Written by: Jenne

Any women who has ever given birth will probably of heard of the Kegel exercises from their OB/GYN. We are told that they are the secret to snapping our vagina's back into shape. So why I hear you asking am I writing an article dedicated to these exercises?

Good question, the truth is the kegel exercises are something that every woman should be made aware of as they can enhance a woman's sex life long before the conception of any child. These little exercises were developed in 1946 by Dr Arnold Kegel, a Los Angles Obstetrician and Gynecologist. The kegel exercises relate to a group of muscles known as the pubococcygeal [PC] muscles. This group of muscles are commonly referred to as the pelvic floor and can be found stretching the length of you pubic bone to your tailbone. The PC muscle entirely circles the urinary opening, the anus and the vaginal opening, and they are the main reason that you are able to stop yourself from wetting yourself. As people age this muscle often becomes weaker and can cause incontinence problems amongst other things. So another good reason to learn the kegels is that by strengthening this muscle, you are less likely to need to wear diapers when you get older!

Many women, myself included, have and do perform and practice our kegels for purely sexual reasons : Since the muscle encircles the the outside of the vagina, women who practice their Kegels can often experience a stronger potential for orgasm, enhanced g-spot activity, and an increased sexual awareness. Some even claim they experience more intense orgasms or multiple orgasms once they begin performing the Kegels. There is no question that performing the kegels during intercourse provides a pleasant "gripping" sensation for your partner, making your love making better and enhancing his orgasm. One man describes the sensations like this: "All of a sudden it feels like a hand gripping you," he says. "That's amazing."

So how do you perform the Kegels?
The first thing to do is identify the PC muscle. The next time you go to the bathroom, sit on the toilet with your legs spread apart and see if you can stop and start the flow of urine, without moving your legs or squeezing your buttocks together. If your doing it right you'll feel an internal flexing and tightening beneath your bladder, in which case congratulate yourself you just found your PC muscle! A word of caution here, this is a great way of finding your PC muscle but once you've identified the muscle then make sure you aren't peeing when you actually begin practicing the Kegels as this can cause bladder infections.

So now you've found your PC muscle, just follow these simple steps and you are doing your kegels!
1. Breathe normally.
2. Contract your P muscle.
3. Hold for a count of five.
4. Relax your PC muscle.
5. Repeat 10 times.

That's all there is to them, honest. To have any real effect, you'll need to repeat these about 8 to 10 times a day. Sound a lot? Not really when you consider that the beauty of the kegels is that you can actually perform them almost anywhere and in an position. Try practising them when you sat at your desk at work, or perhaps in the elevator or at a meeting, what ever and where ever works best for you, but make them an everyday part of your everyday routine. Your muscles may feel a little tired at first, just like any muscle when you first start exercising it, but this will pass as the muscle becomes stronger. Also like all exercise routines, the results are best if you perform the Kegels everyday.

Once you've mastered the basic technique, you can also vary the exercises with more advanced techniques.

Slow Kegels: Tighten your PC muscle and hold it for a slow count of three. Now relax and repeat 10 times.
Quick Kegels: Tighten and then relax your PC muscle as quickly as you can for about 10 seconds.
Big Moves: Using your stomach and PC muscles, tighten your entire pelvic floor then push out of bear down.
Fluttering: Quickly tighten and release your PC muscle in a fluttering movement for ten seconds. Relax for ten seconds and then repeat.

Another fun way to practice the Kegels is with the help of a vibrator or dildo. You simply place the vib/dildo inside your vagina and practice the kegels as described above. This is also a good way to experience what a difference learning to use the PC muscle whilst having intercourse will do for you. If you don't own a vibrator/ didlo then practice by inserting your finger inside yourself.

We seem to have left the guys out of this article so far, so should men do the kegels as well? Yep! Regular practice of Kegels can help many men experience a more pleasurable, forceful orgasm during intercourse. Kegels can also give men a stronger, harder erection. So now you have no excuse not to practice your kegels every day either guys!! Just practice the kegels in the same way as described for women, and because you probably won't experience arousal while practicing the kegels you too can perform them anywhere too.

Although doing the Kegels will not guarantee you a better sex life, the truth is that unless you try you will never find out. Like any exercise routine, don't overdo it at first. Many women try to speed up the process but this not a good idea as the muscle will become tired and have the reverse effects to the one that you are trying to acheive. Take it easy at first, slowly increasing the tempo and frequency of performing your Kegels.