1. Crunches Aren't the Only Way
Strengthen your lower abdomen with an exercise called the bridge. Lie down on the floor, hands behind your head, bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips up and count to five. Move your hips back to the floor, rest and repeat. As you get stronger, lift your hips higher and maintain the lift position for a longer count. The plank exercise is another great way to tone your abdominal muscles. Lie face down on the floor, place your toes and forearms on the floor and lift your body off the ground. Tighten your abdominal muscles and hold this position for a count of five. Lift one foot off the ground and hold for a count of five. Repeat with the other foot, alternating legs 10 times.
2. Don't Neglect Your Back
For every exercise that you do to strengthen your lower abdominal muscles, you must do a corresponding exercise for your back muscles. A great exercise for the back is the wall squat. Stand with your back against a wall with your feet shoulder distance apart. Slide down the wall, moving your feet out until your upper thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold this position for a count of 10. Slide back up the wall and repeat 10 times.
3. It's All About the Posture
Holding your body in an erect posture strengthens all your abdominal and back muscles and has the added benefit of making you appear slimmer. To find what proper posture feels like, stand in front of a full length mirror in your normal posture. Then straighten up to your full height and roll your shoulders back so they are in line with your hips. Maintain this position as you walk, stand and sit. Be prepared to accept complements on how great you look.
4. Easy Exercises You Can Do Anywhere
Try this the next time you are waiting in line. Stand up straight, with your feet flat on the floor. Breathing normally, contract your lower abdominal muscles. Hold for a count of three and slowly release. Repeat as often as you like, throughout the day. While doing this exercise, your back should not move and your breathing should remain steady. For extra benefit, add Kegel exercises, which tone your inner pelvic muscles. Simply squeeze your pelvic muscles at the same time you are contracting your abdominal muscles. These exercises strengthen core muscles in your pelvis and reduce the belly below the belt line.
5. Quality Not Quantity
There is no need to risk injury and pain to improve your appearance and strengthen your abdominal muscles. When you are exercising, focus all your attention on the task at hand. Sloppy technique causes injuries and delays your progress. Feeling each muscle movement is actually very rewarding, as you will be able to quickly feel the muscle strength improving through your efforts.
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