When someone asks you to take a picture with them, what’s the first thing you do? For a lot of us, we suck in our stomach.
But experts say holding your stomach in can create a chain reaction throughout the body. It’s also called ”ab gripping” or ”hourglass syndrome.”
It’s especially bad for women, but it can cause a whole host of negative issues. It can cause back, hip, jaw or rib tension . . . pelvic floor issues . . . and pain in your ribs and chest.
Physical therapists say the solution isn’t doing more crunches. Instead, they recommend learning to relax your abdominal muscles . . . improving your posture . . . and reminding yourself to stop holding in your stomach altogether.
You might want to look “good” for that picture . . . but in the end, sucking in your gut is not worth it.