BLT Salad - 4 Servings

Here’s a salad version of America’s favorite sandwich. We use shredded tomato as a base for the creamy tomato-and-chive dressing—adding great tang and flavor along with extra vitamin C.

Ingredients:
1 cup cubed whole-wheat country bread
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 each medium tomatoes
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Freshly ground pepper
5 cups chopped hearts of romaine lettuce
3 slices center-cut bacon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss bread with oil and spread on a baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cut 1 tomato in half. Working over a large bowl, shred both halves using the large holes on a box grater. Discard the skin. Add mayonnaise, chives (or scallion greens), vinegar, garlic powder and pepper; whisk to combine.

Chop the remaining 3 tomatoes. Add the tomatoes, romaine and croutons to the bowl with the dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with bacon.

Prep: 25 min

MSN Lifestyle-Food brought to you by EatingWell

Yes, You Can Have Chocolate!

It’s true. There’s room for chocolate in any healthy diet, not only because new research indicates that it’s actually good for you thanks to disease-fighting flavanols in the darker varieties, but also because it tastes good and you love it. The key to including indulgences like chocolate in your diet without blowing your calorie limit is to eat them in moderation. That means limiting yourself to a small piece or two a day (about one ounce or 150 calories worth), and splurging on high-quality chocolate that really satisfies. Another calorie-smart strategy is to pair chocolate with fruit (dip strawberries into a melted square, for instance), or mix air-popped popcorn with a few nuts and chocolate chips for a healthy homemade trail mix that feels like a real treat. If you’d like a healthy eating plan that makes room for chocolate and other treats, check out SELF magazine’s Jump Start Diet. Joy's Healthy Bite Yahoo Health

8 Foods to Get Your Brain Going in the Morning

Having trouble switching from dreamland to reality-ville? Head for the kitchen. What you eat can help you be more alert, think more clearly, have more energy, even be more creative, says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Food & Mood. Assuming you’ve clocked at least 7 hours of sleep, these foods will get you up, focused, and feeling like a morning person. Even if you're totally not. 1. A spoonful of sweetness. A tad of sugar in your coffee or honey in your smoothie stimulates the release of acetylcholine, a brain chemical that enhances memory. But don’t overdo it or you’ll soon feel drowsy. Excess sweetness can raise serotonin levels to a sleep-inducing high. 2. A whole-wheat bagel. Your primo brain fuel is glucose, the basic building block of carbs. So after a night of fasting, your brain is on red alert for a carb fix. But you don’t need a lot -- half a whole-wheat bagel will rev up your engines. So will a bowl of oatmeal. Pick your fave. 3. Lox on that bagel. Salmon contains a fat known as DHA that comprises 97% of the omega-3 fatty acids in your brain. And you need lots of those to get your mental decks cleared for action -- part of DHA’s job is to carry away cellular waste products that make your brain feel sluggish. 4. Spicy V8. Hot and spicy foods amp up blood flow, which is like warming your engines. If tomatoes are too acidic for you in the morning, toss a tablespoon of peeled fresh ginger into hot tea or a cold smoothie for a similar rush. 5. Soy. It contains compounds called isoflavones that help clear your mind (and fight memory loss too). Drink a glass of calcium-fortified soymilk, pour it over whole-grain cereal, or toss some chopped tofu into scrambled eggs. 6. Ice water. A small glass of frosty H2O will get the blood pumping. The cold shock forces your system to defend its normal temperature, slightly boosting your metabolism. 7. Coffee. But of course! Caffeine helps alertness by dampening a chemical called adenosine, which otherwise blocks energy-boosting brain chemicals. As a result, you think faster, drive better, and remember more. Just know your jitter threshold -- getting too wired can undermine your efficiency. 8. If all else fails: Place a tin of ginger-flavored Altoids -- or a few Red Hots or a packet of Listerine strips -- beside your alarm clock. When the buzzer goes off, pop one or two of any of them into your mouth before hitting the snooze button. It’s virtually impossible to sleep with that “curiously strong” taste waking up your mouth! Besides facing the day -- we all have to eventually -- the real benefit of switching your systems to "on" in the morning is that your brain starts buzzing, absorbing interesting info and making sense of the news. And becoming a lifelong learner can make your RealAge as much as 2.5 years younger. Food by Val Weaver, RealAge

