A lot of women are going the way of weight loss and for many reasons. On the list are health concerns and to get the picture-perfect hourglass shape. There are so many options to help people lose weight; dieting, exercising, and the new trend of wearing a waist trainer.
Waist trainers are like secret weapons to draw in your midsection, pull it in tight, and put attention on your upper and lower body. These garments are very common now. You’re either seeing them on a TV advertisement or your favorite celebrity.
You probably want to get one too. But, before you do, there are important things you should know about wearing waist trainers and what they can do for you. This article has everything you need to know about waist training.
What Is a Waist Trainer?
Waist trainers are modernized girdles or corsets. It is an undergarment made with a thick elastic material and metal boning. You wear a waist trainer around your midsection to make your waist slimmer and enhance your upper and lower body parts.
Furthermore, the metal boning supports the torso and straightens you up. Waist trainers have different fasteners. Some have Velcro fasteners, some use a lacing system and some are fastened with hook-and-eye clasps.
While some people see these undergarments as waist slimming magic, you have to put in some work with dieting and exercising. This helps to better achieve your dream slim figure.
What Does Waist Trainer Do to Your Body?
Waist trainers slim your waistline and gradually gives you an hourglass figure. While it does this, the metal boning helps to improve your posture as it keeps your back straightened. Over time, especially with consistent use, your body begins to assume this posture.
Moreover, wearing a waist trainer can help you watch your weight. Wearing it during meals can help prevent you from eating too much. The cinching effect on your midsection area makes you feel full quickly. It also gives bustline support to people who have a larger bust area.
What Does Waist Trainer Do When You Are Working Out?
To start with, waist trainers could be part of the encouragement you need while working out. When you wear one during your workout sessions, it tightens your core and ab muscles to rightly position your body for the incoming changes.
People who wear waist trainers during weightlifting will find that it enhances their posture. They help to maintain a straight posture over long minutes of weightlifting.
However, it is not recommended to always wear a waist trainer during your workout sessions. This is because it constricts your body and prevents proper movement of abdominal and back muscles. Over consistent use, it could result in long-lasting back pain.
Additionally, wearing a waist trainer during a workout will weaken your core. Because of how it tightens your core, your core inadvertently begins to depend on the waist trainer for strength. Also, do not wear waist trainers during high-intensity workout sessions.
SEE: Best Waist Trainer Pieces for Women You Can Try
What Do Waist Trainers Do to Your Organs?
Waist training indeed does squeeze the body and also the organs. This is one of the major downsides of wearing a waist trainer. It crams the internal organs, and over time, this can result in long-term damage. The organs in your midsection area are those affected by waist training.
Waist trainers exert so much pressure on the midsection. Consequently, the organs on the upper part are forced to move more upward and the lower organs move more downward. This pressure makes the liver, lungs, stomach, and kidney shift position.
The first consequence of this shift is interrupted blood flow. Waist training also damages the rib cage by either shifting the floating ribs or causing rib inflammation.
What Does Waist Trainer Do After Pregnancy?
Wearing a waist trainer is advised to women who have just had a baby. It will help to tighten their belly area and keep fit. Some women have stretched or thinner muscles after childbirth; it is advised that these women wear a waist trainer for postpartum support.
This can help reduce the back pain postpartum comes with. However, women who had their babies through a cesarean section should not wear a waist trainer. Otherwise, it’ll put so much pressure on the incision site and make healing difficult, plus a worsened case.
In addition, wearing a waist trainer postpartum can cause prolapse in the pelvic floor of the woman, especially if she already has a weak core. This is because, after childbirth, the pelvic floor, uterus, and other organs around that area are healing. Then, putting that pressure on them will weaken your pelvic floor.
Do Waist Trainers Flatten Stomach?
No, it doesn’t, at least not in reality. What waist training does to the body is superficial. Although your waistline will look slimmer after months of using it, it’s the consistent use that changes your body shape. And this is not permanent.
It only gives you an illusion of a flattened belly. When you wear a waist trainer, it constricts your belly and prevents you from having more food. Inadvertently, your belly remains flat because during the period you wore it, you didn’t eat your regular meal quantity.
Therefore, if you want to flatten your stomach, a waist trainer may not give you the long-lasting result you’re looking to get. Try something else like exercising and dieting.
SEE: How To Get a Smaller Waist– Here’s What You Need to Do
Does Waist Trainer Work Without Exercise?
Some people wear waist trainers without exercising. Yes, it will train your waist and reduce your waistline with consistent use. A waist trainer is an undergarment, so you can wear it under a dress to an event or work to enhance your body shape.
