Looking good for the camera is important, and for many performers this starts in the gym. But many women forget the importance of exercising one of the most important areas of the body — the pelvic floor.
The pelvic floor is a sling-shaped set of muscles that hold the uterus, bladder, vagina and bowels in place. If ignored, these muscles can weaken with time, which can lead to all kinds of unwanted side effects including:
- Incontinence.
- Loss of bowel control.
- Pelvic organ prolapse.
- Reduced sensation and performance during sex.
- Pain during intercourse.
Toning the pelvic floor offers multiple health benefits. Strengthening the pelvic floor, particularly the pubococcygeus or P.C. muscle, helps to prevent prolapse and incontinence, as well as control urination. A recent study of data from five years of National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys found that 9.4 percent of women surveyed suffered fecal incontinence. Other statistics suggest as many as one in three women may suffer incontinence, with 10 percent suffering prolapse symptoms.
Another great reason to work the pelvic floor is the positive effect it can have on your sex life and your ability to perform for your audience. Poor pelvic floor muscles can create problems when achieving orgasm, as the weakened muscles struggle to contract as fast and hard as is needed to bring about climax. Regular pelvic floor toning increases sexual response time, improves circulation to the genitals, increases lubrication, improves vaginal sensation and sensitivity and leads to more intense orgasms.
(Editor’s note: You could turn your pelvic floor workouts into all sorts of interaction opportunities when you’re online too.)
The side effects of pelvic floor problems can be crippling both physically and mentally. For cam performers, pelvic floor toning could lead to increased confidence in front of the camera and improved stamina for long cam sessions.
Finding and toning your pelvic floor
Locating your pelvic floor is simple. Whilst urinating, try to stem the flow. The muscles contracting to do this are your pelvic floor muscles. Now try to control the speed of the flow. This is the same technique you’ll use to exercise and tone, otherwise known as Kegels.
There are three main ways to give your pelvic floor a work out: Kegel training, vaginal weightlifting and squats.
Kegel training
Kegel training has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. There are a wide range of gadgets and apps to maximize the efficiency of your training. These usually involve inserting a bullet or ball containing a sensor into the vagina and then following a training app that connects to the item via Bluetooth. This makes training fun, as you can track your progress and the strength of your reps.
Great Kegel tech includes the Kegel8 and the Gballs2 Kegel toner.
Important do’s and don’ts for Kegel training include:
- Do relax your tummy and glutes.
- Do change the speed of your reps, alternating between fast and slow exercises.
- Don’t hold your breath.
- Don’t hold a clench for longer than 10 seconds.
Repeat Kegels three times a day, doing 10 quick and 10 slow holds.
Vaginal weightlifting
Vaginal weightlifting is done using Ben Wa or Kegel balls. These weighted balls are inserted inside the vagina and encourage the muscles to clench around them to hold them in. The weights can usually be increased as resistance improves.
Lelo Luna Smart Beads or Je Joue’s Ami balls are a good option for vaginal weight training.
Squats
Squats work to strengthen the core. This, in turn, improves the pelvic floor. To target your pelvic floor during squats:
- Stand with your feet a bit farther apart than shoulder width.
- Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Stand up with your weight on your heels.
Repeating for at least 10 seconds engages your pelvic floor muscles.
Building pelvic floor exercises into our daily routine will improve physical wellbeing and sexual health. After all, a healthy vagina is a happy vagina!
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Katy Seymour is a super sex-positive writer in the U.K. who believes kink is life. Email her at katy@ynotcam.com.
…now get to work, bitch!
Lead image © Nejron.
