Belly Tightening Tips

By Lynn Difley

My granddaughter adores anything teeny tiny. She favors her teeny tiny animals and dolls, wants her food cut into teeny tiny pieces and will only agree to a teeny tiny nap. Her love of teeny tiny got me to thinking about the things we can do, the small, almost insignificant moves we can make that contribute to our all over health. Making these small changes are often more successful than a lifestyle makeover, which can fall by the wayside from the sheer weight of its rules. Often, making a tiny change, incorporating it into our daily lives, and then adopting another small change can have wide ranging effects on our health and fitness.

I’d like to share one such small move. Now this move is so small you probably won’t even see it, and I doubt whether anyone else will either. It’s a very small move but with profound effects. I promise if you adopt this practice, and practice faithfully you and your friends will all see the changes in your appearance in a short while. You will feel better too, as this move takes the strain off your spine, which can lead to backache, hip and back pains and a general feeling of malaise caused by poor posture.

Our teeny tiny move is also a subtle move, and you will have to practice a bit to get it right. That’s ok, I know you are up to it, and will be more than willing to invest time and energy once you experience its beneficial results.

I call this move a belly contraction, or belly button to the backbone. What it entails is pulling as much of your stomach in, making it as tight as possible, and leaving it tucked and tidy during other activities.

Let’s practice the move on the floor first, as it’s easier to see and feel. Lie on a padded surface, feet flat on the floor, knees up in the air, shoulder width apart. Pull the top of your head away from your body and press your back into the mat. You should be aware of the mat surface in your shoulder blades, mid back, lower back and hips. Now take a deep breath, leaving everything else motionless, and pull your stomach in. Contract all the muscles below the belt you can find. So you can’t pull them all in, tightening the muscles is all I ask at this point.

Our teeny tiny move involves only the abdominal muscles. It is not a pelvic tilt, which is another useful exercise, but is limited to only the abdominal muscles. Your back, hips, thighs, and head should remain still, the only thing you move is your belly. I like to imagine I am pulling my belly button back into my spine. Now that’s a slender waist.

Pull the stomach muscles tight, hold and release 10 times. Once you feel you have the move mastered, try the belly contraction while you maintain breathing. Inhale deeply, pull the abdominals in, hold them in and exhale, inhale 5 times. This requires that you breathe high up into the rib cage and diaphragm, a kind of sideways breathing. Good, this is another good skill for you to master. Put your hand on your belly so you can see if it is tight and contracted, pulled in as you breathe.

Once you have mastered the belly contraction while lying, we can practice it in a sitting position. Choose a straight back chair, or one that has a solid support for your back, and brings your knees to a 90-degree angle. First align your body, make your back long and lifted, shoulders back and pressed down, head centered and aligned, gaze straight ahead. Now inhale and pull your belly tight, pull it right into the chair back. Release and repeat 10 times. Each time you contract the belly, try to engage as many muscles in the midsection as you can.

Remember, no cheating, the rest of the body does not move. Imagine you are keeping your belly away from your shirt by pulling it in and away. Once you have the move down, you can practice it while breathing. Inhale, pull the belly tight, exhale, inhale, keeping the abdominal muscles contracted and see if you can keep it tight for 5 full breaths.

Now how about the grand finale, standing abdominal contractions? If you can do it lying down, and sitting, you can do it standing, moving around, lifting etc, right? Stand in good alignment, feet shoulder width apart back lifted tall, head centered, shoulders back and down. Now for the belly contraction. Inhale; tighten the belly in, contracting all the muscles you can locate. Imagine someone is just about to let fly with a punch to your gut. Get it as tight as you can before that blow hits.

Practice tightening for 10 times, inhale, exhale tighten and contract, inhale relax. Now for the greatest act of all- Inhale, contract the belly and hold it in tight while you breathe, exhale, inhale, exhale inhale 5 times. Relax and do it again. Remember, nothing else should move, only the group of muscles in your abdominal section.

You should practice this move, in all three positions frequently. At first you’ll have to remind yourself. You can use a cue, when you hear a dog bark, or phone ring, or kid shout, something that happens a lot in your life. Each time you hear your cue, belly contraction.
If you practice this belly contraction when moving about your daily activities, you will be doing your back a big favor. Tight abdominals protect the entire spinal column and give you the support and strength you need when bending or lifting.

If you sit a lot, practice the belly contraction to keep your spine from sagging down onto the tailbone, a cause of back spasm and pain. You can practice this move any time, any place, and I promise if you do, you will not only feel much better, you will look slimmer. What more could anyone ask of a teeny tiny move?