13 Activities That Will Slim Waistline

1. Make a tennis date. A few sets of backhands and forehands, and you'll feel it around your middle. "Every time you turn to make a stroke," says Dr. Nagler, "you strengthen the oblique muscles on either side of your abdomen."

2. Vacuum the house. Dust-free floors won't be the only benefit. Pushing the vacuum cleaner back and forth helps tighten your abs, says Dr. Nagler. Self-propelled models don't count!

3. Get out and garden. George DeVault, 47, of Emmaus, PA, attributes his flat stomach (he lost about 2 inches off his waist in a month!) to all the bending, lifting, pulling, pushing, and digging. The spinal twist and abdominal contractions while digging are a particularly good ab workout, Dr. Nagler adds.

4. Strike a pose. Chris Jensen, from Huntington Beach, CA, has been doing yoga daily for 20 years. "I started it because I wanted to relax," she says. "But I also began noticing subtle changes, such as tightening and strengthening of my ab muscles, within four months."

5. Try "Callanetics." Gale Maleskey, 45, of Emmaus, PA, swears by this program. It helped her maintain a 28-inch waist for the past six years. "After just two weeks, I realized I was tightening up." Callanetics crunches resemble most others, but there's a subtle difference: A very slight, gentle pulsing motion keeps your ab muscles continuously contracted. Videotapes are available in libraries and video stores nationwide.

6. Go for a swim. "A vigorous crawl stroke is a wonderful way to tighten the abs," Dr. Nagler says. "Due to the fact that you have to breathe out forcefully underwater, your abdominal muscles contract even better. The reaching-forward and pulling-back strokes of the butterfly are great ab toners too."

7. Move those hips! Remember how much fun you had as a kid swiveling your hips inside a hula hoop? Turns out, this late-'50s fad is an excellent waist slimmer. The longer and more often you do it, the better the results.

8. Paddle off your paunch. Thirty-seven year old Erin Bethea from Akron, OH, attributes her lean tummy to kayaking. When you paddle, she explains, you twist your whole torso. The power comes from your abdominal muscles. "Using proper technique keeps your abs constantly moving," she says. And to sit erect and paddle a kayak properly, you need to keep your ab muscles taut—sometimes for several hours at a time!

9. Play a few holes. Swinging a golf club shapes up the oblique muscles on the sides of your abs, says Dr. Nagler. After 9 or 18 holes, that's a workout! (For an aerobic workout, skip the cart.)

10. Give boxing a whirl. Aerobic kick-boxing is more than just a great fat-burning, cardio workout. All those arm thrusts and high kicks firm abs too.

11. Do a little dance. Jeanette Friedman tells us that daily belly dancing has helped her maintain her svelte 24-inch waist for years and get back in shape after having two kids. "I started working my abs right in the hospital after my babies were born," she says. "It worked wonders!"

12. Sweep away flab. Your sidewalk or garage need a good sweeping? Grab a regular broom (not the push type) and go to it, advises Dr. Nagler. The back-and-forth motion is a great ab toner. And don't forget the dustpan: Bending over works your abs too, mostly when you exhale.

13. Discover "Pilates." This series of stretching-type exercises done on the floor and on special equipment has been used by dancers for decades. But now hundreds of others, including many celebrities, attribute their tight abs to this low-impact form of exercise. Ab-Toning Exercises If you experience back pain with any of these exercises, stop and check with your doctor before continuing.

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