A while ago i bought some kegal muscle toning balls, before i found LH so i cant link to them! They claim to strengthen your kegal muscles which i believe has health benefits linked to your bladder (tbh thats why i bought them as i thought my bladder could do with some more strength as i was always needing the toilet). It also says that it intensifies orgasms.
im a bit clueless because other than that i dont really know what to do with them! They look like two balls joined together and feel kind of weighty and jiggly. I tried using them by putting them both in but then didnt know what to do after that!
Do you leave them in for a specific time and just go about as normal? Or are you meant to tense and squeeze the kegal muscles while they are in? Are you meant to feel them when they are in or do they become unfeelable when they are in the right place? Why are there always two balls?
Ive tried them but as i dont know what to do with them i dont know if im actually benefitting from using them or causing myself any possible problems!
They work best if you do kegel exercises with them in, but they will also have an effect if you don't, as they are weighted, your muscles will naturally grip them too. Typically the heavier and smaller the ball the better the workout, but it's best to start off a bit larger and lighter as small heavy ones are best for more advanved users. They do come in a double ball, or tracey cox does a single ball, or you can but ben wa balls that have no strings to remove and are just small plastic, metal or glass balls.
They strengthen muscles helping with stress incontinence but they probably won't make you need a wee less often, its your brain signals when you need a wee not your pelvic floor muscles. If you go to the toilet "just in case" before going out and so on, and do it regularly you can accidentally train your bladder to signal the need to urinate before it is full because it gets used to the lesser ammount and being emptied at that fullness. If you typically employ the "hover" manouvre in public toilets you can also retain up to 30% of the contents of the bladder because of the inconvenient position for bladder emptying. The shorter you are the smaller your bladder is, as well as age affecting how full it gets before you need a wee. If you're urinating very frequently you may want to lessen how much you're drinking, or possibly see a doctor to check if you have an over active bladder, or some sort of urinary tract infection.
IF the ones you have are heavy enough and/or small enough, you'll benefit just from wearing them. Clenching the muscles will help even more. Think of it in terms of using other muscles - if you carry something light while you're walking around, it won't do much. If you carry something with a bit of weight to it while you're walking around, it will strengthen your muscles slowly. And if you actively lift the weight while you're walking around, you'll get more of a workout.
How long have you been using yours, are you using them regularly and how long do you usually wear them at a go? Do you feel some mild soreness of the muscles after use? If you're wearing yours for several hours and you don't feel any soreness then yours are probably too light and/or too large. You won't cause yourself any problems that way but they won't do you much good either.
(On the causing yourself problems side - don't use the toilet with them in and clean them before insertion. It's not recommended to wear them overnight, they won't do you any good while you're laying down anyway. Don't wear them so long that you hurt the muscles. Mild soreness is fine though.)
Since you say you can't feel them after awhile, I'm guessing yours are too large and light and you'll benefit from trying a heavier pair. My personal opinion goes against the grain and I suggest starting with something mid-weight rather than a "beginner's" set. If those are too much, you can get an easier set and save the mid-weights for when you've worked up to them. If you start with a beginner's set and are already beyond them, you're not likely to ever need them.
Lelo's Luna, Minis and Noir all get excellent reviews. Je Joue's Ami set includes three different sizes for a progression as your muscle tone improves. You can probably find something similar to the ones you bought to compare circumference and weight with - scroll down each page to find that information.
Thanks for the replies. Regarding the bladder issue i occasionally need the toilet desperately when i know i cant go eg if we are in the car on the motorway, or on a plane when theres turbulance. To me it gets bad and it feels like i can feel my bladder contracting. I thought if i did these excersises, even if they wouldnt physically help, then at least in my mind i could tell myself that my muscles are strong enough to hold on because ive been exercising them. More a mental thing really and thats why i got them.
I put them in but wasnt sure how far to put them. I know to leave the loop hanging out, but i think i probably didnt out them in far enough because it felt odd the whole time. I also was only wearing them for short amounts of time because i didnt know that longer was better.
When i said are you meant to feel them, i meant that with me i could feel it the whole time but just assumed it was designed so that once theyre in you dont feel them, except for the pleasurable sensation of the weights moving.
I will have to have another practice and see what i make of them!
How long depends on how hard you have to work at keeping that particular set in and whether you're actively clenching or if you're just wearing them. Basically wear them until you start to feel a bit of tiredness in the muscles. If you don't get that within several hours (say 6 to 8, or however long you have to wear them), try a different set. Every woman's needs are a bit different, so some experimenting is often necessary. Don't forget LH's returns policy too, which makes that risk-free.
What sort of size are the ones you have? (the more we know, the better we'll be able to help you.) It might be that you'll be more comfortable with smaller ones or maybe it's just sensations you'll get used to with longer wear. I forget about mine, even the large heavy ones, though I can always feel them if I pay attention. You're probably getting them in far enough (it's not usually an issue), so I'd guess that it's something else like size or lack of familiarity.
There are single ball toners, but they're always lighter weight so my guess is that two ball sets are more common because it's a good way to increase total weight without increasing the circumference.
I would say they are quite large as the first time was a bit difficult to get them in, but that may be down to me not really having the experience then of putting anything in! Although they are also pretty round so thats why i found insertion hard because they are quite wide.
I think once i get used to them i would probably feel different but i guess not knowing what to expect i wasnt sure if they were in far enough.
I will give them another shot and see how they feel before i consider buying any others but will bear in mind everything that has been said.
Well I am finding this thread very helpful for me personally. Thanks a lot for those who have submitted insight and guidance. I dont have any kegal exercise equipment/ben wa balls. So I am ging to look into this, and see where I need to start.
MY muscles are not as strong as they used to be,in that area :)