While teaching a patient how to belly breathe, he gave me the same reason most people chest breathe:
“But my gut will pooch out and look even bigger!”
Some of us spend so much time sucking in our guts that we’ve created perpetual abdominal tightness.
When I pointed out the same tightness to the patient, he said, “I thought tight abs were a good thing!”
Abdominal muscles that can go from completely relaxed to full tightness are a positive thing. But existing in a perpetual state of tightness is not only uncomfortable, but unhealthy.
Sucking it in deconstructs posture, causing one to move poorly on an unstable but tight platform. Then, we become stiff or painful in the places that were meant to move. If we move stiffly or painfully, we move less. Then, we tend to gain more weight.
So, sucking in your gut is actually making your gut bigger in the long run.
Breathe from the gut. Slow, quiet breaths won’t force much pooch. Unstiffen to improve the range of the tissues.
Stand tall, with a solid but capable platform, and people tend to see your stature, and not your gut.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley