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There are only four exercises in this home-based program – you could always do a lot more, but these exercises are designed to help you improve your posture and streamline your abdominals in minimum time. The idea is not to give you so many exercises that it stops you getting out and achieving your daily walking targets. For best results, I’d love you to do these six days a week – a day off gives your body a chance to rest and benefit from your efforts. If at all possible, do them in the morning. Research shows that people who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick with regular activity long term.

Do remember to warm up before you complete your exercises. In just 3–5 minutes you can mobilize your major joints and get rid of tension with brisk marching on the spot and running up and down stairs to increase your body temperature, shoulder rolls, some side bends, full-body stretches, a few squats, and knee lifts to your chest.

THE RIB – HIP CONNECTION

Master this technique to see great results in your abdominal/core stability exercises. When you lie on the floor, before you begin your abdominal work, make sure you have what is known as a “rib – hip connection”. This will help you contract your abdominals before you lift and make sure your spine is in the correct anatomical position. Here is what to do: place your thumb on your bottom ribs and your fingers on the top of your hip bone and draw these two points together with a small contraction of your abdominal muscles. Your spine should be in a neutral position. This neutral position will vary from person to person dependent upon the shape of your spine. However, there should be a small space between the floor and your back. Keep the rib – hip connection so you maintain your neutral position. You are now ready to start your abdominal work.

Exercise: The Bridge

What it does: Tightens your buttock muscles, flattens your abdominals, and strengthens your back.

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, arms at your sides. Establish your rib – hip connection and use the hips, thigh, and trunk muscles to lift your pelvis off the floor until the body forms a diagonal line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold for 10 seconds. To make this exercise more challenging, extend one leg straight, hold for 4 counts, and lower to the ground. Now lift the other leg, hold for 4 counts, and lower to the ground. Now lower your whole body to the floor, still maintaining the rib – hip connection.

How many: Repeat 10 times

Joanna’s top tip: Visualizing pressing your knees away from your hips helps to stabilize your torso and tone your thighs.

Exercise: Toe Touches

What it does: Flattens lower abdominal wall, especially the deep transverse muscle, which is crucial to getting that flatter tummy.

Lie on your back with knees over hips and lower legs parallel to the floor. Establish your rib – hip connection. Slowly lower one leg down to the floor, dropping your heel to the floor. Keep your spine in neutral as you lift your leg back over your chest. Repeat on the other side. The trick with this exercise is to go slowly and focus on technique. To make the exercise easier, bend your leg more and lower to the floor closer to your butt.

How many: Build up to 16 on each leg

Joanna’s top tip: This is a challenging exercise. Start out trying to do a few reps with really good technique. Remember the rib – hip connection.

Exercise: Abdominal Curl Using a Towel

What it does: Tightens upper abdominals, especially around rib and upper waist area.

Lie on the floor, knees bent. Place a rolled towel between your butt and your feet, slightly in front of your extended fingers. Slide your feet away from your butt until you feel your toes start to come off the floor. Slowly curl up from your breastbone and lift your fingers over the top of the towel to touch the floor on the other side. The emphasis should be on tucking your ribs under rather than lifting up.

How many: 16–20 reps

Joanna’s top tip: This is especially good post-pregnancy, when the rib cage has often extended due to the growing baby. Imagine you are wearing a tight corset to help you draw down through your rib cage with each lift, but do remember to breathe.

Exercise: Abdominal Pillow Rolls

What it does: Develops trunk stability and tones waist muscles.

Lie on the floor, knees bent and feet flat. Place a pillow or small cushion between your knees. Lightly squeeze the pillow between your knees as you lower your knees to one side. As you draw your knees back to a central position, focus on contracting your abdominals down to the floor and tightening your waist. To make the exercise more challenging, start with your legs lifted off the floor with your knees over your chest. Slowly lower your knees to one side but do not drop them to the floor, keep the rib – hip connection as you draw your abdominals back in, and focus on tightening around your waist muscles as you come back to a flat position.

How many: 16 in total, alternating to each side

Joanna’s top tip: As you draw your legs back to a central position imagine you are wearing a belt and you need to flatten each section of the back of the belt to the floor as your knees move back over your body.

See the Bonus Info Panels throughout the 14-day plan for troubleshooting tips on walking and the abdominal exercises.