Daily Fit Tip: Say bye-bye to your belly

Flat abs are not only the status symbol of men and women of all ages, flat abs are a decent reflection of overall health. Ever see a chubby guy with a skinny middle? Probably not. Know a lot of plus-sized mamas who flaunt a whittled waist? Not so much. A trim waist line is usually a good predictor that one is doing the right thing.

Of course there are the rare exceptions. We know the folks who eat all sorts of junk food and can never gain a pound. Skinny people die of heart attacks too. Having said that, most little middle people take decent care of themselves. It's almost a tad frustrating, because tight flat abs are usually the last thing people earn on their fitness journey. Trim legs and arms come waaaaaaaaay faster than abs worthy of a teeny bikini.

So how do you get yours? The formula is simple. Burn more calories than you consume to become leaner, and work your abdominal and back muscles to create a firm and tight core.

3,600 calories equals a pound. When you burn 3,600 extra calories over time, you'll lose a pound. If you consume 3,600 calories extra over time, you'll gain a pound. Simple math. On average, most people burn ten calories per day for each pound of body weight. If you weigh 200 pounds, you probably burn 2,000 calories per day just by going about your business. Add strenuous activity such as exercise to that and you'll burn a bunch more. If at the end of the day you burned 2,500 calories and only consumed 1,800 calories....you'd have lost a fifth of a pound that day. By controlling the amount of calories you consume and burn, you can change your weight significantly.

Although crunches are not enough to make your abs look great.....they're an important component of it. Of course, you're abs will never look fantastic with a layer of fat hiding them. But once you've become lean...ab work such as crunches will allow your abs to shine! Incorporating a variety of abdominal and low back training into your works will definitely let you be the sculptor of your own abdominal masterpiece. Pursue traditional crunches to work your rectus abdominus (the long vertical muscle that runs from your pelvis to under your rib cage). You can do these on the floor, a stability ball, a BOSU, and by using lots of other fun fitness equipment.

Train your obliques which kind of form an X across you midsection. Rotate and forward flex the spinal cord to train these muscles. Do so on the ground, using cables, or using tubes.

Last but not least, work that low back! The erector spinae opposes your rectus abdominus and is responsible for lifting your body up from a bent forward position. Use the "back extension' machines at your gym. Try 'Supermans' on the floor too. This can be done by lying prone on the ground or on a BOSU and by extending both arms straight up like Superman, or lifting both legs in the same flying position.

Burn the fat, strengthen the muscles and go get yourself a fitted shirt or dress. At that point, you'll be wearing it well!