Abs: It's Not Just About the Swimsuit

by Leslie Aronson — May 4, 2008

Working on your abs does more than just make you feel better in a swimsuit. According to Body + Soul magazine, your core is critical to your overall health. Your core is the focal point of your digestive system, so the better your core, the healthier your digestion. It's also where many people hold tension and experience deep emotion. So to work this area is to work on and release these tensions and emotions, and breathing properly through an ab workout is a great way to relieve the proverbial knot in your stomach. One ab exercise you can try, as suggested by Body + Soul is called the Core Balancer.

To do it:

• Start by lying on your back, arms over your head, and feet hip-width apart.
• Take a deep inhale and, as you exhale, pull your upper body and lower body upward so that you form a V.
• Reach your fingers toward your toes and keep your gaze upward, compressing your abs and drawing the navel toward the spine.
• Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then gently lower down.
• Repeat 3 to 5 times.