Exercises for Older People to Tighten up the Stomach

There is no way to specifically spot reduce flab from a particular area of your body, so do a variety of exercises to burn fat and build muscle. According to the American Council on Exercise, as you age, your body fat shifts from subcutaneous stores under your skin to visceral stores around your organs in your midsection. This type of fat not only makes your stomach appear larger, it is also more dangerous for your health. Get a tighter stomach and improve your well-being by improving your diet and engaging in total body exercise, core training and cardiovascular activity.

  1. Core Exercise

    • Target the deep abdominal muscles, because they act like a girdle on your midsection to stabilize your spine and hips and effectively tighten your stomach. Dr. Jeanne Nichols of San Diego State University suggests starting with standing pelvic tilts, pushing your hips forward and back using your core muscles, as well as Kegel exercises specifically for the pelvic floor muscles. For balance and core control, sit on a stability ball next to a wall for support and practice lifting alternating legs. When you feel comfortable, incorporate small crunches on the stability ball starting with 10 repetitions and increasing to three sets of 15 to 20. Also try planks on the floor. Lie on your stomach and then lift yourself up to support yourself on your elbows and your toes, keeping your abs squeezed and body straight. If you are a beginner, drop to your knees instead of your toes and try to hold for 30 seconds. Each week try to increase your time by 10 seconds. Do core exercises at least three days per week.

    Balance Exercise

    • Although balance exercises do not directly work your abdominal muscles, good balance is greatly influenced by a strong core. The Mayo Clinic recommends starting with small lateral weight shifts from one foot to the next. Progress to balancing on one leg while slowly swinging the other forward, backward and laterally. Slowly incorporate weight training, such as bicep curls, shoulder presses, lateral raises and frontal raises, while standing on one leg. Squeeze your abs throughout the entire movement so you get used to keeping them engaged. Practice balance exercises daily.

    Total Body Circuits

    • Circuit training will not only strengthen and tone your entire body, it will also burn fat, because your heart rate remains elevated due to the constant movement of your muscles. Choose exercises that require you to stand rather than sit to keep your heart rate up and abs tight. Move from one exercise to the next with very little rest and incorporate three to six exercises per circuit. Start your circuit with a dumbbell shoulder press.To do a proper shoulder press, hold dumbbells and lift them up so your hands are on either side of your head, elbows under your wrists. Extend your arms and press the dumbbells up overhead, and then slowly bring them back down to the starting position. Continue your circuit with bent over rows, squats, chest presses, reverse flys and lunges. Do 12 to 15 reps of each and repeat this circuit three times. Incorporate total body circuits three times per week on non-consecutive days.

    Cardiovascular Exercise

    • Cardiovascular exercise not only burns excess body fat, it is also beneficial to your health in other ways, decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol and increasing endurance, for example. Start with low-impact exercises such as walking, swimming or cycling, especially if you are older and are unaccustomed to vigorous exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days of the week, which is equal to a total of 150 minutes per week. As your endurance increases, bump up the intensity of your cardio to keep challenging yourself, so your body does not get too used to a routine.