A woman with a 15.7-inch waist wants to go even smaller so that she can beat the world record.
Sarah Vaeth currently wears a corset for 23 hours a day, seven days a week.
And the 49-year-old became interested in beating the Guinness World Record when she realized that she wasn’t far off.
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The record currently belongs to Cathie Jung, from the US, whose waist measures exactly 15 inches (38.1cm).
In order to make her waist smaller, Sarah has moved from moderate corset wearing to tightlacing.
Tightlacing is the practice of wearing a corset that is laced more and more tightly to change the body’s shape, thus achieving a smaller waist.
She first began using steel-boned corsets in 2012, with her first one measuring 24 inches.
Twelve years on, Sarah is determined to achieve her goal and get her waist down to an astonishing 14.7 inches (37.5cm).
“I became interested in beating the World Record when it started to look plausible,” Sarah, who is from Colorado but lives in Portland, Oregon, told What’s The Jam.
“I moved from moderate corset-wearing into tightlacing very incrementally, and I’ve been satisfied just to learn what my own tolerance is and not rush it.
“I like testing myself. Having the record in sight keeps me focused and keeps me from getting lazy.
“As I’ve gotten more focused on the record, I’ve looked for ways I can maximize my progress.
“I’ve changed the way I exercise a little bit to cut down on inflammation and avoid hypertrophy of the abdominal muscles.
“I’m running less and lifting weights more.”
Sarah recently started weight training as she felt that this would be compatible with her goal.
She found that running would work against her goals, as it would keep her oblique muscles thicker.
At the moment, she works out for one hour a day for five days a week, with four of those being dedicated to weights, and just one to running.
She doesn’t follow a strict diet however she has cut out alcohol due to it triggering migraines.
Migraine headaches force Sarah to take a break from corset training, which hinders her progress.
“I’m a pescatarian but that’s just my preference,” said the mum-of-one.
“Inflammation is an obstacle to tightlacing, so I’m adding more foods that are anti-inflammatory.
“ I eat lots of dark leafy greens, seeds, and nuts.
“I try to spread out calories evenly so that meals are roughly the same size. That way, I can avoid over-expanding my stomach.
“Prioritising weight lifting over running is helping.
“With weight lifting, as long as I’m not targeting the abs, I can keep my core smaller.”
Sarah also cycles her corset wearing between hard training phases and easy maintenance phases.
While maintaining, she will wear a corset for more than 12 hours per day.
Currently, she is pushing to make more progress so she is wearing one for up to 23 hours each day.
For part of that, she has it laced as tight as possible.
For most of the day and during the night she loosens it so that it’s more comfortable.
Her friends and family are very supportive of her goal to beat the world record.
Sarah’s husband and young daughter find what she is doing to be a little strange but they love her and want to support her.
She is on track to match the current record of 15 inches (38.1cm) before the New Year.
Her application for her Guinness World Record has already been submitted, and she has proposed to reach a measurement of 14.7 inches (37.5cm), by May 2025.
“It’s going to be difficult but I don’t think it’s unrealistic,” Sarah added.
“Pursuing the record is a means of keeping me engaged in a challenge, and being engaged in a challenge feels really vital and focusing.
“I’m doing this for the peak experience, and that’s something that dissipates once a goal is achieved.
“I think beating the record will mean that I turn my focus to other ways of challenging myself.”
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