Stomach muscles are much more important than most people realize.
Sure, it's good to have a washboard stomach to show off at the beach, but having a well developed midsection can promote all kinds of benefits such as better posture, easing lower back pain, and many others.
If you are interested in find some easy exercises that will help you get in shape and look good, then this article is for you.
This first exercise is known as the mummy sit up, because you look like a mummy when you are doing it.
Lay down on your back, with your hands at your sides.
While keeping your legs still, slowly raise your torso up into a sitting position.
While you are doing so, raise up your arms like a mummy would, sticking them straight out in front of you.
Slowly lay back down, and repeat.
If you want, you can moan like a mummy, but that might seem a bit weird.
Leg lifts are another great way to torture, I mean, exercise your abs.
Lay on the ground, with your hands above your head.
Lift your legs up, keeping them straight, until they are at a ninety degree angle with the rest of your body.
Then slowly lower them to the floor, but don't let them touch.
Bring them up again, lower down, etc.
Do as many as you can.
If you really want to kick it up a notch, then raise your head up along with your legs, and touch your knees with your hands.
This one is particularly good.
Get one of those inflatable exercise balls.
Get into the pushup position, with our knees resting on the ball.
Keep your legs straight.
Roll backwards as far as possible, while keeping your body as straight as possible.
Then roll forward as far as possible, again, keeping your body as straight as possible.
This will not only work your abs, but your chest, shoulders and triceps as well.
The final exercise is really difficult, no matter how good shape you're in.
Find yourself a chin up bar, and pull yourself about half way up.
Then while holding that position, raise your knees up to your chest, and then back down again.
Do this as many times as you can.
For an extra workout, keep your legs straight while lifting them up.
If you start your day off with a few reps of each one of these, you'll have some rock hard abs in no time.
You'll have better posture, and a much better feeling about yourself when you look in the mirror every morning.
Don't worry if you can barely do one of two of these when you get started, just keep at it, and prepare to watch your body change for the better.