Provided by Prevention

Lower Belly Best Exercise: Reverse curl. This move works the lower portion of the abs, targeting that bulge below your belt.

How it's done: Lie on your back and place your hands, palms down, alongside your thighs. Bend your hips and knees to form a 90-degree angle: thighs vertical, lower legs horizontal. Now slowly contract your abdominal muscles, lifting your hips about 2 to 4 inches off the floor. Keep your upper body and arms relaxed. Hold, then slowly lower.

Worst Exercise: Straight leg lift. Your legs and back are doing most of the work, so you'll see few results in your midriff. And this move puts tremendous stress on the lower back, increasing your chances of injury.

Sleeping Position
Best: On your back. Sleeping this way, with a pillow under your knees, prevents your back from arching. Sleeping on your back regularly can prevent back pain, so that you can keep building those abs.

Worst: On your stomach. This position causes your back to arch. Do it for 8 hours every night and you may end up with workout-inhibiting back pain.

Foods
Best: Beans and berries. White beans, blackberries, dried apricots, and winter squash are high-fiber winners, says John Allred, PhD, professor of nutrition in the department of food science and technology at Ohio State University in Columbus. Not only is fiber great for weight loss because it makes you feel full, but it also prevents constipation, which can make your belly look larger. Aim for 25 to 35 grams (g) a day. Note: If you're not used to eating high-fiber foods, increase your intake slowly and spread it throughout the day. Too much, too fast can cause bloating and discomfort.

Worst: Anything eaten in excess. Eating too many calories -- whether they're fats, carbohydrates, or proteins -- can expand your waistline.

Drinks
Best: Ice-cold water. It's calorie-free and fills you up, so you eat less. It can also help flush away premenstrual bloating. Drink it ice chilled, and you'll even burn a few extra calories as your body warms it up.

Worst: Alcohol. Beer and liquor tend to raise levels of cortisol, a hormone that appears to steer fat toward the tummy. You're also more likely to get the munchies when you've been drinking.

Supplement
Best: Calcium. This mineral is essential to keep your bones strong and prevent osteoporosis, which can lead to fractures in your spine. Those fractures produce a slumping posture and a protruding belly. (When vertebrae fracture, the spine and abdominal cavity shorten, pushing the stomach outward.)

If you're a woman age 50 or older, shoot for 1,500 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day. For women under 50 and men, the target is 1,000 mg.

Worst: "Fat-burning" pills. These so-called wonder drugs promise a trimmer tummy without any mention of the words "exercise" and "nutrition." Your money would be better spent on a good pair of walking shoes!

Sports
Best: kickboxing, racquetball, swimming (crawl stroke), and tennis (singles). Any type of aerobic exercise will burn off belly fat. But these are rated best because they involve movements--rotating, pulling, and swinging--that use the waist muscles too. And they all burn more than 475 calories an hour.

Worst: Bicycling. For abs, that is! Those muscles are not engaged at all. But you do have calorie burn: Biking at a moderate 12 mph pace burns 544 calories. So if you like it, stick with it -- just focus on keeping your abs tight as you ride.

Next: More Ab Toning Tips