Ladies! Use a waist trainer, girdle, or corset? Ever notice how you bloat a little bit (or a lot a bit) after taking it off? Strange, isn't it, how something that is supposed to hide a puffy belly seems to cause it?
Here's why.
As women, our stomachs are not meant to be board flat. Shocking, right?!
Binding apparatuses make us look smaller by pinching in the natural waist, pulling the floating ribs closer together, and pushing in on the topmost part of the hips. This will constrict adipose - real or perceived, but it will also restrict breath, movement, circulation, and lymph flow. Bloating results after the removal of such clothing as the body attempts to normalize pressure and fluid movement. This after effect is not temporary and it may worsen with time.
The accompanying increase in intra-abdominal pressure afforded by stomach tightening wear also has sub-optimal effects on your pelvic floor and organs, uterus especially. As our center, the uterus sits in the middle of it pelvic bowl. But as a slightly curved organ, it's fullest part rests superior to the bladder just above the pubic bone. The slight rounding of the lower abdomen in women is necessary to accommodate this anatomical feature. So in the effort to squash the persistent bulge some view as “stubborn fat” that even ten thousand crunches cannot dissolve, we are displacing our uteri.
Alternatives? Actually train your natural pelvic girdle through transverse abdominal exercises! Using a faja (fa-ha) is also infinitely more supportive. Fajas are essentially long scarves that are wrapped around the hips at the level of the sacrum and pubic bones. They feel like an amazing hug! Indigenous cultures have used these wraps for centuries to maintain uterine position and optimal circulation. In our modern world, you may have seen them in pregnancy stores - those Velcro things that cradle the stomach.
To make one, simply find a fabric or scarf you like that is long enough to circle your hips completely two or three times. Check out the video to see how to tie one. They can be worn over clothes as a fashion accessory or discreetly underneath.
Do you use trainers or fajas? Have you tried one, both, neither? What are your experiences? Let me know in the comments below!