Pilates exercises are part of a fitness method started by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s. This popular workout trend teaches awareness of breathing while focusing on the alignment of the spine. Pilates target back and abdominal -- or "core" muscles -- but is also effective for toning the legs, arms, shoulders and glutes.

The exercises are often performed on a piece of equipment called a reformer, but can also be done on a mat without equipment. During these Pilates classes, you'll perform non-weight bearing moves that use your body weight to tone your muscles. All Pilates exercises have numerous benefits, including increasing both strength and flexibility, while also improving lung capacity.

Pilates classes are available at most gyms. Still, finding the right instructor can be the key to success. Certified instructors will give clear and precises directions that focus on correct body positioning and breathing. It's the instructor's job to accurately demonstrate the exercises for you and to give you cues that make the movements easy to understand.

Pilates exercises are great for both beginners and advanced exercisers. Instructors should provide modifications for the exercises and offer some individual instruction to ensure you are performing the moves in a way that is both safe and effective. Injured students should be able to participate with these modifications, too.

Think Pilates might be right for you? Learn more about how Pilates gives the gain without the pain.

With a growing number of overweight people, you're likely to see at least one pot belly on your morning commute.

A pot belly, or beer belly, is excessive fat in the center of the abdomen which makes the belly round and protruding. While women can get a pot belly, they tend to be more prevalent in men. The biggest causes are overeating and a sedentary lifestyle.

The only way to lose a pot belly is to lose weight. You cannot spot train body parts, but crunches may help tone the stomach muscles. Additionally, you must burn more calories than you consume each day, which is easier if you follow a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet and include at least 30 to 60 minutes of vigorous exercise in your daily routine.

Even if you don't have an excessive amount of fat hanging over your jeans, but still want to slim your stomach, avoiding foods that contribute to bloating can help. Cut back on salt and eliminate gassy foods like broccoli, onions and cauliflower. Carbonated drinks (like soda), alcohol, fried foods and spicy meals can also lead to bloating.

If you don't have a pot belly, but want to tweak another body region try these tips from That's Fit:
Love handles
Arms
Shoulders
Legs
Thighs

Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and co-author of "The Fat-Free Truth." She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider. You can also follow her on Twitter @lizzyfit.

I just had a baby. Is it true I can kiss my flat stomach goodbye forever? – Barbara Carlson, Kingston, N.Y.

If you think your baby bump instantly deflates the moment your bundle of joy pops out, then you need a wake-up call, which is ironic considering how little sleep you'll get after having a baby. You can get your pre-pregnancy belly back, but it takes some hard work, patience and dedication. Even those Hollywood starlets like mom-of-twins Rebecca Romijn, who seem to snap back into shape so quickly, need at least a couple of months to tighten and tone the tummy.

For the best advice on postpartum abs, I turned to Tracey Mallett, author of the new book "Super Fit Mama." She offers these three must-do moves for every new mom, as well as some basic tips on the best ways to work your post-baby middle safely and effectively. Mallet, who has had two children, says these exercises aren't necessarily the belly-crunching gut busters you used to do before you got pregnant, because your aim is to restore any abdominal muscle separation that has occurred during pregnancy and labor, and to re-educate your entire core. (If you want to know more about Mallet's workouts and programs, surf on over to her website.)

Photo: Getty Images

Having strong abdominal muscles not only looks good, it's a hallmark for good health. But if you want to get six-pack abs, your daily 100-crunch routine may not only hinder your progress, it could hurt your lower back by putting stress on its weakest part.

We're always told to bend at the waist and lift with the legs when picking up something heavy to prevent a back injury. Well, a crunch is the same kind of motion, only you're lying down instead of standing up. Repeatedly bending over during crunch sessions slowly breaks down spinal disks, creating a disk bulge or herniation, which can cause back pain, weakness and tingling. "There are only so many bends or a 'fatigue life,' in your spinal disks," Stuart M. McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, told Newsweek. "When people are doing curl up over gym balls and sit-ups, and this kind of thing, they are replicating a very potent injury mechanism on their back," says McGill. "Every time they bend it they are one repetition closer to damaging the disk."

This "Tuck and Push" combination offers an awesome opportunity to kill many birds with one stone. Within a few short reps, you'll have worked almost every muscle of your upper body and have successfully set your core ablaze. It's simple, fun and highly effective. Try it!

For more quick, innovative and fun training tips, visit Fitzness.com.

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Rotating your torso against a resisting force such as gravity is what you need to do to work your abdominal obliques. Performing this motion while using fun fitness tools can take you to tight and hard in half the time. Whatcha waiting for? Check out this video and get to work!

For a to-die-for low fat cheesecake recipe, celebrity Fitzness interviews and innovative training videos visit Fitzness.com.

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Hey, there! I'm Ashley, one of the editors from AOL Health. In an effort to stave off the inevitable (namely inheriting my grandmother's hips and thighs), I'm always on the hunt for the latest and greatest in diet and fitness news. I've had my fair share of exercise woes and fad diet missteps, including an embarrassing week in high school on the Cabbage Soup Diet. But I've also had moments of clarity. It may have taken me more than two decades, but I've finally learned that adding strength-training to my workouts positively correlates to squeezing into my skinny jeans.

I'm here to take the spin off those diet crazes and exercise machine miracles, give you the low-down on the latest diet and fitness news and help you get a better sense for what works, what doesn't and what may be worth a try.

