If you've got a little cush in your tush and are thinking about dropping a few pounds, you might not want to go too lean, because U.S. researchers announced yesterday that a type of fat that accumulates around the hips and bottom may offer some protection against diabetes.

Subcutaneous fat -- the type that collects just under the skin -- seems to help improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar. We're not talking visceral fat -- the kind that collects in the abdomen and can raise the risk of diabetes and heart disease. It's the fat that deposits down lower that appears to shelter some people from metabolic disease.

So, not all fat is bad fat. Celebrate that pear-shape if you have one, then. And consider yourself lucky.

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I wasn't sure what my physical therapist meant when she told me to "zip it up" as I was exhaling during an ab exercise. So she explained: Suck in your stomach just like you would if zipping really tight jeans. Aha. We all know how that feels, right? My exercise suddenly became easier.

Here it is, a little something designed to strengthen the lower transversus abs.

• Lie on your back.
  
  

• Place hands on your lower abdomen.
  
  

• Inhale and feel your abdomen expand. Your tummy should pushed out and full of air.
  
  

• Exhale as you pull your lower abdominals in, just like you would when zipping tight pants. The more forcefully you exhale, the stronger the transversus abdominus contraction.
  
  

Do 10 to 15 reps twice daily and before you know it, those tight jeans won't be so tight.

Ah, the beer belly. Take a look around in any crowd of people and it's likely to be one of the most prominent physical features you see. Of course "beer bellies" aren't always caused by beer -- it's really just body fat from too many calories. But the question is: do some calories tend to layer fat on around the middle more than others, specifically calories from alcohol?

This is one of those questions that has different answers depending who you talk to, so big bummer that I don't have a straight yes or no. But I can say this: although they're not sure why, researchers have found that daily moderate drinkers (having about 1 drink per day) usually have less abdominal fat than binge drinkers (those who drink less frequently but have 4 or more drinks at a time). So go figure, another reason to have that nightly glass of wine.

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This piece of news was rather hilarious to read, but here goes: a researcher in Maine believes that standing on a vibrating platform for 15 minutes per day could help many of us develop those six-pack abs.

I can almost hear the multiple, 3:00am infomercials for products like this now. The research involved putting mice on a vibrating platform for 15 minutes per day over a period of 15 weeks. You know, since humans walk upright and mice don't. But, back to the research.

The mice, after 15 weeks, developed 27 percent fewer abdominal fat cells and saw a decrease in their liver triglyceride levels, all while losing no weight. Wow.

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Why isn't that ab exercise you do each day making those chunky thighs and fat pockets disappear? Well, although you are tweaking the muscles down in those areas, that's not going to help you lose the fat on top of those muscles.

What you need in addition to those ab exercises (crunches, etc.) is what you always need in tandem with exercise -- careful monitoring of your nutrition.

Can you burn more calories than you eat? Sure -- but ab exercises (in general) won't get you there. Cardio workouts most certainly will, but the time required can be a hassle. An hour of workout every other day (while watching what you eat) can get you to the point where that ab flab is gone, though.

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Being a little thick around the middle may do more than just increase your risk for heart disease and diabetes, new research shows that bigger waists are connected to bigger colon cancer risk.

This new data comes from one of those "study of studies" where researchers compiled information from 30 previous and separate sets of research on colon cancer. Obesity in general was already known as a rectal cancer risk factor, but it seems abdominal fat is particularly dangerous. For every 4 inches a man gains around the middle his risk for colon cancer jumps up by 33%, and for women it goes up by 16%.

One more good reason to get your butt on the treadmill!

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For some people fat may be the new norm, but for those of us who still dream of a slim and buff midsection and are doing everything we can to have one some workouts work better than others. There are countless ab exercises available out there but which ones are the best? I don't want to mess around and waste my time -- if I'm gonna workout then I want to see results! eDiets has compiled this list of the ten best moves for your midsection, and here they are (click the links for instructions on how-to):

1. Bicycle Maneuver
2. Ab Crunch
3. Reverse Ab Curl
4. Double Crunch
5. Cable Kneeling Rope Crunch
6. Machine Hanging Knee Raise
7. Fitball Advanced Reverse Crunch
8. Lying Bent Knee Leg Lift
9. Machine Angled Leg Raise
10. Incline Bench Leg Raise

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Are sit-ups a total waste of time? If you enjoy doing them then the answer is 'no,' although if you're doing them just to build core strength you might be wasting your time. Why? Sit-ups and crunches have been around since the very beginnings of exercise, and it's not that they don't build strength and tone but in truth there may be better more effective ways to get the same results. Sit-ups and crunches are essentially isolation exercises, and doing comprehensive moves that involve your whole body where the abs and core can develop in coordination with the rest of the muscles can provide a strong core along with strong arms and legs and everything else.

