It may help to insert a finger into your vagina and tighten the muscles like you’re trying to hold your urine in, says the NIH. “Envision you have a straw in your vagina, and you’re trying to pull fluid up through the straw,” suggests Dr. Here’s how: Doing Your Kegels the Right Way Instead, practice them when you have a spare moment, like when you’re sitting in traffic waiting for a red light to change. But, she warns, “Practicing that way sets you up for trouble.” That trouble may include difficulty urinating in the future. “I think at some point we’ve all heard that advice,” says Dr. One of the main misconceptions about kegel exercises is that you should try to stop your urine mid-stream when you’re on the toilet. Levin says, “Some people who think they’re doing kegels correctly are actually pushing, not squeezing.” You’re trying to practice at the wrong time If you feel your butt cheeks tightening and coming up off the chair, then you’re not squeezing the right place.” You’re not contracting your musclesĭr. “If you put your hand on your abdomen and you feel your belly muscles clenching, you’re not squeezing the right place. “It’s not your abdomen, and it’s not your butt cheeks,” explains Dr. Three Common Kegel Mistakes You’re squeezing the wrong muscles
Here are some of the most common mistakes her patients have made and some tips on how to do them correctly. Pamela Levin, MD, assistant professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, knows firsthand that a lot of women think they’re doing kegel exercises correctly.
So when you do a kegel exercise, you’re contracting a whole group of muscles. If you are, your pelvic floor muscles all relax and contract together, not separately. Kegel exercises: If you’re a woman, chances are just hearing someone mention those two words causes you to involuntarily start doing them yourself.