Sorry--Slim Stomachs Come With Exercise, Not Technology
One of the biggest laughs I’ve had in months came courtesy of a friend who had just returned from a housewares trade show armed with a press release for a new product intended to cure what ails the modern wardrobe. “The Easy-Fit Waistband Stretcher,” it claims, “gently widens those snug jeans, slacks, skirts and shorts so you can breathe easier and feel comfortable again.”
Ah, how wonderful technology is. The world can breathe easy again. No longer will unforgiving pants surprise us with an unwanted reminder that we’re a pound or two chunkier. No longer do we have to run down to the tailor--or to the gym--for relief. So let the good times roll, along with our stomachs.
In truth, bellies are usually the body’s biggest problem area for both men and women, the one that causes more self-consciousness than any other. Men complain that their love handles just won’t go away, while women moan about looking poochy as the years advance, especially after bearing children.
No surprise. There are more snake-oil gimmicks relating to the stomach than any other body part. Remember those vibrating belts that were supposed to jiggle away the wiggle? Or how about rubberized suits, and creams that make the inches disappear while you sleep?
Even the Ab Roller, which is a pretty darned good product, owes its wild success to people’s quest for a flat belly. While it can, if used properly, help develop your abdominals, no product has the power to eliminate that flab around your middle. No matter what you may have heard or read, there’s no such thing as spot-reducing, whether you’re aiming at the waist or thighs. Only diet and overall exercise work.
Why? Because fat is fat is fat. Wherever it’s located. You can do a jillion sit-ups (which are what you’re doing when you use the Ab Roller) and still not lose an inch off your middle. While your abs will undoubtedly be stronger for all the effort, they’ll still be hidden beneath that layer of softness unless you drop the weight. And that, of course, requires lowering your caloric intake and increasing your calorie-burning activities.
To distinguish between the muscle that you want to build and the fat that you want to burn off, sit in a chair and suck your stomach in as much as you can. The muscle is what feels uncomfortably tight; the fat is what doesn’t.
Believe me, if I could wave a magic wand over your stomach to make it flat, I would. Even so, I do know some quick tricks to making your stomach appear flatter than it is. The first is to improve your posture. Standing up--or sitting up--straighter can make you look 5 pounds thinner.
Second, wear clothes that accentuate your shoulders. Think of those muscle-bound body builders whose waists look so tiny. True, they don’t have any fat obscuring their washboard abs. But the contrast between their waist and their incredibly developed shoulders makes the waist look that much smaller. (By the way, one reason these guys have so little body fat is weight training. Since muscle requires more energy than fat, a muscled body burns more calories even at rest than a fatter body. More about that in a future column.)
Third, move your bowels regularly. For women especially, constipation or simple irregularity will distend the belly. (It also has other, more serious consequences.) If necessary, increase your liquid intake and add fruits, vegetables and fiber to your diet.
Of course, none of these simple tricks can take the place of proper diet and exercise if you’re serious about actually having a smaller belly. If you’re not serious, there’s always the Easy-Fit Waistband Stretcher.
Copyright 1998 by Kathy Smith
* Kathy Smith’s column appears every Monday in Health. Reader questions are welcome and can be sent to Kathy Smith, Health, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. If your question is selected, you will receive a copy of her book “Getting Better All the Time.” Please include your name, address and a daytime phone number with your question.
