Exercises for a Woman's Belly Paunch
The abdominal muscles, or belly, is a common place for a woman's body to store excess fat, which can create an unattractive paunch. To minimize the appearance of your fat paunch, tone the muscles of your abdominals with regular exercise, which helps your body burn excess fat, exposing the natural shape of your stomach. Participate in regular abdominal exercise three to five days a week to burn away your belly paunch over time.
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Crunch
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The basic crunch targets the muscles of your abdominals, toning the muscles beneath your belly paunch. Begin by laying on your back with your legs bent at a 90 degree angle, feet flat on the floor. Lay your arms over your chest with each hand touching the opposite shoulder. Slowly lift your head, neck and shoulders 4 inches off the floor and hold for two seconds. Lower yourself back to the floor in a controlled motion to complete one repetition. Perform three sets of 15 repetitions.
Twisting Crunch
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The twisting crunch is an alternate version of a basic exercise that targets the muscles of your obliques, tightening the area around your belly paunch. Lay on the ground with your knees bent and arms crossed over your chest. Lift your head, neck and shoulders off the ground, twisting toward your right side as far as comfortable. Hold for two seconds before lowering your body back to the floor in a slow, twisting motion. Repeat with the other side to complete one repetition. Perform two sets of 15 repetitions.
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Trunk Twist
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The trunk twist targets the muscles of your abdominals and obliques, minimizing the appearance of your belly paunch. Begin standing straight up with your feet hip-width apart. Extend your arms out to your sides so they are parallel with the ground. Twist your torso as far as is comfortable to your right side in a slow, controlled motion. Twist back to center and over to your left side to complete one repetition. Perform four sets of 20 repetitions.
Stomach Vacuum
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The stomach vacuum targets the muscles of your abdominals and obliques, tightening the area beneath and around your belly paunch. Sit on a chair with your arms relaxed at your sides. Flex your stomach as tightly as you can, pulling your belly button back toward your spine. Hold this contraction for two minutes before releasing to complete one repetition. Perform five repetitions with 30 seconds of rest between each one.
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References
- Photo Credit stomach image by Indigo Fish from Fotolia.com
