Unfortunately, you cannot just lose fat from your stomach. You need to follow the general fat loss principles and you will lose fat from your whole body, including your stomach. Fat is burnt when performing cardio, or aerobic exercises. This type of exercise is long duration, moderate intensity exercise. In other words, you elevate you heart rate to about 70% of your max heart rate, and sustain this for a minimum of 20 minutes.

When performing cardio exercise, your body uses fat stores as energy during the exercise. It uses fat stores from all over your body, as I mentioned earlier, there is no way of targeting burning fat just off your stomach. Research as shown for optimal weight loss, it is recommended that you perform 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, at an intensity of 70% of your max heart rate, at least 4 days a week.

Once you start burning fat form the area, by exercising and eating a low fat diet, its now time to tone an tighten the abdominal muscles. There is no point starting these exercise earlier as they will never be seen if there is a layer of fat covering them! The three best ab toning exercises are crunches, oblique crunches and the plank.

Crunches are basically 1/2 of a traditional sit-up. Start by lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Make sure your feet stay on the floor throughout the exercise, if they lift off you are using you hip flexor muscles more than your abs. Place your hands behind you neck. Never pull you neck with your hands, they are just there for support. Breathe in as you lift you head and shoulders off the floor towards your knees, then breathe out as you return to the starting position. Perform 3 sets of as many as you can!

Oblique crunches are a variation of the above exercise. As you lift you head and shoulders off the floor, twist your body as if trying to get your right shoulder to your left knee. This exercise targets the oblique muscles more than the rectus abdominus (six pack) muscles at the front of your stomach.

The final exercise is the plank. It is important you don’t hold your breathe when doing this exercise. You start by lying on your stomach. raise your body off the floor so your body-weight is supported on your elbows and feet. Try and hold this position for as long as possible. If you feel any back pain stop the exercise immediately.

In summary, the first step in losing stomach fat is starting a low fat diet and an aerobic exercise program. When you start losing fat, ad din resistance exercises and you will tone and strengthen the area, creating a six pack in no time!

This is a guest post by Susan. To learn more of the fastest way to lose weight off your stomach please visit Susan Johnsons blog here.

Before we jump into any exercises it is important you understand your own body very well. If you are looking for thigh slimming exercises hoping to lose fat in only your thighs it is very unlikely to happen. Fat goes on in sequence. Think back to when you gained weight and what time in the sequence your thighs began to get larger. Some people gain weight first in their buttocks, then thighs, and lastly their waist. In this sequence as you exercise and diet you would lose size and fat in the last area to gain it. You waist would decrease first, followed by your thighs, and lastly your buttocks. Knowing what to expect can help you avoid frustration because you can see progress and know your goal is approaching.

The second fact you must understand before beginning thigh slimming exercises. Exercise alone seldom slims any body part. You will need to cut back calories, eliminate processed sugars, and reduce fat in order to lose fat and get the leaner, slimmer, firmer look you want.

Now that we have all the preliminaries out of the way, thigh slimming exercises are actually very easy. You have basically only three motions your are needing to complete to work the entire thigh effectively.

The inner thighs are often the area most complained about, especially among women. To target firmer muscles in this are requires a squeezing motion. You can use a thigh machine in the gym, a Thighmaster you buy online, or use a ball. Placing a ball between your knees and then squeezing your knees together tightly is a very effective method to firm the inner thigh muscles.

For the front of your thighs leg extensions or squats are the preferred exercises. If you are going to a gym check out the machines for doing leg extensions. This will target the quadriceps in the front of your leg firming them rapidly. If you are working out at home the easiest exercise will be the squat. Starting out you can just use body weight, dropping down until your knees reach 90 degrees, and then power back up. As you develop a little strength hold a pair of dumbbells in your hand for added resistance, or use a barbell held on your shoulders.

