You've seen this slim-down tool all over Instagram, you've heard the success stories, and now, what next?
Waist trainers are a quick and effective tool to trimming the extra inches around your waist. However, there a few things to consider when picking a waist trainer that suits your needs.
Apart from colour and style, a number of other factors affect choosing the right waist trainer, if you do need it. This minimizes the health implications of wearing a waist trainer.
1. Shouldn't restrict breathing
You have to be able to breathe in your waist trainer. It isn't 16th Century Britain where you need to restrict yourself. Now, there are plenty of beautiful, effective styles that help women look their best and feel their best, too. Make sure you can comfortably inhale and exhale while standing, sitting, and moving about. Check your range of motion, too. Nothing should feel limited or restricted.
2. Don't get one if your body is still developing
Dr. Galyna, an aesthetics specialist says: “One of the risks is that young girls will be easily influenced by this trend, particularly as it is endorsed by celebrities. If started at a young age before the body and muscles have fully developed, waist training could have potentially permanent health risks for young people."
3. Comfort
Apart from breathing, check for the overall comfort of the waist trainer before purchasing it. When checking the quality of comfort between different waist trainers, keep the following in mind: pin and hook placement, the type of fabric and the boning materials. Choose the one that's easiest for you to hook on and off, invest in quality fabric that is breathable and durable, and go for the steel support (boning) waist trainer instead of plastic, if you are hoping to wear it long term. Also, don’t over-tighten.
4. Bulging and Rolling
If you experience any bulging or rolling, this means you have the wrong fit and have to exchange your size. Bulging is a sign that the trainer is either too tight or barely holding on to your body. In other words, you have an extreme amount of pressure, or not enough at all. Both are counterproductive to reaching your waist training goals. If you experience some rolling around the hip, this is also another sign that you've got a size that's too small. Make sure everything is fitting snug, but not tight, to get the best results.
5. Wear them for very short periods of time.
Prolonged wearing can cause skin irritation, back problems and shifting of organs. Limit the time you intend to wear your trainer for.
6. Fit and Form
To ensure you get the most out of all the materials, take your measurements seriously. The most important measurement you'll take is the length of your natural waist all the way around. The natural waist is the smallest part of your waist and determines the size of your waist trainer.
7. Shrinking and Stretching
Your waist will be progressively shrinking over time and as this happens, you need a waist trainer that will be able to stretch and adjust to your new size. Get a trainer with plenty of hooks to keep adjusting this garment over time. If the waist trainer you're about to buy has just a couple of hooks left, it means that it's too big. You want to be able to advance through the lines of hooks over time. This is what allows you to use one single waist trainer for the long-term, rather than having to buy one every time you go down a few inches.
8. Avoid exercising with the trainer on
Though most people do this, doctors advise against using the trainer for exercising as it interferes with breathing.
9. Always stay hydrated
Make sure you stay regularly hydrated if you are involved in physical activity that causes you to sweat.
10. Don’t use it as a substitute to healthy-eating and exercise
This is very important as waist training is not magic. It needs to be paired with a healthy lifestyle if not it can get frustrating and addictive.