Peggy Williams

A freak gust of wind hurtling you to the ground is every paraglider’s worst nightmare. But in May 2009, paragliding traveler Peggy Williams of the U.K. had a secret weapon. Williams dropped 20 feet from the air onto rocks in Andalusia, Spain, and spent eight days in an intensive care unit, plus almost three more weeks in the hospital. Though Williams suffered damages to her liver and pancreas, doctors said her rock-hard abs may have shielded her vital organs. “I was told later that it was my washboard stomach that saved my life,” Williams told the Telegraph. “More than one doctor has said that being so fit is what saved my life.” Well, know we all want to know this lucky lady’s life-saving fitness regime: “I do 15 sit-ups and 30 bicycle sit-ups, or lateral crunches, every day — it’s just a one-minute regime,” she explained. “I also run two or three times a week, and together that keeps me fit. The muscles acted like a girdle to protect me.” [Telegraph UK]