Why Your Skin L-O-V-E-S Oatmeal

You probably know that oatmeal’s a fiber-rich superfood that does an all-star job of sopping up cholesterol and speeding it out of the body. But do you also know that its grainy little flakes perform mini-miracles when applied to skin? Oatmeal whisks away dead cells, irritation, and redness, leaving a soft, moist glow behind. While this could be news to you, oatmeal’s long been a staple among skin pros – even ancient ones. Its skin-soothing powers were known as early as 2000 BC, and to this day the FDA cites it as effective for relieving dryness and inflammation, including insect stings, rashes, and eczema. That's why finely powdered (“colloidal”) oatmeal is sifted into soothing body soaks, moisturizers, and soaps. (Pulverizing the oats into powder makes it easier to disperse their healing goodness – and in soaks, keeps them from collecting in the bottom of the tub.) "There are four reasons why your skin adores oatmeal," explains New York City dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD: 1. Dryness fighting: Oats contain polysaccharides, which become gelatinous in water and leave a fine protective film on the skin, preventing dull, flake-y dryness. 2. Moisturizing: Oats are full of healthy, lubricating fats. 3. Defense building: The proteins in oatmeal help maintain the skin's natural barrier function, which is what ensures that the world outside the skin stays out, and what's inside the skin stays in. 4. Pore cleansing: Oats are filled with natural cleansers (called saponins) that gently remove dirt and oil from the pores. To reap all of these benefits, Wechsler suggests treating your skin to a colloidal oatmeal mask every week or two. Here’s her super-simple recipe – good bet the ingredients are already in your kitchen.

The Skin Doc’s Smoothing, Soothing Oatmeal Mask 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats 2 tablespoons hot water 1/2 tablespoon honey

1. Put the oats into a clean herb or coffee grinder on the finest setting and process into powder. 2. Pour into a small bowl and stir in hot water and honey. Let stand for 5 minutes. 3. Wash face with warm water. While skin is still damp, massage paste onto face, circling around eyes and mouth. Leave on for 10 minutes. 4. Remove with tepid water and a washcloth. Apply your favorite moisturizer to seal the deal and set the glow. P.S.: Don’t stop eating oats just because you’ve transformed them into a beauty treatment! They’re hard to beat as a source of health-protective soluble fiber – and eating a high-fiber diet can make your RealAge up to 6 years younger.

Food

by Val Weaver, RealAge

Discover how much protein you really need

by Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, PREVENTION

I’m no fan of high protein diets that limit or eliminate nutrient-rich whole grains, fruits and veggies, but too little protein can leave you feeling hungry, and interfere with weight management by causing you to burn fewer calories per day. So how much protein is the right amount?

There are several formulas to calculate your ideal daily protein intake. When I’m individualizing this for a client, I generally use two standard methods, and compare the results. The first looks at percent of total calories. According to the Institute of Medicine, adults should get between 10 and 35 percent of their daily calories from protein. That’s a pretty wide range, and for most healthy adults, I think 10% is too low. At this percentage, you may find yourself hungry (since protein improves satiety) and too little protein generally bumps up carb intake, which can lead to high triglycerides and unstable blood sugar levels. That’s why I like to use 20-25%.

To do the math, find your ideal calorie intake first. Use this easy tool to calculate how many calories you need, or try this quick and easy rule of thumb: STEP 1: Multiply your weight goal by: 10 if your activity level is low (sitting most hours of the day) 13 if it’s light (you try to take the stairs instead of the elevator, park your car at the far end of the lot, walk the dog, etc., but you rarely get your heart rate up) 15 if it’s moderate (you get your heart rate up for about 30-45 minutes 3-5 times a week) 18 if it’s high (get your heart rate up 60+ minutes 5+ times a week) STEP 2: Take that number and multiply by 20% STEP 3: This number represents calories from protein. To convert to grams of protein, divide by 4. For example, if your daily calorie needs are 1,800: 1,800 X 20% = 360 calories divided by 4 = 90 grams of protein per day The second method looks at grams per kilograms of body weight. Here’s how to calculate:

