Introduction: The Gut Stops Here
It took a two-inch incision to convince me just how important core strength is. At 17 years old, when I had my appendix removed (while on a school trip to Japan), I found myself bedridden and next to useless. Yet within three weeks, I was grinding out push-ups, sit-ups, and running in boots on an army reserve course for the rest of the summer. It was the strength of my recovered core muscles that kept me going. Over the next forty years, core power served me well in the military, mountaineering, hiking, martial arts, sports, and even dating.
In this short book, I want to share my experiences, methods, shortcuts, and tricks of getting a strong flat stomach so that you, my friend, can take on hard physical challenges, prevent injury, look good and fit well into your sixties and beyond, keep going when others fall behind, or wow the opposite sex and admiring public with a chiseled six-pack set of abs so ripped that you could scrub an oily set of coveralls on them. Or, at the very least, own a strong, flat waistline that you can be proud of.
The beauty of this knowledge is that you do not have to endure torturous exercises and live on carrots and celery sticks. In fact, I am going to show you how posture, breathing, types of exercise, rest, nutrition, elimination, and behavior will carve out a healthy flat gut.
The author's midriff at age 60.
Chapter 1: The Mathematics of Health and Attractiveness
The size of your waist compared to your hips can largely determine longevity and attractiveness. This is known as the waist-to-hips ratio (WHR). To measure your own WHR, measure the narrowest part of your waist (1” above your navel) and divide this number by the widest part of your waist. For example:
A man with a 52” waist and 40” hips = 52/40 = WHR of 1.3 (unhealthy)
A man with a 34” waist and 34” hips = 34/34 = WHR of 1.0 (healthy)
A woman with a 40” waist and 42” hips = 40/42 = WHR of .95 (unhealthy)
A woman with a 24” waist and 30” hips = 24/30 = WHR of .80 (healthy)
Photographs courtesy of Mikael Haggstrom through Creative Commons
A healthy woman’s WHR is about 0.8, and a healthy man’s WHR is about 1.0.
The waist-hip ratio is more important than weight or clothing size. In fact, the WHR, which is the amount of weight that you carry around your waist, can determine future health problems. It is a scientific fact that being fatter around the middle (apple-shaped) is worse than having excess fat around the hips and thighs (pear-shaped). Too high of a waist-hip ratio (WHR) is unhealthy. If you have a wider waist than hips, then you have a higher than normal risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even some forms of cancer.[i]
WHR can also determine the attractiveness of a person, especially in the case of women. Most attractive actresses, celebrities, and models have WHR of .67 to .70. Prime examples are Marilyn Monroe, Celine Dion, Sandra Oh, Sarah Palin, and Kim Kardashian.
They all have different weights, heights, body fat, and dress sizes. But the common attractiveness and health factor is their waist-to-hips ratio (WHR). Their waists are 70% of their hips. For example, Sandra Oh’s 23" waist and 33" hips gives her figure a Waist-to-Hips Ratio of 0.7. Kim Kardashian’s 26” waist and 39” hips gives her figure a WHR of 0.67.
This WHR of 0.7 is based on the research of Dr. Devendrah Singh from the University of Texas. Dr. Singh found that 0.7 was consistent in:
1. Many 2,500-year-old Venus sculptures across Europe and Asia
2. All Miss America winners from 1923 to 1987 (0.69 to 0.72)
3. Playboy centerfolds from 1955 to 1965 and 1976 to 1990 (0.68 to 0.71)
4. Across different cultures from Indonesians, Indian laborers, African Americans and Caucasians
Further proving his theory, Dr. Singh also conducted an experiment that measured male brain reactions to silhouettes of women’s figures. The silhouettes with 0.7 WHR consistently scored high with 20-year-old male subjects.
Fortunately, attaining the 0.7 WHR does not involve the familiar female fitness philosophy of starvation diets and exhaustive exercise. Hourglass shaping involves correcting muscle imbalance, core strength training, and proper body alignment.
This is to say, a naturally heavier woman with good posture, a well-developed upper body, firm waist, and curvy hips is naturally healthy and attractive. Picture Marilyn Monroe’s figure and you have got it. The hourglass shape beats the stick figure in the real world.
The same with the men. A heavy man with a WHR of .85 to .95 with .99 being the most attractive (waist and hips are almost the same measurements) is healthier than a skinnier counterpart with a pot belly. Furthermore, the male with a waist that is narrower than his shoulders or low waist-shoulder ratio (WSR) tends to be more attractive to females.
After instructing hundreds of women in kickboxing, Pilates, and Stomach Flattening, I noticed those who kept training and lasting the longest were the healthier, hourglass-shaped ladies. The hourglass shape had the survivability and durability. The very skinny or heavier women did not seem to last as long.
One of the biggest mistakes that I have researched and observed with women exercising is the tendency to over-train their lower bodies at the expense of their overall figure. This is very common in the middle-aged women who try to diet and train like they did their 20s. Consequently, they end up with tight, flat backsides, tree-trunk thighs, and narrow upper bodies.
The chapters on exercise will address this problem and make recommendations to achieve healthy and attractive physiques for both women and men. Also, a strong abdominal wall minimizes the likelihood of hernias as well as some digestive and back problems. It also goes a long way to being healthier and feeling better.
Chapter 2: Posture to a Flat Gut
Improve your posture, and you improve both your overall body strength and appearance. This is done by strengthening and stretching the right muscle groups so that the body aligns itself automatically. Try this:
Stand up straight.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull your neck back in your collar.
[i]
Borugian, M.J, Sheps, S.B, Kim-Sing, C, Olivotto, I.A., Van Patten, C, Dunn, B.P., Coldman, A.J., Potter, J.D., Gallagher, R.P. &Hislop, T.G. (2003) Am. J. Epdemiol Nov. 158:963-968. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Note: High insulin levels have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer and poorer survival after a breast cancer diagnosis. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a marker for insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia.
