I tried out a Kardashian-style waist trainer to see what all the fuss is about

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I tried out a Kardashian-style waist trainer to see what all the fuss is about

Waist trainer or waste trainer?

Waist trainers have become one of the biggest crazes of 2016 since the likes of the Kardashians and other celebrities renowned for their intelligence and impeccable decisions have begun endorsing them. Health crazes come and go all the time, with numerous extreme diets such as the Atkins diet and the 5:2 diet and exercise crazes including Zumba and Soul Cycle – but are waist trainers just part of another craze, or are they here to stay?

Feeling like I was on the set of Downton Abbey

The restriction of the waist trainer led to plenty of discomfort and despite being a specific sports-orientated trainer, sports were not an option. It is not a secret that doctors warn people against the use of waist trainers because of the potential health risks which may be imposed as a result of persistent usage due to the unnatural pressure which can crush the organs together in the abdomen, and I can completely agree that I would not be able to sustain this routine for a long period of time due to the restricted sensation I incurred throughout – it just feels so unnatural!

Thankfully, exercise is a no go

Many celebrities take shameless selfies wearing these corsets whilst in their private gym, but this is not so widely suggested. It didn’t take me long to figure out that wearing a waist trainer while doing exercise drastically restricts breathing – and you needn’t do biology at Cambridge in order to know that isn’t a good sign. While attempting a usual cardio session which is usually no bother, I found myself seriously struggling for breath quite rapidly and couldn’t finish my session with the trainer on because of not being able to breathe in as deeply as I needed to.

However, I do pose a question to Kim K: doesn’t wearing a corset whilst having a personal trainer session with the most prestigious of trainers, in the most expensive of gyms, undermine all the money spent on these other factors to lose all but 3lbs? If you’re going to spend that much money on losing weight then surely you want to do it properly, and if your personal trainer suggests wearing something which will make you lose the weight artificially then I think maybe it’s time for a new PT – DM me Kim, we’ll talk.

No burger for me thanks

Rule number one that I had to learn the hard way: do not wear a waist trainer whilst eating a huge carborific meal. This tragic incident made me do one of the most regretful things I have ever had to do in my 20 years – I turned down garlic bread.

Wearing a waist trainer during meal times decreased my portion size because the restriction I felt on my stomach made me feel fuller more constantly. Although, if I ate without wearing the trainer then I noticed no difference. Despite this change, I still wouldn’t become one of those twits who goes to Byron for the naked burger or one of those people who goes to Nando’s for the vegetarian option.

Improved posture

One way in which the waist trainer was useful, besides brutally crushing my organs, was that it did help to slightly improve my posture through the sheer worry that if I dared hunch my back and shoulders over then the corset would dig into my stomach, meaning the only comfortable position was to mirror that of when someone puts an ice cube down your back and you have to sit upright as if your life depends on it.

Which one is with the waist trainer and which is without?

At least I found my old inhaler

As much as I loved getting nostalgic when reliving my childhood asthma, the feeling of being short of breath was not the most fun I had during this wild experience. I frequently found that if I tried to do too much whilst wearing the waist trainer, then shortness of breath was a common trait after a prolonged period of time.

The restriction of the waist trainer makes the chest feel a bit tight and it feels as though you can’t breathe in deep enough – like the tightness you get in your chest when you walk all the way downstairs to the kitchen in search of any form of water source to diminish the hangover from hell you are experiencing.

Get ready for paracetamol and chill

The constant pressure on my abdomen led to persistent stomach cramps and being slightly light headed if I had it on for too long – kind of like when you wear your super skinny jeans to a Toby Carvery and you refuse to let the restriction on your stomach stop you from devouring all of the roast potatoes…but then you have to pay for it later.

Beauty is pain

It’s only as temporary as a Taylor Swift relationship

Any weight lost through waist training is only a temporary loss and will only last for as long as you continue using the waist trainer. Using the waist trainer for 14 days will not guarantee you the perfect hourglass shape forever as of then – as with anything in life you have to stick at it (which coincidentally is also what I said to my supervisor about why I had to finish Breaking Bad instead of attending my lectures).

As I didn’t use the waist trainer for a sustained period of more than two weeks I didn’t notice a substantial difference it must be said, although I did feel a slightly tighter core if I wore the trainer for two hours at a time – but I wouldn’t say it was an incredible difference by any means.

Waist trainers are a useful piece of equipment if you are looking for an easy way to slim down your stomach and to cinch it in slightly, especially if you are losing weight and want to remain toned. Although, waist trainers aren’t an alternative to exercise to get fit, they are merely to enhance the effects of a solid exercise routine. If you’re looking for motivation to work out then the best thing to do is to book a summer holiday in order to force you to get bikini ready – that way everyone wins.

 

 

#ad I'm really obsessed with waist training! Thank you @premadonna87 for my new waist shapers! #whatsawaist

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Oct 29, 2014 at 9:23am PDT

An unnatural shape

I think it’s really great to have a craze which doesn’t just simply promote being straight up and straight down as the perfect female body and that curves are being embraced, however if people take waist training too far they can be left with a waist that has been cinched in far too much to be proportional with the rest of their body. Photos of the Kardashian clan show that having wide hips and a flat stomach is not only possible but also looks fab, but I still don’t think it’s for me.