Strong, Sexy Abs

1. Figure Eights

You don't require a lot of fancy gear to get the abs you've always dreamed of. A simple scarf will provide all you need to sculpt a sexy, strong midsection, says Leisa Hart, creator of the Sexy Abs workout DVD. "It tones your abs in all the right places by adding resistance to even basic exercises."

Hart's workout fuses elements of yoga, ballet, and Pilates to target the deep (transverse abdominis) and the "six-pack" (rectus abdominis) abdominal muscles, as well as the obliques. You can use any long (about 3 feet) scarf, necktie, or towel folded lengthwise. Try these moves three times a week and you'll see a flatter, firmer middle in one month!

1. Figure Eights

Target: Warms Up Core Muscles; Works Obliques

• Sit tall on a chair, feet on floor.
• Place your right hand on the seat behind you.
• Hold one end of the scarf in your left hand, letting it hang down by your side.
• Make a figure eight over your head and down your left side as you lean forward and whip the scarf energetically as far as you can in each direction.
• Repeat 8 to 10 times.
• Switch sides and repeat.