Best Exercises for Flat Abs

Tight abs with no extra jiggle is good for your self-confidence and your health. According to Mayoclinic.com, excess fat around your middle may be an indication of a high level of visceral fat. Visceral fat is found deep inside the abdominal wall and surrounds your organs. A high percentage of visceral fat can lead to high blood-pressure, heart disease and diabetes. A healthy diet, daily cardiovascular exercise and ab exercises will help give you a sexier and healthier stomach.

Figure Eights

The figure eight exercise isolates your obliques, the muscles that form your waist. Begin this exercise sitting on a tall chair, with your feet on the floor. Sit upright with your shoulders over your hips, hold the end a scarf or towel in your right hand and place your left hand behind you. Reach your right hand up over your head and make a large figure eight as you bring it as far down to your left side as you can. Continue making figure eights from side to side for 8 to 10 repetitions, then switch sides and repeat with your left arm.

Stability Ball Knee Tuck

This advanced move engages the entire core for an intense abdominal workout. Begin lying prone on the stability ball with your hands and feet on the floor and relax your head, neck and shoulders. Engage your core and slowly walk your hands out in front of the ball as you lift your feet off of the floor. Roll up onto the ball until your thighs are on top. Hold this position and slowly pull the knees toward your chest rolling the ball to the tops of your feet. This movement should maintain control at all times. Hold at the chest for two to three seconds and then straighten the legs back. Repeat this exercise 10 to 12 times.

Belly Dance

Belly dancing is a fat-blasting cardiovascular exercise that engages your entire core for tummy toning. Belly dancing tones all the muscles in the core, notes Rania Androniki Bossonis, author of "Belly Dancing for Fitness." The rib slide is a basic belly dancing move that engages your obliques. Begin standing with your feet together and your hands on your hips. Move only your ribs to your left, then back to center and then to the right. Repeat this movement for 1 to 2 minutes. The camel engages the rectus abdominus and is a basic move in belly dancing. Begin this move standing with your feet together and slowly pull your arms behind you while you press your chest forward and tilting your tailbone back. Reverse the movement until your chest is concave and your shoulders and tailbone are tilting forward. Repeat this move for 1 to 2 minutes.