So, you're looking to sculpt a smaller waist, right? Well, you're definitely not alone. It's a big thing for a lot of us – not just because we want that hourglass body) but also because it's actually pretty important for our health. You see, having too much padding around your middle can be a bit of a red flag for stuff like heart problems and other not-so-fun health issues. So, whether you're aiming to rock those curves or just want to keep your body happy and healthy, knowing the right moves is super important.
Welcome to your ultimate 2024 guide to getting that dream waistline! We're not just talking about looking good (though that's a nice perk), but also about making choices that are all about wellness and keeping you in top-notch shape. From the best exercises that target your waist, to eating habits that'll help keep the belly fat at bay, and even how your daily routine can make a difference – we’ve got it all covered.
Small Waist Myths & Misconceptions
Dreaming of a small waist? It’s not just about crunching your way to six-pack abs. The key factor is lowering body fat levels. Building muscle in your core can help, but those muscles won't show if they're hidden under a layer of fat. And let's be clear: if your diet isn’t on point, no amount of crunches will reveal a toned and tight tummy.
Here’s a simple formula to remember:
Belly fat loss = 5% exercise, 20% diet, 75% lifestyle & de-stress
But wait! It's essential to maintain healthy body fat levels, so check with an online calculator based on the American Council on Exercise's guidelines.
Now, can you spot-reduce belly fat? Unfortunately, no. Targeted exercises like crunches don’t burn fat in specific areas. Fat distribution is largely determined by genetics and your body type. For us women, higher estrogen levels often mean storing more fat around the hips, butt, and lower belly – it’s nature's protective mechanism.
When you lose body fat, it’s an overall process. Those stubborn areas like thighs, butt, and belly are usually the last to slim down. That’s where strength training steps in. It's the most effective way to change your body composition – boosting lean muscle mass while reducing body fat. More muscle means easier fat maintenance, which is great for your waistline. By focusing on strength training, you can work towards a smaller waist, shaping your body just the way you want. Before we delve into weightlifting techniques for waist reduction, remember, a clean diet is your foundation.
Read on for the 7 most effective tips to get a smaller waist.
#1 Clean Up Your Diet
So what’s the best diet to lose body fat to get a smaller waist? Most fitness experts will tell you to go on a low fat, low calorie restrictive diet, but honestly, who wants to count calories for every meal? These types of crash diets never work long term and only leave you constantly hungry, low on energy, fighting cravings and miserable.
The plan that works is the one that you can stick to.
There is a better way! Forming long-lasting healthy eating habits is only achievable if the diet you choose feels fulfilling, enjoyable and fits in with your lifestyle. That’s why I love the low carb lifestyle. You never go hungry, have oodles of energy, still able to achieve your goals and enjoy treats now and then. Check out my blog post Why LCHF is best for a strength training female to learn more about how this way of eating can help you get a smaller waist.
Avoid these unhealthy foods if you want to maintain a smaller waist:
Processed and packaged foods
Junk food and take-away
Sugary and fizzy drinks
Refined sugar like candy and ice-cream
Processed baked goods like cake, pastries, store-bought bread and muffins
Trans fats in margarine and other spreads, as well as vegetable oils like canola
Instead, add these healthy practices and nutrient-dense whole foods in to your diet to promote optimal weight management:
Green and cruciferous vegetables high in fibre to keep you feeling fuller for longer and regulate your digestion.
Drink plenty of water to regulate your hunger and cravings (sometimes we mistake hunger for thirst and end up over-eating).
Increase your healthy fats like avocado, real grass fed butter, olive oil, nuts and seeds to give you sustained energy throughout the day, slow the digestion of carbs to stabilise your blood sugar levels, and keep you feeling satiated.
Get enough protein to sustain muscle growth and cell repair, by eating hormone-free pasture-raised meats and seafood such as salmon, mackerel, beef and chicken.
Pro Tip
A diet high in processed carbs, baked goods, refined sugar and sodium will make you
hold more water weight
, which can add inches onto your waistline. LCHF is low in carbs and sodium, so people tend to ‘drop’ this excess water which can help your waistline look tighter. But if you drop the processed carbs make sure you increase your water intake and add important electrolytes back in. Simply salt your food or consider an electrolyte/salt supplement that's rich in magnesium, potassium, sodium and chloride.
A diet high in processed carbs, baked goods, refined sugar and sodium will make you hold more water weight, which can add inches onto your waistline. LCHF is low in carbs and sodium, so people tend to ‘drop’ this excess water which can help your waistline look tighter. But if you drop the processed carbs make sure you increase your water intake and add important electrolytes back in. Simply salt your food or consider an electrolyte/salt supplement that's rich in magnesium, potassium, sodium and chloride.