If you know your way with these undergarments, you can wear them underneath anything including a one-piece swimsuit. However, you shouldn’t wear it always because of the negative impact it can have on your body.
Do Waist Trainers Shape Your Waist?
Yes, they do. They are “waist trainers” indeed. Within weeks of consistent wearing, you should see a reduction in your waistline. It shows the same result in women who have just had a baby.
Waist trainers are a quick fix for shaping your waist. And as quick fixes, do not expect the effects to be permanent. This is because your body already relies on the waist trainer to get the hourglass figure. Therefore, to keep up with the slim waist and curves, you need to wear it every day and exercise too.
Do Waist Trainers Help You Lose Weight?
Waist trainers will only give you superficial weight loss. They only reduce your waist size and make it look slimmer. While it can be a good addition to your weight loss journey, it cannot singlehandedly help you lose weight.
Any significant weight loss you experience could be a result of sweating (fluids loss) during workout sessions. In addition, constricting your belly and making you eat less than you naturally would, may keep you from adding extra weight.
Other Benefits of Using Waist Trainer
Improved self-confidence
Some people who have been trying to get rid of belly fat usually have a confidence problem. Wearing a waist trainer could solve a great deal of this confidence issue. A slimmer waist and pronounced hips equal the dream hourglass figure.
It can boost one’s self-confidence because it adds to the overall appearance. More so, you can confidently wear those body con dresses that your belly bulged in before.
SEE: Weight Loss for Black Women— Your No-Fail Guide
Helps clothes fit better
Wearing a waist trainer can help make your clothes fit tighter and better. It can reduce a bulging belly area and make slipping into your clothes easier. Also, constricting your waistline makes zipping your jean pants easier too.
What Are the Side Effects of Using Waist Trainers?
Digestive issues
Wearing a waist trainer too frequently can have a damaging effect on the digestive organs like the stomach, food pipe, and intestines. Moreover, the pressure it puts on your stomach can lead to acid reflux and cause heartburn. Also, constant constriction can lead to constipation.
Breathing difficulty
Overdoing it with waist trainers during exercise can cause breathing difficulty. Medical analysis has it that wearing a waist trainer can inflame the lungs and reduce its capacity by 30-60%.
This difficulty in breathing can further lead to worse cases like fainting, fluid buildup in the lungs, and a slower rate of waste and toxins removal from the body.
Skin problems
The tightness of the fabric against your skin doesn’t give your skin space to breathe. This can result in skin discomfort, skin chafing, irritating, and redness from pinching. In addition, sweat accumulates and causes skin rashes and bacterial infections.
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What Happens When You Stop Waist Training?
The human body is made in such a way that it can return to its original form after being distorted by an external factor. As mentioned earlier, the effects of using a waist trainer are not permanent. So, when you stop waist training, your body will go back to how it was before you started.
However, the same does not happen when organs or bones were damaged from always wearing a waist trainer. Therefore, you have to be careful with waist trainers. The ways to permanently alter your body shape include going on a diet plan, surgical procedures, and exercising.
FAQs
How long do you have to wear a waist trainer to see results?
You should wear a waist trainer for at least 8 hours every day for a few months before you see results. How soon the results show varies with people. Some people begin to see significant results after 4-6 weeks and others take longer. Most importantly, you should be patient with your body.
How tight should your waist trainer be?
Your waist trainer should be tight enough to give you a slim figure but it shouldn’t be suffocating. Check if you can pull in your waist on the third hook closure. Most importantly, you should feel very comfortable in it.
Should you break in your waist trainer?
Yes, you should. Breaking in or seasoning your waist trainer is necessary if it must fit you well. Also, breaking in your waist trainer helps to make you comfortable when you wear it out.
How do you break in your waist trainer?
You can break in your waist trainer by wearing it around the house every day for up to two weeks. When you wear it, make sure it feels snug but not suffocating; it should have space to accommodate a few fingers. Wear it every day for not more than two hours for the first three days.
Thereafter, you can add one hour until you have completed breaking in the waist trainer.
Conclusion
Waist trainers are not uncommon in today’s world. They are indeed the shortcut to improving your figure. It’s not news how they help you get an hourglass figure in a short time. However, you should be careful around these garments.
Wearing a waist trainer too frequently could harm your health and body. Moreover, they are not ideal for long-term body fitness. They can be suffocating and affect your breathing.
Most importantly, speak with a doctor before you invest in a waist trainer, especially if you have health concerns or any history of concern.
Thanks for reading.
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