Is it safe to work out in your waist trainer?
THE bulky waist trainer of years past may have got a makeover and is now dubbed “shapewear”, but its purpose is one and the same — to give the appearance of a bomb body by cinching all the fat around a woman’s midsection.
So essential has it become to women’s wardrobes, that many wear it day in and day out — even to the gym. But is it safe to work out in a waist trainer?
Now that the prime minister has announced that work from the office will be in full swing in a few days, panic has set in as women who have been hibernating at home for weeks try to find ways to lose those work-from-home pounds that have crept on over the last several weeks in quarantine. The walking trails are filled with fitness fiends, jogging and crash dieting are the new norm, and many have vowed to get back in their work uniforms one way or the other, even with unnatural aids.
Before you hook up, though, note these concerns from fitness expert Gisel Harrow.
1. Using waist trainers, while they may have some benefits, come with some discomfort and will make your workout awkward, Harrow advised.
2. While waist trainers inside the gym or while doing your usual exercises at home are a matter of personal preference, you may find that they make it difficult to maintain good form during your exercise.
3. Even if you achieve your desired results, they won’t last long, because if you stop using the waist trainer your body will return to its natural form.
4. A common downside to using waist trainers is that it weakens your core muscles since you can’t physically engage them while doing your exercises due to the restrictions from the waist trainer.
5. Harrow said that using a waist trainer, especially constantly, can also feed into unhealthy habits. Waist trainers are designed to cinch at the waist, which can lead to an unhealthy, unsafe decrease in the amount of food you eat because you’ll feel fuller, faster.
Have you managed to transform your body through weight gain or weight loss? Want to share your story with us? E-mail clarkep@jamaicaobserver. com
