A healthy diet and regular exercise not only makes your body stronger and mind more active. Other benefits and improvements include helping to maintain strong muscles and healthy bones as both will bring an overall better quality of life. It can also improve your sex life.
There are times in our lives when we misuse our bodies, overeating and drinking at parties, not getting enough sleep or exercise for example, but as long as you take good care of yourself for the most part the negative effects of these times will be vastly reduced.
Did you know that overall weight gain can have a negative effect on general muscle health and none more so than on your pelvic floor muscles or kegels? The strength of these muscles are vital to maintain the good health of many of your bodily functions. Plus, slack pelvic muscles can cause poor bladder control, painful bowel movements and in some cases prolapse, where the organs that are held in place by these muscles falls through the weakened barrier into the lower abdomen. Often surgery is needed to rectify this.
But the good news is that following a good diet and exercise routine can reduce and even rectify poor muscle control and give back the normal control of your body. Losing just 10% of your overall body weight can improve your pelvic floor muscle control by up to 50%, providing increased sensitivity during sex and stronger orgasms for women.
A good diet is a life choice and there are many things that you can do to improve your overall health. With just a few small tweaks to your normal meals you can bring a huge change and with it all the positive benefits of feeling well and energised.
It can be all too easy especially if you have a busy daily schedule to grab a snack on the go. Sudden hunger pangs are one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in your search for more healthy alternatives. The best way to avoid these is to plan ahead, always carry fresh fruit. Bananas for example of full of fibre which helps you feel fuller for longer. They also contain many nutrients, including potassium, which keeps your heart healthy.
Often when you feel hungry your body is really dehydrated so drinking lots of fresh water or fruit juice throughout the day can help to keep these hunger pangs at bay. Just remember not to drink too much sweetened or sugary drinks, and fizzy pop or carbonated drinks are best left alone as they can aggravate the pelvic floor muscles. Try to cut down on or avoid caffeine drinks like tea and coffee as much as possible. Herbal tea is a great option if you want a hot drink.
Fresh fruit and vegetables should be eaten daily and the good thing about these types of foods is you can eat quantity, so use them to fill you up as well as for the dietary benefits. Fresh green leaved foods like cabbage and spinach are particularly good as roughage to aid digestion and also for the vitamins and minerals they contain. Try not to overindulge on too much acidic fruit as they could irritate your natural bladder function.
Beans, pulses and legumes are excellent sources of nutrients and are also high in fibre and trace elements, additionally they can be kept in the larder in dried form so that they are on hand for tasty meals any time.
Lean meat, fresh fish and eggs are best eaten less often and in smaller quantities but should be part of your normal daily intake. Fish is an excellent source of essential omega acids and trace elements. If you are trying to avoid meat eat avocados and soya-based alternatives.
For the best results try to avoid carbonated drinks or drinks with caffeine, processed foods like cake and pastry products, acidic fruit and vegetables like oranges and tomatoes and alcohol. Other things to avoid where possible are artificial sweeteners, strong spices and salt. Obviously there will be times when you will eat or drink something from the ‘try to avoid’ list but don’t panic, moderation is the key and one little slip need not be the end of your new regime.
So, armed with our new plan let’s begin with some suggestions to start you off on your healthy eating regime and eating your way to a better sex life.
Breakfast can be the most important meal of the day, it not only wakes you up but can give your energy levels a boost and keep your mind off food until lunch time. Try to eat a balanced breakfast of unsweetened cereal, scrambled eggs or poached salmon to kick start your day.
Lunch might be on the run for many so plan ahead and take a packed lunch of wholemeal bread with salad or lean meat or perhaps fruit.
If you need a snack in the afternoon this is where bananas, carrot sticks or dried fruit come in, they will give you an energy boost and fill you up until supper time.
Supper can be a larger meal if you feel you need it, but make sure the majority of your plate is high fibre vegetables, cut down on any sauces or gravies and try to avoid salt. If you need something sweet to finish your meal have fresh fruit salad or yoghurt as a treat. Tabs Chocolate is the secret aphrodisiac you need to add to your diet.
Combining this type of diet with some simple pelvic floor exercises where you simply tighten and squeeze your pelvic floor muscles either quickly or slowly will soon bring noticeable rewards to your body as well as helping to improve your sex life.
Kegel8 have created an exercise and diet plan to help improve pelvic floor health. These includes top exercise tips, in addition to food to make time for, and those to avoid.
