Heredity, hormones, childbirth and weight gain are all contributing factors in the development of lower abdominal belly fat. Belly fat below the belly button is often the last to go and the hardest to get rid of. Exercises that target the lower abdominals strengthen and tone the muscles, giving your belly a flatter appearance. Following a diet that is low in saturated fats and doing cardiovascular exercise daily will help you get rid of the excess fat.
Front Plank
The front plank targets the lower abdominals while engaging the entire core and upper body. Begin this exercise prone on your mat, with your elbows next to your sides and your hands directly under your shoulders. Push up onto your elbows and knees--or, for a more advanced version, curl your toes under and push up onto your toes. Engage the entire core by pulling your belly button in toward your back and squeezing your butt muscles. Hold this position and count to 30, relax and release back to your starting position. It is important to maintain proper alignment during this exercise by keeping your shoulders away from your ears and your back straight. In the advanced full-body version, if you feel stress anywhere in your back, lower your level of intensity by staying on your knees and keeping your torso closer to the floor.
Core Circuit
This workout combines high-intensity cardiovascular exercise for fat-burning with targeted toning exercises for the abdominals. Begin this workout with a five- to eight-minute warm-up that brings your heart rate up gradually. The body of the core circuit is seven to eight abdominal exercises that you do consecutively, without stopping, in stations. Your stations should last one to two minutes each and should flow easily into each other. Crunches, to roll-downs, to oblique curls, to leg extensions, to plank holds, into hulas and bicycles make up a sequence of abdominal exercises that flow easily into each other. End this workout with a five- to eight-minute cool-down and an abdominal stretch.
The Hundred
This Pilates exercise engages the entire core, arms and legs. Start sitting upright with your shoulders over your hips and your knees bent with your feet on the floor. Roll your torso down one vertebra at a time until your shoulders are slightly off the ground. Extend your legs up toward the ceiling and then lower them until you feel your core engage. If you feel any stress in your lower back, your legs are too low; raise them back up toward the ceiling. In this position, extend your arms to your sides, palms down, and pump your arms an inch or two off the floor. Inhale for five pumps and exhale for five pumps for a full 10 breaths or 100 pumps.
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