Flat Gut After 50: 8-Week Checklist Workbook

Based on Flat Gut After 50

A simple 8-week guided checklist to help readers improve posture, breathing, abdominal strength, food habits, and consistency.

Page 1: How to Use This Workbook

  1. Complete your baseline before starting Week 1.
  2. Use the daily checkboxes to track consistency.
  3. Record your weekly wins, measurements, and notes.
  4. Focus on progress, not perfection.
  5. Repeat affirmations and use visualization to reinforce new habits.

Baseline Assessment

Starting Date: ____________________

  1. Waist Measurement: ____________________
  2. Hip Measurement: ____________________
  3. Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR): ____________________
  4. Starting Number of Crunches: ____________________
  5. Current Activity Level: ____________________
  6. Current Eating Patterns: ____________________
  7. Current Sleep Average: ____________________
  8. Current Energy Level (1–10): ____________________
  9. Current Posture Notes: ____________________
  10. Main Goal for the Next 8 Weeks: ____________________

Weekly Core Habits

Check these off throughout the program:

  • Practice proper breathing daily
  • Train abdominals with control and exhalation
  • Improve posture awareness
  • Add walking, jogging, or sprint intervals as able
  • Limit sugar, white flour, and highly processed foods
  • Journal progress
  • Use visualization or affirmations daily
  • Sleep with consistency

Page 2: Weeks 1–2 Foundation Phase

Week 1: Reset and Awareness

This Week’s Focus

  1. Measure your baseline.
  2. Learn proper breathing.
  3. Begin posture correction.
  4. Start gentle abdominal activation.
  5. Track food and sleep.

Week 1 Checklist

  • Measured waist and hips
  • Calculated WHR
  • Recorded starting crunch number
  • Took front and side progress photos
  • Practiced deep exhalation 3 times per day
  • Practiced lip-pressed exhalation
  • Checked posture against a wall
  • Performed torso raises 2–3 times this week
  • Performed beginner crunches 2–3 times this week
  • Performed lunges after abdominal work
  • Walked at least 3 times this week
  • Reduced sugar intake
  • Reduced white flour intake
  • Wrote in journal at least 3 days
  • Repeated affirmation daily

Daily Habit Tracker

Habit Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Breathing practice [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Posture check [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Core work [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Smart eating [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Journal entry [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

Week 1 Notes

Biggest win: ____________________________________________

Main challenge: _________________________________________

Adjustment for next week: _________________________________

Week 2: Build the Routine

This Week’s Focus

  1. Make healthy actions automatic.
  2. Connect exercise to daily routines.
  3. Continue breathing and posture work.
  4. Increase abdominal consistency.

Week 2 Checklist

  • Linked one new habit to an existing routine
  • Practiced complete breathing this week
  • Performed torso raises 3 times this week
  • Performed crunches 3 times this week
  • Tried seated crunch or isometric crunch during the day
  • Performed lunges after abdominal exercises
  • Walked or jogged 3–4 times this week
  • Delayed one unhealthy craving before giving in
  • Ate more high-fiber or high-protein foods
  • Reduced sugary snacks
  • Reduced refined flour foods
  • Used visualization at least 3 times this week
  • Journaled food, movement, and sleep

Week 2 Notes

Energy level this week (1–10): ____________________

Best habit I established: ________________________________

What I need to improve: _________________________________

Page 3: Weeks 3–4 Strength + Control

Week 3: Strengthen the Midsection

This Week’s Focus

  1. Improve abdominal control.
  2. Match breathing with movement.
  3. Add oblique training.
  4. Continue consistency over intensity.

Week 3 Checklist

  • Exhaled on every abdominal contraction
  • Performed crunches with control
  • Avoided resting between repetitions
  • Kept chin and neck aligned during crunches
  • Added leg-overs this week
  • Performed reverse crunches this week
  • Continued torso raises
  • Continued lunges for hip flexor stretch and pelvic alignment
  • Walked, jogged, or moved 4 times this week
  • Avoided bingeing on sweets
  • Chose whole foods over processed foods
  • Journaled at least 4 days

Week 3 Notes

What feels stronger: _____________________________________

What still feels difficult: _________________________________

Week 4: Posture, Pelvis, and Movement

This Week’s Focus

  1. Improve alignment.
  2. Reduce the “pot-belly” look caused by poor posture.
  3. Keep the hips mobile and lower back strong.
  4. Increase awareness during sitting and standing.

