Abs Will Keep You Safe from Harm

IN SCHOOL, YOU were taught the story of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow
and how, with one awkward misstep, the lumbering bovine
knocked over an oil lamp that started the Great Chicago Fire
and burned much of that toddlin’ town to the ground. That
tragedy happened at a time when most urban housing was still
built with wood. Today, such a disaster is unthinkable—and not
just because we don’t let cows into the living room anymore.
It’s unthinkable because the infrastructure of today’s cities is
10 T H E A B S D I E T
built with steel—steel that stands up to fire, to earthquakes, to
hurricanes.
Think of your midsection as your body’s infrastructure. You
don’t want a core made of dry, brittle wood or straw. You want one
made of solid steel, one that will give you a layer of protection that
belly fat never could.
Consider a U.S. Army study that linked powerful abdominal
muscles to injury prevention. After giving 120 artillery soldiers