1) Do all your ab exercises at 1 time

Grouping all your ab exercises together can deliver better results than switching back and forth between various body parts, according to Nicole Stewart, a pilates instructor in Los Angeles. Working your abs to the “burning” point delivers a sizzling stomach.

2) Feast on a little fat, don’t cut it completely!

A smidge of fat in your diet can actually help your midsection get svelte. Studies suggest that foods rich in monounsaturated fats—including olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado— have a high nutritional value and can help prevent the accumulation of unwelcome tummy fat.

3) Work out with a partner

Toning up and slimming down doesn’t need to be a solitary pursuit. Grab a pal for this exercise: Lie on the floor with your legs straight up in the air, says Akin Williams, a group fitness instructor at Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City, who created this move. Ask a buddy to command you to bring your legs up and down randomly (saying, for example, “Right leg down, left leg up” and “Both legs up”) every few seconds. Use your ab muscles to follow her directions, keeping your lower back pressed into the floor. Do this for three or four 20- to 60-second sets, resting 1 minute between each set. Then switch and you be the leader. These random commands trigger a rapid contraction of your muscles, tiring the more easily sculpted areas of your abs, so “you see better results in less time,” says Pete McCall, an exercise physiologist in San Diego for the American Council on Exercise. Hey, what are friends for?

4) Tone abs while you burn fat

Heart-pumping activity triggers your body to convert abdominal fat to fuel, research shows. Aim to do 30 minutes or more most days. Squeeze even more belly benefits from your stint on the treadmill by ramping up the incline, or relying on your core muscles to keep you upright on the elliptical (grip the handlebars, but don’t use them to support you!) to engage your core, says Joanna Stahl, group fitness instructor at Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City.

5) Try the Dragonfly Pose

Start on all fours, a weight in each hand. Extend left leg behind you in line with body; extend right arm out to side at shoulder level. Keeping left leg lifted, curl weight toward chest (see the move). Straighten arm for one rep. Do 12 reps. Switch sides; repeat.