Coming to a smaller waistline near you…
You’ve heard the naysayers, the negative Nancy’s and let’s not forget about the Debbie downers, who are all against the practice of “waist training,” because: they have never tried it, are getting their information from morons, or are just living up to their annoying names. But for our ladies out there, who are thinking of trying the process but want to know what the health risks and benefits are, I thought I would shed some light on the controversial weight lost, waist shrinking practice.
As stated on the popular fitness site LiveStrong.com, the term waist cinching refers to the practice of wearing a constricting garment such as a corset or shapewear to reduce the waistline. Corsets and shapewear can be found just about everywhere, your local lingerie store, department stores and even online. Now there are a few different types of waist cinchers. There’s the ribbon corset which was first introduced in the 1920’s. This corset is customizable. You can adjust the tightness of the ribbon strings but let’s not cut off our circulation! Other options include shapewear, basic corsets without ribbons or hooks. There are two and three row hook corsets where you can adjust the tightness as your waist becomes smaller, again your corset shouldn’t be uncomfortable or cutting off your circulation. Some of these corsets have shoulder straps that provide back support and also help firm the back area. These types of corsets can be easily worn under clothing while at the gym or simply shopping or running errands. Waist training is a process ladies but you can maximize results with exercise and maintaining healthy eating habits. So don’t be afraid to wear your waist trainer while you workout. You’d be surprised at just how many inches you can shed off that tummy within 2-3 months. Let’s get into benefits and risks.
Benefits:
-Wearing waist trainers immediately gives the appearance of a smaller, sleeker waist line.
-Over time, the waist cincher shrinks the waist line and also gives back support while improving posture.
-The cincher also supplies added abdominal support for those who wear them.
Risks:
-According to ABC News many women have suffered deformed organs and fainting spells while wearing corsets over a long period of time.
-In an interview with ABC News Dr. Sara Gottfried, a gynecologist, said that corsets can squeeze your lungs by 30 to 60 percent. She also said that it can put a crook in your organs and cause constipation.
-Some other risks include deformation of the liver and lungs as well as decreased breathing ability.
Dr. Gottfried suggests, as most doctors do that wearing your corset in moderation is best. If you’re going to waist train, do your research! See exactly which waist cincher is best for you. A lot of sites that sell corsets advise you to wear your waist trainer for 6- 8 hours a day for the best results. However, it’s highly recommended that you work your way up and start with maybe 2-4 hours. Waist training is a process ladies but you can maximize results with exercise and maintaining healthy eating habits. So don’t be afraid to wear your waist trainer while you workout. You’d be surprised at just how many inches you can lose off that tummy within 2-3 months of waist cinching.
Who’s waist training in the celebrity world?
You’d be surprised, here are some celebrities that waist train or have at least tried it. Blackdoctor.org revealed that Beyonce and Delishis from VH1’s Flavor of Love have tried it. Delishis often posts pictures on her Instagram of her wearing her corsets. Love & Hip Hop New York’s Kimbella has also posted pictures on her Instagram wearing her corset. Other stars like Jessica Alba admitted to also using waist training in efforts to get rid of that extra baby weight. Megan Fox told Pop Sugar that she loves having her waist cinched but joked around saying she may even be a little sick in the head because she loved it so much.