Sculpt Your Core Muscles Exercises to trim your waist, flatten your belly and lose those love handles

A-main_Full.jpg

By Denise Austin , Denise Austin is the author of several books including Sculpt Your Body with Balls and Bands and the host of two Lifetime Television fitness programs.
Intro
If you look in the mirror and think, "Boy, my body needs a good dose of middle management," keep in mind that tummy flab could be the result of many things. First, simple lack of use allows your internal organs to press against your abdominal wall, creating a rounded appearance, even if you carry no extra fat in your abdomen.

Second, pregnancy and menopause also can weaken your midsection. As a baby grows in the womb, the surrounding abdominal muscles stretch outward. If you don't tighten up those muscles after delivery, your abs will remain loose and weak. Third, and probably least fair of all, some people are just genetically predisposed to store fat in their midsections.

To turn things around, however, you only need to spend about 12 minutes, 2 or 3 days a week, to whip your abdomen into shape. Here are some exercises that will help you to target specific core muscles:
http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/sculpt-your-core-muscles/f54d88dc7...

Your Upper and Lower Rectus AbdominisFibrous bands of tissue break up this large muscle that runs from your pubic bone to your ribs along the front center of your abdomen, creating the six-pack appearance. Though the rectus abdominis really is one large muscle, I like to think of it as two distinct ones--one below the navel and one above it--since you must perform one type of exercise to tone the upper area and another exercise to tone the lower section.
Article continues below...

AttachmentSize
A-main_Full.jpg15.53 KB