First of all, crunches can be effective if you do them right. Before you sit up, suck air in and tighten your abdominals and when you sit up blow out but keep contracting. Resist when you go down as well. There should be a constant contraction. Imagine your ribs flattening out to the sides. This activates all abdominal muscles and makes each repetition more effective.
Make all 360 degrees of your core strong. We tend to focus on the trouble zone without thinking of the supporting muscles. There are many different fibers that make up the muscles of your midsection. To have a balanced and toned front it helps to work the sides and the back. So don’t forget to include lower back and side abdominal strengthening moves in your routine. Your lower back helps you to stand up straight which stretches your entire body for the appearance of a long sleek body. The side abdominals called the obliques whittle your waistline to create an hourglass figure. Belly dancing is great way to work out the entire core. Just think about it! You are constantly doing a 360 with your waist. Enough said.
Another important inclusion in your workout routine is balancing moves.  When you challenge your body to balance itself by doing single arm and leg moves you force it to use the core muscles to hold itself upright.  This results in a more toned and skinnier midsection. Yoga is a great choice in this type of exercise.  Also, instead of mostly lifting your head and shoulders into a crunch, try focusing on lifting your legs up towards the ceiling while lying on the ground. These types of moves target the lower abdominal muscles more which is where our dreaded pooch is at.
Getting a sexy midsection isn’t just about the exercise. You have to eat right as well. It doesn’t do any good to have ripped abs if it’s hidden under a thick layer of fat. So shedding the extra weight is crucial to a skinnier tummy. Of course this is no secret.  But there are important things to do to help shed those extra pounds, especially in the belly.
First of all, avoid the alcohol.  We all know where the term “beer belly” comes from. So if you are going to drink, limit it to one or two per day. Number two, skim on your use of artificial sweeteners.  They are proven to cause bloating. Eat a lot of non-processed whole grain and organic foods.  They are the closest thing to eating out of a garden in your back yard. Which, let’s face it ladies, is the way we were meant to eat. All of the chemicals and additives in processed foods literally make your body think it is sick and it slows down the metabolism and starts storing energy to combat this “sickness”. Don’t even get me started on all of the sugar and fat included in these foods.  One last thing, hydrate! Drink at least 8 cups of water everyday to help flush out the body and drop the weight.  A lot of times when we are thirsty our bodies make us think we are hungry.  Making sure we drink plenty of liquids helps us to feel fuller longer.
Including these rarely used exercises and eating well will help you to tone your midsection and create a beautiful tummy.  Before you know it, you will be baring your midsection with confidence.