The last area of your thighs you need to target is the back of your legs. The hamstrings are most effectively worked with leg curls, but this requires the use of a leg curl machine or bench. If you are working out at home you can do lunges. Lunges consist of putting one foot behind you, the other foot ahead of you. Bend the knee in front deeply until the knee reaches 90 degrees. Your back knee will likely touch to the floor. At this point power back up to a straight front leg. Repeat on this leg for about 10 reps and then rotate legs.

Thigh slimming exercises are not magical, they are actually very simple in nature. The most important aspect is to recognize the need for proper diet and nutrition to help lose the fat while you firm the muscles.

Time for a quick reality check. There are two types of problem stomachs. There are stomachs which are lean but not flat. Women who have been pregnant know exactly what we are talking about. Then there are stomachs with an extra layer of fat which are not flat. While both types of stomachs respond well to stomach flattening exercises, if you have extra fat we need to talk for a moment.

No matter how many crunches, sit-ups, leg raises, or other exercises you do, your stomach cannot be flat unless we get rid of the excess fat. The good news, with proper exercise your effort to lose the extra weight is going to become much easier. Your muscles will help support a faster metabolism making losing those extra pounds easy. A simple piece of advice to help you out. Just cut out the foods which are high in sugars and fats while exercising and the weight will slide off easily and naturally.

The number one exercise to flatten your stomach has been used by athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness models for decades. The simple ab crunch is one of the most effective of all exercises and one you must include to get the best looking stomach possible. You are going to focus on two varieties of this simple exercise.

The first variety is the standard ab crunch. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Place your hands to the side of your head lightly touching your ears, elbows out to the side. Notice, you do not put your hands behind your head or lock your fingers. To complete the exercise simply roll your shoulders and head up off the floor while keeping your lower back flat on the floor. Work up to doing 3 sets of 20 to 25 reps. When this becomes easy you can add weight on your chest to increase the resistance.

The second variety is the Cross Body Crunch. Be prepared this one is harder and is going to target muscles you do not commonly use. Start off in exactly the same position, but this time when you do a rep you lift your left knee while rotating your right elbow towards the knee. This rotation during the crunch pulls heavily on the muscles to the side and help to make them tighter and stronger giving you an increasingly flat stomach. Work up to 3 sets of 20 reps rotating sides.

Most people want to make stomach flattening exercises too difficult. These two simple forms of crunches target your entire abdominal area and can create impressive looking abs. Your stomach will become flatter, stronger, and athletic looking.

The traps and lats are the two groups everyone thinks about due tto their impressive size and ability to be worked easily. Rhomboid exercises are no more difficult and actually help to enhance the workout of all your other back muscles.

One of the most popular exercises to target your rhomboids is the bent over barbell row. It is a common exercise included in many beginning weight lifting workouts. In addition to the rhomboids it works your lats, shoulders, and biceps. The important aspect of using the bent over barbell row is to complete the exercise fully with proper form. Many lifters do not pull the bar all the way to their chest pulling their shoulder blades tightly together at the top. This is the place the rhomboids get their work is when the shoulder blades pull in. If you pull only with your arms and outer back muscles you are failing to target the rhomboids.

One problem with bent over barbell rows is the ease of rocking your body to assist in the lift. Form often fails and isolation disappears. Other rhomboid exercises are more effective at eliminating the rock and increasing isolation. One of the best is the incline bench pull. Setup your weight bench as if you were doing an incline bench press but lie on your stomach. Place the bar below you. Do the same motion of pulling the bar to your chest (actually the back of the bench) just as you did in the bent over barbell row. Since you cannot rock you are isolating the muscle and getting more effective work directed to the rhomboid.

A barbell limits motion due to being a one piece bar. By changing to dumbbells you can increase the range of motion and get a more complete pull on the muscle. Rhomboid exercises using dumbbells include Two Hand Bent Over Dumbbell Rows, One Hand Rows, and Two Hand Reverse Palm Rows. All of these lifts give you greater range of motion and freedom of arm movement.

