Female Fitness - strengthening pelvic floor muscles

Stein advises women to do three sets of 21 repetitions five days a week. Once they've developed tone and strength, they can continue with three days a week. The instructions that come with each GyneFlex[TM] remind women to use their pelvic floor muscles--not their abdominals or thighs.

By using GyneFlex[TM] and working the pelvic floor muscles against resistance, women re-educate their neuromuscular wiring. "Because of this, women have greater blood flow, nerve sensitivity and improved circulation," Stein says. With this re-education comes vaginal muscle development.

The End Result

In the bedroom, women with stronger vaginal muscles can achieve better, longer and multiple orgasms. Women also gain control of the timing of their orgasms. "There's an increased sensitivity to touch, so all touch sensations become stronger and more exciting," Stein says.

GyneFlex[TM] also promotes general health benefits. By doing these exercises, women can reduce postpartum vaginal stretching, prevent age-related vaginal atrophy and urinary incontinence. In fact, of the 3,000-plus women who have used GyneFlex[TM] under Stein's direction, 96 percent increased pelvic muscle strength, 100 percent reported an improvement in sexual response and 87 percent cured mild urinary incontinence.

In closing, Stein emphasizes the need for all women to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles. As he says, "Nothing could contribute more to a woman's self-image and health than having the ability to control orgasms and knowing that her body is in tip-top shape, inside and out."

Karen Asp is a certified fitness professional and health and fitness writer who has written for Shape, Fitness, Walking, Fit Pregnancy and Oxygen.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Foundation for Intimacy

The New York Times wrote, "What Americans really need is medical help to juice up their sex drive." Taking a medical approach to sexual health is so revolutionary that only one doctor along the Eastern seaboard has dedicated his entire practice to this field. Dr. Daniel Stein, noted gynecologist, fertility expert and author, has established The Foundation for Intimacy, the Southeast's first private practice to pioneer medical treatment of sexual health issues.

While psychological factors contributing to sexual health difficulties are more commonly discussed, physical factors including neurological, vascular, muscular or hormonal problems are very rarely, if ever, diagnosed. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that 43 percent of women and 31 percent of men are sexually dysfunctional at any given time, "a significant public health concern." Dr. Stein estimates that over 90 percent of sexual health problems are medically treatable. The Foundation uses an integrated approach to care, embracing the concept that both mental and physical components should be evaluated and treated when dealing with sexual dysfunction.

"The Foundation for Intimacy is truly the first medical practice to address sexual health issues using the mind, body and soul. An ever-increasing body of scientific research provides evidence that with healthy sexuality and loving intimacy comes a healthier, longer and more fulfilling life," commented Dr. Stein, who serves as Medical Director of The Foundation. "We are dedicated to helping both individuals and couples achieve a lifetime of loving sexual intimacy."