STEP 1: Take your weight goal in pounds (as above) and divide by 2.2 to get your weight in kg STEP 2:Multiply by: 0.8 if your activity level is low 1.2 if your activity level is light to moderate 1.7 if your activity level is high (or your workouts include both cardio and strength training)For example, if a woman’s weight goal is 125 pounds, her kg goal is 56.8. The highest amount of protein for this formula is: 56.8 X 1.7 = 96.56 grams per day, about on par with the first method. To put your daily protein grams in perspective, check out the protein content of these healthful sources: Boneless, skinless chicken breast, 3 oz cooked – 25 g Wild salmon, 3 oz cooked – 21 g Non-fat Greek yogurt, 1 cup – 20 g Lentils, 1 cup cooked – 18 g Edamame, 1 cup – 17 g Black beans, 1 cup – 15 g Egg whites, ½ cup liquid – 13 g Organic, non-fat milk, 1 cup – 8 g Organic soy milk, 1 cup – 8 g Almonds, whole ¼ cup – 7 g Based on this info, do you think protein intake is on target? How much attention do you pay to protein? P.S. Getting more protein than your body needs doesn’t benefit you – it’s like too many workers showing up on the job – excess protein your body can’t use is considered “waste” – it either gets burned for fuel if you’re short on calories (which can stress your kidneys and dehydrate you) or it winds up getting socked away as body fat. That’s why balance (not getting too little or too much) is key. Healthy Living

8 stupid weight-loss schemes

Self's Diet and Nutrition editor Erin Hobday collaborated with the NY Daily News on eight ridiculous weight-loss products (including the Fuze lip gloss, which I think tastes like dog poo) that will help you lose one thing: your hard-earned cash. Honestly, there are so many ridiculous things on the market *(the Slim Dome much?) that I'm surprised they had the willpower to stop at just eight. Let's take a look at some other doozies, shall we? The Diet Fork, which is based on the principle that if you can't pick it up, you can't put it in your mouth. If you really buy into this, you could just use a spork from the cafeteria at work, or a free pair of chopsticks from the take-out joint up the street. Foot pads, which you put on your feet before bedtime. Supposedly somehow they suck the fat out of your ass through your soles. Um, what? The Hallelujah Diet, which cures more than just your size 14 jeans, but also fixes a million other ailments as well. As a nutrition plan, it's not too bad, but the catch is that you can't buy just any fruits and vegetables: you need to buy THEIR special, holy, blessed fruits and vegetables. They feel the stuff in the grocery store is dead on arrival, which sucks, because it means I've been spending a lot of money at Whole Foods for nothing (well, that could be argued anyway). The Pregnant Lady Pee Diet. I am not even making that up. Okay, I've mentioned this before, but I still can't believe that people are doing this of their own free will. The Magnetic Diet, which states that foods either attract health or disease toward the body. I'm guessing that Cheetohs or Taco Bell aren't on the health list? Actual Magnets on your ears to lose weight? The only way you'd believe this is if your ears don't have anything between them. The Power Plate, which is a vibrating platform (remember those vibrating belts from the '50s?) that is supposed to help you exercise by holding poses, except really, the research on it is sketchy at best. The HandyTrim is my favorite. Do you remember making those out of strings and can lids when you were a kid? Just me? Okay, well, I was a fat kid, despite playing with a string! Go figure! by Weetabix, Elastic Waist Healthy Living

Fat Ticker Friday: On Saturday

I don't have any earth shattering numbers to share this week, but I can say that I didn't gain, nor lose, so I'll take it. Next week I'll re-focus and get back on track. I have to. Have a great weekend everyone!

5 Ways to Eat Green at Work

Increasingly, employers are encouraging and rewarding healthy behaviors. At EatingWell, we took two half days this winter for our staff to ski, snowboard or snowshoe together, and of course we eat healthy lunches together every day, prepared by our talented Test Kitchen cooks. But enough about us. Here you can get 5 great ideas from employers all over the country to inspire you to eat healthy and be green at work. Want even more ideas? Read our special report about 5 employers—of all kinds and sizes—that are helping their staffers to eat and live well. Great Idea #1Stock healthy snacks—like the fresh fruit and nuts that managers at Chandler Chicco Agency, a healthcare PR firm in New York City, bring into the office each week. Great Idea #2Ditch the vending machine and replace it with a refrigerator, as NRG Systems in Hinesburg, VT, did to save energy (the machines are notorious guzzlers). They also got rid of a tempting junk-food showcase; now the fridge is stocked with water, 100% fruit juices and other healthy beverages, and employees help themselves. Great Idea #3Send in the farm: once a week, a local farm delivers a CSA (community supported agriculture) “share” of fresh produce to Laloo’s, a goat-milk ice cream company in Petaluma, California. From the bounty, the 15 staffers prepare communal lunches (three days a week). Great Idea #4Call in a healthy caterer instead of ordering pizzas to sustain your team during seminars or late work nights. Employees of Boeing and Starbucks (corporate office) turn to Organic To Go, a quick-service food retailer that also does delivery and corporate catering in Seattle, Los Angeles and Orange County, California. The company’s fresh organic line includes a big selection of wraps, salads and sandwiches—available buffet-style or packed into individual lunch bags (along with apple slices, bottled water and a homemade cookie). Great Idea #5Demand change—like college students across the country who rallied to bring local foods to campus cafeterias and won. When the University of Vermont’s food service, Sodexho, responded to students’ requests for local foods, it shifted $50,000 of purchasing to area farmers in 8 weeks. Your vote matters, so find that comment box at your work café and use it. By Michelle Edelbaum, EatingWell Magazine

Jumping Rope. With no Rope?

