Okay, ladies. It’s time to stop sucking in your stomach.
Take a quick survey. Are you sucking it in right now?
If so, here’s the big question: WHY? (Really, is anyone looking at your stomach in this very moment?)
A few weeks ago, I realized I had inadvertently engaged in this unhelpful habit yet again. I was walking around, breathless, holding my lower abdominal muscles inward throughout the day. Ack! This is a habit I spent a good year breaking, so I was annoyed to find it had returned.
It’s also a habit many women share. The flat stomach myth is greatly perpetuated in our culture, so it’s no wonder that many fitness and fashion gurus actually advise sucking the stomach in throughout the day. Unfortunately, this habit creates havoc in the pelvic floor region and in our normal breathing patterns. Whether you’re wanting to find pain relief from vulvodynia, interstitial cystitis, or irritable bowel syndrome, hoping to lose weight, or just trying to feel more content and peaceful, this is a habit that’s gotta go.
My answer to the big question above is quite simple. I want my stomach to look flat, and I have the misconception that it is supposed to be flat. I have bought the party line, in other words.
As you ponder changing this habit, I imagine you’ll find many different thoughts, fears, and self-judgments. Perfect! These are all aiding and abetting you in perpetuating this unhelpful habit. This is a perfect place to practice your thinking skills. None of these things you are thinking about yourself are true, and it’s high time we stopped believing in the stomach myth.
