What are Kegel exercises and why should women do them

Women, try this right now. “Imagine you’re trying to pee, and I tell you to stop midstream. Try that. Which muscles did you clench?” says Luke. “If you did that right now, you just did a Kegel exercise.” He explains that Kegel exercises are one of the most powerful yet underrated practices for women’s health. “They strengthen your pelvic floor, the muscles that support your bladder, uterus, and rectum,” says Luke.

According to Luke, these exercises do far more than most people realise. “By doing Kegels, you strengthen and increase blood flow to your pelvic region,” he explains. “That helps with issues like urine incontinence, nighttime urination, and weak bladder control.”

He adds that Kegels are especially beneficial after childbirth. “Post-delivery, the vaginal walls can weaken if you’ve had a natural birth. Doing Kegels strengthens your vaginal muscles, improving intimacy and sexual satisfaction too.”

They also help prevent pelvic organ prolapse, a common condition where the bladder or uterus shifts downward. “Kegel exercises help support the entire area holding your bladder, uterus, and rectum,” Luke notes.

How do you perform Kegel exercises correctly

“The right way to do Kegels is the same way I asked you earlier, imagine you’re peeing and stop midway,” he explains. “You don’t need to clench too hard. Avoid tightening your abs or thighs, just a gentle squeeze.”

Luke recommends starting small:

• Do 3 sets, twice a day.
• Clench for 5 seconds, relax for 5 seconds.
• Gradually increase to 15 seconds of clenching and 10 seconds of rest as you get stronger.

“You can do these anywhere, on a flight, in a car (if you’re not driving), at home, before bed, or right after waking up,” Luke says. “These little things are incredibly powerful for your reproductive and overall health.”

He reminds viewers, though, that Kegels are not a replacement for medical care. “If you have a prolapse or other issue, please see your doctor,” he advises.

“Remember,” Luke concludes, “Kegel exercises may take just a few seconds, but staying consistent with them can truly transform your pelvic health and long-term wellbeing.”

Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Why nutrition is more important than exercise

“To simplify it a lot: adjusting your diet reduces body fat, while physical exercise helps preserve muscles during weight loss and supports overall health,” the trainer explains.

Mandziak notes that only about 10% of the calories the body burns come from exercise.

“Three workouts a week burn just 1,000 calories, while the body burns 18,000 calories in a week,” he emphasizes.

How the body burns calories

“Around 85% of all calories burned are expended without deliberate physical activity. The heart, brain, kidneys, and liver burn about 1,000 calories per day. That’s almost half of all calories the body burns, including physical activity,” the fitness trainer says.

According to him, 10% of calories are spent on digestion, 15% on daily activities, and only the remaining 10% on exercise.

Why exercise makes you hungrier

“Scientific data shows that 80% of calories burned are compensated. When I start moving more, my body senses the calorie loss and urges me to eat the calories I burned. Some people even reward themselves with tasty food after an effective workout,” Mandziak explains.

He adds that people often overestimate the calories burned during exercise. Those who are more active consume more calories, but they also burn more, and don’t overeat.

Mandziak notes that physical activity improves sensitivity to the satiety hormone leptin.

“If I’m physically active, my brain senses this hormone well. If I’m inactive, it senses it poorly, which can lead to overeating,” he adds.

Why strength training is important

“When we consume fewer calories than our body needs, it must break down fat to make up for the deficit. The body can also break down muscle,” the trainer explains.

According to him, to prevent this, it’s necessary to signal to the body that muscles are needed and being used. If a certain organ, tissue, or function isn’t used, it deteriorates.

Mandziak emphasizes that strength exercises provide this signal. Additionally, exercise improves the regulation of eating behavior, and strength training helps preserve muscle mass.

Earlier, we revealed how to eat and lose weight in autumn.

The College of Education and Human Ecology is exploring how physical activity can improve students’ mental health.

The college is partnering with Wilce Student Health Center and Student Life Recreational Sport to conduct the study called “Exercise is Medicine™ for Student Resilience” to implement structured exercise into students’ lives.

The study targets those who aren’t active or are stressed to help enhance their mental health and resilience, Carmen Swain, director in health and exercise science and principal investigator of the study, said.

“Our main mission is to try to impact mental health and college students, that’s our goal,” Swain said.

The program is led by trained undergraduate students who work as research assistants or personal trainers. The fitness coaches meet weekly with student participants for nine weeks to do exercise sessions, Swain said.

Participants are required to wear a fitness tracker called a “WHOOP” that measures their health and fitness data throughout the program, Swain said.

“It measures a lot of your biometric data,” Swain said. “So, it measures your heart rate, your sleep and it’s pretty cool.”

The fitness tracker also helps researchers monitor participants’ stress levels to see if they are decreasing throughout the study, Jean-Pierre Khouzam, a second-year master’s student in kinesiology and research lead for the study, said.

“I like to call it a nicer Apple Watch,” Khouzam said. “Never take it off, you charge it on your wrist and it gives you a lot of insights. A lot more insights than just a normal Apple Watch would give you.”

Researchers also conduct pre- and post-testing to measure the changes in the students’ physical fitness and mental health status, Swain said.

Part of the testing is having participants take surveys that score measures like depression and loneliness, Swain said.

“The goal of the program is to see if the physical fitness programming led by these peers impacts their scores on these surveys,” Swain said.

The research is especially relevant now because many Ohio State students are struggling with high levels of anxiety, depression and loneliness, Swain said.

“Mental health is a crisis, especially for college students,” Swain said.

Many studies show that exercise can improve mental health, which is why the research study was developed, Khouzam said.

There are currently seven students participating in the study, and the goal is to have 20 participants by the end of the next semester, Khouzam said.

He hopes the undergraduate leads will gain valuable skills from the experience and see the impact they are making on others, Khouzam said.

“Hopefully they have an impactful experience to where they understand what research is about,” Khouzam said. “And then also they’re helping other people, which is huge in my eyes.”