5 Foods that help with flat abs

They say that abs are made in the kitchen. If you're working hard toward a six-pack, why not start stocking up on these foods today?

1. Plain or Greek yogurt: We all know that yogurt is good for us, but did you know it's also good for maintaining your flat abs? For a nice mid-section, nutritionist and owner of Essential Nutrition For You Rania Batayneh says to reach for the kind that's plain flavored or Greek. "The probiotic bacteria in most yogurts help keep your digestive system healthy, which translates into a lower incidence of gas, bloating, and constipation, which can keep your tummy looking flat."

2. Whole grains: Set aside the white bread and rice and swap them in for whole grains such as 100-percent whole wheat bread, lentils, and brown rice. "A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that a calorie-controlled diet rich in whole grains trimmed extra fat from the waistline of obese subjects," registered dietitian Erin Palinski says. "This may be due to the decreased insulin response to whole grains versus refined carbohydrates, making it easier to mobilize fat storage."

3. Cruciferous vegetables:
That means, broccoli, brussels sprouts, asparagus, peppers, and yellow beans, which contain vitamins A, C, and K, as well as folate, beta-carotene, calcium, magnesium, and fiber, Batayneh says.








4. Monounsaturated fats: New research indicates that a diet high in monounsaturated fats like olive oil can help us lose some of that belly fat, even without changing calorie intake or adding in additional exercise, Palinski says.

5. Vinegar: A Japanese study found that the substance that gives vinegar its sour taste and strong odor might fight fat. "The study found that in overweight individuals who consumed 1 or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily for 12 weeks had significantly lower body weight, BMI, visceral (belly) fat, and waist circumference than the control group that didn't consume any vinegar," Palinski says. "Researchers feel this may be due to vinegar's acetic acid, which may switch on genes that pump out proteins that break down fat."
SOURCE: YAHOO.COM

A Flat Stomach is Best for Your Heart and Brain

Two new studies confirm that the 50% of Americans who are overweight in midlife need to get serious about solving their metabolic problems. One study links the extra weight to an increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s. The other study links a fat stomach to double the risk of death from coronary artery disease. Neither study is good news for an American public with rapidly expanding waistlines.

The dementia study utilized data from the Swedish Twin Registry, evaluating 8,534 twin individuals over the age of 65, comparing their current issues with dementia/Alzheimer’s to their weight at age 43. Individuals who were overweight mid-life had a 71% increased risk for dementia and those who were obese had an 88% increased risk. The researchers concluded that “Both overweight and obesity at midlife independently increase the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and vascular dementia.”

In another study researchers at the Rochester Mayo Clinic found that in individuals with coronary artery disease even a small amount of abdominal fat increased their risk of death by 70%. The findings were interesting because they involved a large number of people from different areas of the world and differentiated between BMI Body Mass Index. BMI is a statistical measurement of body weight based on the person's height and weight. It does not actually measure the body fat percentage but provides an estimation of a healthy body weight. Normal BMI for adults ranges from 18.5-24.9 and central obesity (the expanding waistline). In essence, the study is saying that any extra abdominal fat is bad for your health. If you should develop coronary artery disease and have this type of fat, your chance of survival is significantly reduced.

Being overweight is an inflammatory problem that has consequences over time. Weight gain in the abdominal area is predictive of the most inflammatory type of weight gain and also correlates to developing a fatty liver. This issue is significant and should not be ignored by anyone who wants to be healthy in older age.

SOURCE: MEDICAL NEWS TODAY

Weight Loss Causes Dramatic Immune System Improvement

It is very clear that extra pounds are an inflammatory burden to your body that accelerates aging in multiple ways. Not only are there immune cells within your white adipose tissue getting all bent out of shape, the problem is spreading all around your body. A new study shows that obese people in poor metabolic condition who lose 15 pounds can drastically improve their immune system function simply by getting in a constant trend of weight loss.

This means that you don’t have to lose all of your weight before you get health benefits that slow the onset of poor health and accelerated aging. It is important for any overweight person not to get discouraged but to do what it takes to actually get in the process of weight loss. When your body gets into a mode that is actually shedding pounds then you have created an internal environment wherein your immune system begins to function remarkably better.

