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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

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Body shapers are no substitute for exercise

The Columbian
Published:

While many women demonstrated their liberation in the 1970s by burning their bras, in my opinion they should have thrown their suck-the-life-out-of-you girdles into the flames, too.

Far more dangerous to a woman’s health and happiness than a bra, girdles and their 19th-century cousin, the corset, have made a stunning comeback.

A girdle by any other name, the 21st-century garment comes with such sweet euphemisms: beauty girdle, compression garment, body shaper, shape wear and waist cinchers.

All sorts of claims are being made that using something to bind your waist will make you slimmer.

These products not only do not slim your waist, they have potential health risks. You see, shape wear has to be tight, and I mean really tight, to get the job done. That causes organ compression, which is just not a good thing.

Think about it. Should we be wearing anything that restricts breathing and severely squeezes our internal organs?

Given how women squeeze themselves into constricting underwear, is it any wonder that so many suffer from conditions like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), abdominal pain, bloating and gas?

Compression garments can also decrease blood circulation, which could cause the formation of deadly blood clots, or worse.

Everyone loves that hourglass look, but don’t be a fool when it comes to creating the look yourself. Body shapers and waist cinchers are no substitute for a strong and fit physique.

If you want to stop faking it and really whittle your waist, then first you must get serious about your diet.

A tight midsection is about 80 percent diet. But there is no one-size-fits-all diet; you’ll have to discover what plan works best for your body.

For example, carbs blow me up like a balloon, and the older I get, the more sensitive my body is to processed carbohydrates. When I’m serious about tightening up my midsection, processed carbs are the first thing to go.

Second, there is no substitute for exercise. For optimal beauty and fitness, all four regions of the abdominals must be strengthened and toned.

The abdominals are comprised of these muscle groups: rectus abdominis (the vertical muscles in the front of the torso that creates the “sixpack”); external obliques (diagonal, down from the lower ribs); internal obliques (diagonal, up from the pelvis), and transverse abdominis (horizontal, from back to front).

Some of these muscle groups are neglected, typically. Here are four exercises that target each:

  1. Medicine ball crunch. Sit on the floor and bend your knees to 90 degrees. Holding the medicine ball, roll back until you are lying flat, with the medicine ball directly above your chest.

As you lift your body, exhale, raising the ball toward the ceiling and contracting the abs.

Return to starting position and repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions for two to three sets.

  1. Flutter kicks. Lie flat on your back, hands behind your neck and legs extended. Lift your shoulders off the floor, contract your abdominals and quickly alternate your legs up and down in a flutter-kick motion. Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions for two to three sets.

  2. Superman. These are also known as reverse crunches. Lie flat on your stomach, legs extended behind you and arms fully extended in front. Simultaneously lift your legs and arms while squeezing the shoulder blades and buttocks. This exercise can be done with a static hold for 15 to 60 seconds or performed with repetitions.

  3. Medicine ball plank. Begin on your hands and knees. Place one hand on the medicine ball, and line your wrists directly under your shoulders. Contract your abdominals, place your other hand on the floor, and extend your legs out behind you. Hold this position for 15 to 60 seconds and then switch to other side.

Forget about fashion and resolve to get fit!

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