To train or not to train?

Kim Kardashian’s instagram post: Captioned “On set using my @premadonna87’s waist trainer before I shoot!”

By Celeste Simmons

Trends come and go, some being better than others, but one of the most recent trends is not as great or beneficial to one’s health as it may seem. The waist-training craze has been sweeping the nation among women of all shapes and sizes.

Starting off with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Beyonce and Gweneth Paltrow, waist training corsets have since spread to the attention of women everywhere. Waist training is the wearing of a corset-like device for several hours at a time, which is said to flatten your stomach and permanently decrease your waist size over time.

Sounds a little strange right? A device made of cloth that can permanently alter the way your body is made.

Oddly enough, there are many college students who see this as a way to help them get fit as well as gain some curves.

“I wanted to see if it would assist with flattening my stomach along with my workouts,” said Ashlee Daye, a senior studying criminal justice at Neumann University. “It also curbs my appetite.”

Although the corsets do seem to actually bring your waist in, there have been some speculations about the health consequences of wearing them. Many doctors have urged people not to waist train.

“Once you take the garment off, your body will return to its usual shape. It’s also uncomfortable, restricts your movements, and if you wear it really tight, it can even make it difficult to breathe and theoretically could cause rib damage,” said Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, clinical professor of ob-gyn at Yale School of Medicine, in an article from Women’s Health Magazine.

With the dangers and consequences of waist training spreading like wild-fire among the health and fitness community, some women still continue the body-shaping practice to receive quicker weight-loss results.

It seems to be a trend that won’t die out anytime soon due to its market, advertising and results, but hopefully people will be pushed to find a healthier alternative to losing weight and maintaining their figure without the possibility of serious damage being done.

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