How to Slim the Waist

Everyone wants a trimmer waist. Spot exercises on the waist can tighten and tone the waist. The obliques or sides of your waist respond well to twists and turns. But if you have an under layer of fat, you won't see much progress without a program of diet and aerobic exercise as well. Along with losing fat all over, look at the benefits of exercise for the waist. Read on to learn how to slim the waist.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Burn fat. The benefits of exercise aerobically are the most important. Good exercises for the waist are walking, swimming and rowing. But anything exercise that burns fat is beneficial.

2. Do abdominal exercises like crunches, but do them with a twist. Lay down on your back with your knees bent and slightly apart. Cross your arms at your chest. Lift your head and upper shoulders off the ground, moving your right elbow to your left knee. Move back to center, and then move your left elbow to your right knee.

3. Lift your legs. Lie on one side, supporting your head with your hand. Raise the upper leg slowly, keeping it straight. Hold, and then slowly lower it to the ground. Repeat on the other side. When this move becomes easy, try lifting both legs up together.

4. Make a bridge with your torso. You may have called these back bends when you were in school. Place hands flat on the ground on either side of your head. Keep feet flat and knees bent. Push up with your hands so that your stomach rises and your back arches. Hold for a couple of minutes.

5. Twist your torso. Stand with feet apart and clasp your hands behind your head. Twist at the waist to the left, and then back to center. Twist to the right and back to center. Each time, twist a little farther. Another method is to place a broom handle behind your neck and drape your wrists over the stick. Twist from left to right, concentrating on each movement.

6. Bend to the side. Standing straight with your feet apart, hold a three- to five-pound dumbbell in one hand while bending your waist in the opposite direction. Repeat on other side.

7. Touch your toes. Stand in a wide stance. Reach one hand toward the opposite foot, keeping legs straight.

Tips & Warnings

• Start with 20 repetitions of each exercise. When you can easily do this, look at how to make an exercise more difficult by increasing repetitions or adding weights.

• Results from diet and exercise take time. Make certain you have realistic expectations. Talk to a plastic surgeon about laser surgery options if stubborn fat won't budge from your waist after diet and exercise.

• If you're looking for a smaller waist for a certain event, check out body-shaping underwear.

• Practice good posture at all times. Sit or stand with your shoulders back and your stomach pulled in to keep stomach flat.