Since I've been known to purchase all breeds of fitness equipment in fits of late-night infomercial delirium -- Chuck Norris, I'm looking at you -- I've decided to enlist the advice of a trained fitness expert for my first post about the latest in exercise machine news, the Ab Coaster.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Two-time Dancing with the Stars Champion Cheryl Burke has had quite a year. Five tiny pounds on her little dancer's body caused tabloid hysteria, and now she's starring in her own series of workout DVDs called Disco Abs. She came clean with me on the inspiration behind this belly blasting workout, her infamous weight gain, and who she'd love to partner up with on DWTS. She even shares expert advice on dancing in stilettos; definitely read it before you try it.

Fitz: Tell me about Disco Abs.

Cheryl: It's a series of three workout DVD's set to disco music. The workouts are based on a bunch of fun dance moves, and that's what I love most about them. They're so much fun that you forget you're working really hard.

Fitz: Fun is vital to people sticking with it. And what component is directly geared towards abdominal training?

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Sit-ups may seem old school. But, when done correctly, they're effective and that's why they've stood the test of time. Late-night infomercials and different workout programs have tried to improve upon the basic sit-up for years. But you don't need any $19.99, plus shipping and handling, tool to get the job done.

Safe and effective sit ups are as simple as ABC ... and D. (Though that darn 'D' makes the whole shtick a lot less catchy.)

• A is for Alignment. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Keep your feet flat on the floor and don't hook them under your couch or anything else. Position the small of your back flat on the floor. With your hands resting lightly on your temples (not behind your head -- pulling can injure you), lift your head, neck and shoulders off the ground.
  
• B is for Body control. When lifting up, make sure your abs are doing the work. Go slowly. Remember to breathe while doing the sit-up.
  
• C is for Consistency. Don't expect a few sit-ups once a month to do the trick. Try doing sit-ups every other day, and remember that quality is better than quantity -- 10-20 with proper form are better (and safer!) than many sloppy ones.
  
• D is for Develop all the abdominal muscles. Traditional sit-ups don't target the lower abdominal muscles and you don't want them to feel left out, do you? Try lying on your back with your knees bent, then bring one knee toward your chest and hold for a few seconds. Bring the other leg up and then slowly lower the first leg, then the second. Repeat on both sides.
  

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The treadmill is a great tool for walking and jogging, but have you ever tried to use it for anything else? (Besides drying clothes on it.) You might be surprised to learn about all of the things you can do on a treadmill to get a tremendous upper body and abdominal workout. Check out this video of my wicked workout partner Anthony Field of The Wiggles and me as we take your training to the next level.

This type of innovative training is so fun and effective, it may just get you past working out because you "have to" and take you to working out because you "want to." Those are two completely different things. For more cool videos, recipes and other fun fit tips ...

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When it comes to strength training, I tend to make my moves relatively slow, controlled, and deliberate. But according to a post on Women's Health, there can be benefits to adding a little speed when you're doing crunches.

A recent study on the subject was published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The lead researcher of the study says that fast crunches -- where the up and down movement is completed in one second -- make your external obliques do some of the work.

If you want to try some fast crunches, think of it like interval training for your core. Do your regular ab workout -- at a regular speed -- and add a few fast crunches for good measure.

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I used to be one of you. I'd slave away, doing set after set of crunches, knowing I was working my abdominals, yet seeing minimal results. I'd heard that during Alias, Jennifer Garner did 1000 crunches everyday. Sure, I wasn't doing that many, but I was pretty fit ... and pretty discouraged.

Pilates has changed my point of view on sit-ups, and it has also changed my shape for the better. My posture has improved, my tummy is flatter, my waist is cinched in -- all because I do crunches the Stott Pilates way.

Want to know the secret?

I haven't hit the big 4-0 yet. In a few weeks time, however, I'll be officially in my late 30's -- unable to deny it any more. As much as I would like to say my body is just like it was in high school, that's sadly not the case. Time has marched on. In some cases, time has marched downward if you catch my drift.

So while I think this ab workout from More Magazine is appropriate for anyone, regardless of age, I do understand the greater need once you're in your 40's. (Or maybe once you're in your late 30's!)

After all, I think the concept of aging gracefully is silly. Why settle for being graceful when we can be active and fit? Instead of time marching on, why don't we march all over it?

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If you've never tried Pilates, you are missing out, plain and simple. I am not an indoor exerciser, I don't like gyms or classes, but I get very cranky if I miss my weekly Pilates class; now that's saying something.

In fact, I do several Pilates moves every day, The Hundred being one of them. This ab exercise pretty much does your entire core, even your lats (yep, your back is your core too). To share my love for The Hundred, indulge me in this Fitku:

Flapping arms work lats
Rhythmic breathing helps the count
Flat abs are the goal

What are you waiting for? Start counting and feel the burn!

In just a couple of weeks we're going to be watching some of the world's most elite athletes compete. From beach volleyball players to swimmers and almost every sport in between, one thing you're sure to see on your TV screen are some rock-hard abs.

Core strength is so important to many sports. Women's Health Magazine got some tips from Olympic trainers on developing those gold medal abs. Some of the moves are:

• Hanging Straight-Leg Raise. This move is no joke. (My abs are aching just reading about it.) You'll hang from a pull-up bar then, keeping your head and back straight, slowly raise your legs until they're parallel to the floor.
  
• Walking Lunge Plate Twist. Hold a 10 to 25-pound weight plate in front of your chest and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lunge forward with your right leg until it's parallel with the floor. Twist your upper body 90 degrees to the right. Return to the starting position and repeat on the left side.
• Twisting Windmill. Lay on your back with your arms out to the sides. Raise your legs until they're perpendicular to the floor. Slowly lower your leg to the left side of your body. Lift and repeat on the right side.

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