Make sure you include a variety of rhomboid exercises in your workout plan to help round out the appearance and depth of your back. The rhomboid muscles play an important role in your body symmetry and power. To ignore this critical muscle will leave you with a weaker back with higher risks of injury. Since the lifts all give added advantages to the rest of your back, arms, and shoulders they are a great addition to any workout.

There are two types of exercises you are going to want to use for your spinal column. The two types of multifidus exercises are strength conditioning and stretching. When used in combination these two forms of exercise can improve existing back problems or help ward off problems in the future.

One of the best exercises to strengthen the multifidus is the back extension. These can be performed using either a back extension machine in a fitness center or doing back extensions over an exercise ball at home. Back extensions are basically arching your back lifting your head and shoulders by using the muscles surrounding the spine.

Another strengthening exercise you may wish to add to your workout is the Dorsal raise. It is very similar to the back extension except you do not get any forward bend at the waist since you starting from lying flat on the floor. Put your hands to the side of your head and lift your head and shoulders from the floor while keeping your hips and legs flat to the floor.

To stretch the back and multifidus muscles you can first do a back slump. You are on your hands and knees on the floor and then you slump your back downwards letting your stomach go down while your shoulders and hips flex upwards. Do not flex hard, just let your back stretch out.

The second of the multifidus exercises for stretching your back is the back arch. This time arch your back upwards like a cat arching and hissing. This stretches the muscles from the other direction and helps to increase the flexibility and ability to move easily under stress.

While none of these exercises are difficult they are often completely ignored in workouts. Until we injure our back we tend to ignore these tiny supporting muscles. Our spine is the critical communication center of our entire body. When the back is hurting nothing else will work right in the rest of the body.

Adding multifidus exercises to your exercise routine helps to build up the strength and flexibility of your back. Your back will become stronger and able to handle work with ease. If you have suffered a back injury, or have persistent lower back pain, these exercises can help you develop the supporting muscles and ease the pain you have been suffering. Always ask your doctor about exercise if you have sustained a previous injury. Only 5 minutes a day of extra exercise can protect your back saving you days, weeks, or a lifetime of back pain.

Medicine ball workouts can be one of most efficient ways to improve your body when you have limited space and resources. They take up almost no room and the investment in buying a quality ball is very low.

Here are a few exercises you can do with a medicine ball to improve your body.

The Woodchopper – Start with your feet spread approximately shoulder width apart. Hold the ball high over head with both hands. Bring the ball down swinging it like an axe, coming between your legs. Maintain control all through the swing, not allowing yourself to get wildly out of control. Go back to the top position and repeat until you have done 20 reps.

The Squat Press – Hold the ball in front of you at chest level with both hands. Bend deeply at the knees. Now quickly stand to an upright position while extending both arms high about your head. The movement looks very similar to shooting a basketball. Do 20 reps.

Weighted Ab Crunches – Using the medicine ball for weight on your chest, do abdominal crunches lifting your head and shoulders. Do a minimum of 20 reps.

Seated Twist – Sit down on the floor with your legs in front of you. Holding the ball extended directly in front of you twist your body slowly side to side. Go as far as your range of motion allows. Do 20 reps to each side.

Toe Touches – Lying on your back bring your legs up to a 90 degree angle. With the ball held straight out behind you on the floor, lift with your arms and shoulders bringing the ball up to touch your toes. This one will give you a great burn. Do 20 reps.

Circles Swings – One of the most basic of the medicine ball workouts movements is the circle. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold the ball in both hands, down in front of your. Now with complete control bring the ball in a full circle going to the left. Once you are at the bottom reverse and go to the right. Complete 20 reps in both directions.

Medicine ball workouts are not difficult or complex. They are simple movements using the weight of the ball for added resistance. Due to the ease of movement, full range of motion, and resistance they are a favorite method of training for many trainers and sports fitness experts. They are easy on the joints and easy to handle. You can develop great physical condition with just a simple medicine ball. Give it a try, it is fun and challenging at the same time.

