If you ask most women where their trouble spot is, chances are you'll hear one word: stomach. For many, it's the one area that shows excess weight the quickest, and it's the last place to lose fat - but there are a few effective tips to toning up the muscle and melting away fat in a matter of weeks. Sure, you won't have a six-pack in a week, but regular exercise and calorie control will show improvements in a relatively short amount of time if you stick with it.
Unfortunately, there are no magic diet pills to take (sorry, television infomercials!) to give you flat abs, but they certainly are attainable! Here are a few ways to start toning and reducing fat now:
Use a Stability Ball - This large, inflatable ball makes all the difference when it comes to otherwise boring crunches. Since you have to balance on the ball as you exercise, you actually engage all of your abdominal muscles at once for an effective workout.
Work on Oblique's - Many of us just do crunches to tone abs, but we forget about our oblique muscles. Toning these create definition in the abs and trims the waistline. One effective exercise is starting out with a traditional crunch posture, but dropping the knees to either side of the body as you engage the abs in a crunch.
Don't Forget the Cardio - When we want toned abs, we often forget an important factor - cardio! Cardio melts fat from the entire body, revealing long-hidden ab muscles. Simply doing crunches or other ab workout routines alone won't be very effective, because essentially you are toning the existing muscle that's hidden below the fat. Do cardio activities, such as walking, biking or even dancing, weekly to kick up weight loss and melt fat from the abdomen.
Walk the Plank - While this exercise might look easy, it takes some stamina and tones all of the stomach muscles. Start out in a push up-like position, up on the toes and supporting your weight under the arms. Lower your forearms so they rest on the floor and hold the position for as long as you can. Don't worry if it's only 10 seconds at first - build up over time until you can do it for two or three minutes.
The abdomen is one trouble spot for women, but these effective exercises will help tone and define ab muscles. Complete the exercises daily in addition to eating right and engaging in cardiovascular activity for results in a short period of time.
Slack in the kitchen without compromising your diet
