Turn up the heat on basic stomach crunches with this easy variation that really isolates those ab muscles. Instead of keeping your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, drop your knees to the sides so that the bottoms of your feet are touching. Cross your arms over your chest, not behind your neck, and crunch up as far as you can. Hold it for 3 seconds and slowly roll back to the floor, never fully releasing the tension in your abdominals. For folks who can't tolerate lying down on the floor, lay on an exercise ball.

Brie Evans is a certified Wellness Coach and Personal Trainer. Brie can be reached at  CBCCwellness@zoominternet.net