Health and Fitness
5 Things All Women Should Know Before Trying A Waist Trainer in 2019
Master Fitness Trainer J. Stokes gives an expert look into facts women MUST know when trying waist trainers like Miss Belt or Genie Hourglass.
One of the hottest fitness trends for women right now are waist trainers, created by brands like Miss Belt or Genie Hourglass. Today, TGNR Health & Fitness Contributor and Master Personal Fitness Trainer J. Stokes weighs in on the waist trainer fashion. Mr. Stokes is a long practicing personal fitness trainer, holding an EdD in Health Education from Columbia University, in New York City. He is also author of the newly released, “Pathway to Heaven,” the first installation of The Red Series. As well as serving as a founding member and leader of K3mistry Productions; a multifaceted company dedicated in part to providing sound fitness information, and introducing exercise to new people in a uniquely positive paradigm. Today, J. Stokes delves into one of the hottest modern fitness trends – the Waist Trainer.
America has witnessed many trends come and go, like tether ball or a German Shepard playing a game of “fetch the Frisbee.” From Disco Pants to Colombian jeans, every fad has its time to shine before fading off into the distance. Alas, it is now 2019 and a still growing development has taken the international fitness stage by storm; or rather by the belt buckle. Its name, ladies and gentleman, is waist training…
How could these have JUST been a fad?
5: What Does A Waist Trainer Like Miss Belt or Genie Hourglass Claim To Do?
Before and after: The big idea.
Our culprit here includes such waist trainer entities such as Miss Belt or Genie Hourglass, both of which act as a modern-day corset.
According to writer Jamie Harrison in an article for Ebony Magazine entitled “Getting Waisted: The Dangers of Corset Training,” : waist-training is considered a practice aimed at reshaping women’s bodies, trimming inches off their waists through use of a 21st century steel-boned corset; and doing so by being worn for a certain amount of time each day.
Ain’t that a mouthful?
Basically the practice – much like it’s predecessor of the Victorian era – is meant to help women obtain their desired classic hourglass figure. The hourglass look is popularly defined as having ample breasts, a flat stomach, and voluptuous buttocks.
Molly Shea, Assistant Editor for Yahoo! Health states that waist training at first, “seemed like the kind of trend that would fizzle out quickly.” This assumption was plausible, considering the fact that corsets are extremely outdated.
However, thanks to endorsements from celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba, and Brooke Burke-Charvet the waist trainer trend may be here to stay for a little while.
So, what are the proven effects the body experiences when wearing a waist trainer during your workout?
4: What Is The Physiological Impact Of Using A Waist Trainer?
The internal physiological impact and consequences of corsets.
Here, essentially, is the issue. First, those involved in waist-training often hold the assumption that it is a low-effort trick to slim your waist and “train” your curves.
In other words, those wearing items such as Miss Belt or Genie Hourglass may bring with it the hope that it will permanently reshape their body.
This belief is rooted partially in advertisements claiming that the tightness of the garment causes one to sweat profusely.
Unfortunately, as is stated by New York City-based plastic surgeon Andrew Miller, MD, corsets don’t have any effect on human anatomy or fat reduction. In fact, no matter the amount of time this item is worn, your body will eventually return to its original shape.
Ironically, if worn for extended periods, a waist-trainer could actually decrease core strength. As emergency physician and television personality Travis Stork puts it:
“It does nothing long term. It doesn’t help you lose weight. If anything, the one problem that I have with you wearing it too tight is you’re not allowing your body’s natural core musculature to develop. So actually, if you wear it all the time you’d be doing the exact opposite of what you want to do.”
If at best you’re accomplishing nothing while wearing a waist trainer, whilst also weakening the all important core musculature, what other problems might the waist trainer create?
3: What Problems A Waist Trainer May Actually Create In Your Body
X-ray image of a patient with bruised ribs.
Another problem with waist-training, ESPECIALLY if you use it improperly when exercising, is that it creates unwanted health effects. Yes, reduction in core strength would fall into this category, but it can also bruise your bones.
The reason behind this has to do with creating over constriction. As Dr. Holly Phillips asserts, “For [adult] women, your bones are formed. You can bruise them and harm them, but you can’t change them.”
In addition to bruised ribs, there is also risk for heartburn or reflux. According to Caroline Apovian, MD, professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, and also a spokesperson for the national Obesity Society, waist-training pushes the stomach beyond the diaphragm, which can ultimately cause issues such as reflux.
The mechanics of reflux in the diaphragm.
Yet when you finally get down to brass tacks, and ask yourself the one question that trumps all others: how will a waist trainer like Miss Belt or Genie Hourglass affect your breathing during a time of the greatest physical demands?
2: Waist-Training And Your Ability To Breath Properly
Anatomy of the Diaphragm, directly affected by corset device use.
There is also the incredibly important issue of breathing. Though having an hourglass figure is the ultimate goal in corset-training, must one succumb to suffocation in order to reach it?
Consider that waist-trainers are wrapped around one’s abdominal area. What does this area house, exactly? The most important structures responsible for one’s respiratory activity. The diaphragm and bottom half of our lungs to be exact.
Having something tight around that area of the body over prolonged periods is at-best bound to cause some light-hotheadedness; due to the inadequate ability to intake oxygen. This can cause serious injury during exercise, as it is a period of prolonged increased respiratory activity.
Nicole Florence, MD, Co-Director of Memorial Weight and Wellness Center at Memorial Medical Center, purports waist training can adversely restrict your lungs. Thereby potentially causing lung infections, as well as hindering your bowels and leading to constipation.
Let’s not get started on what this means when in comes to exercise! One can easily draw their own clear and accurate conclusion.
What is not nearly so cut-and-dry for most people is the critical everyday advantages used by any given celebrity to stay in the best of shape.
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Ultimately, waist training has become a household commodity due the push for obtaining a Jessica Rabbit-like physique. As well as, of course, the everlasting battle against undertaking proper diet and exercise.
Speaking of which, regarding diet and exercise, let’s go back to this idea of celebrity endorsement for waist training by one Khloe Kardashian – sister of the aforementioned Kim Kardashian.
Khloe is an avid supporter of waist training. She mentions how she works out using this device as a way to enhance her results.
What celebrities like Khloe and Kim Kardashian fail to mention however, is their paramount perks and unique advantages in doing so, such as having a personal trainer, for example.
Did you know that Gunnar Peterson – American personal trainer – primarily known for working with professional athletes, is also Khloe’s workout coach? It is a far more accurate conclusion to explain Khloe’s high-profile body transformation, knowing that a highly qualified and experienced fitness professional is guiding her with physiologically sound and safe instruction.
Furthermore like most celebrities, Khloe most certainly works closely with a professional nutritionist, as well as enjoying the benefit of carefully prepared meals. These immense advantages are shared by very few others in society, helping to achieve results that were in no way due to use of Genie Hourglass or Miss Belt.