1. Warm Your Abs
Before you begin any exercise, you need to get the muscles ready and warmed. This wonderful abdominal stretch gets you ready to work out. Get on your hands and knees, keeping both slightly wider than the shoulders. Walk your hands forward a few steps ahead of the shoulders and lower your stomach and thighs to the floor while you keep your elbows straight and support yourself on just your arms. As your hips push forward, you can feel the stretch in your back and abs. Keep your head erect and stretch the muscles. Pull in the stomach muscles and breathe slowly.
2. Do an Abdominal Stretch Like a Cat
Reverse your stretch. Push your buttocks and hips backward in the air as you go back to the original position. Arch your back like an angry cat and then push your buttocks backward to lower your head and arms to the floor. Keep your arms straight as you push backward, buttocks in the air and head a few inches from the floor. This stretches the muscles in the opposite direction. Pull in your abs as you do the stretch and breathe out slowly as your head drops to the floor.
3. Bicycle Crunch Your Way to Fitness
You now begin the bicycle crunch to flatten the tummy. Lie on your back and interlock your fingers behind the head. Put your feet on the floor and bend the knees, so that your legs resemble an upside down V. As you lift your shoulders and legs slightly off the floor, one leg should straighten and the other lift up, bent at the knee in a 90-degree angle. This position resembles the feet on the pedals of a bicycle. Pedal the bike in the air and, as you do, touch your alternate elbow to the bent knee.
4. Keep Your Head Up
Do not press the chin into the chest as you do this exercise, or lift your head with your hands. Instead, use the stomach muscles to lift your shoulders off the floor. Do not yank on the neck; the clasped hands are not for support. Keep the legs and shoulders off the floor throughout the entire exercise. You bicycle through the crunch. Exhale as you lift the body and breathe regularly as you bicycle.
5. Tone Your Stomach
This exercise is great to tone and flatten the stomach. It hits all the muscles. Add to it with a stretch at the end. Stand erect with the arms extended parallel to the floor. Keep them straight as you bend to the side, one arm in the air and the other straight to the floor. Straighten and bend the other direction. Repeat several times. Say goodbye to lying on the bed to zip the jeans; they'll fit great again soon.
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