We know that if you can then maintain that trend as you reach your goal weight that health problems associated with obesity are minimized. On the other hand, if you hit a plateau and don’t progress or worse, you start to regain weight, then all the immune system problems start coming back again.

It was very obvious with the last round of swine flu that overweight, especially obese people, got the worst cases of the flu – a clear example of how obesity interferes with healthy immunity.

The really good news is that you can make a lot of health improvements long before you lose all of the weight you may need to lose. All you have to do is make an effort to get started and then consistently keep going.

2 Killer Moves for a Flat Tummy

A toned stomach is like an amazing Chanel bag. It looks good, feels great and takes a ton of work to get it. Some of us were born with it, and some of us spend our whole lives vying for it. Plus, it's sexy.We can't give you tips on buying a Chanel bag (other than save, save save!) but we can tell you the killer moves to get your stomach into shape. Just keep in mind that these exercises alone won't do it. Click here for fat-burning cardio ideas and metabolism-boosters."A toned core will help your body age well in the decades to come, so it's crucial to build a strong one early on," says Valerie Orsoni, founder of LeBootCamp.com. "Also," adds Geralyn Coopersmith, senior national manager at Equinox Fitness Training Institute, "developing a fit core early in life sets you up for amazing posture and a pain-free lower back." (See: 4 Weeks to a Better Body)

Killer Move: The PlankGoal: To condition your entire coreFrequency: Four times a weekDirections:- Get into a push-up position with your forearms on the floor.- Lift your legs and torso up off the ground so that only your toes and the flats of your forearms remain on the floor.- Keeping your back neutral and your belly button pulled in, hold this position for 20-60 seconds.- Repeat for 3-5 sets.(See: 45 BEST Body Secrets)

Killer Move: Butterfly ’Goal: To work your deep abs while getting a flat, sexy stomachFrequency: Four times a weekDirections:- Sit comfortably on a gym mat or carpet with your legs crossed. Using your arms to support you, slowly lie back until your body is flat, keeping your legs crossed.- Place your hands under the nape of your neck for support. Inhale through your nose, and raise your chest a few inches off the floor while exhaling through your mouth. Your chest should be moving up toward the ceiling, not bending forward to your knees. This should be a smooth, controlled motion.- Repeat 25 times, and as you progress, move up to 50 times.- Tip: Do not push your head with your hands as this puts you at risk of injuring your neck. The purpose of your hands is to keep your head in alignment with your back and shoulders. You don't want to curve your back.

SOURCE: shine.yahoo.com

Appetite Suppressed By 'Starving' Fat

Peptides that target blood vessels in fat and cause them to go into programmed cell death (termed apoptosis) could become a model for future weight-loss therapies, say University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers.

A research team led by Randy Seeley, PhD, of UC's Metabolic Diseases Institute, has found that obese animal models treated with proapoptotic peptide experienced decreased food intake and significant fat loss. The study was published online ahead of print Jan. 26, 2010, in Diabetes, the official journal of the American Diabetes Association.

White adipose (fat) tissue is vascularized, much like a tumor, and growth of fat tissue is highly dependent on the tissue's ability to build new blood vessels - a phenomenon called angiogenesis. Inhibiting adipose angiogenesis - essentially "starving" fat tissue - can reverse the effects of a high-fat diet in mice and rats, says Seeley. "The body is extremely efficient at controlling energy balance," says Seeley, a professor in UC's internal medicine department and recipient of the 2009 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award from the American Diabetes Association. "Think of fat tissue like a bathtub," he says. "To keep the amount of water the same, you have to make sure that the speed of the water coming in and the water going out match. If the water is coming in faster than the water is going out, eventually you have to build a bigger bathtub. "Obesity is the same. People who eat more calories than they burn have to build a bigger fat tissue 'bathtub,' and building new blood vessels is crucial to building this bigger bathtub. For each additional pound of fat tissue, you need to build a mile of blood vessels.