You may have already ran to the store and bought an exercise ball and now it sits there in your home. You are trying to figure out what your next step should be. Here are a few great fitness ball exercises to get you started exploring the fun of getting fit.

Elevated Push-ups – If you want to develop your chest this is a great exercise. Place your feet and ankles up on the exercise ball and assume a standard push-up position with your hands on the floor. You perform a standard push-up but with the added resistance and balance required by using the exercise ball.

Balanced Push-ups – If the elevated push-up is too difficult it is time to turn around. Keep your toes on the floor and place your hands on the top of the ball. Do your push-ups from this position. You will discover the push-up requires less arm strength but greater balance.

Back Extensions – To improve the strength of your lower back. Rest your stomach across the exercise ball with your shoulders extending forward beyond the surface of the ball. While keeping your back straight bring your shoulders down bending lightly at the waist, then straighten again by using the power of your back.

Crunches – Abdominal Power – Your fitness ball workouts can include several varieties of crunches to improve your core power. The first is to lay on your back on the floor. Put your feet and lower legs on the fitness ball, then proceed to do ab crunches by rolling your head and shoulders up off the floor. Another crunch is the core crunch. Kneel on down facing the fitness ball placing your lower arms and wrists on the ball. Press your elbows and wrists deeply into the ball by crunching your abdominal muscles. A final variety of ab crunch is to keep your feet on the floor, sit with your buttocks and hips on the ball, and then lean back. Perform your ab crunches from this position. It requires more muscles to maintain balance increasing the effectiveness of the exercise.

Superman – Build Core Strength – The superman is one of the classic moves in fitness ball workouts. Keeping your toes on the floor, place your hips on the ball. Reach above and ahead of yourself in the position of superman flying. Work on holding the position and balance using your back muscles and abs. It looks easy, but is much harder than it appears.

This is just a small sampling of the exercises you can included in fitness ball workouts. You can target almost any body part using your fitness ball, and improve your overall fitness. While a ball may be the simplest form of exercise equipment it can be one of the most effective, too.

Do you know the number one way most women choose an exercise program? They go to the same class one of their friends is going to. They have no idea whether it will help them achieve the goals they have in mind, but their friend wanted them to come along.

Guys, quit laughing. Do you know how guys choose an exercise program? They look on the list for the most masculine sounding class possible and sign up. It may not have anything to do with their physical needs, but it does stroke the ego.

Choosing the right exercise programs must start with knowing what you want to accomplish. Are you wanting to lose weight and get slim? Are you wanting to gain muscle? Are you wanting to feel stronger and more powerful while getting lean? How do you want your body to look in one month, six months, and one year?

If you are wanting to gain muscle you have only one choice. You must lift weights or use resistance machines. Muscles only grow through being forced to adapt by lifting heavier weights. Nothing else works consistently.

Losing weight and getting slim is a really challenging goal. You need to define your desires even further. Do you want to look long and lean? Then you may want to try Pilates. Do you want to look athletic like a runner? A step aerobics class could be the perfect choice. Do you want to look stronger and more athletic like a gymnast or Olympic swimmer? Then lifting weights is the best option.

Now it is time to get really serious in considering what is best for you and your body. Choosing multiple exercise programs is usually the ideal situation. Choose a program for aerobic training you love and will stick to. If you love fast action, powerful movements, and grunting try a Tae Bo, Kickboxing, or Boxing exercise program. If you love to dance with a full room of women jump into a Jazzercise class. Do your aerobics classes or training 3 to 4 times each week.

For the second part of your program get started in a strength conditioning or weight lifting program. The added strength and muscle will help firm and condition your body. You will increase your metabolism with a little extra muscle. You will become stronger. Do your resistance training 2 to 3 times per week. A good schedule is to do aerobic or cardiovascular exercise on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Do your strength exercise programs on Tuesday and Thursday.

