Who should do pelvic floor exercises?

All women. Simple as that. Not had children? Women's Health Clinics across the country report that the same number of childless women as women with children are referred to them for treatment for a weak pelvic floor. Recent statistics out of the USA claimed at 1:5 college women claimed to have bladder weakness. The average American woman's weight has increased 11 pounds (7%) in the past 10 years, while her height has remained about the same.

It takes time, effort and practice to become good at Pelvic floor exercises. You have to learn not to pull in your stomach, or tighten your bum muscles or squeeze your legs together and to breath at the same time. The "kegel" muscle is an involuntary muscle, which means if it is not exercised it will atrophy - literally waste away. However the good news is that simple exercises, will give you effective results within weeks

Pelvic Floor Routine

1. Slow Pull-ups - Sit, stand or lie with your knees slightly apart. Slowly tighten your pelvic floor muscles under your bladder as hard as you can. Hold for the count of five, then relax, repeat 5 times.
2. Fast Pull-ups - As before but quickly for a second or two. Repeat five times.
3. Alternate between the 5 slow pull-ups and the 5 fast pull-ups for five minutes.
4. Aim to do the above pelvic exercises for about five minutes at least three times a day, and preferably 6-10 times a day.
5. As your pelvic floor muscles become stronger, increase the length of time you hold each slow pull-up. You are doing well if you can hold each slow pull-up for a count of 10 (about 10 seconds).
6. Always aim to isolate and exercise the pelvic muscles only, not your bum or legs
7. After several weeks the muscles will start to feel stronger. You may find you can squeeze the pelvic floor muscles for much longer without the muscles feeling tired.

This exercise routine should take 8-20 weeks for most improvement to occur.

There must be a fast way!

However, this is the real-world and many women find pelvic exercises simply too boring to complete, and they quickly lose interest. How can that be with such an import muscle? Well, if the pelvic floor muscle is already weak, many women find an exercise routine practically impossible to perform, and they simply cannot feel their pelvic floor to squeeze it.

Thanks to the new generation of pelvic floor exercise machines such as the Kegel8 Tight & tone and the Kegle8 Ultra pelvic exercises are easy. You can receive a thorough targeted work out in minutes a day that is much more effective than manual exercises alone. Working deep within the muscle, these machines use electronic pulses to make the muscle contract exercising it and making it stronger. Many women report amazing results within weeks.

Pelvic exercise is for life whichever way you choose to do it, let your motto be "use it or lose it". You'll benefit in so many ways, including full bladder and bowel control and increased sexual sensation for you and your partner!

By: David John Martin
For further information on pelvic floor exercises please visit http://www.stressnomore.co.uk

A stretch routine is something most regular exercisers give a complete go-by. But reading this might make it your prime goal. It is hard work no doubt. But the results make it well worth the efforts involved. A stretch involves a lengthening of the muscles, ligaments and connective tissue that surround a joint and make the movement of the joint possible. The muscles, ligaments and the connective tissues could be considered the drivers and the joint could be seen as the vehicle that makes the movement. So stretching each part of your body will make you more pliable and prepare you for effectively adapting to any situation that may require movement.
Here are the main reasons why you need to include stretching as part of your routine:

• Increases the range of motion (ROM)

Experts agree that flexibility forms the very base line of fitness. Pliable muscles and flexible joints function at a higher level of efficiency. Each set of joints have different planes in which they move; some move in the forward and back plane, some move from side to side plane, and there are also some that rotate round their own axes. Our everyday functioning does not ensure that the joints and muscles move in all the planes they are supposed to, nor do our daily movements guarantee that the body is moving to it's fullest capacity. Thus it is very essential that we train it according to increase and improve its range of motion very regularly. After all, not using it leads to losing it.

• Prevents injury

An active body is less likely to get injured because it gets accustomed to the out-of-the ordinary actions it makes and learns during a stretch routine. Consequently, joints and muscles that have a higher ROM are less likely to get injured. During a demand (exercise) or a sudden action (emergency), the muscles that have been regularly stretched, adapt to work by a previous memory and have less chance of getting injured.

• Improves posture, balance and coordination

Tight muscles are known to have a negative effect on posture. In most cases this can be corrected with awareness and posture training. For example tight hamstrings pull into the pelvic area that could cause an excessive arch in the lower back. This in turn can be a leading causative factor of back pain. Muscular balance and kinesthetic awareness have to form the base line for any fitness program; and correcting afflictions are of paramount importance before setting on a fitness trail.

Research shows that greater flexibility also increases neuromuscular coordination. The muscular system in the body function with the involvement of the central nervous system, and regular stretching enhances the speed of the nerve impulses that serve the muscles.

