While waist training may seem like a new trend brought about by celebrities on social media, the reality is that corsets and waist training has been around for at least five centuries in one shape or another. In fact, it was the Victorians who recognised the shaping benefits of corsets and the practice of tightlacing or corset training was born. In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into waist trainers, what they are, how they work and what the benefits are.

What is a waist trainer?

A waist trainer is usually an undergarment that is made up of think fabric and metal or plastic boning. Worn around the midsection and waist it is cinched up using laces, hooks and eyes or Velcro and is designed to be much tighter than a girdle, traditional corset or shaping underwear to give you a sleeker, smaller waist.

What does a waist trainer do?

Waist trainers are designed to be progressively tightened as you get more used to wearing them and this can help you to achieve a smaller waist size. Modern waist trainers are much more comfortable than traditional corsets thanks to their design, materials and how adjustable they are. Waist trainers can help you to tone, slim and shape your waistline and take inches off your belly.

How does a waist trainer work?

There are many ways that a waist trainer will work to shape your body and slim down your waist. The most obvious benefit is seen while you are wearing the waist trainer as you will have a noticeably slimmer waistline. And, because it is non-invasive, it can be worn at intervals throughout the day to give you a body confidence boost and motivation to reach your diet goals.

What are the main benefits of using a waist trainer?

Are you looking to achieve a slimmer, smaller waist? Do you want more confidence and to feel better in your own body? Perhaps you want to help control your eating while out and about? A waist trainer can help you achieve these goals and make lifestyle changes that will help you get the figure you have always dreamed of.

Promotes an hourglass figure

One of the biggest benefits of using a corset or waist trainer is that it will instantly give you an hourglass figure. With some 2 – 3 inches of waist shrinkage when you put the trainer on, you can look forward to a shapely hourglass figure.

Weight loss

Most waist trainers help to stimulate heat in your core which causes sweat and fluid loss around your midsection, this can lead to a visual impact and slimmer waist. Wearing your waist trainer during exercise as it will help you to effectively increase your workout’s intensity without doing more.

Better posture

Another way that a waist trainer can help is by improving your posture making you sit up and stand up tall. It will encourage you to straighten your back and stop slouching while sitting down, particularly for those who work at a computer.

Decreased appetite

When wearing your waist trainer, you will likely have less of an appetite and find that eating less food will make you feel much quicker thanks to the trainer compressing and making your stomach feel smaller. This can help as part of a healthy and balanced diet and stop you from overeating and also snacking during the day.

What results will I see from waist training?

It really depends, there are so many factors involved such as your natural body type, lifestyle, your goals, and your genetics. For most women results will be noticeable after just a few weeks providing that they are committed to waist training and use it as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Like most things the effects of waist training take time to achieve and the effects will fade if you don’t keep it up. Once you have reached your goal and got a slimmer waist you should think of your waist training as part of your daily routine, in the same way that you would for your skincare. Just because you have stopped having dry skin, doesn’t mean that you should stop moisturising your skin, the same applies for corsetry and waist training.

Getting started with a waist trainer

Now that you know all about the benefits of waist training and how it can help you get a more toned and slimmer waist here are 5 simple tips for getting started with a waist trainer.

1. Start off slow – it may be tempting to do up your new waist trainer as tight as possible for the maximum gain but starting off with a looser fitting while your body gets used to it will help ensure you stick to your plan.

2. Gradually increase time – In the same way that you should start off with your waist trainer at its loosest, you should also be limiting the amount of time you are wearing it each day.

3. Use during mealtimes – Wearing your waist trainer at mealtimes will help stop you from overeating and help reduce the amount of bloating you feel from food. When combined with a healthy and balanced diet this can have a big impact on the results you see.

4. Posture changes – One of the beneficial effects of waist training is that it will make your body seem longer as it will force you into a more upright position, this can help improve poor posture but will take some getting used to.

5. Exercise sparingly – At first it can be tempting to go out and exercise while using your waist trainer, but this should be reserved for when you are comfortable wearing it for longer periods of time. Exercising too early can be uncomfortable and lead to you ditching your daily routine.