Well hopefully it's just no.

Not yes.

You aren't going to target the TVA in isolation. It is connected via the linea alba to the obliques and rectus abdominus, and contracts in concert with them and other intrinsic core musculature to accomplish the task of core stabilization.

Furthermore, it's been shown in research by Basmajian and others that the TVA fires reflexively in movement, not as a result of any conscious decision to do so.

You are right in that the exercises you listed above will stimulate contraction of the TVA.

I'm just not a fan of picking out one muscle in the entire complex, with little information, and saying this is The Problem.

For example, research has clearly indicated a clear link between gluteal function (or dysfunction) and abdominal muscle dysfunction. So to say one muscle isn't working, especially without any sort of viable means to measure such activity, is dubious at best.

Well, I don't have sound on my computer. Are the directions below the video basically everything that's going on?

And I've read about the TVA muscles, but briefly; I came across a few articles that explained how pulling in your stomach like that was a way to exercise the TVA, so I have been doing that (though not consistently). I probably haven't been doing it correctly though. Although Steve, do you mean that I should not be trying these things on my own?

As for seeing a doctor about this specifically, that might prove to be a little difficult. Like I said I had starved myself for a while and she's focusing on making sure I'm healthy, which I am, all except for my period which I haven't had for a while. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it, but I doubt it--I'm guessing that maybe it's because I lost a lot of weight pretty quickly, like 30 pounds in less than a half year (which isn't the most extreme case of weight loss, but still...).

Oh, and I can definitely tell you that I'm not pregnant (to the person who suggested that).

Yes - the instructions to the video start where it says "Exercising your TVA is easy. All you have to do is ..."

It's not the case of telling your doctor you want a flat stomach - it's a case of getting healthy as you said, hence mentioning your bloating! Just tell the doctor that you are really bloated and that it bothers you. Bloating is NOT healthy!! In fact in some cases it can be a sign of digestive illness.

You can do however many exercises you want, but at the end of the day, if you have poor digestion, the problem will never go away and will worsen with time. You have to prevent the bloating by monitoring what you put in your mouth, which is where digestion begins.

I completely messed up my digestive system, although obviously it's part genetics, by starving myself when I was about 17, binge eating episodes and stress, among other things. It's made me VERY sensitive to certain foods, so the earlier you realise that you have a sensitive digestive track, the better, as you'll actively do something about it to prevent further problems, AND you'll have the flatest stomach and nicer skin etc.

By the way, unless your doctor is specialised in nutrition, then they might know very little about digestive concerns, so you might want to start researching about it in your own time.

Oh and just like Steve, I strongly disagree with going2. I don't know how on earth he can *magically* tell from these pics that you have weak muscles (don't see why you would).

The most common causes of stomach distension and bloating are constipation, IBS, pregnancy obviously, fat obviously, and fluid. We've already established that it's not fat or pregnancy. See Abdominal distention and bloating - Patient UK

Hi,

Again, for the Nth time of saying this "doing hundreds of situps is just a waste of time." Also, you can’t see your flat stomach if you won’t burn that belly fat first. What you need to do is focus on cardio like running and stair climbing. These are good workouts to burn your stomach fat..