NSV: Free Tummy Tuck

Will210

Couple of notes for this as I have been practicing this.

1. Make sure you can breath comfortly via diaphram. Sometimes you suck in air which is not the goal.

Two good drills:

Lie on the floor on your back. Place something small and dense on your belly button and try to suck it into your spine - really get an idea of how it should feel. I use two hocky pucks taped together. Small paper weight should work too.

Stand straight up. Raise a medicine ball over your head - arms extended over your head like you are doing the wave at a football game. You cannot help but keep your stomach sucked in - again the purpose is to discover the feeling.

Very important to keep this form when working out..whether its running..squats. Best part about doing this is you will end up having good posture and will look slimmer by default.

Melaniec78

I did this all thru high school and beyond, until I got preggos at 20 and didn't care anymore. And it does work and help. I need to start doing it again now that I am losing. I am so scared I may need a 'real' tuck when I get down to goal (205 highest weight and 2 kids).

Lindseyelizabeth87

Growing up my mother said that a woman is supposed to always have her stomach sucked in no matter what! So I have done this my whole life. I feel very weird if I let it out.

I'm the same, and my stomach is one of my least problematic areas. Now if I could just do a thunder thigh tuck..

Ladyslippers

I was at a seminar once where the speaker challenged us to hold in our stomachs for a full two minutes. He talked about how difficult it is and that it requires strength and determination we don't usually think about in every day life. He gave us a "go" cue, then went on to talk about other things. At the end of two minutes, he asked who was still holding in their stomachs. A good 2/3 of the audience raised their hands--they'd started but then forgot as they listened to the speaker. He used this as an analogy for how we let our attention drift based on what's going on around us and how it's important to be mindful of what we're doing if we want to get the most out of our fitness efforts. This was back in 1985 and I've remembered it on and off over the years. Thank you for reminding me again. Now...to be mindful about sucking it in.

NewLIFEstyle4ME

Couple of notes for this as I have been practicing this.

1. Make sure you can breath comfortly via diaphram. Sometimes you suck in air which is not the goal.

Two good drills:

Lie on the floor on your back. Place something small and dense on your belly button and try to suck it into your spine - really get an idea of how it should feel. I use two hocky pucks taped together. Small paper weight should work too.

Stand straight up. Raise a medicine ball over your head - arms extended over your head like you are doing the wave at a football game. You cannot help but keep your stomach sucked in - again the purpose is to discover the feeling.

Very important to keep this form when working out..whether its running..squats. Best part about doing this is you will end up having good posture and will look slimmer by default.

Excellent post and thanks so much...I'll try this!

surromom2010

I have done this every day of my life, ok well as long as I can remember. I feel so uncomfortable if I let it hang loose and I've never been overweight. I think this also helps to prevent a major stomach distortion after pregnancy as well. I tightened my stomach all through my pregnancy as well and never ended up with a "pouch" that a lot of ladies do. Of course it could all be coincidental, but just in case, it's worth thinking about at least!

katy84o

My mom used to tell me this, every. single. day. growing up. Did I listen, NO, I was a teen and I knew it all! Of course, I should have listened to her then, but I find myself saying that a lot. Anyway, to your answer your question, for the last couple of weeks I have been trying to do this as well. I haven't lost much weight, yet, but I'm working on that, and I've been trying to remind myself all the time about sucking it in. Head up, Stomach in, and Shoulders Back.

fonitoni

My mom used to tell me this, every. single. day. growing up. Did I listen, NO, I was a teen and I knew it all! Of course, I should have listened to her then, but I find myself saying that a lot. Anyway, to your answer your question, for the last couple of weeks I have been trying to do this as well. I haven't lost much weight, yet, but I'm working on that, and I've been trying to remind myself all the time about sucking it in. Head up, Stomach in, and Shoulders Back.

Shoulders back! Exactly! Roll your shoulders back and turn your hands so your little fingers are at you side and then suck in your gut!!

NewLIFEstyle4ME

My mom used to tell me this, every. single. day. growing up. Did I listen, NO, I was a teen and I knew it all! Of course, I should have listened to her then, but I find myself saying that a lot. Anyway, to your answer your question, for the last couple of weeks I have been trying to do this as well. I haven't lost much weight, yet, but I'm working on that, and I've been trying to remind myself all the time about sucking it in. Head up, Stomach in, and Shoulders Back.

Shoulders back! Exactly! Roll your shoulders back and turn your hands so your little fingers are at you side and then suck in your gut!!