"What we found is that if we can target these fat tissue blood vessels, animals eat less and lose weight as their 'bathtubs' get smaller." Seeley and his team treated lean and obese mice and rats with the proapoptotic peptide for periods of four or 27 days. They measured energy intake and expenditure daily in all animals - some on low-fat diets, others on high-fat diets. The team found that the peptide completely reversed high-fat-diet-induced obesity in already obese mice and also reduced body weight in the mice and rats placed on high-fat diets. No changes were recorded in animals on low-fat diets. Seeley's team found that fat loss was occurring without major changes to energy expenditure, but with reduced food intake. The authors noted that there were no signs of illness with this treatment and results were independent of the actions of the appetite-controlling hormone leptin.

"These experiments indicate that there is a novel system that informs our brains about the size of our fat tissue 'bathtubs' and can influence how much we eat," says Seeley. "The findings highlight the ability to provide new therapeutic strategies for obesity based on these dynamics of blood vessels in our fat tissue." The next step, Seeley says, is to figure out the important signals that come from fat that cause the weight loss.

This study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Co-authors include Dong-Hoon Kim, PhD, and Stephen Woods, PhD, both of the University of Cincinnati.

Source: Dama KimmonUniversity of Cincinnati Academic Health Center

Sticking To Diets Is About More Than Willpower, New Research Finds That Complexity Matters

Many people think the success of dieting, seemingly a national obsession following the excesses and resolutions of the holiday season, depends mostly on how hard one tries - on willpower and dedication.

While this does matter, new research has found that a much more subtle aspect of the diets themselves can also have a big influence on the pounds shed - namely, the perceived complexity of a diet plan's rules and requirements.

Cognitive scientists from Indiana University and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin compared the dieting behavior of women following two radically different diet plans and found that the more complicated people thought their diet plan was, the sooner they were likely to drop it. "For people on a more complex diet that involves keeping track of quantities and items eaten, their subjective impression of the difficulty of the diet can lead them to give up on it," reported Peter Todd, professor in IU's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Jutta Mata, now a professor of psychology at Stanford University, said this effect holds even after controlling for the influence of important social-cognitive factors including self-efficacy, the belief that one is capable of achieving a goal like sticking to a diet regimen to control one's weight. "Even if you believe you can succeed, thinking that the diet is cognitively complex can undermine your efforts," she said.

Dieting is not all in one's head -- environment matters, too, the professors say. The physical environment has to be set up properly, such as putting snack foods out of sight to avoid mindless eating. But the cognitive environment, they say, must also be appropriately constructed, by choosing diet rules that that one finds easy to remember and follow.
For people interested in following a diet plan, Mata suggests they take a look at several diet plans with an eye toward how many rules the plans have and how many things need to be how many things need to be kept in mind. "If they decide to go with a more complex diet, which could be more attractive for instance if it allows more flexibility, they should evaluate how difficult they find doing the calculations and monitoring their consumption," she said. "If they find it very difficult, the likelihood that they will prematurely give up the diet is higher and they should try to find a different plan."

About the study:
The study examined both the objective and subjective complexity of two diet plans. Brigitte, the cognitively simpler of the two, is a popular German recipe diet that provides shopping lists for the dieters, thus requiring participants to simply follow the provided meal plan.
Weight Watchers assigns point values to every food and instructs participants to eat only a certain number of points per day. The 390 women involved were recruited from German-language Internet chat rooms dealing with weight management and were already in the midst of using one of the two diet plans. They answered questionnaires at the beginning, mid-point and end of an eight-week period.

While losing weight initially isn't rocket science, keeping it off remains a challenge to dieters. It generally is believed that the longer people can adhere to their diet plan, the more successful they will be long-term with their weight loss maintenance. And the more like rocket science one's diet plan feels, Todd and Mata report, the less likely that long-term adherence and maintenance is to succeed.

SOURCE: MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM

UPPING FIBRE INTAKE COULD HELP DEFEAT BELLY FAT

Eating just a little bit more fiber could have a big impact in trimming the waistlines of America's young people, new research shows.

