It’s easy to wind up gaining weight around the stomach. Unfortunately, it’s also the area that most people want to keep as trim as possible – and it’s very difficult to lose the weight around that location, too.

The good news is that, like with all other weight issues, exercises can work wonders. The trick is doing the right ones in order to see the best results. There’s a good chance that you’ve been trying a lot of different things but just not finding the right solutions.

HERE ARE THE 9 BEST EXERCISES TO LOSE A BELLY POOCH

1.    THE STOMACH VACUUM

This low-impact move is unique in the fact that it is focused on controlling and managing breathing, as opposed to upping heart rate. Don’t discount it, though! Have posituve thinking  It’s a stretch pose that is a great way to help strengten abdominal body , and it’ll help you maintain better posture, too. Here’s how to do it.

• Step 1: Start by standing straight with your hands resting on your hips.

• Step 2: Breathe out hard. Make sure as much air is pushed out of your lungs as possible.

• Step 3: Hold in your stomach as much as you can, bringing your chest to expand as much as possible.

• Step 4: Hold your breath and the position for a minimum of 20 seconds. Scale that count upwards the more accustomed to the exercise you become.

• Step 5: Repeat the exercise around 10 times.

• Step 6: For more variation or harder intensities, try doing this same exercise while sitting, kneeling, or lying down.

Make sure you’re doing this move on an empty stomach, or else digestive problems will follow. Also, talk to a doctor before doing this exercise if you have lung or heart conditions.

2.    MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

A mountain climber is a fairly difficult exercise, and it’s often a part of high-intensity exercise training. It’s easy to think about it as a standard plank move … but moving. It can be challenging, as your abdominal and core muscles have to keep your body good and stable while it does multiple fast small crunches in a row. Here’s how to do it.

• Step 1: Start in a position that appears like a push-up. Make sure your body is straight from head to toe, and that your hands are underneath each shoulder.

• Step 2: Raise your right foot, bring the knee upwards and inwards to your chest. As it comes up, lightly tap against the floor with that right foot. Then push it back to its initial position.

• Step 3: Swap to your left foot and do the same as in step 2.

• Step 4: Do as many mountain climbers as you are capable of within 20 seconds, allow a 10-second rest. Keep repeating this for around 4 minutes. If you have difficulty, you can scale the intervals down.

3.    THE TUMMY TUCK

This seemingly simple move is actually deceptively important. It is crucial in ensuring that your ab muscles – both deep and superficial – are engaged in a positive way and ready for a good workout. As such, it makes a great exercise to start your routine with. Here’s how to do it.

• Step 1: Start by sitting on the floor, leaning backwards so your forearms are flat on the floor while your weight is on your elbows. Your hands should naturally rest near your waist.

• Step 2: Bend your knees at a right angle, keeping them at about a hip’s width apart. Do not put your feet flat against the floor. Instead, raise your toes so that only your tiptoes graze the ground, and your heels are raised.

• Step 3: Start the exercise by pulling your abdomen inwards. Slowly move your hips in an upward motion, beginning from your belly button, as though you are tucking your stomach in.

• Step 4: Tuck your stomach until you can’t go further, then squeeze your muscles and hold yourself in the position for one second.

• Step 5: Slowly release and return to the position you found yourself in at the end of step 2. Repeat the exercise (step 3 and step 4) around 25 times.

4.    THE TICK TOCK

This difficult move is great for effectively toning your abs and helping you to lose a belly pouch. Here’s how to do it.

• Step 1: Begin in the tummy tuck position, as aforementioned.

• Step 2: Your knees should be bent now. Raise them, keeping them bent, until you have your shins parallel to the floor or the ceiling.

• Step 3: Squeeze your ab muscles to maintain your pose. Then, gently use your hands to rock your body back and forth, making sure your knees and hips remain at the same angles.

• Step 4: Rock forwards and backwards. When rocking forwards, keep your body upright, and move forward until you feel your toe tips just gently touching the floor.

• Step 5: When rocking backwards, you’ll want to lower yourself slowly onto your forearms. Make sure your muscles stay tight.

• Step 6: Repeat this exercise (steps 3 to 5) around 10 times.

