At the beginning of the year we see a lot of people excited to start setting goals for weight loss and overall better health. It can be especially motivating to start a waist training regimen after the indulgence of the holidays – plus, there’s hardly a better time to start fresh than the New Year.

Of course, it can be a different story come the end of January…or February, March and beyond. The mistake many people make when setting goals and resolutions is not being realistic or having a long-term vision for themselves. You might start out feeling gung-ho about going to the gym several times a week, along with all the other resolute fresh starters. But when you hit a plateau or the newness of your program wears off, it gets increasingly difficult to stay motivated.

It’s one thing to start a waist training and healthy lifestyle program; it’s quite another to stay committed to it.

Our advice for staying committed is to be realistic with yourself and start slow. Keep focused on your long-term goals rather than your day-to-day results. As a matter of fact, you might even want to ditch the scale altogether! It’s not the most accurate gauge of health anyway, and it can fluctuate depending on how much water your drink or what time of day it is! Instead, focus on building healthy habits. To track results, take photos and waist measurements no more than once a week.

How to Start Slow with Waist Training

When you get that pretty new waist trainer in the mail, it’s tempting to want to put it on and wear it 24/7. But if you’ve never tried it before, you might be in for a bit of surprise with your first experience. First of all, to be effective, a waist trainer is very snug, and you might have difficulty getting it on to begin with. Put it on slowly, fastening the lowest hooks first at the narrowest part of your waist and then working the garment down your torso once it is fastened (see here if you opt for a lace-up corset instead of a cincher). If it fits properly, you should not need to yank on it to make it fit, or you risk damaging it.

Once it’s on and you’ve ensured that it fits well, you will love the way you look! But your body may not yet be used to the firm compression around your midsection, so expect an adjustment period in the first couple weeks.

When you start, wear your waist trainer for more than an hour or two a day and then slowly add more time in small increments (half an hour to an hour). For the first couple of weeks, you may even want to take a day off from waist training. Once you’re wearing the waist trainer for longer periods each day, you may want to break them up into smaller sessions to give yourself a little break.

By about a month, you should feel comfortable with wearing your waist trainer for 8–12 hours daily. By working your way up to the number, you’re much more likely to have a built a habit that will last, and that is the goal.

Building Healthy Habits

In the meantime, while you’re adjusting to your waist training routine, you will need to supplement it with realistic diet and exercise plans. While there are many routes you can take with this, we have just a couple of suggestions.

• First, use a workout band during exercise; you’ll see better results and will feel more motivated.
• Second, try to schedule your meals and snacks for when you’re wearing your waist trainer, as it can help with portion control.
• Finally, eat smart with a diet rich in whole foods rather than processed products. While nutritionists may vary on more specific nutrients you might need, pretty much everyone agrees on that.

If you need accountability, do it together with a friend, or make the investment to hire a nutritionist to coach you. Remember, you’re worth it!

While you’re setting your goals and making your plans, it can be helpful to take some time to reflect on why you want to make a change. Fitting into a wedding dress or preparing your summer beach body can be helpful for a time, but these aren’t always motivating for the long term. You’ll have to discover your motivation for yourself, but here are a few reasons why you’ll want to stay committed to waist training even after you reach your goals:

5 Reasons to Keep Going!

1) Improved Posture and Back Support

This is an unexpected benefit of waist training that many customers don’t realize when they first start out. We know so many women who spend more than eight hours a day hunched in front of a computer. This lifestyle can lead to back pain as well as a terrible posture that communicates fatigue and a lack of confidence.

When you’re wearing a waist trainer in front of your desk, you will be forced to keep your back upright, which can have numerous benefits including a reduction in back pain. In fact, you may be very surprised when you take your waist trainer off just how badly you may have slouched. Once you grow accustomed to holding better posture, you will not want to go back!

Waist trainers not only improve your posture if you’re at a desk job; but also women who work on their feet or carry small children on their hips will find it very helpful as well. Just remember to continue to strengthen your core to help improve your posture even when you're not wearing your waist trainer.

2) Instant Slimming

This is one of the obvious benefits of waist training and the reason most women get started, but we hear again and again just how surprising the slimming benefits can be! If you’ve had a problem area that you’ve been trying to work on for years, a waist trainer might be just the thing you need. This can especially be the case for love handles and the lower abdomen. A good waist trainer will slim and smooth those trouble areas as soon as you put it on.

Just remember that in order for you to maintain the results that a waist trainer provides, you have to continue to wear it. But once you see the results, that shouldn’t be too hard.

3) Increased Confidence

Some common feedback we get from customers who have tried waist training is how frequently their friends and family have commented on how great they look. They look slimmer and stand with a more confident posture, and others can’t help but notice. What a confidence builder!

The confident attitude that you exude from day to day can affect your work performance and the impression you make to other people. When you feel happy about the way you look, it will naturally affect many other areas of your life.

4) Workout Enhancement

Some women like to start waist trainer just for the workout benefits alone. When wearing a workout band you will notice that you sweat harder, not to mention use better posture whether you’re lifting weights or running. Essentially you get a more effective workout without having to actually do anything different other than show up!

Enjoying your workouts is an extremely effective motivator when it comes to long-term lifestyle change and getting daily exercise. Many of our customers are excited not only to work out in a waist trainer but to get their friends on board with it. There are many options that are colorful and stylish (and you have to admit they contribute to some amazing Instagram posts!). It’s hard to not want to show them off.

5) Core Thermal Activity

The last way that you can benefit from a commitment to waist training is the ongoing maximum compression that it will provide around your midsection. One of the major components of waist training that makes it effective as a slim-down technique, especially for trouble areas around your midsection, is the way it stimulates thermal activity in your core. Even when you’re not working out, you’ll notice that a waist trainer keeps your whole torso warm, which causes perspiration.

After extended wear, this in combination with a workout routine can help you shed inches from your midsection. Just take it from many happy customers! You can share see their results and share yours as well with #BeTheHourglass.

Make the most of 2017!

As the New Year gets into full swing, we hope you feel motivated to stick with your waist training routine so that you can see the long-term results that so many women are thrilled about. Just like any truly effective slimming routine, it isn’t an overnight fix. But with daily dedication, you can see incredible results in just a few weeks, which will only grow more impressive as the months and years pass. We hope that 2017 is your most confident yet! If you have more questions about how to get started with an effective waist training regimen, be sure to explore our blog and contact our customer service team with any questions.