Latino adolescents and teens who increased their fiber intake over a two-year period had significant decreases in the amount of fat around their waists, while young people whose fiber intake fell saw their bellies expand, Dr. Jaimie N. Davis of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and her colleagues found.
Davis and her team were looking at belly fat, which is the most dangerous type of body fat. Fatter waistlines increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
The investigators had 85 overweight boys and girls 11 to 17 years old fill out a questionnaire on their eating habits, and then report on their diet again two years later. At this stage of life, Davis noted in an interview, the diets of some young people tend to get worse.
Fiber intake fell by 3 grams per 1,000 calories consumed, on average, for 46 of the study participants, while it increased by the same average amount for the remaining 35.
Belly fat increased 21 percent for the study participants who were eating less fiber, but the young people who upped their fiber intake had a 4 percent reduction in belly fat.
The study findings appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
"Even slight decreases in dietary fiber are having a pretty significant metabolic impact," Davis noted in an interview. The recommended fiber intake for young people, she added, is 14 grams per 1,000 calories consumed, or about 25 to 30 grams daily.
Based on the current findings, Davis noted, increasing fiber intake by six grams a day -- the amount found in half a cup of beans or a single whole-wheat tortilla -- could have a significant impact on young people's belly fat. "That's not an unrealistic goal for kids to set," she said.
People of any age who want to boost their fiber intake need to take a careful look at food labels, Davis added. "Just because it says 'whole wheat' or 'multigrain' doesn't mean it's a good source of fiber," she explained. "People think if it's brown, if it's wheat, it's good, but not necessarily."
Instead, she advised, people should check the Nutrition Facts label to see how many grams of fiber per serving the food actually contains.
Davis said she wasn't sure that the results of her study would apply to young people from other ethnic backgrounds, given that Latino individuals may be more likely to carry fat around their waistlines than white or black people.
"I do believe that increasing fiber in all cultures would have an impact, it just might have a different impact," she said.
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 2009.

How To Lose Weight

Despite the way it feels, losing weight isn't a mysterious process. It's a simple matter of burning more calories than you eat. But, if it were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem, would we?

Weight loss can be such a struggle that we start thinking we have to do something drastic to see results -- diets, pills or those weird fitness gadgets on infomercials that promise instant success. The true secret to weight loss is this: Make small changes each and every day and you'll slowly (but surely) lose those extra pounds. The key is to forget about instant results and settle in for the long run.

Rules of Weight Loss
To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories and you certainly wouldn't want to try to burn 3500 calories in one day. However, by taking it step-by-step, you can determine just what you need to do each day to burn or cut out those extra calories. Below is a step by step process for getting started.

1. Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is what your body needs to maintain normal functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you go along.

2. Calculate your activity level. Use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day. It helps to keep a daily activity journal or you could even wear a heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned.

3. Keep track of how many calories you eat. You can use a site like Calorie Count or use a food journal to write down what you eat and drink each day. Be as accurate as possible, measuring when you need to or looking up nutritional information for restaurants, if you eat out.

4. Add it up. Take your BMR number, add your activity calories and then subtract your food calories from that total. If you're eating more than you're burning, (your BMR + activity is 2000 and you're eating 2400 calories) you'll gain weight. If you're burning more than you eat, you'll lose weight.
Example:
Mary's BMR is 1400 calories and she burns 900 calories in daily activity with regular exercise, walking around and doing household chores. To maintain her weight, she should be eating 2300 calories but, after keeping a food journal, Mary finds that she's eating 2550 calories every day. By eating 250 more calories than her body needs, Mary will gain one pound every 2 weeks.

This example shows how easy it is to gain weight without even knowing it. However, it's also easy to lose weight, even if the process itself can be slow. You can start by making small changes in your diet and activity levels and immediately start burning more calories than you're eating. If you can find a way to burn an extra 200 to 500 calories each day with both exercise and diet, you're on the right track. Try these ideas:

Instead of...
Do this...
An afternoon Coke
Drink a glass of water. (calories saved: 97)
An Egg McMuffin
Eat a small whole wheat bagel +1 Tbsp of peanut butter (calories saved: 185)
Using your break eat sweets
Walk up and down a flight of stairs for 10 minutes (calories burned: 100)
Hitting the snooze button
Get up 10 minutes early and go for a brisk walk (calories burned: 100)
Watching TV after work
Do 10 minutes of yoga (calories burned: 50)
Total Calories Saved: 532 (based on a 140-pound person)

How Much Exercise Do I Need?
Exercise is an important weight loss tool, but how much you need varies from person to person. The ACSM's weight loss guidelines suggest at least 250 minutes per week, which comes out to about 50 minutes, 5 days a week. If you're a beginner, start small (3 days a week for 20 to 30 minutes) to give your body time to adapt. Don't forget, things like walking, taking the stairs and household chores can burn more calories as well. Learn more about getting started with exercise.

