Easy Ab Workouts for Women to Lose Weight

Spot Reduction Myth

Your body burns fat during aerobic exercise. You can't burn fat in only one area, such as the belly, by doing repetitive exercises that focus on a single group of muscles. Fat in the abdominal area is lost the same way you lose weight over your whole body. You have to combine a healthy diet with aerobic and strength training workouts. Any exercise that increases your heart rate, your respiration and makes you sweat is an aerobic, fat-burning exercise. Ab exercises can help you burn fat all over your body while strengthening your core muscles for a slimmer, firmer waist.

Easy Pilates Hundreds

Pilates is a method of exercising that lengthens and strengthens muscles with stretches, controlled breathing and fat-blasting poses. The Pilates Hundreds works your abs and gets your heart pumping for a dual aerobic-ab strengthening workout, but it can be difficult for beginners. The standing Pilates Hundreds is easier and effective to help burn fat and strengthen your abs. Stand with your feet apart about hip-width and straighten your arms at your sides. Lift one leg straight out about 1 to 2 feet off the floor and pump your arms up and down quickly five times. Take a shallow breath in with each arm pump. Breathe out five times on the next five arm pumps. Continue breathing in with each five arm pumps and out with the next five arm pumps until you complete 50 arm pumps. Switch legs and do 50 more.

Reverse Crunches

The crunch is a beginner-level fat-busting, muscle-building exercise that will burn fat and help you lose weight, but some beginners may find it difficult to do. An easier way to do a crunch and still experience the ab strengthening and weight loss is to do a reverse crunch. Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Stretch your arms out from the shoulders and place your palms on the floor. Flatten your back against the floor and squeeze your abs. Lift your legs with your knees bent until your shins are parallel to the floor. Exhale and lift your hips off the floor. Bring your knees toward your chest but keep your knees bent at 90-degrees. Inhale and lower your legs back to the position where your shins are parallel to the floor. Do eight to 10 repetitions.

Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are an easy way to get fit and burn fat. Standing rotations using a resistance band target all of your abdominal muscles, including the hard-to-train obliques on the sides of your abdomen. Attach a resistance band to a door or a wall mount. Stand with your right side toward the door and grasp the handle with both hands. Bend your elbows to chest level. Plant your feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart. Squeeze your abdominal muscles and then pull the resistance band across the front of your body toward the left. You can keep your elbows bent with your forearms parallel to the floor. Increase the intensity of the ab workout by pulling the resistance band with your arms straight.