Author: Eva Berg

How To Get A Smaller Waist

At Secret Pilates we say, out with unrealistic beauty standards and a big no to ‘perfect’ sizes because no matter our shape, we are all beautiful! However, if workouts for a smaller waist is something you wish to do for yourself then we’re here to guide you. 

Nowadays we are so used to seeing fast results when it comes to shaping our bodies, and have become desensitised to what it actually takes to achieve long-lasting goals. Don’t get us wrong, it’s great to have a goal but we also need to give our bodies time to change and create a slimmer waist, in a healthy way – there are lots of healthy waist slimming exercises for women.

Pilates has lots to offer in this area! Not only can it help make your waist slimmer by working the correct muscles – it does it in a way that is good for your body.

Pilates can improve your posture and tone your stomach naturally which will result in a smaller waist over time making this a sustainable and manageable option.

Let’s see some of the exercises for a smaller waist that can help you reach your goals.

Reminder: It’s always best to spend the first 10 minutes stretching to prepare the body and muscles for a feel-good workout.

One of the best waist-targeting exercises in pilates is twisting. This move helps strengthen your oblique muscles which is great for shaping a slimmer torso as it burns fat in the desired areas.

Now let’s look at a forearm plank incorporating an oblique twist. Come onto your forearms and keep your feet shoulder-width apart. 

Hold your plank position and drop your right leg to its right side and twist your hip to the left. The key here is rotating from the spine and keeping the shoulders as they are. Come to the plank position again and repeat on the other side. 

This next move, the pilates twist is a bit more advanced but is great for working that waistline!

For a pilates twist, sit on your hip with your knees bent, your top foot and hand will be on the ground. Your top foot, hand and your hip are aligned. The heel of the top foot touches the ankle of the back foot. Inhale and lift your hip and arm up. On the exhale, twist your arm under your torso while lifting the hip for the twist. Inhale to straighten up and lift your arm again to the ceiling, and exhale.

On the next inhale, bring your top arm to your head and laterally stretch. Exhale as you come down and repeat on the other side.

Last but not least is the bicycle crunch. Target your waistline and core with this effective and enjoyable exercise.

Lie on your back, come to a crunch position with a neutral spine and touch your elbow with the opposite knee. Adjust the pace as you wish for this workout and make sure you are breathing in and out.

There are also many external factors that influence how our bodies respond to exercise, it’s not all down to the smaller waist workout. Diet and stress play a huge part in reaching our goals so, try to support your workouts with a balanced lifestyle so you can achieve the maximum results.

If you want to include daily exercise in your life, check out our website for more information on how we can help.