When you are trying to lose weight, you'll find that you are very tempted to take some time and work on those trouble spots, and one place that a lot of people, men and women both, like to think about and work on are their stomachs! Whether you're carrying a few extra pounds after the holidays, or that has always been a problem area for you, you'll find that there are a lot of great exercises to get you started.
While you should remember that you cannot simply slim down one area of your body and that weight loss needs to happen all over, you'll find that by toning the muscles in a certain area of your body can help give you a smoother silhouette and a more healthy look all around. Take a look at a few of these stomach exercises to get you started.
Hip Slides
Hip slides are a great way to trim down your waist while working your stomach, and in doing them, you'll find out what belly dancers have known for years: by working your hips and your stomach together, you'll find that you can have a great figure! In terms of stomach exercises, hip slides will help you work your abdominals and your obliques. To begin, stand with your feet about a shoulder's width apart. Pretend that there is a hole going through your hips, from one side to the other, as though you were a bead on a string. Slide your hips to the left and to the right, keeping them as parallel as possible while keeping your feet still. This is a great exercise for anyone and it encourages grace and smooth movement as well.
Cross-over crunches
We all know that crunches can help tone our abdominal muscles, but what about getting our obliques into it as well? Your obliques are often sadly neglected when it comes to stomach exercises, so take your time and work them in. Start to do a normal crunch, by lying on your back and tightening your stomach muscles, but instead of going straight up, lean you right elbow over to your left knee, and then repeat with the opposite. Take some time to really think about what you are doing and feel the stretch throughout your torso.
Pilates Ball
When you are thinking of a great way to get your stomach in shape, there is a good chance that you already know that you will need to work on strength as well. You'll find that you can both burn fat and build muscle by getting a Pilates ball. A Pilates ball is essentially a ball that you can use as an exercise aid. In terms of core strength and letting you work on your abdominals, many people are realizing that it is an excellent way to get moving. Start by balancing on all fours on top of the ball. You'll find that this is extremely hard to do if you have just started. Work on balance, and let the tightness of your stomach exercises help you through. Then you can kneel up on the ball, with your arms spread for balance, and this will still encourage your stomach exercises because it keeps your stomach tight.
Learning lots of good stomach exercises is a good way to start your workout, but remember not to let it end there!
Chloe Bailey is a contributing Editor for Body & Mind Health on Beauty Match Network.
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