A Personal Pelvic Trainer for Longer, Stronger Orgasms!
There’s no question that when you’re at the gym, you get a better work-out with a personal trainer than if you’re just making up your own workout routine as you go along. Unless you have specific direction, guidance and motivation, you’re apt to take your time at the water cooler, go easy on yourself on the sets and reps (who’s looking, right?) and get distracted by social opportunities. Ok, not everybody does this at the gym, but unless you’re a dedicated gym-rat or body builder, you may not be getting the quality of work-out that you ideally wanted when you walked in the door.
The same logic follows for Kegel exercises. Many women will swear that they do them all the time, or at least when it crosses their mind to start performing Kegel-squeezes and vag-crunches while washing the dishes or sitting behind their office desk. Think about how committed you are to these? Do you just do a few randoms and then forget about it? Do you count? Do you vary the length and intensity of your Kegels? Do you have a plan for gradually intensifying the exercises based on your improvements? For most women, that’s probably a ‘no’. Not to mention that some women still don’t even know what a Kegel is, how to do it, or why it’s important.
OK, Why Are Kegels Important?
Kegel exercises strengthen the muscles of your pelvic floor and make them stronger. The pelvic floor is basically the hammock or sling of muscles and tissues that holds your organs (reproductive, bladder etc.) in place. These muscles can weaken over time due to pregnancy, childbirth, weight gain and ageing. This can lead to scary things like incontinence, uterine prolapse and weaker orgasms. You want to keep things tight in that area for health reasons as much as for sexual ones. The stats for urinary incontinence are much higher than you might think. It can affect 20%-30% of young women, 30%-40% of middle-aged women, and up to 50% of older women.*
Vaginal muscles are not unlike other muscles of the body – you can strengthen them and keep them in shape, or they can get weaker over time. Strong Kegels will help set you up for longer and stronger orgasms, and who doesn’t want that? Even if you think your Kegels are already strong, how do you really know? It’s not like you can look at a comparison chart or ‘test’ them.
To help solve these sexual and health dilemmas, LELO has introduced the Luna Smart Bead.
This is a cool little device that uses Smart Technology™ to assess your Kegel abilities, sets and guide you through the appropriate level of work-out and then it actually grades you on your pelvic floor strength and stores these details for later. The goal is to ascend the levels, over time, until you’re a Master (do we get a pink belt for this?).
How it Works:
The Luna Bead is very intuitive and easy to figure out.
Like other LELO toys, it has the familiar soft body-safe silicone and is shaped for easy-insertion, although it’s recommended to use a bit of lube. It’s not uncomfortable though and is similar in size to most vibrating eggs on the market.
You press the ‘+’ button and it will flash what level you’re at. To start, the Bead sets you at ‘Intermediate’. It will vibrate three times to signal the beginning of the work-out and delay a few seconds to allow you to insert the device. From there, it takes you on a series of pelvic reps and sets. Your job is to contract and clench when you feel a vibration and relax when you don’t. The sets vary and build in intensity as the session proceeds. Knowing that you’re going to be assessed on your abilities at the end of your five minute workout should keep you on track. This is where the Bead shines compared to other Kegel balls and beads on the market – you’re guided through everything, so the duration and intensity of Kegel exercising becomes a no-brainer. You know you’re getting the right level of work out, while still being challenged to improve.
At the end of your workout, the device will assess and store your level of Kegel expertise and adjust future workouts according to your pelvic floor strength. Even if you take the battery out (which is recommended by the way, to preserve your battery-life), it still remembers your stats.
In a way, it’s kind of similar, in theory, to a video game, where improving your abilities and beating your last assessment is probably going to motivate you to keep using it, especially if you’re the competitive type. Every woman who’s ever done a Kegel clench has probably wondered at some point, how she stacks up. Here’s your chance to find out.
LEVEL 1: Beginner – For the uninitiated who has not practiced Kegel exercising before.
LEVEL 2: Amateur – For the relative newcomer with weaker pelvic musculature and little pelvic control.
LEVEL 3: Intermediate – For the moderately experienced with average pelvic strength and some control.
LEVEL 4: Advanced – For the experienced Kegel exerciser with strong pelvic muscles and good control.
LEVEL 6: Master – For the Kegel Master with excellent pelvic strength and maximum control.
A single workout takes about five minutes of your day, and once inserted, the device is practically silent, so even if you have a busy schedule, you can probably find time to get in your Kegel exercises during the day.
It runs on an AAA battery, so it’s not rechargeable like most other LELO toys. It says that you should get 200 exercise routines out of one battery, but if you use it as a pleasure vibrator as well, I’m sure that will factor in to battery longevity. Either way, batteries are cheap, so this little ‘con’ isn’t going to break the bank.
Sexual Pleasure?
The Luna Bead is more about women’s health than about instant pleasure. You’re probably not going to have an orgasm during the work-out itself (and if you did, you’d mess up your concentration anyway). The bead does feel good when you’re clenching, so there’s some incentive there and inevitably it works you up as it works you out – things do heat up – but not so much that you feel compelled to un-plug and chase after your orgasm before you’ve completed the workout.
Bonus: You do have the ability to hold down the ‘+’ button for three seconds after your workout to get a steady (strong!) vibration that is purely for pleasure, and arguably a fun ‘cool-down’ or reward after your efforts. This feature turns the Bead into a nice little clit vibrator as well.
My Impressions:
I’ve had the chance to use the Luna Smart Bead four times so far. I’ve found it extremely easy to use, and this is coming from a girl that almost never reads the instruction manual. I love the idea of a device that will challenge me to do Kegel exercises properly, because admittedly I tend to do them when I think of it, but I can be easily distracted.
I haven’t had children, nor do I suffer from incontinence so I’m really just doing this as a preventative, and admittedly for the sexual benefits at this point in my life. In other words, it’s a “want to,” rather than a “need to”. If I had actual health issues that would benefit from pelvic training, buying this device would be a no-brainer.
The bead is comfortable when worn (you can stand and walk around, provided you’re able to clench and squeeze when the vibrations start). I love that it’s easy to follow along and the device is intuitively assessing my pelvic floor strength – so much so that I get a grade at the end, with a goal of trying to top it in the weeks to come. The psychological reward makes the process fun. And no, I’m not at Master level just yet, but I’m determined to get that pink belt!
Disclaimer: products were provided to me for my honest feedback and review.
Sources: * http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/features/incontinence-womans-little-secret
