Many people struggle with weight gain and want to find a way to control their fitness. Sometimes that means different diets and weight loss fads become popular before they can be proven successful. Waist trainers have gained popularity because of celebrity endorsement, but you may be skeptical of how they work. You can read more to learn about what a waist trainer is and if you can use it to lose weight.
What is a waist trainer?
A waist trainer is a garment you can wear around the middle of your torso, similar to a girdle or a corset. It’s typically made of compression fabric and fits around the wearer’s waist. People may wear a waist trainer because it creates the illusion of a smaller waist underneath your clothing. Some waist trainers have additional boning, similar to the construction of a corset.
Recently, these garments have become popular as undergarments that can help the wearer create a clean line or a more flattering silhouette. Additionally, some claim that wearing a waist trainer can help you retain a smaller waist even when you remove the garment. The idea is that wearing the garment trains the muscles and fat of your stomach to react to the shape of the trainer, similar to the idea of wearing braces to change the positions of your teeth.
Additionally, some claim that wearing a waist trainer while working out can also help you sculpt your body while working out. There isn’t a lot of support for this idea, and typically wearing a restrictive garment while working out can have negative results like discomfort and difficulty breathing.
How can you use a waist trainer?
Waist trainers work similarly to corsets and can be used in the same way. Before dressing, you can wear a waist trainer, usually by fastening it with hooks or velcro. Then, you can put your clothing on top of your waist trainer. Wearers usually fasten the waist trainer tightly around the midsection to create the illusion of a smaller waist. You should avoid discomfort when tightening a waist trainer because it can cause difficulty breathing.
Once the garment is on, it holds in the fat and muscles of your stomach by pushing the tissue either up or down and away from the waist, or it compresses the tissue inward, towards your stomach and lungs. This is why some people report a lack of appetite or trouble breathing when using the waist trainer.
Myths about waist trainers
Waist trainers can serve a very straightforward purpose, but because of their recent popularity, misinformation has spread about what benefits you can receive from using one. Additionally, the name waist trainer is misleading because it implies that you can train your waist to look a certain way through compression, which is untrue. Here are some additional myths about a waist trainer:
You can reshape your body.
A waist trainer does not help you achieve lasting results regarding the shape of your body. Any physical changes enacted by wearing the waist trainer are undone when you remove it. According to the New York Times, Fat cells can’t be moved or destroyed through pressure. When you squish them using a waist trainer, you aren’t changing the position of those cells or their appearance. If you want to focus on a specific area of your body, you can strength train and build muscle in that area.
You can lose weight in your waist.
Wearing a waist trainer doesn’t move or destroy fat cells, so wearing a waist trainer won’t help you burn fat. Even if you work out while wearing the waist trainer, burning fat and calories occurs all over your body, not in targeted areas. You can’t control which fat cells your body burns when working out. Wearing the waist trainer won’t focus weight loss specifically on your waist. Some people may report weight loss while wearing a weight trainer, but it is likely due to sweating while wearing the restricting garment.
You can improve your posture.
The waist trainer can make you have better posture while you are wearing it due to the structural support it provides. Similar to a back brace, you may sit up straighter while wearing the garment. However, if you wear it for an extended time, you can lose core muscles that aren’t being used because of the support of the structure in the garment. This means that over time, your posture can get worse when you aren’t wearing the waist trainer. The best way to improve your posture is through strengthening your core with core workouts.
What are the benefits?
There are a few benefits to wearing a waist trainer, though they may not be as long-lasting as celebrity endorsements would have you believe. A waist trainer can help you create the appearance of a smaller waist under your clothes while you are wearing them. However, it can also cause significant discomfort, dehydration, and trouble breathing, which may not be worth the aesthetic results.
independent of any claims towards weight loss or management, a waist trainer can benefit post-partum women whose abdominal muscles have thinned or stretched due to pregnancy. Women recovering from a C-section also reported less pain and bleeding if they wore a garment that provided more support to their healing abdomen.
What are the disadvantages?
The disadvantages of the waist trainer can seem to outway the benefits. Wearing a waist trainer can be uncomfortable, and it can cause short-term disadvantages while you wear it. For example, you may experience a lack of appetite due to your stomach being compressed. However, This can be dangerous and lead to weakness or dehydration. You may also experience difficulty breathing, which can be dangerous.
Wearing a waist trainer can also have long-term disadvantages. For example, if you wear a waist trainer for an extended period, you can potentially harm your internal organs. You can also develop an acid reflex as a result of disrupted digestion from your compressed stomach.
If you want to lose weight, a waist trainer can’t help you. The best way to lose weight is to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, creating a calorie deficit. Working with a personal trainer can help you maintain your health while you lose weight. They can also help you stick to your goals. You can achieve results with lasting positive side effects, making it more successful than a weight trainer.
At Living Well Balanced, we offer a wide range of fitness and physical health services from caring and experienced professionals. We provide personal training that focuses on holistic practices to assist our clients in their health and wellness management. You can make an appointment with one of our personal trainers to learn how they can help you. If you have any questions, you can always give us a call at 212-579-2858 or send an email to info@livingwb.com. Check out our blog for more information about alternative therapies.