Two simple life saving exercises for women – Deep breath and Kegel

Since my resolution for this year includes doing exercise regularly, I feel like writing at least one post for this topic. This post is for women. However, if you’re a man, you’ll still benefit at least a half of it. Because I’m not a hard-code exercise practitioner, everything I do should be simple, easy, fast and effective.  After 1 to 2 years practicing these two simple exercises as well as following all praises for them, I’m happy to introduce you to Deep Breath and Kegel (pelvic floor) exercises. Be noted that they are not for losing weight, they’re life saving. I’m going to tell you the reason why I pick them just right now and guarantee you won’t be disappointed even if you’ve never done any exercises before.

(Source: Internet - eHow)

I’m going to write about Deep Breath first, so if you’re a man, you can relax after reading this part. There are also Kegel exercises for men but out of scope at this point.

Breathing is a must for all of us. We do that every day, every minute and second in our life without thinking about it. We never wonder how we could breathe or why we need to breathe. It’s just naturally we can breathe as soon as we were born. That means breathing is easy and it’s also too easy to remember and practice alone. However, have you ever asked how to breathe correctly? These days, especially to women, they want to keep their tummy as flat as possible [it’s the fad]. They tend to inhale very shallowly at their chest only. If you’re doing so, please stop for a second to observe yourself [or your family members] breathe while relaxing or sleeping. Not surprisingly, the tummy is moving instead of the chest. You can check it out by putting your hand on your tummy when you’re lying down and breathe naturally [without paying any attrition that you’re breathing]. That means our body was designed to breath with the diaphragm, not the chest. The correct way to breath is with the diaphragm is when the spine is straight. If you’re sitting, make sure you sit straight on your back, not on your belly.

(Source: http://www.beltina.org/pics/diaphragm.jpg)

The second thing is breathing deep. Mostly we just let the air flowing in and out of us day by day without paying attention. The result is mostly the breath is very short and shallow just around 1 to 2 seconds maximum. The deepest of our lung is never reached and the result is all residues are staying there almost forever (bacteria, germ and even virus from the air). When the residues are up too high, they trigger the sickness faster and more easily in almost good environment. Those people get sick easier than others. Well, that’s absolutely the award of saving up the sickness voluntarily. If you get the meaning, you’ll see just one exception here is that we don’t expect that award.

Once you know how to breathe correctly, you can start breathing deeper. Just beg yourself stop for 5 to 10 minutes a day to do it thoroughly. First is inhaling [breathing in] as much you can. Second is starting counting in your mind from 1 to 5 [in around 5 seconds]. Third is exhaling [breathing out] slowly until you have air left in your lung. Repeat the iteration. This exercise is very easy and can be done anywhere at any time. It doesn't ask you to split any extra time of your day either. You can do it while you're working. 

More convincingly, Deep Breath is the good exercise for mind relaxing too. When you just sit down and focus on breathing, you can temporarily forget all the mess and worries in life. It’s a sort of simple meditation. When you’re back, usually you’re more productive.

Last but not least, Deep Breath was proved as a life saver. This exercise helps confront the stroke [heart attack]. The first light stroke is the precursor of the second worse stroke. If the first stroke hits and the senior got panic, the second will come which can harm the brain permanently. During the stroke, it’s almost impossible to call someone for help because the person was knocked out and in uncontrollable situation. Even worse, if the stroke takes longer, it can threaten life. The exercise is coming useful here. If the seniors try to calm down and keep breathing well during the stroke, they can escape from the second hit, give more blood to save their brain as well as give more time to be survived. If you’re living with seniors, you’d properly like to tell them to practice this exercise better now than too late. Check out this slide for a bit info found on Internet. [This is just an example, not to convince about the source reliability.]

Alright, now is the second one, I want to talk about Kegel exercise for pelvic floor. I found two websites describing it pretty well, so I just quote from them instead of writing my own instruction. The sharing point between Kegel exercise and Deep breath is free, easy, simple and can be done anywhere at any time. No need any extra time of your day, no sweating, no hassle. 