Week 4 Checklist

  • Practiced wall posture check 3 or more times
  • Noticed slouching and corrected it during the day
  • Performed torso raises 3 times this week
  • Performed lunges 3 times this week
  • Performed crunches and reverse crunches 2–3 times this week
  • Added leg-overs for obliques
  • Took movement breaks during long sitting periods
  • Walked or jogged 4 times this week
  • Improved breathing during exercise
  • Limited white sugar
  • Limited white flour
  • Recorded sleep patterns
  • Repeated a positive affirmation daily

Midpoint Check-In

  1. Current Waist Measurement: ____________________
  2. Current Hip Measurement: ____________________
  3. Current WHR: ____________________
  4. Current Crunch Number: ____________________
  5. Energy Level (1–10): ____________________
  6. Posture Improvement Noticed: ____________________

Page 4: Weeks 5–6 Momentum Phase

Week 5: Conditioning and Endurance

This Week’s Focus

  1. Increase stamina.
  2. Add more purposeful cardio.
  3. Keep abdominal work strong and controlled.

Week 5 Checklist

  • Walked or jogged at least 4 times this week
  • Tried one interval session
  • Used proper recovery between harder efforts
  • Performed crunches 3 times this week
  • Performed reverse crunches 2–3 times this week
  • Performed leg-overs 2–3 times this week
  • Continued torso raises
  • Continued lunges after core work
  • Focused on calm breathing instead of gasping
  • Ate regularly to support energy
  • Avoided emotional sugar eating when possible
  • Wrote down workouts and food choices

Week 5 Notes

What improved most this week: ____________________________

How my breathing felt during exercise: _____________________

Week 6: Break Bad Habits

This Week’s Focus

  1. Delay gratification.
  2. Reduce junk food access.
  3. Make better eating automatic.
  4. Reinforce discipline.

Week 6 Checklist

  • Removed or reduced junk food at home
  • Delayed at least 3 cravings this week
  • Slowed down while eating
  • Put utensils down between bites
  • Chose whole foods before sweets
  • Ate fruit or high-fiber foods instead of sugary snacks
  • Avoided or reduced white flour foods
  • Stayed aware of stress eating triggers
  • Continued core training 3 times this week
  • Continued movement/cardio 4 times this week
  • Journaled patterns in food, energy, and sleep
  • Used visualization daily

Week 6 Reflection

My top trigger for poor eating is: _________________________

My best strategy to overcome it is: ________________________

Page 5: Weeks 7–8 Finish Strong

Week 7: Focus, Mindset, and Consistency

This Week’s Focus

  1. Strengthen mental discipline.
  2. Use affirmations and visualization intentionally.
  3. Keep daily habits consistent.

Week 7 Checklist

  • Visualized my goal body or outcome daily
  • Repeated affirmations daily
  • Kept my self-talk positive
  • Journaled at least 4 days
  • Completed 3 core sessions this week
  • Completed 4 movement sessions this week
  • Practiced breathing daily
  • Checked posture daily
  • Ate in line with my goals most of the week
  • Noticed progress in energy, strength, or waistline

Suggested Affirmations

  • I am stronger every day.
  • I eat what is best for me.
  • I am good to my body and my body is good to me.
  • I follow through on my goals.

Week 7 Notes

The mindset shift helping me most is: ______________________

Week 8: Completion and Review

This Week’s Focus

  1. Finish strong.
  2. Re-test your baseline.
  3. Create your next-step plan.

Week 8 Checklist

  • Measured waist
  • Measured hips
  • Calculated final WHR
  • Re-tested crunch number
  • Reviewed journal entries
  • Compared start and finish photos
  • Noted eating improvements
  • Noted posture improvements
  • Noted breathing improvements
  • Completed 3 core sessions this week
  • Completed 4 movement sessions this week
  • Wrote a plan for the next 4 weeks
  • Celebrated progress

Final Results

  1. Final Waist Measurement: ____________________
  2. Final Hip Measurement: ____________________
  3. Final WHR: ____________________
  4. Final Crunch Number: ____________________
  5. Energy Level Now (1–10): ____________________
  6. Best Physical Improvement: ____________________
  7. Best Habit Improvement: ____________________
  8. What I Will Continue: ____________________

Page 6: Progress Summary + Journal Page

8-Week Progress Summary

Compare Your Start and Finish

Measure Start Finish
Waist __________ __________
Hips __________ __________
WHR __________ __________
Crunches __________ __________
Sleep __________ __________
Energy __________ __________

What Changed in 8 Weeks?

  1. Posture: ______________________________________________
  2. Breathing: ____________________________________________
  3. Strength: _____________________________________________
  4. Eating habits: ________________________________________
  5. Confidence: ___________________________________________
  6. Consistency: __________________________________________

Ongoing Weekly Maintenance Checklist

  • Practice breathing daily
  • Train core 2–3 times weekly
  • Walk, jog, or sprint regularly
  • Stretch hip flexors and improve posture
  • Limit sugar and white flour
  • Journal weekly
  • Use affirmations and visualization
  • Recheck measurements every 2–4 weeks

Free-Write Journal Space

This program taught me:

My next goal is:

Commitment statement:

I commit to continuing my Flat Gut After 50 habits by:

 

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