Just Stop it - Sucking in the Gut is BAD for Your Health (Washington Post)
All About that Bass - Meghan Trainor Video
“Societal beauty standards and ideals have… evolved to put a premium on flat tummies and ripped abs, making many people feel more self-conscious about their stomachs, said Ann Kearney-Cooke, a Cincinnati-based psychologist who specializes in body image and eating disorders in “Stop sucking in your stomach all the time — it could be bad for your health,” Allyson Chiu, Washington Post, November 12, 2021
Doh. And yet. In my Awareness Through Movement Training, we were all doing it. Even the 23 year old modern dancer.
The reasons to let it go are getting increased attention, along with developing awareness of the pelvic floor. Stomach gripping can lead to back pain and pelvic floor dysfunction. Sucking in the gut can alter your breath patterns, weaken the abdominal muscles, exacerbate incontinence.
Breaking the suck-in-the-gut habit can be hard. It takes effort to undo habits developed when you first read about flat tummies in “Teen” Magazine.
Appropriate use of the abs can be learned. So can conscious awareness of the pelvic floor.
Feel free to explore the “Pelvic Floor Awareness” lesson recordings, here.
And consider changing your attitude. Remember, it’s all about the bass!
““Many people’s fixation with having a flat stomach, or at least the appearance of one, has largely been fueled by a well-intentioned idea about health and fitness — having a strong core — that has been taken to the extreme, Wiebe said.”. Most people, including many who are in overall good health, don’t have sculpted stomachs, and she and other experts emphasized that holding in your gut is not a healthy behavior in the long term. “It’s painful,” Kearney-Cooke said. “It’s not good for your whole system....”
Mass media and advertisements have associated having a flat stomach with desirable qualities, including hard work, personal drive and willpower, Kearney-Cooke said. “That’s why people are like: ‘I want the flat abs. I’m fit. I’m healthy. I have willpower. I’m driven.’..
In reality, though, most people, including many who are in overall good health, don’t have sculpted stomachs, and she and other experts emphasized that holding in your gut is not a healthy behavior in the long term. “It’s painful,” Kearney-Cooke said. “It’s not good for your whole system.””