By combining two different exercise programs you can get a much fitter, stronger, and healthy body. This combination helps to keep away injuries from repetitive routines, and keeps your interest high. It is a winning way to design your exercise plan.

Are you questioning why this might work? Stop and think about how your body reacts in moments of anxiety and fear. You get tight. Your breathing become shallow and faster. Your mind is going a mile per minute and is running out of control.

Breathing exercises for anxiety helps you accomplish two things. The first is physiological. You are taking control of your breathing response on purpose. The second thing is you are taking control of your thoughts. You are changing your mental focus from the anxiety to controlling your breathing.

To get started find a place you can sit down comfortably. If you cannot sit, then find a relaxing place to sit you can practice your breathing exercises standing or laying down.

Make sure you keep your back straight but relaxed. The simplest method of breathing exercises for anxiety is to breathe in deeply for a count of five. Then gently release the breath releasing it slowly for a count of five. Make sure you do not hesitate, or catch, your breath in between the inhale and exhale. You do not need to hold the breath. Practice this rate of breathing for two to five minutes.

Another variety of this method is to inhale for five seconds and then allow the breath out in five short bursts of one second each. The benefit in this method is not as much physiological as it is aiding in changing mental focus. You will need to think about your breathing a little more allowing you to release anxious thoughts.

As you practice either of these breathing exercises for anxiety it is a good idea to close your eyes and relax. Try to fall into a meditative state where you only focus on the breathing in and out. You will feel your body and mind begin to relax as you change focus.

Some people report a higher feeling of relaxation by focusing on breathing in through their nose and out through their mouth. The only way you will discover which works best for you is to give it a try. For one session of deep breathing try using only your mouth and see how it feels. The next time try using your nose for all your intake. You will quickly know what feels natural and proper to you.

The other physiological advantage to practicing these forms of exercises is the increased levels of blood oxygenation. This allows your brain to receive more oxygen, think more clearly, and can help you relax.

Breathing exercises for anxiety do not need to be difficult in order to be effective. Step away from the anxiety and troubling thoughts by taking a few deep breaths and regaining control of your mind. You will discover you have more control over anxiety than you ever thought possible.

Brain gym exercises are not strenuous and can be accomplished by virtually any adult or child. In schools which have added these exercises to their classrooms they have seen great gains in focus and concentration.

While almost any exercise can help stimulate blood flow and increase your concentration there are a few exercises which can be practiced easily in a classroom setting to help stimulate the entire class.

Let us take a look at a couple of the easy exercises you can use. The first one is called Brain Buttons. This one is very simple but helps get the mental motors running a little faster. Take one hand and using the thumb and forefinger start tapping just below the collar bone. While continuing tapping in this area use your other hand to start patting your stomach over your belly button. This simple movement may lead to a few laughs in the class, but it will help get blood flowing to the brain and prepare those young minds to excel in class.

The next exercise is a little more active, but requires almost no space and is fun. Stand-up and while lifting your left knee tap it with your right hand. Alternate lifting the right knee and tapping with your left hand. This crossing over movement engages more areas of your brain, gets the blood flowing and will help the class be mentally alive.

These two exercises are very simple and just adding them for yourself or a classroom can make major changes to concentration levels and learning ability.

One other big recommendation from Brain Gym Exercises has nothing to do with exercise but everything to do with the importance of water for our brain function. When we are not hydrated properly our mental processes slow making our ability to focus difficult. It is recommended to drink plenty of water before and during classes.

These few exercises are just a start to improving your mind-body connection. Brain Gym has over a dozen separate exercises to help you improve your mental power and alertness. The biggest failure in education is leaving children behind. Often their only problem is a lack of focus. Using Brain Gym Exercises allows you to improve their mental preparedness for the class, which helps them excel. No one needs to fall behind due to lack of mental energy.

Since you can improve the ability to think with just a few simple steps are you going to get out there and do it? You can improve mental capacity and retention with very minimal effort by learning more about Brain Gym Exercises.