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Ladies! Here are four simple ways to a trim tummy! These are real simple but effective exercises which you all can do in absolute safety.

To get the most benefit from these great exercises you’ll have to understand a bit of physiology first! The abdomen gets it shape, that is, taut or flabby, from a triple-layer of muscles: the rectus abdominis (on the surface), the obliques (in the middle), and the transversis abdominis (innermost).

The abdominal muscles act in concert with the muscles of the pelvic floor. Therefore when you exercise one set of muscles, the other set gets exercised too! Having a baby generally weakens the abdominal muscles as well as the muscles of the pelvic floor. This typically leads to post-delivery flab. Kegel exercises are recommended to control the waistline. However a number of people do not do them properly and so they do not get the expected results.

So get ready to tone up your abdominal core muscles, safely and effectively with these four simple exercises.

Abdominal Respiration

That’s right! You breathe and you exercise. Be seated for this exercise. Use your diaphragm, the sheet of muscle between the thoracic cavity and the abdominal cavity, to take a nice comfortably deep breath! Force your diaphragm downwards. Do not use your chest, or your upper body to help in breathing. Breathe out after a moment. Use your abdominal muscles and your diaphragm and the muscles of the pelvic floor to force all the residual air out of your lungs. Find ways of doing this five to ten times a day.

Advanced Breath Exercise

This is an extension of your basic Belly Respiration. This exercise is performed lying on the floor. Keep your elbows pointed outwards while you hold the back of your legs. Now draw a breath using the basic Belly Respiration technique, but this time imagine that your belly button has to touch your spine.

Soft Crunches

Lie supine. Without any other support, gently put pressure on the abdominal muscles to curl yourself forward, performing what is known as a crunch. Don’t try to use the muscles of your head, or neck, or upper body to perform the crunch. You should experience very little or no discomfort. If you’re comfortable doing this exercise, then repeat it daily. If you find yourself straining too much, or if your tummy starts bunching up in the middle, then stop! Go back to the first two exercise and build yourself up before attempting this one!

Lateral Lifts

Lateral lifts are performed sideways. These tone up the middle layer of abdominal muscles, the obliques. All you ladies will benefit from these lifts, even those of you who are carrying a baby until, of course, your belly becomes too heavy! Lie sideways on the floor. Now lift yourself off the floor with your elbow on the floor and your forearm lying along the floor. The important thing is that your body should be absolutely ramrod straight! Don’t let it sag in the middle! That’s it! That’s it! Hold it there for ten to fifteen seconds. Relax. Then roll over on to your other side. Repeat the exercise. Now do you see why this is called a Lateral Lift?

These four exercises are very straightforward, safe, simple, and effective to boot. The secret to getting your tummy into shape is consistency. Try to do these exercises everyday as part of your daily routine. Caution: If you feel uncomfortable or distressed whil3 doing these exercises, please stop exercising at once!