to do (once you learn how), and can be used discreetly anywhere you are, whether you are sitting in your car at a stoplight or standing in line at the grocery store. Kegels can prevent urine leakage when you pick up your child or step off a curb. A good habit of doing correct Kegels can improve or even totally resolve urinary incontinence issues.
Two Simple Steps to a Kegel Habit
If doing Kegels correctly as a conservative therapy for women’s urinary incontinence sounds good to you, here are two simple steps you need to take to create your own Kegel habit:
1. Realize the Effect of Urinary Incontinence on Your Life
If you have fallen into a coping mode, chances are that you are blind to how much you have arranged your life around your urinary incontinence. Perhaps you have to carry pads or diapers, maybe your social life has dwindled, or maybe you don’t go places unless you have mapped out bathrooms ahead of time. These are all coping mechanisms that impact your life in a big way. Once you realize how much of your life is centered around your urinary incontinence, you will have the desire to learn how to do Kegels correctly, and do them as a habit.
2. Learn to do Kegels Correctly
The majority of women who say Kegels are ineffective do not do Kegels correctly. As mentioned above, they tend to tighten the wrong muscles, or fail to tighten any muscles at all. If you are going to commit to a Kegel habit, learn to do a correct Kegel first. We suggest you start with our “What’s Up Down There” ebook to test the tone of your pelvic floor and learn step-by-step how to do a correct Kegel. If you need hands on help, we suggest you contact a urogynecologist of physical therapist who can help you locate the correct pelvic muscles to engage.
Once you see how much urinary incontinence is affecting your life, and how effective Kegels can be at resolving your urine leakage problems, you’ll be gung-ho to have a Kegel habit. You’ll be a Kegel poster child, taking your Kegels to the grocery story, to the office, and everywhere on-the-go.
Commit to sticking with your Kegel habit for at least 40 days, and journal your results. A journal will help you see small progressive steps throughout the process, which will motivate you to stick to your Kegel habit.
Give it a try … you WILL amaze yourself.
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