"How do I get rid of this?" As a personal trainer and health and fitness coach, upon meeting new people, the initial introduction and the standard "what do you do for a living?" question, once I tell them I'm a personal trainer, more often than not the next question is "how can I flatten my stomach" Or "how can I get rid of this" (hands clasped on pot belly).
It's what most people desire and seek from their exercise programmes, yet seems to be rather more elusive than it should be.
Many people spend a great deal of time doing endless cardio sessions and countless crunches and sit ups in a desperate attempt to get the flat toned stomach they wish for but to no avail.
While the general public is mostly crying out for magic bullet type solutions to a protruding abdomen, whether it be a magic stomach flattening exercises or some kind of special supplement.
The truth is that the health and appearance of the abdomen is directly related to the organs that are hidden underneath them, namely the digestive system.
Well most people are initially disappointed when they are told that there isn't an exercise that will turn a bloated pot belly into a flat wash board type abdomen, and that they need to get their digestive system healthy.
But that's the truth and I don't want to lie to them or add to the great deal of misinformation that they've likely already been exposed to.
To get your abdominal's working well and looking good you MUST get your digestive system healthy.
Although people are initially disappointed to hear that the magic tummy flattening exercise is about as real as Santa Clause, this is actually very good news for them as a healthy digestive system is key in achieving overall health and freedom from disease.
So your quest for a flat stomach can have the added affect of also helping you live a longer and healthier life.
The state we're in Unfortunately most people today are in a bad way with their digestive health, which is bad news for their overall health and really bad news for their six pack aspirations.
As the internal organs are linked to the muscles via the nervous system, any dysfunction in the digestive system creates a dysfunction in the abdominal muscles.
There are two main ways that this occurs.
No 1: Irritation and inflammation The modern diet is very unfriendly to the digestive system, with many of the foods we eat today being so far removed from natural whole foods that we evolved to digest that in many instances our bodies simply don't recognise them as food.
Our digestive systems in modern life have to cope with all sorts of things that simply didn't exist in our evolutionary past and therefore are not equipped to deal with, such as: highly processed grain products, refined sugar, artificial colourings and preservatives, highly processed dairy products and the list goes on and on.
Due to the over exposure of denatured and toxic non foods many people suffer from some kind of food intolerance without being aware of it.
Anytime we ingest these foods which we've become intolerant to it aggravates the digestive system causing inflammation.
That inflammation then causes a reflexive weakening and loss of tone in the abdominal's, also known as a paunch, pot belly or bloating.
No 2: Build up Another common problem from our overly processed diets is constipation.
I once spoke to someone who wanted to know what exercises to do to flatten his abdominal's, and on questioning him found out that he has a bowel movement every 4-5 days! Well how do you expect your abdominal's to look with 4-5 days of poo backed up behind them? Most people won't be as extreme as four to five days, but a great many people do suffer from some level of constipation, which has a negative effect on the workings and appearance of their abdomens.
Either through pressure of fecal matter building up, or inflammation caused by holding on to waist for too long, so that it begins to decay inside you (sorry for the unpleasant image), either of which will again cause the same reflexive weakening of the abdominal's and descended abdomen.
What is good digestion? If you suffer from gas, bloating, indigestion or constipation then you need to address your digestive health.
A simple and very effective way to ascertain how healthy your digestive system is, is to take a look at what's coming out the other end.
This is sometimes a touchy subject for some people but it really shouldn't be as it's an invaluable way of assessing your diet and making sure you get results.
Here's a simple check list for healthy bowel movements, they should be: Easy to pass Light brown in colour Smooth consistency Regular, 1-3 times daily You should be passing a good twelve inches of fecal matter daily over the course of your 1-3 bowel movements They should smell natural/ earthy They should not be: Hard to pass Compacted Loose or runny Irregular Fowl or toxic smelling What's the solution? The best thing is to initially give your digestive system a complete break from the assault of modern processed foods for a while and return to a more natural diet of fresh meat and fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, this very simple advice will allow your body to rid it's self of any toxins and give your digestive system a rest from having to deal with things that the body simple hasn't evolved to handle.
Getting the fuel mix right for you Another thing to consider is whether you're getting the optimal fuel mix for your own metabolism.
People and their digestive systems vary greatly, and what works for one person may not be right for you.
Some people will do best on a diet that is high in vegetables, fruits and fibre and relatively low on fat and protein, where others will do better on a relatively high fat, high protein diet with much smaller amounts of vegetable fruits and fiber.
We are arbitrarily told that fiber is good for the digestive system and we should all be eating more of it, but experience with myself and my clients, and knowledge of biochemical individuality have shown me that this is not always the case.
Some people need more fiber but for a great many others that extra fibre just bungs them up.
The proof is in the bowel movement so to speak, if you are meeting all the criteria for a healthy poo as listed above, then your diet is right for you and your digestive system is in decent working order.
If you are not then you need to clean up your diet and adjust your fuel mix (protein fat and carbohydrate ratios) to find what works for you.
Conclusion By returning to a natural healthy diet and getting your digestive system healthy you'll not only flatten your tummy and greatly improve your health but also have your body in a responsive state, where you can get really great results from the exercises you do rather than flogging a dead horse by trying to out train a bad diet.
Good digestion is the key to health, nutrition flat stomachs and getting results from your programme.
Gavin Smith