A title like Flat Gut After 50 is bound to grab attention if you’re over 50 and despairing over that ballooned belly that makes you hate the way you look. Of course, that’s why I snatched it up…and in less than an hour, I not only learned a lot I didn’t yet know about exercise and nutrition, but zeroed in on why my years of yo-yo dieting, coupled with either doing too much or too little exercise have often left me losing motivation and deciding “to heck with it!” But what’s more important is the many ideas that author Douglas Setter suggested to help me stay on track and not give up: easy attitude adjustments, affirmations, journaling, giving myself immediate little rewards as opposed to long-term ones and so much more can make all the difference to feeling good about how you look.

As Setter points out, “to get somewhere, you must start somewhere.” The somewhere he kicks off his book with is determining your WHR. What’s that? The size of your waist in comparison to your hips spells the difference between healthy and attractive to the reverse. Ideally, we want that “hourglass figure.” I was amused by Setter’s observation that women tend to “over-train their lower bodies at the expense of their overall figures.” He states that: “Consequently, they end up with tight, flat backsides, tree trunk thighs and narrow upper bodies.” Oops! Utilizing lots of real-life photos, Setter points out how important body posture is and what exercises work well to flatten the abdomen. He dives into proper breathing exercises and addresses good eating habits based on whether we are fast, slow or mixed “burners.” He touches on healthy gut bacteria and the reasons for constipation, and he shares all this wonderful information in an easy, conversational style. Nothing in this book is too “heady” to read, and all of it is worth reviewing. Even if you feel you already think you know everything, you just might surprise yourself.

My final word on Flat Gut After 50? You don’t need to be over 50 to appreciate this book. As a matter of fact, the time to read it might be decades before that belly becomes a balloon. Why wait till your body is out of shape to try correcting a lifetime of bad eating and exercise habits? Pick up a copy today and start reading!

Flat Gut After 50: 5 Simple Stages to Functional Strength, Less Back Pain & a Trimmer Waist is a nonfiction health and fitness book written by Douglas Setter. Setter is a former paratrooper, champion kick boxer, marathon runner and personal trainer. It may seem an inevitable part of the aging process for most of us to start to get a little paunchy around the middle, but Setter offers reasons why that does happen and what motivated people can do to avoid that inevitability or get back in shape again. He discusses the realities of bone structure, body type and age, and shows how poor posture can seriously impact your health and appearance. He presents a number of simple fixes and exercises that can be done anywhere and without specialized equipment to get that flat gut back. Setter emphasizes the importance of proper breathing techniques and offers a number of ways to teach one’s body to fully and deeply breathe. He also includes a number of exercises, including the dreaded crunch, that can help just about anyone develop their own six-pack. He also provides tips on nutrition, digestion and motivation. Setter’s appendices include a Metabolic Type Test, Workout Journal and Behavior-Changing Contract.

Flat Gut After 50 is a refreshing change from the typical self-help fitness book. His knowledge of martial arts and yoga movements make his suggestions fresh and original, and his inclusion of photographs that show each movement properly executed makes following his recommendations fairly fool-proof. I especially appreciated the sections on breathing techniques, exercises you can do anywhere, even in an office chair, and nutrition. Setter uses an easy conversational writing style throughout his book that makes you feel like you’ve got your own personal trainer and coach working with you one-on-one, and his personal anecdotes heighten that impression. Flat Gut After 50 is most highly recommended.