#2 Avoid Heavy Ab Workouts
The more you challenge a muscle under a heavy load, the more it will grow. So if you smash the weighted crunches or use med balls and plates in your core workouts, sure, you'll develop a thick six pack but your mid section will also become thicker and blockier over time. If you want to get a smaller waist, you should avoid overdoing these core exercises that use heavy weights:
Cable Crunches
Med Ball Russian Twists
Kettle Bell Windmills
Cable Twist
Abdominal Machine
Or any abs exercise with added heavy resistance
#3 Don’t Target The Obliques (Side Waist)
The myth that lifting weights makes you ‘bulky’ is only true if you do the wrong type of exercises. Certain ab exercises can make your waistline get bigger, giving your waist a blockier appearance. If done correctly, strength training will shape and tone your body like no other form of exercise - I’m talking hourglass curves in all the right places. But not all core exercises are going to help you get a smaller waist.
The obliques or ‘side waist’ run along the sides of your torso. Many fitness experts will tell you that doing exercises that target this muscle will help get rid of your muffin top - the body fat that sits just above your waistband. But this is so wrong! Firstly, we know that targeted exercises cannot spot reduce fat in specific body parts.
But secondly, overdoing exercises that grow the oblique muscles, will only make the sides of your waist grow out, making your waistline even thicker. The result is a blockier looking torso - great if you’re a guy, but not so good if you’re trying to enhance your feminine hourglass curves.
So to get a smaller waist, avoid overdoing these exercises:
Russian Twist
Side Bend
Oblique V crunch
Plank Hip Dips
Side Crunch
Triangle Crunch
Side Plank Hip Lifts
PRO TIP:
Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting that doing these exercises once will magically widen your waist. But here's the real scoop: if you go overboard, either by piling on too much weight or by hitting these ab exercises every gym session, thinking they'll shrink your waist or blast that belly fat, well, that's where you might slip up. Doing this could actually have the opposite effect of what you're hoping for. Keep it balanced, okay?
#4 Pick The Right Exercises For A Smaller Waist
Now you know which exercises to avoid, let’s talk about the best exercises to keep your waist tight and small. The best way is to stick to high rep body weight exercises that target the rectus abdominis (six pack) and transverse abdominis.
Target The Rectus Abdominis (Six Pack)
This is the most superficial of the abdominal muscles and typically what people call ‘six pack abs’. They key is to target both the lower and upper part of this abdominal muscle. Most people only do crunches which work the upper part and neglect the lower belly, which is where women tend to hold the most stubborn body fat - also known as the ‘belly pouch’. This lower belly workout will strengthen and tighten your core. Here are all the best core exercises to target the ‘six pack’ muscles to tighten your waistline:
Crunch
Toe touch
V sit
Leg Raise
Knee Tuck
Flutter Kicks
Scissor Kicks
Jack Knife
Target The Transverse Abdominis (Inner Core)
The inner core is responsible for helping you balance, perform everyday movements and helps to encourage good posture. So it’s just as important to train this part of your core as well as the superficial ‘six pack’ abs. When this muscle is weak, it can lead to poor posture and low back pain. It’s responsible for holding in all your organs and when you don’t have very good control over this muscle, we tend to ‘let it all hang out’ so-to-speak, which can make our waistline look bigger. So consider this your daily reminder to stand up straight and be conscious of your posture.
A great secret technique that works your inner core and can literally shave 2-3 inches off your waistline in just a few weeks, is the stomach vacuum. Watch this stomach vacuum tutorial to find out how you can get a smaller waist by practicing this move every morning. All of the exercises mentioned above, especially the ones that focus on raising the legs, will also target the inner core too.
But to really strengthen the abdominal muscles and protect the spine, we need to get good at ‘bracing’ our core (think: ‘stiffening’ your torso if you were to get punched in your stomach!) These moves below are some more ‘bracing’ exercises that are great for the transverse abdominis to help you get a smaller waist:
Plank
Mountain Climber
Bird Dog
Foam Roller Knee Tuck
Foam Roller Pike
#5 Focus On Compound Exercises
Exercises that zero in on your core, like the ones we talked about, are awesome for beefing up core strength and keeping that waistline in check. But get this: exercises like the squat, deadlift, and hip thrust are also epic for your abs. Surprising, right? That's because they're compound movements, using multiple muscle groups, including your core. The stronger you get at these, the tighter and tougher your core will become, nudging you closer to that smaller waist goal. Oh, and bonus – these three power moves are ace for carving out those sexy hourglass curves and boosting your booty game.
