“How to get a smaller waist?” is a question that crosses every woman’s mind, and for good reason.
Maintaining a healthy and beautiful body image is very important for building confidence, and leading a fulfilling life.
Chief among the things we want to burn off in our bodies is excess fat.
Whether you want to fit in that beautiful dress you bought recently, or you want to start leading a healthy lifestyle, losing fat is one of the best ways to do so.
While exercise is the most optimal way to lose weight, some places in our bodies are much stingier than others when it comes to losing fat, including the face and the waist area.
We’ve addressed how to lose face fat before, so, in this article, we’re going to talk about those pesky fat deposits on your waistline where it’s very hard to lose fat.
This article will go over what you can do, and what adjustments you can make in your diet that can help you lose fat in that region, and help you learn how to get a smaller waist.
So, without further ado, here’s how to get a smaller waist!
First, Why Do People Want a Smaller Waist?
Why do people want to know how to get a smaller waist?
Well, there are several reasons.
Aside from just looking good and achieving that hourglass figure that many women strive to get, having a small waist is a sign of healthiness.
Since so many vital organs can be found in that region of the body, having excess weight can increase the risk of certain health problems.
People who want to know how to get a smaller waist aren’t just looking for pretty looks. They’re also looking to maintain their body’s health.
One should look at the waist-to-hip ratio. Having a waist that’s smaller than your hips will decrease the risk of health problems.
The wider your waist than your hips, the more you are at risk of having heart issues, diabetes, and other severe fat-related diseases.
Some experts in the field even use the waist-to-hip ratio to determine obesity and consider it a better way than the body mass index.
When taking a look at some of the more prominent female figures such as Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe, both women had thinner waists compared to their hips.
According to the Journal of Biological Psychology, “Hip size indicates pelvic size and the amount of additional fat storage that can be used as a source of energy.
Waist size conveys information such as current reproductive status or health status in westernized societies with no risk of seasonal lack of food, the waist, conveying information about fertility and health status, will be more important than hip size for assessing a female’s attractiveness.”
As we mentioned earlier, having a smaller waist is not only for looks. It has numerous beneficial health implications and even correlates with higher intelligence.
The women with small waists, along with their children, were given intelligence tests. Both the women and their children scored significantly higher on the tests.
With that said, we should stress that when we’re talking about how to get a smaller waist and the benefits that come from it, we are not talking about losing weight in general. The key thing to focus on is the waist-to-hip ratio.
The Great Weight Loss Myth
One of the most widespread misconceptions about losing weight is that you can target specific areas in which you want to lose weight, which is not true.
Some people confuse muscle gain and weight loss, and the truth is, while you can target specific muscles through exercise, you can’t do the same with fat loss.
Some exercise equipment ads can be confusing and sometimes misleading.
There is simply no exercise equipment in the world that can give you killer abs without changing anything else in your body.
The best way to achieve anything when it comes to your body is through a healthy diet and some exercise.
The fat deposits in our bodies are mostly determined by our genetics and body compositions. For example, women have higher estrogen, which is why they tend to have more fat around their lower belly and hips.
The most important thing to keep in mind here is that the process of losing fat isn’t all about numbers. It’s about leading a healthy lifestyle and treating your body in a healthy manner.
If you want to know the secret of how to get a smaller waist, it’s quite simple.
You need to lose weight. However, getting to the point of losing weight from the waistline area requires a lot of patience and discipline. Here are seven tips for how to get a smaller waist.
7 Tips on How to Get a Smaller Waist
Focus on Your Diet
Knowing how to get a smaller waist is not too different from losing weight, and the key factor in losing weight is to follow a healthy diet.
Keep it varied, and make sure to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables which have probiotics, vitamin D, and soluble fiber.
Make sure you stay away from refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and sugar as much as possible.
By avoiding these things, you’ll be able to notice a big improvement quickly. Some of the best alternatives would be avocados, almonds, and cashews.
These foods are a much healthier alternative and help decrease the risk of heart problems. They are also much easier for your body to digest.
