…and while you’re at it, tell your daughters to stop it too.
Now I’m not saying men don’t do this, but it seems fairly ubiquitous in women and girls. I can only imagine how girls must be learning to do this younger and younger, thanks to social media.
You know what I’m talking about right? I’m guessing you walk around with your belly held in all day. Or maybe every time you sit down you think ‘uhoh, I need to suck in that muffin top’. That was me until very recently too.
The thing is, while you’re doing that - how are you breathing? Incorrectly, that’s how. Sucking your belly in and breathing into your chest instead encourages shallow breathing. Which tells your body ‘hey, i’m afraid’.
No wonder we’re all so stressed out. And we’re setting girls up to live their lives plagued with anxiety.
We came into this world breathing into our diaphragms. Otherwise known as belly breathing. There’s a reason why meditation teachers keep telling you to breathe that way. This is your natural state. This is how your body likes to be. No threat, no fear.
And guess what? Anxiety and fear ultimately achieves what you didn’t want anyway - a fatter belly. Cortisol - the stress hormone, increases visceral fat.
So my message is - let those beautiful bellies hang out where they want to be and breathe. You will feel so much more relaxed, believe me.
And if your worry is about attractiveness - who wants to be with someone whose love is dependent on your belly size anyway? Just saying.
Want to learn how to breathe and feel confident and calm? Come and sing with me. All belly sizes welcome.