Here’s a fun fact: focusing on building solid, rounded glutes also amps up your waist-to-hip ratio, making your waist look smaller by comparison. Plus, throwing these heavy-hitting compound lifts into your routine means you're burning more calories and keeping body fat levels on the low – all good news for your waistline ambitions. Weightlifting kicks your metabolism up a notch even post-workout, unlike cardio, which only burns calories while you're at it.
PRO TIP
Keep this in mind: the more you work a muscle with weight, and the more often you do it, the bigger it grows. So, think about where you want to add muscle on your body. Dreaming of that hourglass figure with a trim waist? Then hammering your abs every day is overkill. Keep isolated ab workouts to just two sessions a week, tops. Especially if your routine includes those compound moves – they’re already giving your core a serious workout!
#6 Don’t Obsess Over Cardio
A lot of folks think the best way to zap that belly fat is to crank up the cardio. But let me tell you, there's a better path. We've already figured out that weightlifting is a champ at burning those calories. Cardio, though helpful for weight loss, doesn't really shape or sculpt your body. Want to tone and tighten your waistline? Weightlifting is your go-to – it's the secret sauce for a smaller waist.
Now, we're on the same page that you can't just exercise away a bad diet. To really cinch that waist, you need to lower body fat by eating cleaner. But hey, this doesn't mean you should ditch cardio altogether. It's just not the main star in your quest for a smaller waist.
So, what kind of cardio is ideal to help you lose excess body fat and shrink your waistline? High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is best, but only if you are already fairly athletic, have higher levels of muscle mass and don't suffer with chronic stress. If you do this STRONG HIIT workout, you’ll torch body fat and sculpt curves at the same time. Two sessions a week is more than enough, if you focus on a healthy diet and prioritise lifting weights in your weekly workout regime.
On the other hand, if you have quite a bit of body fat to lose, lower muscle mass and poor fitness levels, and suspect that chronic stress may be hindering your health goals, then the best type of cardio for you is gentle steady state, like a 30 minute walk in nature, some laps of the pool or a leisurely bike ride. However, lifting weights should be your primary focus if you want to boost your metabolism and get into the fat-burning mode. Check out this fat-burning workout, perfect for beginners who want to get a smaller waist.
#7 Manage Your Stress
It might sound a bit out there, but managing stress really can play a part in slimming down your waist. Remember, I mentioned the equation:
Weight loss = 5% exercise, 20% diet, 75% lifestyle & stress management
Well, chronic stress is a big deal in our hectic lives. It's so common that we often don't even notice it, but it's always there, impacting our well-being. Mental and emotional strain, along with not-so-great lifestyle habits, are making us unhealthier and heavier. Whether it's physical, mental, or emotional, chronic stress has a real knock-on effect on our bodies. When we're stressed, our cortisol levels spike.
Now, there's nothing inherently bad about cortisol - it's an important hormone that signals your body's circadian rhythm i.e. it's what wakes you up in the morning, amongst many other important bodily functions. But issues arise when this 'stress hormone' is constantly and chronically elevated due to emotional and mental stressors. This keeps your body operating out of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), better known as the 'flight or flight' mode. In turn this can impact your sleep and also hormones that affect digestion and metabolism, which may contribute to weight gain, or make losing weight a real challenge. And guess where we often store this stress-related body fat? Yep, around our waist.
To start turning things around and keep your stress hormones in check, it's time to shift your mindset. Check out this video for some practical well-being tips to help you towards your dream body:
Make a daily date with nature.
Dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to meditation.
Try out yoga or mindfulness.
Carve out some 'me' time and pursue your passions.
Start a journal focused on positive thinking.
These simple changes can make a world of difference in managing your stress and could be the key to a smaller waist.
How To Get A Smaller Waist In A Nutshell
Weights Over Cardio: Lifting weights is more effective than just doing cardio when it comes to burning calories and shaping up your body.
Diet is Key: You really can't out-train a bad diet. What you eat is most important: protein, healthy fats and veggies.
Careful With Core Workouts: Avoid over-training your abs with heavy weights and instead focus on inner core exercises to cinch your waistline.
Busting Myths: You can't spot-reduce belly fat, and no, waist trainers don't work either.
Manage That Stress: Control your cortisol levels by addressing your lifestyle, prioritise rest, meditation and nature walks.
Balance is Everything: Finally, achieving that smaller waist is all about a balanced lifestyle. It's not about quick fixes; it's about a healthy, sustainable approach.
