Does ab work make you tired just watching it?  Well, ab work really is a necessary evil if you want to lose that gut, but you don’t have to be monotonous about it.  John Boyd of Chelsea Piers Fitness Center in New York City put me through his ab plan.

First the towelcrunch. Legs up over hips, towel behind your head, gently crunch upward, contracting those middle abdominals ten to fifteen times if you can.

Then, use the towel to twist your torso to the sides and really work those obliques in that waist area. For even more advanced, get your knees into the action.

Next, try doing crunches while holding a dumbbell between your knees. This adds resistance and makes you use more muscles for stability.
Now work the opposing muscle group with back extensions. Gently lift your chest and shoulders off the floor and contract your back muscles, then lower your body and stretch out. 

Now there’s an ab program that work great.  For Fitness Magazine, I’m Bonnie Kaye.