Healthy Hollywood: Wellness Wednesday – Be Ab-Tastic Now!

Let’s give a heartfelt shout out to Hollywood’s beautiful bikini-clad gals. Thanks for making us mere mortals feel less than in our summer beach gear.

With the dreary weather over the Memorial Day weekend, I hit the Internet (a bit too much) and scanned way too many photo galleries of smoking hot celebs in itty bikinis. Gals like Julianne Hough, Jenny McCarthy, Olivia Munn (pictured) and Rachel Bilson know how to rock their God-given gifts. As for me, I could use some work to tone-up the midriff flab!

Unfortunately, I gained a bit of a pouch over the cold weather season. I’m not sure whether to thank the stars who sizzle at the beach for motivating me (once, again) to get crunching. Or, should I give up and invest in a forgiving caftan? The later does seem tempting.

That’s until I met up with Equinox fitness guru Lisa Wheeler. Besides being in amazing shape herself, Lisa is the senior creative manager of the club’s group fitness and promises there’s doable program for everyone.

So, once we started chatting about an upcoming Access Hollywood Live segment Lisa was helping to put together, I had to ask her pick for the most slimming abs exercises. I want moves that work, can be done easily at home or in the gym and show results fast.

Lisa generously shared six of her favorite ab-flatteners – all of which are tried and tested by the best in the biz.

1. Stabilization – Gecko
Begin on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under hips with your feet flexed, toes curled under. Lift your knees off floor and hover about one inch. Lift your right leg and left arm (with elbow and knee bent) until upper arm and thing are parallel to the floor. Return to the floor and repeat on the other side. Keep spine neutral and resist rotation as arms and legs move up and down. Repeat alternating for 10 to 20 reps (right and left = 1 rep). Build speed as you get stronger, but don’t sacrifice form.

2. Flexion – Hollow Body Lifts
Begin on your back with legs extended and arms overhead with hands clasped and biceps by ears. Lift your head, shoulders and legs off ground about 2 inches and hover, pressing lower back into the floor. For first part of exercise, lift just the torso up a few more inches and release back to starting hover for 5-10 reps. Then hold upper body in hover and lift legs a few more inches and release back to starting hove for 5-10 reps. Then lift both the torso and legs for 5-10 reps.

3. Rotation – Slow Motion Bicycle Ladder
Begin on your back with hands behind your head, lifting shoulders off the ground. Knees are bent to tabletop position with knees directly over your hips and shins parallel to the floor. Rotate your torso and pull your right elbow to your left knee as you extend your right to hover a few inches off the ground. Hold for 8 counts then switch to the other leg. Hold for 8 counts. Continue to switch sides but on specific tempo as follows – R 8 counts, L 8 counts, R 4 counts, L 4 counts, R 4 counts, L 4 counts, R 2 counts, L 2 counts, R 2 counts, L 2 counts, R 2 counts, L 2 counts, R 2 counts, L 2 counts, R 4 counts, L 4 counts, R 4 counts, L 4 counts, R 8 counts, L 8 counts (Go down the ladder from 8-2 counts then back up the ladder from 2-8 counts). This will equal 20 reps total (10 on each side).

4. Lateral Flexion – Star Reach
Begin on your left side with your knees bent and elbow on the floor in line with your shoulder. Bring your right knee and right elbow towards each other to “crunch” your right side. Lift hips up to the ceiling as you extend your right arm and leg. Lift hips a little higher to engage left side of your torso. Return to the starting position. To add more challenge, do not put the hips back down on the floor; instead let them hover before the next rep. Repeat for 10-20 reps. Then repeat on the other side.

5. Extension – Back Extension Lat Pull
Begin on your belly with legs extended and arms by your side. Keeping your neck neutral, lift your torso off the ground keeping your legs on the floor and fully engaged. With your chin tucked, circle your arms overhead the pull hands to shoulders like doing a lat pull. Press arms overhead again then circle back to arms by your side. Then, and only then, lower your torso back to the floor. To add more challenge, try to lift your torso a bit higher as you execute the lat pull portion of this exercise. Repeat for 10-20 reps.

6. Core Cardio – Mountain Climber Matrix
Begin in a high plank position with your shoulders directly over your hands, legs extend and spine neutral. With speed, bring knees into your chest, alternating for 16 reps. Without stopping, begin to cross the body and bring right knee to left elbow and left knee to right elbow, alternating for 16 reps. Next, bring knees out the side with the right knee to right elbow and left knee to left elbow, alternating for 16 reps. Next alternate both knees to right elbow for 16 reps then switch to alternating knees to left elbow. Finally hold plank for 16 counts.

For more ab exercises, check out equinox’s workout video blog.

— Terri MacLeod