Guest Author - Carolyn Chambers Clark, ARNP, EdD

Want to flatten your abs? Try the exercises that follow the exercises that follow every day for a few weeks. You'll see a difference!

Warm-up stretch for Pilates abdominal exercises

Sit on the floor, left leg straight out to the side, right leg bent in toward your crotch. Take a deep breath and lift your right arm straight up and over your head toward your left leg. Keep your back straight and keep breathing. Lift through the chest, not the neck. Hold, then sit down and repeat on the other side, right leg straight out to the side and left leg bent in toward your crotch. Keep breathing.

Lean on right knee, left leg stretched straight out, right hand at shoulder level, holding you up. Reach your left arm over the head, fingertips reaching out so your body is in a straight line. Elongate the whole body. Stretch your fingertips and stretch all down the side of your body to your toes. Slowly come back down and switch legs, stretching along the right side of your body. Keep breathing. Smile, relax and stretch.

Pilates exercises to tone and trim the waist and tummy

*Lie on your back, knees bent, reach forward past your knees with your hands. Do little pulses, keeping your head and shoulders off the floor. Remember to breathe throughout.

*Lift your legs straight up so your body forms an L while you're lying on the floor. Lift your legs and buttocks off the floor. This works the area below the belly button. For a harder work out, put your arms under your head. Remember to breathe throughout.

*Bend your knees. Left arm down to your side, right arm bent and holding the back of your head. Bend your body to the left, toward the arm lying flat on the floor, feeling your body twist, feel it in your oblique muscles of your abdomen. Work up to 15. Repeat using the left arm and twisting to the right.

*Legs up in the air, shoulder blades and head off the floor, bring one leg down while the other is going up and keep alternating legs. For a more intense workout, hold your hands out toward your knees. Feel it working the legs and the tummy at the same time.

*Bring one knee into your chest and then the other; grab your knee with your hands and pull a little closer. Pull the other knee closer. Keep alternating one knee and then the other to the chest. Keep head and shoulders off the floor. Pull in your belly button.

*For a harder workout, sit up and bring knees to your chest. Keep them together and bring your knees out to the right as you straighten your legs. Now bend your knees, keeping them together and straighten them out to the left side. Alternate, right, left and work up to 15. A little easier wworkout is to put your feet on the floor and bend right to left, putting the weight first on your left hand and then on your right hand.

Cool-down stretch after Pilates abdominal exercises
Repeat warm-up exercises above.

This article is for information purposes only. Consult with your health care provider about starting an exercise program.

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