LIFESTYLE: Abs for Women

Ok so every woman...well maybe not every, but most woman want a nice flat tummy. When summer rolls around that desire increases as the idea of bathing suit and beaches fill our minds. However, the idea of finding a good exercise to get that flat tummy can become overwhelming.

Run a quick search online and you'll see what I am talking about. Even magazines are
discuss different way woman can get abs. There are diets, exercises, body cleanses, and so much more.

Nowadays you can even cheat exercising by wearing an ab making device on your stomach that pulses the muscles for you while sitting on the sofa. Ya, it can be that easy.

Some methods of getting a flat stomach is through dieting from resisting certain foods you eat to calorie counting.

One method by Woman's Health Magazine recommends a three week specific menu diet. Each day has been calorie counted and required little cooking. This method takes into account people who have a busy schedule and perhaps have trouble eating healthy or eating foods that are suppose to help with belly fat.

Men's Health Magazine even has a recommendation for woman though it involved many more steps. They recommend eating six times a day, using a specific 12 foods in your main diet, drink smoothies, stop counting calories, watching what you drink, and once a week forget the rules and plan a cheat. They even recommend focusing on your diet for two weeks before starting any exercise. While they don't say what kind of exercises to do, they do explain what to focus on when exercising.

There are many dieting methods out there unfortunately you have to pick one that you think will work for your lifestyle and give it try. Don't be afraid of trial and error.

What kind of exercise should woman do to get a flat stomach and tight abs?

Fitness Magazine  recommends ten exercises for woman. Some might be harder to do then others. The abdominal hold is an exercise in which you sit in the edge of a chair then use your hands to lift your body and feet up into the air and hold it while tighten your stomach. The plank is where you position yourself in a push-up stance, tighten your stomach, and hold that position for 30 seconds and over time increase the time. Also there is the classic crunch. The climb up is actually a revised crunch. Lift one leg in an about 75 degree angle from the ground, put a scarf around your foot so you can a hand hold and use the scarf to lift your upper body into a crunch by climbing up the scarf with your hands.

Popsugar  suggests doing crunches while balanced on an exercise ball which works the upper abs. They also specific that the size of the ball does matter. Like Fitness Magazine they recommend the plank hold for an overall ab workout. There is of course the bicycle crunch. Here you lay flat on the ground, with your hands behind your head and you bring an elbow forward and across your torso while lifting the opposite side's knee up towards your elbow in a cross motion, then you switch sides. To work your lower ab muscles you can do the hanging ab curls. Grab onto a pull up bar and lift you knees to your chest so you feet are completely off the ground.

Some exercises will be harder then others, again this is trial and errors finding the exercises you are comfortable with to start then adding new exercises as you strengthen your body.

If you have health issues make sure to consult with your physician before starting any exercises or diets to ensure it won't affect your health or any conditions you may have. The most important thing is determination and will power. Sometimes just bringing in a friend or spouse can make a huge difference when it comes to exercising or dieting.

However, it is easier said then done, as the saying goes. It is not just a matter of saying you will do something, it is actually doing it that can be the hard part. Find something to motivate yourself whether it's an old picture of yourself, a dress or outfit you really want to wear or even a beach trip. Reward yourself when you reach your goal and then don't just stop but maintain.