Having a busy day? Six simple ways to squeeze in an ab workout anyway.

The belly is one of the easiest places to gain weight and one of the hardest places to lose it. According to Women’s Health Magazine, approximately 62% of women are not happy with or are self-conscious of their belly. As with everything else, the best way to a flat stomach is to count calories and watch what you eat. Working out and exercising is the other obvious solution. What if you have a busy schedule this week and you do not have time to work your abs? Or maybe you worked out already, but you want to do some extra activities throughout your day to speed up this stomach flattening process. Well here are a few abdominal workouts that you can do in your office at work, while watching TV or anywhere you can get a few minutes of quality time with you and your midsection.

1. Suck it in. I know that you know the move. We do it all the time to take our Instagram pictures. If you suck that belly button in, hold it for 10 seconds while breathing normally, and repeat it 5 to 10 times, you will give your abs a nice little workout.
2. Single Leg Stand- If you can find a place that you won’t look crazy or if you just don’t care about looking crazy, take a few moments to stand on one leg. The act of balance moves requires us to contract our abdominal muscles to keep us from falling. I am a huge fan of yoga and balance moves significantly strengthen the core without you even realizing it.
3. Bicycle Crunches- If you have the opportunity to get down on the floor then you also have the opportunity to get some bicycle crunches in. Bicycle crunches are more effective than regular crunches. All you have to do is lie down with your back pressed against the floor, put your hands behind your head pointing your elbows up, bend your knees and lift your feet off of the floor and pretend you are pedaling a bike. Do at least 25 full pedal moves. You will feel this workout the next day for sure.
4. Torso Twist- I do this move at my desk at work. It works the abs and the oblique. This move is simple. Just sit up straight, put your hands together and raise them chest level, and slowly twist your torso to the right, twist back to the center, and twist your torso to the left. Repeat this move about 25 times and make sure to engage your abdominal muscles while doing it.
5. Abdominal Hold– The abdominal hold requires you to have a sturdy chair. If you have that, sit tall and place your hands at the edge of the chair with your fingers facing forward towards your knees; tighten your abs; still holding the chair with your hands, lift your butt off of the chair and lift your feet about 3 inches off of the floor; and hold it for at least 10 seconds. You can repeat this move for maximum results.
6. Plank– Plank is another one of my top yoga moves. It’s one of those moves that you think you are working your arms, but you are also working your abs. Plank is super simple. All you have to do is get on the floor and get into the top of a push-up position and hold it for 30 seconds. I also like the dolphin plank. The only difference with the dolphin plank is that your arms are bent and you will use your forearms to hold yourself up instead of your hands. It is easy, but you will feel that your abs are working hard. And if you are in the mood, do some push-ups. Push-ups are a great core workout too.

This concludes my simple list of simple ab workouts. Please remember that intense abdominal workouts should be done only 2 to 3 times a week. If you can’t get that in, these little moves, will strengthen your tummy and get you on the right path.