Battle of the Bulge

I feel like my body is changing everywhere apart from my belly...it just kind of hangs there and the inch loss doesn't seem to be happening so quickly there. So, I've had a hunt on the net for tips and tricks to try to tone up the gut!

Good Housekeeping suggest introducing an exercise ball into your routine to ensure the flattest of tums. They actually look quite fun and I must say I am truly tempted. I particularly love the notion that merely sitting on the ball for a length of time will tone your abs. Trainer Jim Karas says: "Because of the ball's rounded top and no rest for your back, simply sitting on it forces your abdominal muscles to work hard. Start out with five minutes of sitting (feet shoulder-width apart, toes forward, abs tight and back straight) and build up to an hour. You can even do it while watching TV. Sound easy? Sit before you smirk. " I just may have to get me one of these! Amazon stock a wide range of them, including:Cyclex Gym Ball 22" which seems the best choice to me.

For fans of crunches and more traditional methods, Marie Claire's article "Get Flat Abs Fast" seems a good place to start...they suggest doing the following exercises designed by Leandro Carvaholo of Equinox Fitness Clubs' Brazilian Tummy Tuck Class four times a week for results in a month. Dare I go for it?

The key to that elusive flat belly? A regimen that works all your abdominal muscles. Try these moves from Leandro Carvahlo, creator of Equinox Fitness Clubs' Brazilian Tummy Tuck class, four times a week for results in a month.

Belly Rolls
Works: vertical ab muscles
What to do: Sit with your legs bent, feet flat on the floor and arms straight in front of you. Exhale and roll back until your lower back touches the ground -- stop. Inhale and roll back up. Repeat 15 times. Now exhale and roll back until your shoulder blades touch the ground -- stop. Inhale and roll back up. Repeat 15 times.

Tummy Curls
Works: horizontal ab muscles
What to do: Lie on your back and bend your knees at an (almost) 90-degree angle with the floor, raising your feet slightly higher than your knees. Exhale, lift your butt and roll back to your shoulder blades. Inhale and roll to your tailbone -- stop (don't let your butt touch the ground). Repeat 20 times.

Cross Crunches
Works: waist
What to do: Grab a liter bottle of water and lie on your back with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle with the floor. Cradle your left hand behind your head. Now hold the water bottle in your right hand, lift your head and shoulders off the ground and reach across your body, so the bottle is outside your left knee. "Pulse" 20 times. Switch sides and repeat.

Tailbone Lifts
Works: lower ab muscles
What to do: Lie on your back, arms stretched straight over your head and legs fully extended and crossed in the air. Exhale and lift your tailbone, then slowly lower as you inhale (don't just drop -- resist on the way down). Repeat 30 times.

Inverted Crunches
Works: lower back
What to do: Lie on your stomach, arms in front of you as if flying. Exhale and lift just your right arm and left leg as high as you can. Inhale and lower. Then switch, lifting your left arm and right leg. Alternate, doing 20 lifts on each side. Finally, lift both arms and legs 20 times.

So, starting from tomorrow, for the next 4 weeks I am going to attempt to lose inches from my abdomen. Starting measurements for this challenge are: bust: 43", waist: 36", hips: 43", thighs: 25.5" each. I've included other measurements so I can understand what kind of impact the exercise has had on my body....let's hope its a big one!

Aiming for size 10?

Walk into several high street shops and you'll soon discover that no two size 10 garments fit the same. While I long to be a perfect size 10, what sort of goal is it without standard sizing in the UK?

Earlier this year, BBC News reported that Spain is to standardise women's clothing sizes as part of a government drive to ease pressure on young girls' concerns about body size.

As in the UK, clothes currently on sale in Spain often vary in size from shop to shop, despite carrying the same size label.

Some fear the labels are confusing shoppers and that efforts to conform could be leading to eating disorders.

The move follows Spain's ban of ultra-thin models on the catwalk during Madrid fashion week last September.

British women and their Spanish counterparts often head into changing rooms with an armful of different sizes never knowing which one will fit this time or whether any will fit at all.

Spain's biggest fashion retailers have bowed to government pressure to standardise their sizes by 2008 to reflect the real size of Spain's growing population.

Under new regulations, a size 40 garment in one store will need to be at least roughly comparable to a size 40 in another shop.

The move is likely to affect women and girls all over the world as international brands such as Mango and Zara have signed up to the agreement.

In a recent interview, Colleen McLoughlin, girlfriend of footballer Wayne Rooney, said that the fit of the clothing is better to concentrate on than the fit. However, if you've struggled to from size 24 down to a size 18, it would be nice to be able to wear that over a size 22 garment.

At present, I am wearing what I believe to be size 18 - how do my measurements compare to the high street "18"?

My measurements: Bust: 43.00"--Waist: 37.00"--Hips: 46.00"

Marks & Spencer--:Bust: 40.00"--Waist: 34.00"--Hips: 42.50"
Dorothy Perkins---:Bust: 43.25"--Waist: 35.75"--Hips: 44.75"

Next---------------:Bust: 41.00"--Waist: 34.50"--Hips: 43.50"

Evans--------------:Bust: 43.00"--Waist: 36.00"--Hips: 44.00"
Tesco--------------:Bust: 42.25"--Waist:35.00"--Hips:45.00"

BhS----------------:Bust: 41.25"--Waist: 34.50"--Hips:41.25"

Debenhams--------:Bust: 41.25"--Waist: 33.25"--Hips:45.00"

This little examination of measurements shows that there is no such thing as a perfect size in the UK. With as much as a 3" difference, it would appear that in some shops, I'd find myself fitting into certain size 16's wherein others I'd be forced into a size 20.

I think, at the end of the day, perhaps we need to sway away from the concept of size and look at how we feel about ourselves when clothed in a particular garment. While I know it will be tough, I'll just have to strive for a body shape that I alone will feel comfortable with - not one that suits a high street tag.