5.    THE MARCH

This move is a type of march that you can do while you’re lying down, believe it or not! Here’s how to do it.

• Step 1: You’ll need to begin in the tummy tuck position, as aforementioned.

• Step 2: Your knees should be bent. Raise them, keeping them bent, until you have your shins parallel to the floor or the ceiling.

• Step 3: Start your tummy tuck move again, and as you do so, lower your right leg down until you feel your toe tips just gently touching the floor. Make sure your knee stays bent at 90 degrees this whole time.

• Step 4: Keep your stomach tucked. Now, move your right leg back up to its original position.

• Step 5: Now, repeat steps 3 and 4 with your left leg.

• Step 6: Do a total of ten repetitions per leg.

6.    THE DOUBLE LEG PRESS

This move really helps to keep your abs strong, providing good muscle building  for your core. Here’s how to do it.

• Step 1: You’ll need to begin in the tummy tuck position, as aforementioned.

• Step 2: Your knees should be bent now. Raise them, keeping them bent, until you have your shins parallel to the floor or the ceiling.

• Step 3: Start your tummy tuck move again. As you do so, stretch your legs out until they are extended straight in front of you, with your feet high enough to be at your eye level.

• Step 4: Keeping your stomach tucked, move your legs back to their original position.

• Step 5: Repeat this exercise about 15 times.

7.    THE CONTROLLED KICK

This exercise involves a good amount of careful control over each leg’s movements to ensure success. Here’s how to do it.

• Step 1: You’ll need to begin in the tummy tuck position, as aforementioned.

• Step 2: Your knees should be bent now. Raise them, keeping them bent, until you have your shins parallel to the floor or the ceiling.

• Step 3: Start your tummy tuck move again. As you do so, stretch your right leg out, bringing it lower and lower until it rests approximately 6” over the floor.

• Step 4: Keep your stomach tucked. Now, move your right leg back to its original position.

• Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 with your left leg.

• Step 6: Repeat this exercise about 10 times for each leg.

8.    BURPEES

Burpees are explosive exercises that really work out every single bit of your body – including your stomach . They have positive  effects on nearly all the muscles in your body, if not all of them. It can do a lot for your overall bodily health, too, including boosting your metabolism and allowing for faster fat burning overall. Here’s how to do it.

• Step 1: Start standing straight with your feet apart, about a shoulder’s distance away from each other.

• Step 2: Bring your hands down so that they rest against the floor. They should be around shoulder-width away from each other.

• Step 3: Move your legs back so you are in a position similar to the start of a pushup.

• Step 4: As soon as you reach the pushup stance, immediately jump your legs back forward. With this move, return them to their original position.

• Step 5: Jump upwards explosively, raising your arms in the air as you do so.

• Step 6: Repeat this exercise around 5 times if you’re a beginner. Scale upwards and add more reps as you get better.

9.    THE BICYCLE

Although it’s called the bicycle, this move involves simply lying down on the ground and doing a few moves that mimic the motion of a bicycle in the process. (If you do have an exercise bike or a real bike, though, there’s no harm in adding that to your exercise routine!) Here’s how to do the bicycle move.

• Step 1: Lie down on the floor, preferably on a mat, with your hands lying beside your body. You can also opt to place your hands under your head.

• Step 2: Lift your legs up with bent knees and move them in a circular motion, as if you are riding a bicycle. Keep your back flat throughout the whole exercise, and make sure you’re not tugging at your neck.

• Step 3: Start by moving your right leg in, bring the knee nearby to your chest as you straighten your left leg outwards. Then, do the opposite and keep it going.

• Step 4: Do this between 10 and 12 times in a single set, and do a minimum of three sets at once.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON SOME BEST EXERCISES TO LOSE A BELLY POOCH

Very few people want to have a big belly. It can change your entire appearance. It can hurt your self-esteem, and the fact that it’s hard to work off makes it a big problem for lots of people around the world.

Given how stubborn the fat around the stomach area can be, it’s definitely a bit of a challenge. But with enough positive thinking, the right exercise moves, and a little hard work, you’ll be able to meet your weight loss goals and enjoy a more toned stomach