• Aids strength and cardiovascular training

A number of people mistake stretching for flexing. However, remember that both perform opposite functions. When a muscle flexes, it is shortening in length to complete its function. For example: a forearm picks up a pencil from the desk that is driven by the shortening of the biceps in the front of the upper arm, on the signal of the neuromuscular system. For the biceps to work efficiently, the opposing muscle i.e. in this case, the triceps (located in the back of the upper arm) need to be flexible enough to allow for the biceps to contract or flex fully. Now if the triceps were tight, the biceps cannot flex to its maximum.

That is why there is a symbiotic relationship between strength training and flexibility. If one muscle or muscle group is strong, it is so because the opposing muscle or group has allowed it to be so, during the contraction phase. Thus for imbalance not to occur (which can lead to injury of the weaker muscle) and for the opposing muscle to be equally strong, you need to work at both shortening and lengthening equally.

The same can be explained for the cardiovascular work. If the legs and the lower body (which work during the aerobic phase) have enough flexibility, they can contract with more efficiency.

• Relieves muscle tension

The stretching of any muscles helps in the early and easy dissipation of lactic acid, which builds up as a result of muscle activity and tension. This is why stretching is a panacea even at your workplace and provides immediate relief to the stress caused by knotted muscles.

By: John Flanagan
Stretching is a must when it comes to preventing injury. Whether your looking for more tips on stretching or daily tips on fitness, health and diet related topics, I invite you to check out http://www.fitnesshealthtips.com

So you've decided to start a fitness program, and you want to know what the best exercise machine is? I bet you've done some research on the web, and you're more confused now than when you started!

That's because almost everyone who's selling exercise machines and other fitness equipment is going to tell you theirs is the best, and they will probably have studies, research or testimonials to back them up. And if the product is being sold on TV, they'll probably dazzle you with the bodies of fitness models, both male and female, using their equipment. But you do know these people had these physiques before they ever set eyes on that particular piece of equipment, right?

If you're going to try and find yourself the perfect exercise machine, you have to ask yourself a few questions first, the main one being "what do I want from this equipment?". And you need to be specific. None of this "I want to lose weight", or "I want to get in shape" stuff. Nope, you need to hone in on the goal - "I want to have a 28 inch waist", or "I want to gain fifteen pounds of muscle and lose twenty pounds of fat". Then you can make some educated decisions.

Another question you need to ask yourself is whether you want an aerobic training machine or a piece of strength training equipment. If you really want to get in shape, you should be doing both - but that doesn't mean you need to buy two separate machines. More on that later. Among aerobic machines, you'll find the treadmill, elliptical machine, stepper or stairclimber, rowing machines, recumbent exercise bikes, spinning bikes and more. Strength training machines include multi-gyms, power racks, half racks, smith machines, and separate machines that concentrate on just about every individual muscle group in your body.

How many of these machines do you need? None, really. If you have the funds and the space for them, then they can make exercise more convenient. But you can get a great strength training workout with a bench and some dumbbells and/or a bar and weight plates. If for some reason, you can't swing that - not a problem. You can do bodyweight exercises such as pushups, dips, pullups, situps, crunches etc. You might think these are too easy to build any real strength or muscle, but there are ways to make them hard enough for even the strongest person. We don't have room to go into that here, but do a little research on the web for bodyweight exercises. You might be surprised at what you find. When it comes to your aerobic workout, you can jog, run, walk briskly, jump rope, do jumping jacks, or create your own interval workout from conditioning exercises like the crab walk, bear walk, walking lunge, jumping jacks, etc. Do a few sets of those without stopping and see whether or not it gets your heart rate up! Once again, if you don't know what these exercises are, just do a web search.

But I want an exercise machine! Ok, if you say so. When the elliptical trainer first became popular about ten years ago, there were some studies showing that you could get a better workout on that machine than if you invested the same amount of effort on the treadmill. Level of perceived exertion, they call it. But then some other studies seemed to show that it was really the treadmill that allowed you to get equal benefits while feeling like you were cruising a little bit. So where am I going with all this contradictory research? Well, the truth of the matter is that this research doesn't really matter that much to you. Or to me. Because if I hate to sit on a bike seat, it doesn't matter if a study comes out tomorrow saying that the exercise bike provides a workout ten times better than any other piece of aerobic equipment. If I'm not going to sit on that seat, I'd be stupid to go out and buy a bike. Actually, I own a spinning bike and love it, so that wasn't a very realistic example, but I think you get the point :-)

Experiment to see what works for you. Try a spinning class. Try jogging in the park. Try pushups and pullups, or a power rack, or bench presses. Hop on the elliptical at the gym, or find a friend who has one. Try them all to see what you like, and then build a balanced strength and aerobic program from those options. That's what'll keep you exercising consistently, and doing it consistently is the main key to getting the results that you want.

By: Joseph Serpico
If you want to read more about exercise machines and all areas of fitness click over to Joe's site at http://www.exercisemachinesguide.com.

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