1️⃣Lay on your back with knees bent. You can place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. 

2️⃣Take a nice breath in, filling your belly full of air. You can monitor that by feeling the hand on your belly lift up in the air while the hand on your chest should only rise a little bit. 

3️⃣Breathe out like you are blowing out birthday candles and pull your abdominal muscles in. Do a few repetitions but allow for breaks in between so you do not get dizzy. 

*️⃣ Make sure you aren’t using upper chest muscles from your neck and shoulders when you breathe.

1️⃣Sitting in a chair or laying  on the ground with knees bent and feet flat on floor. Place a pillow, ball, or rolled towel between your knees. 

2️⃣ Take a breath in. As you breathe out, flatten the arch of your low back into the ground (pelvic tilt) while tightening your belly muscles which will cause your pelvis/hip bones to rock towards your head.

3️⃣Squeeze your knees together into the object between your knees. Hold 3 seconds. 

1️⃣ Lay on the ground with knees bent and feet flat on floor. 

2️⃣Take a breath in. As you breathe out, flatten the arch of your low back into the ground (pelvic tilt) while tightening your belly muscles. This will cause your pelvis/hip bones to rock towards your head.

 *️⃣ Take it a step further and add a kegel (pelvic floor contraction) while you tilt. Make even harder and try marching one knee up then the other knee.

1️⃣Lay on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

2️⃣ Engage your core/abdominal muscles and slowly slide your heel out until your leg is straight.

3️⃣Return this knee to the starting position and repeat on the other side. 

*️⃣This should be a controlled motion - do not let your leg move too  quickly. It should take around 5 seconds to lower the knee from the starting position towards the ground before you begin to slowly lift it up again. 

1️⃣Lay on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.  Grab a sheet or towel to wrap around your abdomen - lay it under you before you lie down. 

2️⃣Criss-cross the sheet or towel to help bring the two sides of your abdominals together (this can also be done with your hands if you do not have anything else available. 

3️⃣Take a breath in.  As you breathe out, perform a slight lift of your head and shoulders from the ground. *️⃣It is important that you DO NOT do a full crunch.  This should be a very small movement during which you will feel your abdominals engage.

❇️Make it harder by doing this sitting without your back touching the chair and lean back until you abdominals can no longer control your movement.

1️⃣Lay on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.  Grab a yoga block, a ball, or even a book.

2️⃣Place the block (ball or book) between your hands and your knees.  Press gently into the item with your hands and knees to engage your abdominal muscles (we are targeting Rectus Abdominus here - your six-pack abs). 

3️⃣Take a breath in before you press.  As you breathe out, press into the item and hold for 5 seconds.

❇️Make it harder by lifting your legs into the air at a 90/90 position (imagine your legs were up on a chair and someone took it away). Keep in mind this is much harder and takes good core control to perform.  You should be able to keep your back flat against the floor with your legs lifted to determine if you are ready for this exercise. 

1️⃣Lay on the floor with one knee bent, foot flat on the floor and the other leg is out straight.  Press your knee into the ground and pull your toes back towards you to keep the muscles in the straight leg engaged. 

2️⃣Take a breathe in.  As you exhale lift your straight leg up in the air, lifting no further than the height of your bent knee.  Slowly return the leg to the ground and repeat.

 ❇️Make it harder by not allowing the leg to touch the floor in between repetitions or holding the leg elevated at the top for 5 seconds.