Along with finding and performing the right love handles exercises you will also need to improve your dietary intake of calories if you intend on getting noticable results in a reasonable time frame. Although the exercises you use will help to tone and firm up the muscles in the mid section of the body it is the amount of calories that you consume that will insure that the fat is removed.

When it comes to exercising in order to help tone and firm up the muscles around the stomach so that you eliminate the love handles you now have, I suggest doing between 2 and 5 abdominal exercises at least two times a week. Doing this will help to train the muscles and which will improve the appearance of your stomach and waist as you lose the fat.

When you have decided which love handles exercises you are going to be using, you need to recognize that the abdominals require more repetitions to get in shape as opposed to other body parts, such as the biceps (arms) and pectoral muscles (chest). Plus it is crucial that you initially do each exercise slowly and deliberately so that you will create the habit of having great form and also place more force on to the muscles as you exercise. As you become familiar with exercises you will want to vary the speed so that the body does not adapt to the exercise and hinder your progress. Below we look at just a couple of the kinds of exercises you may want to consider trying so you can get rid of those unwanted love handles.

1. Basic Crunch - This exercise will tone and firm up the muscle that runs from the base of the breastbone to the top of the pelvis known as the rectus abdominis. Lie down on the floor and place your feet a hips width apart and your knees bent. Next take your hands and place these behind your head to cradle it, you can lace your fingers between each other and make sure that your elbows are rounded slightly inwards. Now tilt your chin just a small amount towards your chest and at the same time pull in the abdominal muscles. Once you are in a comfortable position very slowly begin to curl your head, neck and shoulders up and away from the floor and as you do this exhale. Then when you reach a position that you are comfortable with, remain in it for several seconds before gently lowering the upper part of your body back down and as you do so remember to inhale.

2. The Twist Crunch Exercise - Along with improving the condition of the rectus abdominis muscle this one works on the two sets of muscles that wrap around the waist known as the internal and external obliques. Again lay on the floor as you would with the basic crunch exercise but when you begin to raise up your head, neck and shoulders you need to twist them towards the left. Again breathe out as you raise yourself up and then hold the position for a number of seconds before lowering yourself back down again and of course don’t forget to breathe in. Now repeat this exercise again but this time you need to twist your head, neck and shoulders to the right. It is crucial when doing this particular love handles exercise that you simultaneously twist your neck, head and shoulders and not create momentum by swinging the elbows. It is the muscles that surround your stomach and waist that you are wanting to tone and firm up so you need to make sure that you concentrate on twisting your body from the middle.

Here’s a tip I learned years ago from a bodybuilder named Franco Columbo. You can use this tip anytime and anyplace. You know how guys sometimes draw their stomachs in to suddenly become like one of those “after” pictures in a before and after contest? Well believe it or not, this is an exercise. Of course it can be very uncomfortable depending on how far you’ve sucked it in and how long you attempt to hold it there. But if you can draw it in to point that is comfortable and hold it there whenever you think of it, you will strengthen the muscles and it will become increasingly more comfortable over time.

From now on begin to monitor your self talk. Everything you say to yourself is being recorded by your subconscious mind and is either working for you or against you. This is how your self image was created and it is continually being recreated everyday. If you are to be successful at achieving your desired physical condition, you will want your self talk on your side.

One of my favorite books is by James Allen called “As a Man Thinketh”. Your thinking will determine your success so make sure you stay positive. Here’s a quote from the book. “The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the orders of the mind whether they be deliberate or automatic”.