Please don't do unserious answers, or at least add a disclaimer before it and make sure the question has been answered seriously prior to that.
My question:
Is it normal using cutlery always hurts? Every single time I use knife, fork of spoon for anything else but scooping something soft, it hurts. It's been like this my entire life. Are people really in pain every time they eat without anyone speaking of it????
Do people hold in(a bit)/activate their abs all the time?
I've observed that I can hold it in a bit and my belly appears quite a lot smaller(almost negligible) as opposed to when I relax it, like how you do for breathing in deeply.
I used to do it my entire life with my belly abs until I had a surgery on my belly and I no longer can do it as much since. I am supposed to have another surgery there so I won't try to retrain, but it's been years since the intial surgery.
I also used to activate my anus for some time after I've read that if you don't exercise it, you will shit yourself when you get old. xd Didn't last. ^ ^'
Aah. Thank you.
All the best with the surgery
Asking out of curiosity: How does one train their anus?
“Pinch” and release repeatedly. If you’re a guy, it’s similar to holding your pee or “making it bounce”? Idk
Can't speak of other but I do, yes. I began doing it almost subconsciously when I started losing weight / exercising.
It's supposed to be good for you spine if you do it right. I think the idea is that if it breath into your stomach with your abs slightly tensed, you create pressure, which "takes the weight off" your vertebrae, which helps to keep those joints healthy. It's explained in Becoming a Supple Leopard and iirc in Starting Strength. But the other trick with posture is to keep moving and keeping shifting; doing hold stress positions all the time – everything needs to rest.
If you want to stand up straight and sit upright then yeah you should be engaging your abs a bit. It's not the same as sucking in your gut but it does make your belly a little smaller like you said.
Like all the time? No thats weird, tho engaging your core during weightlifting is a good excercise.
Yes but not on purpose. I do it with my back as well to the point I'm constantly flexed and need to actively relax my muscles. I'm getting physical therapy for it actually.