Furthermore, you should watch your sodium intake as it can cause your body to retain water, which results in swelling around the waistline.
Eat Early
Losing weight is not only about the food you eat. The timing of your meals can also have a bigger impact than you might think.
The University of Pennsylvania conducted a study in which people switched from eating early in the day to eating later.
They gained an extra two pounds in the course of two weeks. This is because the body resorted to burning carbs rather than fats because of the time shift’s effect on their metabolism and hormones.
One other helpful thing is saving the carbs for last. Starting with veggies and protein is beneficial for your blood sugar.
Small Lifestyle Changes Can Go a Long Way
Even the smallest details matter when it comes to losing weight.
Everyone has something in their lifestyle that, if they stop doing, might help them lose weight more efficiently.
One such example is swapping coffee for green tea, which accelerates your metabolism and improves blood circulation.
Making a habit out of walking, jogging, or running can also help speed up your digestion while giving you a healthy dose of vitamin D from going outside.
Trying to minimize or eliminate alcohol consumption from your diet can significantly help you lose weight.
Alcohol is a source of empty calories and sugar, which are both detrimental to one’s health in general and overall body weight.
Try to Reduce Stress
Stress is this generation’s worst enemy. It brings with it a whole lot of health issues, among which is excess fat gain.
This is due to the increased secretion of cortisol during stress, which inhibits fat loss. Additionally, higher cortisol levels incur higher insulin levels, which result in more sugar and fatty food cravings.
Try to keep your mind healthy and avoid stress. However, this doesn’t mean that you should sit around idly and not do anything.
Inactivity can inhibit lipoprotein lipase, which is an enzyme that helps us burn fat in the middle area of the body.
It’s also worth noting that you burn twice as many calories while standing than sitting.
Work on Your Sleeping Habits
Maintaining healthy sleep hygiene can be a huge help when it comes to losing weight and getting a smaller waist.
The University of Leeds in England has reported in recent research that the waistlines of people who slept six hours a night were ¾ inches larger than those who got the recommended eight hours.
According to previous research, a lack of sleep leads to more activity in the brain’s regions that are associated with reward and pleasure in response to food.
Furthermore, Christian Benedict, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Uppsala University in Sweden, conducted a study on this subject.
The study found that people who had less than four hours of sleep have been reported to have reduced sensitivity to insulin. This reduced sensitivity leads to increased satiety and more weight gain.
In order to get the most out of your sleep hours, you need to maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
This is because your body’s internal clock, or circadian clock, needs to communicate to the body any update that happens.
This process of adaptation can take days to take place and will mess up your hormones and promote increased resistance to insulin.
Regular Cardio Is Key
Cardio is one of the best ways to lose weight, especially for those who want to know how to get a smaller waist. It is also very beneficial for your heart.
With that said, cardio and diet go hand in hand in forming a healthy body and mind. If you’re looking for how to get a smaller waist in the best and most healthy way, focus on diet and exercise.
The key thing is to burn more calories than you consume. However, there is also a recommended amount of calories you need to consume, which you can determine by consulting with a nutritionist.
Give HIIT a Try
HIIT has been proven to be one of the best ways to lose weight. This is especially true for people who want to know how to get a smaller waist.
In 2018, a study showed that HIIT (High-intensity interval training) reduced total abdominal and visceral fat mass with great efficiency.
The main reason behind the efficiency of HIIT comes from the fact that you keep on burning calories even after finishing the workout.
This makes it so that your metabolism is accelerated, and you can keep on burning more calories for upwards of an extra six hours.
Foods to Eat for a Smaller Waist
While calorie intake is very important when talking about weight loss, the quality and types of food you eat have an equally important impact.
The Mayo Clinic recommends a plant-based diet with a lot of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains for those looking for how to get a smaller waist.
Here are some of the foods if you’re looking for how to get a smaller waist:
- Fruits: apples, bananas, pears, berries, oranges.
- Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, leafy greens, sweet potatoes.
- Whole grains: quinoa, wild rice, oats, whole-wheat bread.
- Lean protein: legumes.
- Healthy fats: nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil.
Whether you need to lose weight or you’re looking for how to get a smaller waist, you’ll want to include these foods in your diet and minimize sugar, salt, and refined carbohydrates intake. You should also try to eat less fat-rich foods such as high-fat dairy.
How to Get a Smaller Waist with Workout
If you’re looking for how to get a smaller waist, these workouts are very helpful.
Yoga
A study was conducted on a group of women with abdominal obesity.
The group was put through an intensive 12-week yoga program.
The results showed significant improvement in the health of the participants, along with thinner waists.
Yoga has numerous advantages. It burns calories, relieves stress, and also helps to trim the waistline.
Planks
Alongside working out your abdominal muscles, planks also target the surrounding muscles and improve your posture.
Position yourself like you’re going to do a pushup, put your hands at your sides and your feet shoulder-width apart. We recommend using a cushioned surface during the exercise.
This exercise requires you to lift your body using your forearms and maintain in a parallel position to the floor.
Try to maintain your stability and hold out for as long as you can. The most important thing during the exercise is maintaining a slow and steady breathing rhythm.
You also need to focus on your core and avoid relying on your neck or knees.
Standing Oblique Crunch
This exercise targets your side muscles and contributes to a slimmer waist.
Stand up, stabilize your left arm and lower your right arm while keeping your core stabilized.
Your left arm needs to be touching your head, and your movement must be slow and steady. You can also choose to use five or 10-pound weights.
Make sure you do an equal amount of repetitions for both sides. Standing oblique crunches are an excellent alternative to regular crunches for people having back pain issues.
Toe Touches
Toe touches target your lower abs. The exercise involves lying down on your back and extending your legs perpendicularly to the grown and flexing your feet, and reaching your arms towards your feet while holding a dumbbell in both hands.
You need to use your shoulder when you lift off the ground, reach your feet with your arms, then return to the starting position. Repeat 15 times.
If you’re new to the exercise, you might want to do it with one leg at a time to avoid your lower back contracting. You can also place the dumbbell behind your head for extra support.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT is an excellent workout for people looking for how to get a smaller waist. It is more effective at cutting down abdominal fat than traditional cardio.
This type of exercise revolves around short periods of high-intensity workout such as biking, running, or sprinting, followed by lower-intensity activities, all while your heart rate is accelerated.
If you want to try this type of training, you can use a treadmill. Configure two speeds, one for maximum intensity and the other for rest.
The latter settings should feel like you’re making 60 percent of the effort.
Once you’re warmed up, you should strive your 30-second increments on the maximum intensity settings followed by 60 to 90 seconds of lower-intensity training.
You can experiment with different intervals to see which one works best for you.
How to Measure Your Progress
Losing weight around the waistline can be a difficult thing. You need to stay dedicated and motivated. Setting realistic goals is crucial to maintaining your motivation. Measuring your progress is also a good way of motivating yourself and evaluating your progress. One way to do it is to use a tape measure. It’s important to note that the results will vary greatly from one person to the next. Don’t be discouraged if you do not see progress right away.
Try to be analytical and methodical. Develop a strategy that works for you and see what works and what doesn’t. Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to temper your expectations. While trimming an inch or two during a year might not seem like much, it is more than enough, and it is something to be proud of.
Lastly, if you know how to get a smaller waist, you also know how to keep your body healthy. Both these goals go hand in hand, and the health benefit overshadows looks and is much more everlasting.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to get a smaller waist, all that’s left is for you to be on your journey. It will take time and patience. You might question whether you’re doing it right at times. However, the end result is worth every sweat and sacrifice. Maintain a positive attitude and set realistic goals to avoid disappointment.
Disclaimer: I may be a good marketer, but I’m in no way a certified healthcare professional, so take my words with a grain of salt and consult your physician/trainer before doing any of the above exercises.