Maria has a petite frame and exercises regularly. Her youngest is a 3 year-old boy and while her stomach isn’t completely hanging over her jeans, it still has a little roll. Though she is doing the SM workouts, Zumba, kickboxing and even a little yoga, her stomach won’t get into gear.

1. Focus on your diet and cut back on processed foods–white breads and sugars.
2. Drink lots of fluid, especially water. This will help curb the bloat that we often experience, which heightens during our menstrual cycles. This can exacerbate that particular area and make it appear even larger!
3. Check your posture. Start squeezing and tightening these muscle even while you sit and stand. That helps build muscle in this region and will help with keeping it tight.
4. Focus on cardio. Try adding in 20-30 extra minutes of high intensity cardio such as sprints, high impact aerobics, or a high intensity kick-boxing class…anything to get the heart rate up (burning calories and fat).
5. Incorporate strength training. Focus on specific moves targeting the lower abs: reverse crunches, planks, hanging knee raises, and super mans–which will strengthen the opposing muscles in your back.