Five Minute Exercises To Get Rid Of Love Handles

Whittling away your waist and losing your love handles may seem daunting. Weight reduction and strong, toned abdominal muscles require following a balanced low-fat diet and performing regular aerobic exercise. According to MayoClinic.com, targeted tummy exercises -- along with cardio -- can help enhance your abs and cinch your waistline. You can get a grip on your love handles by burning calories and performing exercises that take no longer than five minutes to complete.

Stability Ball Leg Roll

A love handle-free waistline depends heavily on building strong obliques, according to Jorge Cruise, fitness guru and author of "8 Minutes in the Morning to a Flat Belly." Cruise recommends performing the leg roll, noting that adding a stability ball to the exercise recruits more muscles to complete the same movements. Start by lying on an exercise mat on your back with your arms extended out to your sides, airplane style. Prop a stability ball between your ankles and lift your legs up toward the ceiling. Keeping both shoulder blades on the mat, exhale and slowly lower your legs to the right. Inhale as you return to the start position, then exhale and lower your legs to the left. Repeat the exercise five times.

Captain's Chair

The captain's chair also works your obliques and was rated the most effective abdominal exercise for obliques by the American Council on Exercise. Just five minutes a day can help diminish your love handles. Although typically executed on a piece of gym equipment bearing the same name, you can also perform a variation of the captain's chair by utilizing a stable wooden chair. Sit on the chair and plant your feet firmly on the floor. Grasp each side of the chair seat by placing your palms on the seat and curling your fingers around each edge. Maintaining a tall, straight spine, exhale as you slowly draw your knees up toward your chest. Hold for a count of three, then inhale and gradually lower your feet back to the floor. Perform 10 reps.

Twisting Crunch

Denise Austin, television fitness star and author of "Shrink Your Female Fat Zones," recommends the twisting crunch to create a flat stomach and slim waistline. Like the leg roll and captain's chair, the twisting crunch shrinks love handles by targeting your obliques. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Interlace your fingers behind your head, extending your elbows out to the sides. Exhale while lifting your right shoulder to your left knee, then inhale as you lower your shoulder. Repeat on your opposite side. Keep alternating sides unitl you complete 10 reps.

Kettlebell Pushup

Take your workout to the next level with the kettlebell pushup. According to a 2010 study published in "ACE FitnessMatters," kettlebell exercises add a calorie-burning cardio aspect by moving at a fast pace and involving muscles throughout your whole body. Begin by placing two kettlebells on the floor. Grab the handles and position your body into a pushup stance. Hold the handles vertically with your palms facing inward. Tighten your abdominal muscles, bend your elbows and slowly lower your body straight toward the floor. Slowly press your body back up to the starting position. Complete five repetitions.

Cardio Exercises

Cardio exercises burn fat and tone muscles. Just five minutes of jumping rope provides a high-level calorie burning workout. According to MayoClinic.com, interval training boosts the amount of calories burned to even higher levels. Jump at a fast pace for 30 seconds, then at a slower pace for 60 seconds. Continue the pattern for five minutes. Running up and down a flight of stairs or performing five minutes of jumping jacks can also jumpstart the elimination of love handles.