Benefits of Kegel exericise [Source: http://whitney05.hubpages.com/hub/Benefits-of-Kegal-Exercises]

• Easier to reach a more intensive 'O' during intercourse
• Make the vagina more sensitive, especially if you squeeze while your partner is inside.
• Tighten and restore the vaginal area after childbirth.
• Make childbirth easier because you will have more control over your muscles during labor and delivery.
• Prevent uterine and bladder prolapsed.
• Prevent urinary incontinence and regain bladder control.
• Reduce risk of hemorrhoids.

General understanding about Kegel exercise in detail [Source: http://www.kegelexercisesforwomen.com/]

A kegel is the name of a pelvic floor exercise, named after Dr. Kegel who discovered the exercise. These muscles are attached to the pelvic bone and act like a hammock, holding in your pelvic organs. To isolate these muscles try stopping and starting the flow of urine. Involuntary leakage of urine (urinary incontinence) is the bane of many of us who've reached our 40's — and often affects younger women, too. Decreasing levels of estrogen can weaken the muscles that have control over the urethra (the tube carrying urine from the bladder to the outside of the body). Other factors, such as weight gain as we get older, can make incontinence worse. 

What Are Kegel Exercises for Women?

Kegel, or pelvic floor muscle exercises are done to strengthen the muscles which support the urethra, bladder, uterus and rectum.

Why Do Kegel Exercises? 

Often the pelvic floor muscles are weak which contributes to problems with losing urine. Doing the exercises correctly and regularly with resistance can strengthen the muscles. Stronger muscles lead to little or no urine loss for many women.

How Do I Do Them?

Over one-third of women start out squeezing the wrong muscles. Therefore, it is helpful to work with a doctor or nurse who can teach you the correct technique. You can also check yourself by placing a finger in your vagina and squeezing around it. When you feel pressure around your finger, you are using the correct muscle. Try to keep everything relaxed except the muscles right around the vagina. At the same time, do not bear down or squeeze your thigh, back or abdominal muscles. Breathe slowly and deeply. At first you can do the exercises with your knees together (lying or sitting) 

(Note: Don't put a finger inside your vagina if you're virgin [restricted understanding from some Asian countries],
try to think of the move instead. Source:  http://whitney05.hubpages.com/hub/Benefits-of-Kegal-Exercises )

  

How Often Should I Do The Exercises?

Be sure you are doing them correctly before you start. We recommend doing the exercises for five minutes twice a day. You should squeeze the muscle for a count of four and relax for a count of four. At first, you may not be able to do the exercises for a whole five minutes or hold the squeeze for a count of four. With practice it will become easier as the muscles get stronger.

When Should I Expect Improvement In My Symptoms?

It takes from six to twelve weeks for most women to notice a change in urine loss. Remember, if you do the exercises with resistance regularly you could see results sooner and prevent stress incontinence.

How Should I Do The Exercises?

If you read that these exercises can be done anywhere, anytime - that is not necessarily true. We have studied different ways of doing the exercises to see what works best to decrease urine loss. What we found worked best was five minute sessions done twice a day. Many women report that five minutes before they get up in the morning and five minutes before they sleep is a helpful routine.

Is There Anything I Should Change Once The Exercises Become Easy?

Once the exercises become easy, you can further strengthen the muscles by squeezing to a count of eight and relaxing to a count of eight with our recommended resistance exerciser. Repeat this for five minutes two times a day. It will also work the muscle more to do the exercises with your knees apart.

How Long Do I Have To Do The Exercises?

Once you have attained your goal, you can do the exercises for five minutes three times a week. If you start having problems again with urine loss, you may need to go back to five minutes two times a day

If you've been done these exercises regularly in your life, it's perfect and keep it up.
If you've never done them before, I hope you enjoy the post and give them a try.