Obesity: in statistics

People are getting fatter almost everywhere in the world.
The World Health Organization predicts there will be 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world by 2015 and more than 700 million of them will be obese.
Obesity is a modern problem - statistics for it did not even exist 50 years ago.

The increase of convenience foods, labour-saving devices, motorised transport and more sedentary jobs means people are getting fatter.
The body mass index (BMI) is the most commonly-used way of classifying overweight and obesity in adult populations and individuals.
BMI is defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters (kg/m2).
Each BMI figure is classified within a range, eg 18-25 is ideal and over 30 is reckoned to be obese.
According to a survey of bodyshapes conducted in the UK in 1951, a woman's average waist size was 70cm (27.5in). A 3-D survey carried out by SizeUK in 2004 found the average woman had a waist measurement of 86cm (34in) and a BMI of 24.4, just inside the ideal range.
There was no comparative data for men in 1951, but the SizeUK survey showed the average man in 2004 had a waist of 94cm (37in) and a BMI of 25.2, technically just outside the ideal range.
But obesity is not just a problem for adults - the spread of obesity among children is also alarming experts.
At least 20 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight globally in 2005, according to the WHO.
Measuring children, aged 5 to 14 years, who are overweight or obese is challenging because there is not a standard definition of childhood obesity applied worldwide. Figures for children in England are shown here.
Childhood obesity is a big problem in the United States.

The following graph shows the trend in a number of countries around the world.

Experts are worried that the increase in obesity will lead to more health problems as people who are overweight have a higher risk of heart disease, Type II diabetes and other diseases including some cancers.
As most data sources do not distinguish between Type I and II diabetes in adults, it is not possible to present the data separately. The map below shows the prevalence of diabetes throughout the world in 2007.
Even if the prevalence of obesity remains stable until 2030, the American Diabetes Association, says that the number of people with diabetes will more than double.
It says the increase may be "considerably higher" than this if, as expected, the prevalence of obesity continues to rise around the world.

Spot False Weight Loss Product Claims

You've seen them. Ads in magazines that say, "Eat all you want and still lose weight!" or signs on the side of the road that read, "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days. Ask me how!". While you may be tempted to believe these claims, no matter how much you want to lose weight (and how quickly you want it to happen), always go with your gut. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends that consumers take weight loss product advertisements and claims of effectiveness with a grain of salt. The FTC warns that advertisements promising results such as losing weight simply by taking a pill, wearing a patch, or using a cream are almost always false.
Before you purchase any weight loss products, talk to your doctor -- then be on the look-out for these false claims:
· "Lose weight without diet or exercise!"This is simply impossible. To lose weight, you must burn more (by exercising) or consume fewer calories than required to maintain your weight. A product that makes this claim is a scam; as the FTC says, "Buy one and the only thing you'll lose is money."
· "Lose weight no matter how much you eat of your favorite foods!"If only it were true. Eating all you want of any food can lead to weight gain, but it's especially questionable if a product suggests you can continue to eat fattening, high-sugar, high-calorie foods and still lose weight just because you're using their product.
· "Lose weight permanently! Never diet again!"Even if a weight loss product helps you take off a little more weight than diet and exercise alone, the moment you stop using it, the weight is almost guaranteed to start coming back. Successful, long-term weight loss depends on making permanent lifestyle changes -- nothing else works forever.
· "Block the absorption of fat, carbs, or calories!"While the OTC pill called Alli keeps a small amount of fat from being absorbed by your body, there are no weight loss products that totally keep your body from absorbing fat, carbs, or calories. For Alli to work, you have to follow a low-fat diet. Remember, Alli is the only FDA-approved pill of its kind. And no product will keep you from gaining weight while eating high-fat, high-calorie foods.
· "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!"Unless you've had gastric bypass surgery, losing a pound a day is impossible. Even it was, it would be extremely unhealthy. Losing weight rapidly -- more than about 1 or 2 pounds a week -- puts your health at risk and ensures that the weight will come back even sooner than it came off when you return to normal eating habits.
· "Everybody will lose weight!"Anyone who loses weight and keeps it off does what works for them. Everyone has their own unique exercise abilities, eating habits, and health concerns. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all weight loss product that is guaranteed to work for everyone.
· "Lose weight with our miracle diet patch or cream!"Pretty simple: There's absolutely no product you can put on your skin to cause you to lose weight.
So instead of investing your money in questionable products, invest your time and effort in a slow and steady 1 to 2 pound a week weight loss. The best way to do so is to eat fewer calories and increase your physical activity so you burn more energy. To lose about a pound a week, begin by cutting about 500 calories a day from your diet and becoming more active.

