Flatten Your Belly

Are you cursing your midsection, looking for a way to whittle it down? Look no further. Nothing is as fast and effective — unfortunately — as those abdominal exercises we all know and hate.

While an abdominal workout will not selectively remove fat from this area (spot reduction doesn't work), firming and toning these muscles and improving your posture, in addition to cardio, can reduce waist size.

The basics
Everything from overeating to bad posture damages our abdominal muscles, giving them that un-toned appearance. Maintaining good posture will work wonders on its own.

Stand against a wall with your feet slightly apart. If you can feel a large gap between the small of your back and the wall, tip your pelvis up to make that gap smaller and you should automatically feel your abdominal muscles contract, holding your tummy in.

This is how you should stand all the time; it'll help your muscles re-learn how to work effectively.

How to strengthen
Let's be honest: Sit-ups and crunches can be boring, not to mention difficult. But there's no real way around them. Rather than moan and think up creative excuses to get out of them, schedule ab work into your day just as you would prioritize brushing your teeth.

You could do them all first thing in the morning or use events in the day as personal reminders (a session every time you enter the front door for instance).

Sit-ups
Lie on your back and with legs bent, feet flat on the floor, lift your head and roll your shoulders up and down in small but effective movements as many times as comfortably possible. Keep your chin tucked into your chest and use your stomach muscles, not your arms, to create the movement.

Crunches
Do a sit-up and stay there, head off the floor, chin tucked to chest. With very slight movements, move backward and forward.

Stomach and back
It's important to think about the lower back too because stomach and back muscles work together.

Lie on your stomach, hands at either side of your chest (as if you are going to do a push-up). With your back flat, push your upper body off the floor, with your hands and knees acting as support. Pull your belly button as close to the spine as possible and hold for 10-60 seconds. Repeat.

And now the fun starts...
If you're serious about getting that stomach flat for good but also want an all-round workout, try these exercises:

• Yoga and Pilates contain movements designed for the midsection and are a great way to de-stress
  
  
• Running and martial arts are high impact but very effective in burning calories and toning the torso
  
  
• Kick-boxing works your core when you focus on holding your stomach in while kicking and punching