Ever since I was little, I constantly remember hearing my mom (sorry mom) say, "Sit up straight and suck in your gut," as if a rounded stomach and rolls was unattractive, unhealthy, or even unnatural. I grew up doing my best to pinch my shoulder blades back and suck in my gut, even when sitting, to give it that perfectly flat and aesthetically pleasing appeal. It was not until I reached college that I realized the damage I was doing to my body. I took a Tai Chi class for one of those "it's an elective but you need it to graduate" classes, and it completely changed my views on myself.

Let's talk about what you are doing to your body when you suck in your stomach or wear one of those dreadful waist trainers daily. First of all, you are doing considerable damage to your internal organs and your pelvic floor muscles, which are important when you get pregnant for getting you through labor and even post-pregnancy. I asked my Tai Chi instructor one day why I had these awful pains in my stomach that had no explanation. They weren't "I'm going to throw up" pains, "I have to poop RIGHT NOW," pains, or even close to being "I haven't eaten in seven hours and I'm starving" pains. I had visited the doctor about them with no solution provided. It was thought that maybe something was wrong with my intestines and that I should eat yogurt and more fiber, and it turns out that something was wrong with my organs but it had nothing to do with my diet.

I was speechless when my Tai Chi instructor asked if I sucked in my stomach or flexed my abs when I wasn't working out or doing something that required ab strength. I nodded my head yes, and was even further dumbfounded when he asked me if I knew what I was doing to my insides by sucking in my stomach. Have you ever flexed your arm of your leg for a really long time and it starts to hurt really bad and then the next day, or even later that same day, your arm is sore and your muscles are cramped? Well, that's how your abdominal muscles and internal organs are for every day that you spend sucking in your stomach or wearing a waist trainer or even slimming undergarments.

Problems that come with sucking in your stomach are most common in female and even male, dancers who constantly have to be poised and petite. However, as the "weight loss" trend of waist trainer sweeps the nation, the problem could become huge as many women develop these problems as they age. Waist trainers are not making you lose weight, they're literally changing the shape of your body because even if you are a grown adult, your body is still malleable and can change and grow just like a child's.

Let me inform you that it is healthy for your belly to have a small rounded shape, even the skinniest and most toned people have a slight rounding of the abdominal muscles, and the much praised "hourglass figure" is not natural in most women depending on the shape and structure of your bones, BMI, and other factors.

Deep belly breathing, in other words breathing with your diaphragm, is healthy and has a lot of benefits. This deep breathing is relaxing and relieves stress, and can even be useful when running or working out to rid you of that deep burning in your lungs that comes with chest breathing while exercising. When you are sucking in your stomach, you are not breathing deeply, you're chest breathing, which can make you feel more stressed and can make exercise and relaxation more difficult.

Think about it for 30 seconds, how many people are in the room with you and are looking at your stomach in all its rolled and bulgy glory right now? Then why are you still sucking it in? Aren't you wearing that big sweater that isn't even flattering at all and leaves everything to the imagination about your big your boobs are or what your stomach looks like? Then why do you care? I'm sucking in my stomach even as I write this and I'm home alone locked in my bedroom. Why do we care? This flat and toned stomach isn't even natural for our bodies, so why is that something that we as a society aim for? Did everything skip science classes?

I'm not saying that it's not okay to EVER wear these undergarments or suck in your stomach, but I want everyone to understand the dangers of it. I get that you have that holiday party or class reunion that you want to look absolutely stunning at so you'll throw on those slimming undergarments under your dress, but these are not things that are meant to be worn every single day. Sure, women did it in medieval times: the corsets and all of that jazz, but if they were here I'm sure they'd tell us all about the pain and suffering that it caused.

If you have any further questions, click here for a link that I think explains the issue very well, or you can Google it and find any other articles you'd like.