I'm not a personal trainer, but I bet there's arguments on both sides of this issue: sit-ups or no sit-ups? That is the question.

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Can women have love handles? Or are they called "muffin tops" instead? Whatever you call it, that extra layer of flab so many of us have around the midsection just might be one of the most annoying fitness challenges -- especially during this season of skimpy clothes and skin-baring swimsuits. Getting rid of those stubborn deposits of chub is best achieved with a combination of eating right and exercising fairly intensely in both cardio and strength training regimens. iVillage has put together a workout plan specifically for saying bye-bye to love handles, so give it a shot and let us know how it turns out!

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Overweight children have been found to have something in common besides extra padding around the middle: they all seem to share high levels of a certain protein (apoB48) found in intestinal cholesterol. ApoB48 has been proven as a risk factor for adults for developing cardiovascular disease, and although the children aren't currently considered at risk for CVD they will become so as they age unless their apoB48 levels drop.

Whether it's due to diet, genetics, or a combination of both, why certain people have higher levels of this protein isn't yet understood. But how much fat and what kind a person has does seem to have a major impact.

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Are you shaped like a spoon? That is, mostly thin except for a a big round part -- your mid-section? You might be a 'spoon', according to this. Spoons are characterized by small upper bodies and excess weight on their lower abdomen and hips. I definitely qualify for this, though I don't call it 'being a spoon', I call it having a 'paunch' or a 'buddha belly'. Furthermore, spoons are typically weak in their upper body and excel at activities that use the lower body. Wow, it's like they wrote it about me. Because of their weak arms, spoons are at risk of developing osteoporosis there, but by working out their upper body, they can help prevent this.

To avoid the spoon shape, focus more on your upper body than lower when it comes to resistance and weight training.

Are you a spoon?

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The appendix: the one organ of the body that doesn't have any well-defined purpose -- well, any purpose other than randomly bursting without notice.

If health conditions can be famous, then appendicitis is. And even though it's easy to treat, if left untreated it can be extremely serious and even fatal. Abdominal pain is the most obvious and most noticeable symptom of appendicitis, but the following are also important to watch for:

• Abdominal pain that starts around the belly button area, and may move over to the right lower side, and steadily intensifies as time goes by
  
• Fever
• Nausea/vomiting
• Constipation or diarrhea

Of course, if you or someone you know does need to have surgery the good news is that removing the appendix is a fairly routine procedure, and living without it isn't even noticeable -- other than a small scar maybe.

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Fibroids are non-cancerous muscle fiber growths that occur in the uterus, and 40% of women develop them during child-bearing years -- thankfully often without symptoms. But when fibroids do cause problems it's no small issue with heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic soreness, and pain being the most common symptoms that, until recently, almost always led to the same treatment. Having a hysterectomy has been the only option for women with problematic fibroids, but now there's the myomectomy -- a less invasive procedure that gives women another option.

Having a myomectomy may mean a faster surgical recovery and the continued option of childbirth, but it also means there's still a chance fibroids could return and a hysterectomy will be needed after all. But what's important here is that women now have a choice, and that's always a good thing.

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Tight abs and a flat stomach are two very enviable features. But not all of us have the time or knowledge to pursue such sculpted bodies. Nothing comes easy, but there is a right and wrong way to go about getting the tummy of your dreams.

That is what this article is advocating, at least. Think the traditional sit-up is the way to go? Or how about that abdominal machine which shocks you into submission? On the contrary, these are more likely to cause you harm than good. Rob Maraby suggests that a simple couch can provide everything you'll need for those perfect abs (ironic, don't you think?).

The idea is to lie on the couch and allow your back to hang off the edge. By curling yourself upwards and targeting specific muscles in the stomach, you can exercise the abdominal region more effectively than just sitting on the ground. Everything is explained in more detail in the article so be sure to check it out!

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