No, it’s not cheating. “People think their stomachs should be naturally flat, and that’s just not true,” says John Hoeber, MS, RD, CSSD, nutritionist, master fitness trainer and owner of Body Kinetics, a premier gym in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sucking in your gut, or in Pilates terms, “engaging your core,” is one of the most effective ways to strengthen your ab muscles.
Practice this often and you’ll have more muscle tone, even when you relax your abs.