15 Things You Need To Know About Waist Training

What is your ideal body shape? What would you ideally like to look like if you had the choice? I think curvy. In at the waist, out at the hips with a biggish bust.

These days not many of us have a classic hourglass shaped figure. We tend to carry a lot of weight around our middle section and have a much less obvious waistline. We are a lot more out than in, and straight up and down rather than curvy. Stress, high fat, high sugar and sedentary lifestyles are all to blame.

Are You Average?

The average woman's waist size in the UK is now nearly 34", rather than a healthy 31.5". Compare that to the average UK woman in the 1950s who had a waist measurement of 27.5" with hips of 39". Can you imagine looking like that?

Worryingly, our lack of a waist can be an indicator of underlying health problems. A large waist is seen by doctors as a red flag for potential long term health issues such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, infertility and cancer.

So how do we get a smaller waist?

One way to do it is to waist train...

Waist training is all over social media since Kim Kardashian started doing it. She posted pictures all over her Instagram showing her tiny tiny waist. It has had a huge knock on effect on women wanting to achieve the same thing.

I'm often asked about waist training. What it is, how do you do it and if I do it/agree with it? Here is my run down on the good and the bad about waist training.

Read to the end to see if I do it or not...

15 Things You Need To Know About Waist Training

1. Waist training requires you to wear a waist training belt for long periods of time. The belt is made from latex rubber with boning and fastens up with hooks and eyes down your front. Most waist trainers come with 2 or 3 sets of hooks and eyes to allow you to train your waist.
2. Waist Training is a long term thing that requires dedication and perseverance. It takes weeks of wearing a waist trainer for 8-10 hours a day for it to start making a difference.
3. You need to wear a specialist waist trainer, rather than a waist cincher or shapewear to train your waist. Waist training is a completely different thing to wearing a waist cincher for a few hours on a night out. It is in another league entirely!
4. You start to train your waist by wearing your waist trainer on the widest setting. After several days, or even weeks of prolonged use, your waist will start to be physically smaller. This is when people start moving the waist trainer fastenings in a notch. This is waist training. You keep on doing this until your waist trainer is too big. You can either stop there, or get a smaller one and rinse and repeat.
5. Many people find their appetites will be reduced when they are waist training. It basically squashes your stomach, acting a bit like a bariatric belt. You will struggle to eat big meals whilst waist training. This can be a good thing if you are trying to get your eating under control. However, it can also be a bad thing if you have any form of eating disorder where you like to be in control of your portions.
6. Waist training can make you sweat a lot. If you don't have more than one waist trainer you might find things get a bit smelly very quickly.
7. Waist trainers need to be hand washed. They don't act nicely in the washing machine, due to their high rubber and elastane content. And don't even think about tumble drying them, it will completely wreck the bones!
8. Waist training should not be undertaken if you have any health problems. High blood pressure, c-section scars, anything untoward. Waist training puts a lot of pressure on your body -  it really isn't for everyone!
9. No one under the age of 18 should attempt to train their waist. You are still growing and it could cause complications.
10. Never ever use a waist trainer if you a pregnant or attempting to become pregnant. It squashes your innards and moves things around, so obviously having a baby in there would be dreadful!
11. No doctor will ever recommend waist training. It is not seen as a healthy thing to do to your body.
12. Worn for long periods of time, waist training can negatively affect your back muscles. Your waist trainer acts a bit like your muscles, taking away the need for your own muscles to do any work. This can cause them to weaken.
13. If you take it to crazy levels, waist training WILL push your internal organs out of place.
14. Waist training will not make a jot of difference to your body fat. All it does it move things around. Yes, you might lose weight due to not eating as much. But the waist training itself won't impact on your BMI!
15. The slimming effects of waist training are only temporary. As soon as you stop wearing your waist trainer for long periods of time, your waist will start to make it's way back into it's natural shape.

My Personal Opinion On Waist Training

I personally don't like waist training. I can't help feeling it is bad for both your physical and psychological health. Putting your body under that much stress, plus being constantly aware of what you eat and drink is not a healthy way of being.

Waist training is a whole different ball game to wearing shapewear. Shapewear is a temporary thing. It is there to smooth you out, make your clothes fit nicely and to boost your confidence. Waist training is really drastic, quite body dismorphic and really quite unhealthy.

I know I am not one to talk, being a serial Slimming World failure, but the only way to reduce your waistline healthily is through diet, exercise and reducing stress.

And not sitting in front of the computer for hours on end writing blog posts...

Over To You

Have you ever tried waist training? Do you know anyone who has been successful at it (other than Kim Kardashian)? I'd love to know your thoughts on waist training - good or bad!