I saw something recently on the Hungry Girl website; the JumpSnap the Ropeless Jump Rope. Go take a few minutes and look around their site. Really you won't be sorry. At first glance I thought it was just another contraption type gimmick. A ropeless jump rope? Could this be the 2008 version of the Thigh Master? I gave it a second thought and decided to research it a little more since I have read numerous times that jumping rope is the best form of exercise to burn calories and lose inches. What could it hurt really? I read through the evolution of the JumpSnap. Then the Fitness Benefits. But what really got me was the 'real stories'. Now I know that you have to eat right and really work hard at exercising to make changes in your life, to make changes to your body, but this might be something that I personally could make work for me (since I can't seem to stick to any other regular exercise plan on a steady basis). Heck I just might consider buying it. And they have a blog! Who knew.

New Music - Check it Out!

Fat Ticker Friday - On Monday

I owe myself an update, since I conveniently skipped out on Friday being that my numbers weren't good at all. I was not proud of myself, so why shout it from the rooftops? It's only weigh in number four and I've slipped up and backtracked, and all my hard work to get me to where I was, well, it's gone. At some point I lost my 'motivated' frame of mind. And to boot last week was stressful so I totally did what I know I tend to do - I eat. EMOTIONAL EATING. It sucked the wind right out of my sails. And then to add to that, since I had already fallen off the wagon, I continued to make poor food choices, and eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and today? I feel like crap. My nose is once again back to the grind. My summer vacation is right around the corner and I have a lot to accomplish between now and then. Wish me luck.

Was your mother the first dieter in your life?

Moms get a bad rap. After all, the woman who taught us how to deal with our bodies, the woman who was probably our first glimpse at a diet in action, the weird way that deprivation becomes some kind of moral imperative, it was probably good old Mom, right? Sarah Hepola (confession: one of my HUGE blogger crushes) revealed that she was 9 years old when she first started dieting because it was a way to be cool and sophisticated, a way to distance herself from gummy bears and Big League Chew with the simple phrase, "Do you know how many calories are in those?" Myself, I was five, but unlike Sarah, mine was not self-imposed and I was not trying to emulate my beautiful naturally slender mom. My sister, who looks entirely normal (whatever that means) and inherited a lot of my mother's body type (although, much to her chagrin, missed out on some of her metabolism), started dieting when she was 11, although I always thought it was because she was emulating her best friend, who loved to indoctrinate Amy into all things illicit and cool. Unprompted, my 9-year-old niece recently told me, "It's okay if I eat some cookies, because I've lost some weight playing so much basketball," which sent my poor overly-sensitive brain into a frenzy trying to think of a way to suggest that cookies aren't a reward for good behavior, they're just cookies. The statistics on little girls starting to seriously diet are staggering, but not only will this behavior mess with their heads but it also messes with their little bodies: kids who experience periods of dieting and binge eating might be reducing their life span. I don't know what is more sad--the idea that kids are dieting or that it's so prevalent there is a study on the phenomenon. by Weetabix, Elastic Waist

