“He’s finally out of the way,” the paunchy guy with the white hair announced.

“What’s out of your way?” I asked. “Your attitudes?”

“Did not answer. “My intestine finally pushed away and now I can keep my leg straight and touch my foot.”

This was quite a breakthrough, considering the guy had trouble just seeing his feet, let alone touching them. We had been working hard to get that personal beer keg of his out. Although he was strong like a farmer, he had a great time with flexibility, any type of resistance and movement.

That is until he gained some control of his breathing.

I was often inhaling and exhaling at the wrong time and holding my breath and huffing and puffing like an old steam engine. We finally got him to exhale deeply while doing crunches. Then with Hindu squats. Then other exercises.

Part of the problem was that his belly was pressing against his lungs, especially when he was on his back. This crowding of his lungs made it difficult for him to breathe or concentrate on what he was doing. He joked about his “45 pound handicap”.

The trick was to make him breathe with a gut that suffocated him. As we tried different angles such as kneeling, prone, sideways, plank, and standing (yes, standing) and very, very focused on his breathing, he finally felt a “change” within his rib cage.

WHEN VERY OVERWEIGHT PEOPLE LAY ON THEIR BACKS, THEY HAVE DIFFICULTY BREATHING.

You see, many people’s stomachs swell from lack of exercise, slouching at a desk, eating junk, and drinking copious amounts of beer. There is not only a layer of (cutaneous) fat just under the skin of the belly, but also (visceral) fat between the internal organs. The weight of internal fat and a weak stomach wall allow the internal organs to sink below the rib cage. When the gut sinks, so does the person’s energy.

The problem with many fitness programs is that they try to flatten a bulging belly with a single “burn more calories” approach and lots of cardio. They almost always skip body alignment and essential breathing techniques. Thus, the pot-bellied client often has spindly arms and legs, lower back pain, and still has a large, protruding belly.

With the deep breathing technique, my client was able to touch the foot of his outstretched leg. His agility has also improved to the point that he can almost stand up from a sitting cross-legged position without the use of his hands. Instead of getting out of breath after exercising, he calmed his breathing in less than a minute.

He literally breathed his way into greater strength, flexibility, and a flatter stomach. The trick is to use full breathing with full (and I mean full) exhalations with your exercises.