LOVE this! Shoulders back added in to this mix is fabulous! Heads up reminds me of my ole Mom. She used to make us walk around with several large books on our heads when we were young to help us with our posture. I haven't thought of this in many moons, but I also remember many many people constanting complimenting me on how fabulous I walked and my posture. THANKS for posting this--head and shoulders is a tremendous addition to my over-all transforming from a pig to a drop dead gorgeous chick:laugh:

fonitoni

My mom used to tell me this, every. single. day. growing up. Did I listen, NO, I was a teen and I knew it all! Of course, I should have listened to her then, but I find myself saying that a lot. Anyway, to your answer your question, for the last couple of weeks I have been trying to do this as well. I haven't lost much weight, yet, but I'm working on that, and I've been trying to remind myself all the time about sucking it in. Head up, Stomach in, and Shoulders Back.

Shoulders back! Exactly! Roll your shoulders back and turn your hands so your little fingers are at you side and then suck in your gut!!

LOVE this! Shoulders back added in to this mix is fabulous! Heads up reminds me of my ole Mom. She used to make us walk around with several large books on our heads when we were young to help us with our posture. I haven't thought of this in many moons, but I also remember many many people constanting complimenting me on how fabulous I walked and my posture. THANKS for posting this--head and shoulders is a tremendous addition to my over-all transforming from a pig to a drop dead gorgeous chick:laugh:

People will talk bout how willowy and lithe we look

dhiammarath

Growing up my mother said that a woman is supposed to always have her stomach sucked in no matter what! So I have done this my whole life. I feel very weird if I let it out.

I grew up this way too, mostly because a friend told me (back when I was really little and still had that 'little girl pouch') to suck in my stomach. So I've always had it sucked in, and it feels weird and not really comfortable to 'relax'. I just hope that I can smooth out the fat pouch that's slowly shrinking until when I stand naturally (with my stomach sucked in, which is natural for me now) that I have a flat stomach like I used to in HS.

Someday... *shakes fist*!

NewLIFEstyle4ME

People will talk bout how willowy and lithe we look

LOVE LOVE LOVE these choice of words: Willowy and Lithe---

Once I reach my ultimate goal (Summer 2013) I say by faith, I'd like to change my user name (when I'll be in lifetime maintenance phase) to:

Willowy and Lithe:glasses:

fonitoni

People will talk bout how willowy and lithe we look

LOVE LOVE LOVE these choice of words: Willowy and Lithe---

Once I reach my ultimate goal (Summer 2013) I say by faith, I'd like to change my user name (when I'll be in lifetime maintenance phase) to:

Willowy and Lithe:glasses:

And I hope you have to change it to Willowy and Lithe 2 !!!

Jennie24abc

Thank you. My doctor suggested that I loose the stomache fat in order
to have my hip surgery. I will definitely try this every day.

jackieatx

Interesting? I'll try this at work since I'm standing all day.

an2734

My stomach has also shrunk after 1 month of exercising, and I've also gotten into a new habit of pinching it daily.

NewLIFEstyle4ME

People will talk bout how willowy and lithe we look

LOVE LOVE LOVE these choice of words: Willowy and Lithe---

Once I reach my ultimate goal (Summer 2013) I say by faith, I'd like to change my user name (when I'll be in lifetime maintenance phase) to:

Willowy and Lithe:glasses:

And I hope you have to change it to Willowy and Lithe 2 !!!

You ROCK!

bearsmom82

I've done this all my adult life - and thought I was the only one! It totally works - now it is second nature, even if I'm lying on the sofa watching tv, I have to consciously try to let go - and when my attention slips, the tummy muscles get sucked in automatically.

I'm mid-forties, and my teenage daughter is slender - but still she is jealous of my abs!

rhinesb

You are so right! Prior to having weight issues I think I held my tum in without ever thinking twice about it. But, since gaining weight it has become way more of an effort to hold it in. I have not been doing this and I definitley need to start. Thanks for the reminder, and grats to you!

ditto...I did the same thing.

totallydevious

bump.

guardian419

Try clenching it a bit throughout the day, and you get a micro-workout in too. That's how I still maintain being able to do 80 sit ups in under 2 minutes, even when I wasn't working out.

MindfulVegana

Bump nice tip

ktrn0312

Thanks for the tip. I strongly believe my last 10 lbs to go is all belly related. Will be more conscious of this.

fizzletto

they are literally swimming on me

Good advice, but just so you know, 'literally' means 'actually', 'without exaggeration'. You could have said 'practically swimming on me' or 'virtually swimming on me', but 'literally' indicates that your pants have genuinely donned a swimsuit and gone for a paddle in the pool.

