The art of wearing a waist trainer
Looking at the waist trainer before I put it on, I didn’t think it could be that bad.
The fabric looked soft and even though it’s essentially a modern-day corset, since it wasn’t reinforced with bone or metal, I thought it would be easy and painless to wear.
The waist trainer is a Kiwi invention, but it’s heavily promoted by celebrities, including the Kardashian family.
It’s supposed to reduce back pain, improve posture, reduce bloating and help with weight loss. I was sceptical about how this would pan out, but went into day one optimistic.
Day one
I was surprised by how hard the waist trainer was to get on by myself.
Mine was done up by a row of clips, like the clasp on a bra. I had hopes and dreams of doing it up and sliding it around so the hooks were at the back but after barely getting it done up in front of me there was no chance it was sliding around.
I got to work sweaty and hot after walking the kilometre to my building. Airconditioning was my friend that day.
The first thing I noticed was my posture was significantly better. The way the waist trainer sits means it is basically impossible to slump, unless you slump right over into your own lap, so I had no choice but to sit upright.
It also meant I could not eat as much as I normally would, so I had to eat slower and less.
Day two
Today I noticed more how hard it was to breathe with the trainer on and I felt like the lack of oxygen was making my brain fuzzy. I was not productive at work today, and after eight hours in it I decided to call it a day, as there was no chance in 25-degree heat I was exercising in it.
Day three
Day three was surprisingly better. I was used to the crushing it created around my middle and actually enjoyed how my clothing fitted over top of it. You definitely feel flatter and more toned having it on. By the end of the day I was still looking forward to when I could take it off and breathe, but wearing it was getting easier.
Day four
Today was Christmas hamsandwich day at work and there was no chance I was letting the waist trainer constrict how much I was eating. So I put it on in the afternoon for a few hours to take photos, which the Kardashian family make look easy, but is actually incredibly awkward.
After that I took it straight off.
Day five
Today was my last day wearing the trainer and I tried to do it up on the tightest setting to see what that was like, but even with the help of my younger sister there was no chance the clasp was meeting the end. I was glad it was the last day as wearing a waist trainer was a lot harder than I thought. Negatives were the lack of breathing, eating and the amount I complained about wearing it, but the positives were better posture, eating less and feeling a lot more toned through the stomach area.
I didn’t lose weight, but I did get a lot of comments on how much better my posture was, so that was a bonus.