Those Pelvic Floor Muscles

[Marie-Elise Allen]

Having toned pelvic floor muscles or PC muscles can lead to better orgasms and genital health as well as enhancing overall health. Exercise for the pelvic floor muscles is especially beneficial before and after pregnancy and for women suffering from incontinence.

What is the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles shaped like a hammock that stretch from one side of the pelvis to the other. It is attached to the pubic bone in the front and to the tail end of the spins. The openings of the womb, bladder and bowel all pass through the pelvic floor.

The pelvic floor:• Supports all the pelvic organs including the rest of the contents in the abdomen.
• Helps control the bladder
• Helps control gas or wind

Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can also heighten orgasms both for yourself and your partner.

How does your pelvic floor muscle become weak?
Women of all ages can experience weak pelvic muscles. Symptoms include involuntary loss of urine when there is stress or pressure placed on the pelvic floor.

Some of the main reasons for weak pelvic floor muscles are:
• Childbirth
• Lack of exercise
• Natural ageing
• Hormonal changes
• Being overweight or obese
• Illness such as chronic cough or constipation
• Participation in sports and high risk activities that involve jumping and running (such as gymnastics)

What are the advantages of exercising the pelvic floor muscles?
It is never too early or too late to begin exercising your pelvic floor. For those with a weak pelvic floor, exercise is a far better alternative to wearing pads or surgery.
Even if you do not have weakened pelvic floor muscles, actively strengthening them can mean a more enjoyable sex life and prevent post-natal or post-menopausal incontinence.

How do I start?
There are pelvic floor exercises called Kegel Exercises that are widely promoted as a starting point for building pelvic floor strength. A web site that gives details of these exercises is www.pelvicfloorexercise.com.au

Sassy Vibes stocks two accessories designed to make strengthening your PC muscles both easy and enjoyable. To learn more, please read on about our vaginal barbell and smartballs.

If you have weakened pelvic floor muscles, we recommend that you obtain the advice of your medical practitioner or physiotherapist before beginning an exercise regime.

Using weighted pelvic floor exercisers

Weighted vaginal exercisers are readily available to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Sassy Vibes offers two styles of strengtheners:

The Vaginal Barbell
Smartballs

Vaginal Barbell
The vaginal barbell is a great exerciser developed by a woman Sexologist Betty Dodson. The Barbell is 17cm long and weighs .390kgs. Once inserted the weight holds it in place. The barbell is made of stainless steel.

For women who are post menopausal or no longer having penetrative sex with a partner, using the Barbell will aerate the vagina, help slough off dead cells, encourage lubrication and enhance orgasms during self-stimulation.

Smartballs

The design: The unique design of the Smartballs is pleasing to the eye; the structure and the slightly elliptical form palpably increase the excitement of intimate massage. Through their silent but clearly perceptible movements and the weight of the metal balls inside, the Smartballs provide a targeted workout of the pelvic floor resulting in more fun during sex, support postpartum gymnastics and helps to prevent incontinence. These smartballs come highly recommended by midwives and have been clinicaly proven in Europe. Smartballs – as well as being a practical exercising tool for the pelvic floor are also a deeply feminine pleasure!

Total length is 7.5 cm and each ball is 4 cm in diameter.

What do they look like and how they work:

Make a circle with your thumb and pointer finger, and that’s about the size of each ball.

They are joined together with a small link, and there is a rope loop attached to the end of one ball.

Each ball contains an inner weight that vibrates when you move them.

Smartballs are inserted into the vagina. Every move you make causes the internal metal balls to vibrate. Hence, the vaginal muscles are stimulated, massaged and exercised.

It is suggested you insert these balls for a minimum of 15 minutes, however you could leave them in for hours. What makes these an easy form of exercising is that you can get on with your daily life and squeeze your vaginal walls around these balls and no one would know you have them inserted or what you are doing.

This design is definitely making pelvic floor exercising easy. The balls are produced in Germany and are made of a material called elastomide. They are available in a variety of colours.

The above methods work. Many Gym trainers recommend the above products to increase the strength of the Pelvic floor. Gynaecologists also recommend these products.

[Sharon Froome]

I have found smart balls to be fantastic! not only have I used them myself to increase the strength of my pelvic floor, but through my party plan business I have sold many to women wanting to increase their sexual pleasure as well as their personal health...I can strongly recommend them!

[Marie-Elise Allen]

It is stainless steel but actually when you run it under the tap it retains the heat. It is amazing and stays at body temperature when inserted.
When you hold it for a few seconds in your hand, you can feel it warming to your body.
We do also have the smartballs - these are made of medical grade silicone. We have the single and doubles, these are great too and they work well. Personal choice as to whether you wish to use the double or the singles. As with all these options, ther is organic lubricant available as well.

[Nikki Matarasso]

Is the barbell only available in steel? It looks like it would be awfully cold *_*

[Marie-Elise Allen]

All these exercisers will help tighten the pelvic floor Julie. With the Kegelmaster the only significant difference is that it is ABS Plastic and uses four surgical grade stainless steel springs to create the desired resistance. You would need to set the tension on the Kegelmaster whereas with the pelvic balls, they pop in (with lube of course) and you can go for your morning walk and squeeze and hold as you power along. With the Vaginal Barbell, this does not contain springs and it is simply a matter of setting aside 10 minutes to insert it and do your Kegels.
Many women who chose this method also use the Barbell as a form of self pleasure and increase the delightful side of the session with the use of a clitroal stimulator. There is a very good DVD available by Dr Betty Dodson, where she individually coaches women of all ages in breathing, squeezing, holding, releasing. This shows the role of the pelvic floor muscles in increasing orgasmic response. It is called Celebrating Orgasm

The exercises along with the personal choice of appliance will strengthen vaginal muscles that are underdeveloped or weakened by childbirth and age. I trust this information helps Julie

[Julie Barker]

Hi marie,

how do these differ from the Kegelmaster, that is designed to do the same thing?

Julie

[Marie-Elise Allen]

Hello Margaret

Please feel free. The more practitioners and parents who under stand the options available for pelvic floor strengthening the better. I was unsure how to get that blog to link back to the product page on my site so you can see the colours and prices to purchase these and use as part of a daily rotuine, so I have listed it below.
In a practical sense, mature women who go for their daily walks can insert these balls go for their walk, give a squeeze every now and again and it works wonders. I do this - I walk for 6 steps and hold then relax for 6 or so steps, and then step out another 8 step and hold and then relax. It is a good way to do some internal health exercises.
http://www.sassyvibes.com.au/store/cat,8/PC+Exercisers

There is also another colleague who has done some music to do the Kegel with an injection of fun - this would be good to use for those who prefer the barbell. You can hear the song and read more about Kegels at http://www.dothekegel.com/

I trust this helps and please feel free to make contact if there is further information you require
In appreciation
Marie-Elise

[Marilyn Colvin Boon]

Hello Marie-Elise, Thank you I found your explanation simple to understand and very useful. Would you mind if I drew this to the attention of practitioners and parents that I teach.
Marilyn