Core Practices That Get Rid of Bloating and Flatten Your Belly
Part One: Still Bloated No Matter What You Eat? Your Pelvic Floor Could Be to Blame
Part Two: Why Your Workouts Are Making Bloating Worse — And How to Fix It for Good
Part Three: Core Practices That Get Rid of Bloating and Flatten Your Belly
Part Four: Why Bloating Gets Worse After Having Kids (And How to Fix It)
What if I told you the practices that will flatten your belly and reduce bloating look nothing like the crunches and planks you've been forcing yourself to do? After years of being told that core strength means grinding through hundreds of crunches, this might sound too good to be true.
But here's what I've learned as a pelvic floor physical therapist working with thousands of women: the most effective ways to reduce bloating actually feel gentle, yet they do powerful work to restore proper core function.
Anti-Bloating Core Exercises That Work
Core exercises that relieve bloating focus on coordination over intensity. Instead of forcing your muscles to work harder, they teach your core to work smarter. When your muscles coordinate properly, everything else falls into place.
They support optimal organ positioning rather than compressing everything downward. Your organs need space to function - these exercises create that space while strengthening the muscles that maintain it.
Most importantly, these movements unload your pelvic floor instead of overwhelming it. Your pelvic floor is the foundation of your core system- a pump if you will- and when it functions well, bloating naturally resolves.
Every exercise uses breathing as the foundation. Your breath is the key to syncing up your pelvic floor, abs and diaphragm, as well as coordinating your entire core unit. When you breathe correctly, your body does the rest of the work automatically.
These are the top 2 practices I share with my clients inside The Core Recovery Method® to eliminate bloating.
Hypopressive Training
This specialized breathing and postural technique creates a gentle vacuum effect inside your abdomen that naturally detoxifies your gut and lifts your organs back to their optimal positions. It sounds simple, but the results are profound. Hypopressive Training is a combination of breathing techniques and postures that trigger reflexive activation of your core muscles. The two breathing techniques are called decompression breathing and apnea. Apnea is a breath hold where you create an abdominal vacuum, and hold it. This is especially beneficial for resolving bloating.
How to try apnea: Start lying on your back with your knees bent. Inhale and expand your rib cage 360. Exhale while elongating your spine. When your lungs are empty, hold your breath. While holding your breath, expand your ribs again. This will create the vaccum.
What you should feel: A hollowing of your belly, and a gentle lifting sensation in your pelvis. Your waist may feel narrower immediately after practicing. You should never feel strain or pressure.
When to practice: Start practicing a few rounds several times per day. You can practice this anytime - morning, evening, or whenever you feel bloated. Progress to a complete Hypopressive training practice inside The Core Recovery Method®.
The vacuum effect created by hypopressive training encourages your organs to move upward and inward to their ideal positions. This improved positioning enhances circulation and allows your digestive organs to function more efficiently, stopping bloating at the root.
Abdominal Massage
While this isn’t your typical “core exercise”, this gentle self-massage technique helps release tension around your digestive organs while encouraging proper movement through your intestines. What many women don't realize it that their intestines are muscles that can get tense and sore just like their glutes and quads. Massaging the organs and restoring their optimal position had profound effects. Many women notice immediate relief from bloating after just one session. The duration of relief increases the more consistent they are with the massage.
Basic technique: Lying on your back, with your knees bent: imagine your belly is a sun, all the rays of light connecting in the center- your belly button. The strokes will follow this sun pattern, starting with the rays at the outside of the belly, and ending in the center- the belly button. Using both hands, start at your sternum, and proceed around the belly in a clock wise direction until you get to the sternum again. This will clear your large intestine. Releasing the diaphragm, stomach, abs, small intestine, bladder and uterus is also a critical aspect of restoring optimal digestive function. Join me inside The Core Recovery Method® to learn the full massage and kick the bloat for good.
Pressure and pace: The goal is to go as deep as your body allows. Use firm pressure and go slow, waiting for the tissue to soften and let you in before going deeper.
When to practice: This works especially well first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and after your first bowel movement of the day. Really anytime you feel bloated or uncomfortable is also a great time to do it as well.
This massage encourages your abdominal and pelvic organs into their optimal position, bringing improved function of your vital organs; reduce muscle spasm, fascial restrictions and scar tissue in the abdomen and pelvis; improves abdominal and pelvic circulation, both arterial and venous; improves lymphatic flow to eliminate toxins, reduce risk of infection and enhance your body’s natural healing abilities; improves nerve conduction in your abdomen and pelvis to support optimal muscle activation; and helps your body return to homeostasis and balance, leading to increased energy, vitality and inner wisdom.
These Practices might feel almost too gentle at first, especially if you're used to intense workouts. But gentle doesn't mean ineffective. Many women notice improvements in bloating and digestion within the first week of consistent practice.
You might feel a sense of lightness in your belly or pelvis during and after these exercises. Some women describe feeling like their organs are "settling back into place." Others notice their waist feels narrower or their posture improves automatically.
Don't be surprised if you need to use the bathroom more regularly when you start these exercises. As your digestive organs begin functioning better, your body will start eliminating waste more efficiently and finally be able to let go of old "stuff" you were carrying around in your intestines.
You can have a core routine that takes just 15-20 minutes but gives you results that last all day.
These practices work by addressing the root cause of your bloating rather than just masking symptoms. And the movements are simple enough to do while your kids are around! You don't need any special equipment or a lot of space. You can practice them in your bedroom, living room, or even your office.
With The Core Recovery Method®, you’ll restore optimal core muscle function so your digestive system can work properly, and you can stop letting bloating control your life. You’ll know exactly what to do each day, how long to practice, and when to progress to more advanced techniques. This approach ensures you get lasting results rather than temporary relief.
If you’ve been struggling with long-term bloating or gut issues and conventional methods haven’t worked, this is the missing piece you’ve been looking for.