Joannie30

I do this sometimes. It is much harder than people think lol

jcstanton

I used to do this all the time as a teenager and into my early adulthood. I actually had a chiropractor tell me I had military posture as a result, therefore he needed to do very little adjustments to my spine. As I started gaining weight, it became more and more difficult to do so, though. I have been trying to get back in the habit when standing, walking, and exercising, but it's still physically difficult to suck it in when I'm sitting down because of the compression effect that happens when my lower abdomen is resting on my thighs.

NewLIFEstyle4ME

Fizzletto said:

they are literally swimming on me

Good advice, but just so you know, 'literally' means 'actually', 'without exaggeration'. You could have said 'practically swimming on me' or 'virtually swimming on me', but 'literally' indicates that your pants have genuinely donned a swimsuit and gone for a paddle in the pool.

Thanks for this info--FYI, I looked it up and found this...I'm using it in the#2B and latter #4. (in effect) version
lit·er·al·ly/ˈlitərəlē/
Adverb:

1A. In a literal manner or sense; exactly: "the driver took it literally when asked to go straight over the traffic circle".
2B. Used to acknowledge that something is not literally true but is used for emphasis or to express strong feeling.
***************************************************
literally
  Visit the shop Use Literally in a sentence Origin
lit·er·al·ly
   [lit-er-uh-lee]
adverb
1.
in the literal or strict sense: What does the word mean literally?
2.
in a literal manner; word for word: to translate literally.
3.
actually; without exaggeration or inaccuracy: The city was literally destroyed.
4.
in effect; in substance; very nearly; virtually.
Relevant Questions

1525–35; literal + -ly

Can be confused:  figuratively, literally, virtually (see usage note at the current entry ).

Usage note
Since the early 20th century, literally has been widely used as an intensifier meaning “in effect, virtually,” a sense that contradicts the earlier meaning “actually, without exaggeration”: EXAMPLE: The senator was literally buried alive in the Iowa primaries. EXAMPLE: The parties were literally trading horses in an effort to reach a compromise. The use is often criticized; nevertheless, it appears in all but the most carefully edited writing. Although this use of literally irritates some , it probably neither distorts nor enhances the intended meaning of the sentences in which it occurs. The same might often be said of the use of literally in its earlier sense “actually”: The garrison was literally wiped out: no one survived.

NJSunshine13

I remember taking karata and being told to breathe with my stomach so your stomach moves in and out (like a baby sleeping). I tried to explain to them that women just don't breathe like that. We are taught to suck our tummies in and hold them there. To this day, I still hold my stomach in .... except after Thanksgiving dinner, when it all hangs out.

m0ll3pprz

I loved reading this post today! You have encouraged me to get back in the habit of holding in and up for good core and posture. It reminded me of my Dad, who used to do "Isometric exercises" all day, including this lovely diddy! There are many more of these type of exercises used for lengthening and contracting specific muscles/ muscle groups. If you are interested in learning about a few more, google "Isometric Exercises." You might add something like I.E. for the arms... or the core... etc.

I also wanted to direct attention to a previous poster who mentioned that these exercises messed up their back. ( I should have quoted it, I will follow this with the quote.) I would only suggest that, when you focus on an area such as the core, it s good to also focus equally on the opposing muscle so you don't weaken it. In this case, you would want to strengthen your lower back equally to your core. That way everything is balanced and doesn't get pulled or stressed to counter act the activity. I have a roman bench at home and I whenever I do say, 25 crunches on it, I also turn over and do 25 back extensions to even out my core musculature. This has been highly encouraged by my doctor and chiropractor. I will also say that it is the same for every muscle group so if you do 25 quad lifts you must also do 25 hamstring curls etc. When you don't you can really strain your muscles and that will lead to the need for recovery and repair time.

This would be a tremendous help to folks that have been posting about whether they could get their stomach back in shape after labor/ c-sections! Fantastic thread! Best wishes to all of you :-)

m0ll3pprz

I have been doing this since I was a self conscious teen and I have to warn you that if you are not doing core exercises to strengthen the OTHER muscles THIS WILL MESS YOUR BACK UP. I have suffered from back pain for years, and didn't realize that flexing that muscle has caused the others to weaken from misuse.
Sure it makes you look like you have a flat stomach and it's fine in the interim, just don't let this be the ONLY thing you do to make your core look better!

This is the post I was referring to in my previous reply. I believe this definitely can happen in certain circumstances but if you manage/ train your opposing muscles, you shouldn't have to worry or suffer over it. Good luck!