Reduce Waistline With Fitness!
Many people – especially women – want a smaller waistline. The seventeen inch waistline of Scarlet O’Hara isn’t obtainable for most women, nor should it be – but remember, she had the advantage of wearing a waist whittling corset. Is it possible to get a smaller waist without corsets or girdles?
Why a Smaller Waist is Important
The size of a person’s waist gives an idea of a person’s level of obesity as well as their overall health. In women, a waist to hip ratio of 0.7 and in men 0.9 is a general indicator of health and fertility. It’s also a waist size associated with a lower risk of some chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes – and is considered to be ideal in terms of aesthetics.
The Best Waistline Workout Shouldn’t Focus on Abdominal Toning
The best way to get a smaller waistline isn’t by doing hundreds of crunches or hours of abdominal toning exercises. Abdominal training is fine for firming and defining the abs, but they won’t do much to change waist size. In fact, some “waistline exercises” develop the underlying muscles that overlie the waist and make the waistline look even larger. Anyone who’s carrying too much fat in the midsection isn’t going to see much change from abdominal toning exercises anyway – until they remove some of the fat.
The Best Waistline Workout is the Treadmill
The key to getting a smaller waistline is to reduce body fat. This means spending more time on the treadmill – or any other piece of equipment that gets the heart rate up and burns calories. Of course, a little dietary intervention helps too. Eating less processed, high carb foods and more lean protein and fresh fruits and vegetables fights the battle of the waistline bulge more effectively than abdominal crunches.
Use the Power of Illusion to Get a Smaller Waistline
One way to get the appearance of a smaller waistline is to build the shoulder and upper back muscles – the deltoids and the lats. When the shoulders and upper back are more developed and defined, it gives the illusion of a smaller waistline. Add some lat pulls, overhead presses, and lateral raises to your resistance training routine to firm and build more defined shoulders and back muscles.
Waistline Workout: The Bottom Line?
Abdominal crunches and sit-ups won’t give you a smaller waistline – even if you focus on the obliques. The key is to burn more body fat through cardiovascular exercise – and eat cleanly. Building and defining the shoulders and upper back will also create the illusion of a smaller waistline. Give these tips a try – they might save you a trip to the lingerie department – to buy a corset.
References:
Oxygen’s Ultimate Beach Body. Page 171.