FLAT ABS WITHOUT SIT UPS

Everyone wants a tight, toned tummy but few of us were genetically gifted a six-pack. Fortunately, we all do have abs—they're just covered up! It's in your power to create a sexy, sculpted stomach, even if it's not in your genes. The secret? Core-focused, fat-blasting cardio blitzes coupled with muscle-defining strength sessions.
Optimally try to fit in five sweat sessions a week and cut 500 calories a day from your diet to shed about 2 pounds a week, including stubborn belly pudge! Can’t manage to find that much time? Fine! Think of doing half as many workouts while still eating 500 calories fewer a day-you'll lose at least 1 pound a week. Use these 20-, 40- and 60-minute firm-abs workouts to help you reach the magic number and melt away your middle. Add in two weekly strength sessions designed to reveal sexy muscles head to toe. Grab a pair of 5- to 10-pound weights, do two sets of these simple sculptors, and watch your pooch skooch!
MOVE 1:
Magic multitasker Stand with feet hip-width apart. Lunge forward with left leg as you reach right arm forward, left arm back. Return to standing, twisting torso to right as you drive right knee and left elbow toward chest, right arm extended back, for one rep. Do 10 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
MOVE 2:
Waist whittler Start in push-up position, legs together and extended behind you. Rotate and lower hips to left, letting feet shift so they’re stacked, then rotate back to center, then to right, for one rep. Do two sets of 10 reps.
MOVE 3:
Back strengthener Stand with feet staggered, left foot in front of right, right heel lifted, left knee slightly bent. Balancing on left leg, tilt torso forward until you feel a deep stretch in hamstrings, letting hands hang toward floor for balance. Return to upright position. Do 10 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
MOVE 4:
Squat supreme Stand with feet wider than hip-width apart, toes turned out; hold a weight in each hand in front of body, palms facing out. Rise onto balls of feet. Squat, then, staying on tiptoe throughout, stand, curling weights toward chest, for one rep. Do two sets of 10 reps.
MOVE 5:
Lower-body blast Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees soft, arms down. Step left foot back and to right, lowering into a curtsy lunge, until right thigh is almost parallel to floor, as you reach arms across body to right. Return to standing as you kick flexed left foot to left at hip height, reversing arms, for one rep. Do 10 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
MOVE 6:
Allover accentuator Start in push-up position. Lift hips to ceiling so body forms an inverted V with legs extended, heels raised and arms straight (Downward Dog). Bend elbows and scoop forward until hovering above floor with back arched and chin lifted (Upward Dog). Return to Downward Dog for one rep. Do two sets of 10 reps.
MOVE 7:
Tummy tamerLie faceup on bench with legs together and extended toward ceiling; hold bench for support. Contract abs and lower legs until hovering above bench, then raise legs and curl hips off bench as high as you can, reaching toes to ceiling. Slowly lower hips and legs for one rep. Do two sets of 10 reps.
MOVE 8:
Arm-flab fighter Sit on edge of bench, hands at front of seat, fingers forward, knees bent 90 degrees. Use arms to lift yourself off bench. Place right hand on right knee; extend left leg in line with hip. Lower body until left elbow is bent almost 90 degrees. Straighten left arm for one rep. Do 10 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
See the how-to for these moves at Self.com.
Get the full plan for flat abs in four weeks.
By Lucy Danziger