Better Health & Living

Kneel in front of an exercise ball. Clench your hands in loose fists and place them on top of the ball, palms facing each other. Cross your ankles, lift your feet off the floor, and lean forward slightly. Pivoting from your knees, lean forward and roll your forearms along the ball as you extend your hips and drop your chest toward the ball. Stop when your body forms a straight diagonal line from shoulders to knees. Contract your abs and pull the ball back to the starting position.

Lie facedown on an exercise ball with both hands on the floor. Walk your hands out, allowing the ball to roll beneath your body until it's under your shins. Your hands should be directly below your shoulders so it looks as if you're ready to do a pushup. Tighten your abs and bend your knees, drawing them forward to bring your legs and the ball under your torso. Hold for a second, then straighten your legs and uncoil as you press back to the starting position.

To make the move harder, perform it with your hands on a step or bench.

Lie facedown on an exercise ball with both hands on the floor. Walk your hands out, allowing the ball to roll beneath your body until it's under your shins. Position your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart and bend your knees, drawing them forward until they're on top of the ball and your hips are pointed toward the ceiling. Slowly drop your hips to the left, allowing the ball to roll to the right, then immediately pull your hips back to the starting position and drop them to the right. That's one rep. As you become more comfortable with the move, you can perform it at a slightly faster pace.

Lie facedown on an exercise ball with both hands on the floor. Walk your hands out, allowing the ball to roll beneath your body until it's under your shins. Your hands should be directly below your shoulders so it looks as if you're ready to do a pushup. Your body should form a straight line from your heels to your head. Keeping your legs straight, tighten your abs, exhale, lift your hips toward the ceiling, and move the ball toward your hands as far as comfortably possible. Hold for a second, then lower back to the starting position. If this is too difficult, start with the ball under your thighs.

When you're in a hurry, you can keep your abs firm with decline pushups. This uber-effective move not only activates the abdominal and oblique muscles but also works your chest, shoulders, arms, and back. Here's how it's done: Lie facedown on an exercise ball with both hands on the floor. Walk your hands out, allowing the ball to roll beneath your body until it's under your shins. Your hands should be directly below your shoulders so it looks as if you're ready to do a pushup. Keeping your torso straight and abs contracted, bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor. Stop when your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Pause, then return to the starting position.

If you don't have a ball, you can perform the move with your feet on a step.