Beauty in a bad economy: The many, many uses for Epsom Salts

I got a random email from the Epsom Salt Industry Council (yes. There's an Epsom Salt Industry Council) the other day outlining the myriad beauty uses for their—seemingly miracle—product. Honestly, until that email arrived, my reference point for Epsom Salts was Scary Things Found in My Grandparents' Bathroom (other items in this file: tooth brushes with a plastic pick on one end, doll-in-crocheted-dress toilet paper covers and anything by Jean Naté). However, as it turns out, there are actually a lot of things you can do with this naturally-forming, healing mineral Behold! 7 Beauty Uses for Epsom Salt (some of them are a stretch, all of them are courtesy of the Epsom Salt Industry Council): 1. As exfoliator: Mix 2 cups of Epsom Salt with 1/4 cup of petroleum jelly and a few drops of lavender essential oil. Use the mixture to gently scrub away dry skin patches. 2. For an at-home facial: Mix 1/2 TSP of Epsom Salt into your favorite face wash. Massage on skin. Rinse with cool water. Pat dry. This will clear out clogged pores. 3. For a relaxing body soak: Add two cups of Epsom Salt to the water in a standard-sized bathtub; soak for at least 12 minutes, three times weekly. You can also add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to help with a cold. 4. To make (those cheesy) bath crystals (at home!): Mix two cups of Epsom Salt with a few drops of fragrance to create a custom bath crystal. Add a few drops of food coloring or 1/2 TSP of glycerin if you like. Store in an air-tight container. 5. To refresh your dogs/foot soak: Soothe aches, remove odors and soften rough skin with a foot soak. Add 1/2 cup of epsom salt to a large pan of warm water. Soak feet for as long as it feels right. Rinse and dry. 6. To add volume to hair (??? yes, apparently): Combine equal parts of deep conditioner and epsom salt. Warm in a pan. Work the warm mixture through your hair and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse. 7. As a laxative: See package instructions. For more on Epsom Salt, go here. by Jennifer Romolini, Shine staff

So hard to say goodbye ... to fat cells

Fat cells are, more or less, forever. That is the basic message in a new study published in Nature. Leaving aside the details of the study, the gist is this: as children, particularly in early childhood and around puberty, we convert excess calories into new fat cells. Thus, overweight in childhood is associated with a large population of fat cells, a state known in the trade as "hyperplastic obesity." As adults, weight loss and gain tends to be about growing and shrinking the fat cells we already have. When obesity is due to over-large fat cells (adipocytes), it is known as "hypertrophic obesity." Any adult who has attempted weight loss knows it's tough, even if the weight was gained AS an adult. But it will be that much tougher for kids subject to early-onset obesity to ever lose weight and keep it off, because they will have an excess number of fat cells to contend with. And those fat cells don't go away without a fight. The Nature study reveals that they hang in there, even after significant weight loss. Weight loss is always possible, but it's very hard to say goodbye to the fat cells we already have. The best way to address childhood obesity, therefore, is to prevent it. This is a case where the classic adage about ounces of prevention and pounds of cure is literally about ounces and pounds of body weight. Saying goodbye to fat cells accumulated early in life is extremely difficult. So we have to do a much better job of helping our kids not say hello in the first place. More ways to eat well and stay healthy: Shrink a Size By Summer! 100 Ways to Cut 100 Calories Cut Cholesterol With Fiber-Full Foods by David Katz, MD, PREVENTION

3 ways to eat for heart health—without even noticing

I still remember when my father was diagnosed with high cholesterol, because my mother told us we were all going to start eating better. We’d have more chicken, vegetables and “fat-free” foods, less pizza and French fries. I was devastated—vinegar fries were my weekly tradition at high school football games. I could still get them, she said—once in a while. Wise message. I certainly didn’t envision that we’d be eating the kinds of delicious heart-healthy recipes the cooks in the EatingWell Test Kitchen whip up. There are many ways to live and eat for heart health but to get you going, here are three heart-healthy dishes that taste so good you’ll forget they’re good for you.

• EatingWell’s Pepperoni Pizza (280 calories, 6 g fat, 3 g saturated fat) uses turkey pepperoni and part-skim mozzarella to minimize the saturated fat that boosts cholesterol—and, subsequently, risk of heart disease.
• Chicken isn’t the only meat you can eat for better cholesterol; lean beef has a place in a heart-healthy diet too. Try Bistro Beef Tenderloin (185 calories, 9 g fat, 3 g saturated fat).
• Get good fats from nuts, like in EatingWell’s decadent omega-3 rich Chocolate Walnut Cake.

by By Nicci Micco, EatingWell Magazine

Weight fluctuations explained!

by Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, PREVENTION I'll never forget the LONG debate I had with a friend of mine about why you CAN eat a pound of food without gaining a pound of weight. He disagreed, saying it was impossible, but I’m absolutely right. In fact, you can down several pounds of food without gaining an ounce, let alone a pound. Here’s why: in a nutshell, body weight is controlled by calories, and the weight of food has absolutely no relationship to its calorie level. The perfect example is water. A gallon weighs eight pounds, but water has no calories, so you can’t gain body fat by drinking it, even though it’s quite heavy. In order to gain one pound of fat, you need to eat an excess 3,500 calories (on top of the number you burn off). So if you typically burn 1,500 calories in a day, you’d need to eat at least 5,000 calories within 24 hours to gain an actual pound of body fat. And 3,500 calories worth of food can weigh a lot or a little. Each of the following contains about 3,500 calories, enough to create a one pound fat gain if not burned off: 1 pound of butter 5.5 pounds wild salmon 10.5 pounds of grapes 21 pounds of raw broccoli When you step on the scale, you're weighing everything that has weight, not just muscle, bone, and body fat, but also water, undigested food (even if it will all later be burned off), and waste your body hasn't eliminated yet. The latter three are why your weight on a scale can shift very quickly, from day to day or hour to hour--even if your muscle and body fat remain exactly the same. Sodium’s another factor. It’s attracted to water like a magnet, so if you eat something salty (say salted nuts), you’ll probably retain more water (temporarily) than if you ate unsalted nuts. And as I’ve shown above, certain foods weigh more, even when they don't provide more calories. So the next time you step on the scale, if it’s creeped up a bit, don’t panic. Ask yourself a few questions: Have I been eating “heavy” foods (even if they’re low cal)? Am I well hydrated (or could I have been dehydrated the last time I weighed)? Have I had anything especially salty? Am I constipated? Have I eaten enough excess calories to cause this much of a weigh gain (i.e. if your weight spiked by 2 pounds, have you really eaten 7,000 excess calories since your last weight in)? Fluctuations are normal. There are numerous factors that affect the number on the scale that have nothing to do with changes to your “fat mass.” So if you weigh yourself daily, look for a pattern over time instead of focusing on every spike and dip, and don’t forget to put those digits in perspective.

Fat Ticker Friday - Weigh In Number Three

Today is my third weigh in since I started Fat Ticker Friday! Yeah well, not really sure why I'm so excited cause this diet stuff is HARD. Espeically when the numbers on the scale slow to a screeching hault. Or something like that. I do have *some* reason for excitment however, I've dropped another pound. Today's weight? 172 pounds. Six pounds lost, another thirty two to go. HOLD ME.

So Long, Muffin Top

A fat-burning, belly-toning routine that’s guaranteed to whittle down your middle. By Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness

Are you noticing more ab flab with each passing year? An estimated 50 percent to 60 percent of the amount of fat in your midsection is said to be dictated by the genes you inherit. But how you live and changes that your body goes through as you age also play a major role. Hormonal fluctuations that can start in a woman’s mid- to late-30s, are often accompanied by an increase in waist size. Too much stress, too little sleep and eating too many calories can also contribute to belly bulge. Your level of activity also affects your shape—more active people are more likely to be leaner all over, including in their bellies.

But before you drop to the floor to perform what seems like the obvious antidote to expanding abs—crunches and other “core” exercises—realize that a bigger belly is caused from excess fat in the area, not weak muscles. So pummeling away at abdominal muscles won’t have the flattening effect you might think it will. What core exercises can do is strengthen your abs and surrounding muscles. Providing that these moves don’t stress your spine, too, a strong core provides spinal stability. And that core strength also helps you move more powerfully when you do cardio.

And that’s a good thing since what you need to do to slim down is more cardio to burn excess body fat (and cutting out extra calories in what you eat helps, too). By using up extra energy with aerobic workouts, your body pulls from fat cells all over the body. The good news is that ab fat has a higher lipolytic activity than lower-body fat. That means that more fat-burning enzymes are circulated in ab fat cells. And this may explain why many studies show that increasing the amount of cardio you do each week has a direct effect in helping to reduce your waist size.

Our workout has a fat-zapping effect because it includes high-intensity cardio bursts to help you burn more calories in between each of six super core-conditioning moves. For a maximum belly blast, complete the entire routine once through, then repeat two more circuits.

HOW TO DO IT: • All but one of these ab-toning moves uses your body weight and focuses on isometric contractions where you simply hold the muscle tight. • Wear supportive sneakers so that you can work at a high-intensity during the cardio bursts. • Work up to complete three entire circuits of this routine, alternating two-minute cardio bursts with a core move. • Do this workout four to six times a week. • Modify this workout to match your fitness level. Follow the recommended moves, or adapt them as needed by clicking on a similar exercise that is easier or more challenging. • Lower the intensity or time of each cardio burst if it feels too challenging. Slow down or stop if you feel too breathless or dizzy. • For move No. 4, choose a light weight that is three to eight pounds. If your shoulders feel fatigued during this move, lighten the weight. What you need: one weight and sneakers