How Long Have You Been Sucking It In?

Ya, I know, we have all been guilty of sucking it in at some point. But why?  Why do we do it?  Perhaps we are self-conscious; because our stomachs were never that shape or consistency before having children… And now we have, among other things, a momma belly.

But do you really want to always be sucking it in? Aren’t you tired of doing it… I know I am…. or is just such a habit you don’t even think about it anymore?

 

First, why holding in your gut could be bad…

Sucking in our stomachs is not very good for our physical or mental health.  The constant upward movement caused by sucking it in often, develops a lot of unnecessary tension in the midsection and decreases the gut and respiratory systems’ ability to work effectively.

Plus the chronic state of contraction and the mental association with it causes unneeded stress and tension in the body and soul.  To help our bodies thrive and achieve their greatest behavior, we need to train our tissues to relax and to contract in a proper way, when needed.

 

How long has it been since you started sucking in your gut?

You probably started sucking in your gut right around your high school years or after you had your first child. Right? When you became overly conscious of what your body looked like as a teenager, or when your body changed drastically from having your first child.

And now all your looking for is a (relative) flatness to your midsection, so that your stomach doesn’t squish over your pants when you button them up or sit down in a chair. Right?

 

We have ALL done it at some point!

Yes, I’ve been there too. Right after having my first son, my newly acquired momma stomach made me all sorts of self-conscious and I found myself “sucking it in” and wearing loose fitted shirts any time I was out, in the gym, or with my clients.

I had to learn HOW to get comfortable in my new saggy, stretched-out-skin, body again.  Knowing, that with time and work, I would acquire a re-arranged, different body that I can fall in love with again… baby marks and all!

We all have our own battles… and as big as they seem to US, it really never correlates to what others see in us. Sure some people judge and criticize… heck, I’ve been criticized about my body many times! People tend to lash out on others because they don’t feel good about themselves and their actions. I’m sure YOUR mom told you that growing up… it’s a good one to remember.

So no matter what shape, size, how saggy your belly and skin is, or how many stretch marks you have… don’t compare,  judge, or condemn yourself… just love yourself enough to do something about it and make a change.

 

I’ve got an easy first step fix for you!

Now I know what I’m going to ask you to do may seem way out of your comfort zone and may be a challenge because it’s been a habit for so many years, but just trust me on this! Ok?

1. Stand next to a mirror with the side of your body facing the mirror.  Now do NOT look at your body until I say so.
2. Take a deep breath. Now let your stomach relax. As you do so, you may find it to be a bit of relief and even relaxing, to allow your stomach to protrude out fully and your shoulders to slouch slightly. That’s ok for the moment.
3. Now lift your body upward, from the sides of your ribs and let your chest open up. As you do so, your shoulders will naturally slid back.
4. Next, think of pulling the backs of your upper legs—not your knees, but the tops of your legs—to the wall behind you… and let your tailbone relax away from your body slightly. Your bodyweight should shift to your heels and you may even feel like you will fall backward.  That’s ok, take a step back if you need to and re-align from steps 2-4.  This is how you should feel standing. It’s called a neutral spine. Now many of you will probably have a more anterior pelvic tilt, as many of us do (it will show as an exaggerated curve in your lower spine)… so I want you to tuck your hips under slightly.  More on how to do that here
5. Now, look in the mirror at your body profile.  Don’t be afraid, just take a look.

What do you think?  Do you love it? Your posture will look graceful and confident. You will feel peaceful, relaxed and energized… and perhaps you will feel light but grounded at the same time.

 

One more thing…

Can you try something for me and go back to your old posture… look in the mirror.  Do you feel and look tense and protective?  I’m guessing that’s a yes.

So now go back to your “new posture” of a relaxed stomach and tailbone, an opened up chest and a lengthened ribcage.  Take a breath.  Can you breathe a little better?  Does both your lower ribs and stomach move?

With a constant sucked in stomach, you were probably a predominant chest breather because, how could your diaphragm contract down and extend your belly as you took a breath if it was always sucked in and contracted?  Well, now you should be able to achieve a nice 360 breath, meaning your lower ribs and stomach will both move to receive the oxygen… which is a true full deep breath! Wow!

In lou of this little realignment, are you willing to give up sucking in your stomach to pursue a pain-free, confident and relaxed body? I hope so because it will feel so great!

 

What to expect from changing this habit

Over the next week, take notice of your body and keep reminding yourself of this new relaxed but lengthened posture.

Then over the next month, as you make it more of a habit to relax your stomach, you will notice that your back will curve where it is supposed to, and it won’t hurt as much when you lean over to do everyday tasks such as clean up toys on the ground.

When you let your stomach and back take a break, your legs will start doing more of the heavy work… as they are intended to do. Which bam! Those thighs will even grow a little firmer over the weeks because they are getting to do their job every day.

 

Now maintain it

If you keep it up, you will be amazed at how your body works as you move through life.   Just by giving up that habit of sucking in your stomach, you’ll be stunned with how much better your body feels and how it now performs.

Just remember: Let go of the stomach, un-grip the back, drop the shoulders, pull up and out of the ribcage and your body will instantly realign.