Everybody wants a nice, tight stomach, yet it is probably one of the hardest parts of the body to trim up. Stomach exercises help you develop the muscle tone in your stomach, but fat tissue can still mask your nice muscles. The most important thing to remember about tightening your stomach is that it is a two part process: you have to both exercise your stomach muscles and thin the fat tissue surrounding the stomach.

Any time when you consume more calories than you burn, the remaining calories are converted into fat. That fat is, of course, stored in the stomach area. Stomach exercises help both by burning calories and by building your muscles so when the excess fat is reduced, you end up with a nice, tight tummy.

The oblique twist is an easy exercise to start off with. Start by lying flat on your back with your hands behind your head. Raise your body upwards while twisting your body so the left elbow towards the right knee, while lifting your right knee to meet it. Repeat by twisting the opposite direction, touching your right elbow with your left knee. As with most exercises, establish a number of repetitions that you feel comfortable with, and try to raise that number over time.

Scissor kicks are another great way to build your stomach muscles. Again start by lying on your back, but this time place your hands under your butt. Keeping your upper body flat against the floor, raise one leg off the ground so that the foot is about a foot from the ground. Slowly return it to the floor while raising the other leg. Make sure to keep your torso and head flat against the floor at all times.

By combining these exercises with plenty of jogging, you can keep yourself in shape while keeping your stomach fat tissue at a minimum, lending to a nicely toned body.