Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
I think it does work the muscles . |
| Disadvantages: |
Prickly shocks . |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
no |
A few years ago I bought one of these contraptions. I must have been feeling paticularly lazy at the time because now, I quite enjoy exercise. At the time I was probably enjoying a more sedentary lifestyle, or was it just, I will try anything once!
A review on something similar reminded me that I used to have one of these things (I still do, I just don`t know where it is!). I thought I would let you know about my experiences.
What is it?
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The slendertone belt is something that is suposed to work the muscles while you don`t actually have to do anything. It is a belt that is battery operated, you wrap it around you stomach muscles and the one I had you could also wrap around your thigh though not at the same time. After applying gel to the pads which have a shiney inner side, you switch it on, they are battery operated. It is easy to fit and secures with velcro.
What does it do?
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The idea is that it its suposed to work the muscles whilst you sit in the armchair watching television. There are certain people whom it would not be suitable for with certain physical conditions. It can not be used if pregnant and for some reason it cannot be used by women when they are menstruating, I haven`t a clue why. It works by stimulating all abdominal muscles, not just the ones where the belt is. The one I had could also be put around the upper thigh. It produces muscular contractions by stimulating nerves that are close together, they should be strong and deep yet comfortable. It feels like electrical impulses to me.
My Experiences.
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It was quite a laugh but I certainly wouldn`t recommend for toning muscles, though it may work if used correctly over a period of time. When you put it on, you need to apply quite a generous amount of gel. If you don`t use enough, it gives you a very prickly, shock sensation, which is far from pleasant. I cannot blame the product for this, it is probably due to me being stingy (again). Anyway, you wrap it around you waist or thigh after applying the gel and you are supposed to be able to walk around. You don`t use it for long, about 15 minutes. There were 7 different programmes on mine. One was pulse and it was weird, it felt a bit like little hammer blows. There was another one with slightly different timing which felt like little shocks then nothing, then little shocks again. I did not use any of the others because I didn`t like them. Weird. It was a bit like electrical impulses. I kept wondering if I was using it correctly, maybe I wasn`t. It did produce contractions which did not feel too bad but it was weird, no other word for it. The contractions were not too bad, not unpleasant, the ones on the stomach that it. Once I was walking into the spare bedroom to put the washing in the dryer when I had it wrapped around my leg, I had to lift my leg over something (yes, I was due to tidy up!). It was strange and almost freaky as my leg seemed to have lost all voluntary control when I lifted it up! After that I didn`t really put it on my thigh. I used it for afew weeks and then began menstruating like women do. This meant that I couldn`t use the Slendertone so that was the end of it really. With exercise, you don`t just stop for a week when you are menstruating, I figured this should be the same, I was fed up with it by now.
After Effects.
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Apart from toning muscles, which I don`t think it did for mine as I didn`t do it for long enough, I don`t think there should have been any after effects. However, I went to my mums one evening, throughout the evening I was experiencing contractions! She told me that it was with using the slendertone too much. The contractions were uncomfortable and regular, a bit like the early stages of labour. I did not like this at all. A combination of this and not being able to use it when mentsruating meant that I put it away somewhere safe and can`t find it, is it time to tidy up again? I gave one to someone for a Christmas present and explained all of the warnings beforehand and told her of my experiences. It was more for a laugh really as I did not know what else to give her. Her son put it on (he is 21). He put it around his upper arm (you are not supposed to put it there!), WITHOUT any gel, and went around laughing and saying how much it hurt, a bit like having pins stuck into you. I can`t blame the appliance, he was not using it correctly, and he knew it.
Do I recommend?
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Well, it was a bit of a 5 minute wonder in my house. I think it was about £30 which was probably good entertainment value but that was it. I really can`t say that there is a problem with it, it just did not suit me. I think that there was too much room for error. I am someone who quite often skims intructions and then I think I know exactly how to use something. Maybe I missed something and didn`t use it correctly. I can`t say that I would recommend it but I exercise quite a lot so it is probably pointless for me. I think for someone who really cannot exercise due to work commitments or someone who does not enjoy exercise, it may be worth a try. I did not like the sensation of my muscles contracting. I think the pins and needles sensation was when I did not put on enough gel (though it did happen several times). Maybe I did overdo it which is why I was experiencing contractions afterwards. I have heard people say that they have got on well with the Slendertones and have found them beneficial. It must suit some people, just not me.
