We can take advantage of any time of the day to practice these exercises. In this way, we will also associate them and we will incorporate them into our daily routine.
Urinary incontinence or involuntary loss of urine is a health problem that affects 30% of adult women and causes much concern and discomfort for those who suffer from it.
It is important to know that in most cases this problem depends on a problem of the muscles of the pelvic area and that it can be worked to re-tone and function properly.
Risk factors for urinary incontinence
The muscles of the pelvic area go from the pubis to the sacrum and are a support of the genital organs, the bladder and the rectum. Like all musculature, with the passage of time, the tensions and these previous factors these weaken and require exercise to stay flexible and toned.
According to a 2006 study, there are also some factors that contribute to suffering from urinary incontinence, and that we should naturally treat:
- Consuming irritating substances in the bladder, such as caffeine or alcohol.
- Constipation: this condition causes us to force all the pelvic muscles daily, so improving intestinal function will be a priority.
- Obesity: Being overweight may contribute to making incontinence worse.
- Menopause: hormonal changes could cause loss of muscle flexibility
- Pregnancy and vaginal delivery: the weight of the fetus in the womb and the passage of the child through the vagina during delivery weaken the muscles temporarily. If the exercises are performed correctly and abrupt exercises are not performed during the postpartum, the function of the muscles can be recovered correctly.
- Stress: Just as it can worsen other conditions, it could also be harmful to pelvic health.
What are the exercises to prevent urinary incontinence?
- The first step is to learn to control the contraction of the muscles of the genital area, imitating the gesture we make when going to evacuate. For them, the famous Kegel exercises are carried out.
- We can perform the contraction, feeling in detail how the muscles work and, however, not tensing other areas of the body, such as the abdomen or buttocks.
- During the contraction, we will breathe deeply, without holding our breath. This is the basis of the exercises.
Note: When we go to the toilet to urinate, some of the time we will stop the stream of urine. Then we will relax the muscles again and continue urinating. We will do this only once, to check which muscles are working. However, we will not repeat it later, as it could be harmful.
How are they made?
- First, slowly contract your muscles to the maximum we can tighten. We will hold at that point 5 seconds and then relax.
- Then we will repeat this 10 times in a row. Also, we will do this exercise throughout the day, preferably three times.
- Then, when we have more practice, we can do it more quickly, contracting and relaxing continuously.
- Finally, over the days we will progressively increase to 20 contractions.
Where do we do it?
We will repeat this exercise continuously since we can also take advantage of many moments to practice it. Furthermore, it is convenient for us to associate the exercises with some of our daily activities, while we are waiting or watching television.
The exercises can be practiced in any posture: standing, lying down, sitting, or kneeling. If we do these exercises daily we could notice improvement in a month and a half.