Suckin’ Up The Girls

This is the term my therapist uses when she refers to Kegel Exercises.  Pretty funny eh?  I have learned quite a bit about the importance of “Sucking up the girls”.  It is probably the one common exercise that all of my P.T.’s have stressed using because it strengthens your pelvic floor.  Oprah had a lady on yesterday and talked briefly about Kegels and why they are so important.  However, most women don’t do them right….I didn’t until I started therapy. 

Life’s events can weaken pelvic muscles: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and being overweight can do it.  Luckily, when these muscles get weak, you can help make them strong again.

Sucking up the Girls will help with an array of problems:

• Bladder Control
• Sciatica
• Hip function
• Better sex/orgasms

The Proper Exercise

You should tighten the two major muscles that stretch across your pelvic floor. They are the “hammock” muscle and the “triangle” muscle. Here are three methods to check for the correct muscles.

1. Try to stop the flow of urine when you are sitting on the toilet. If you can do it, you are using the right muscles.
2. Imagine that you are trying to stop passing gas. Squeeze the muscles you would use. If you sense a “pulling” feeling, those are the right muscles for pelvic exercises.
3. Lie down on your back and rest your hands on your hip bones.  Press your fingers on the inside of those bones and “suck up the girls”.  If you feel a tightening, you are doing it correctly.  However, if you feel your abdominal muscles contract, you are doing it incorrectly. 

Don’t squeeze other muscles at the same time. Be careful not to tighten your stomach, legs, or other muscles. Just squeeze the pelvic muscle. Don’t hold your breath.

Suck em’ up all the way to your throat!!  My mistake was that I wasn’t doing it hard enough.  Do them as hard as you can without contracting your abs.

You should do these for about five minutes a day.  Do them while you are standing, sitting, or laying down.  My instructions are to do them pretty much all day long.  My reminders are to do them at a stop light, during commercials, and while doing dishes.  All of my other exercises (such as squats) that I do begin with sucking up the girls and then tightening the abs. 

Suck em’ up for 3 seconds and then release for 3 seconds. 

Here is a web site that gives more details about the exercise.  You should be doing these for the rest of your life.  Oh yeah, and men can do them too!  How about that.

 http://women.webmd.com/tc/kegel-exercises-topic-overview