When most people think about working their core muscles, they only think about exercises that mostly work your abdominals like crunches and sit ups. Your core muscles also consist of your lower back muscles. When you have strong lower back muscles, you can actually appear taller and thinner. The Superman exercise is a great way to strengthen your core muscles, including your lower back.

Here is how to do the Superman exercise:

1. Lie face down on your stomach on a carpeted surface or on an exercise mat. Extend your arms straight out in front of you on the floor with your palms on the floor. Your legs should be straight behind you.
2. While keeping them straight, lift your arms and legs up off the ground. Keep your head facing downwards. You should have a slight curve in your back.
3. Hold this position for at least 5-10 seconds making sure to breathe and keep your abdominals contracted.
4. Lower your arms and legs back to the ground. Repeat the exercise for the desired amount of reps. Aim for at least 8 reps at a time.

There is also an alternating version of the Superman exercise. In this version of the exercise you only lift one arm off the ground as you lift the opposite leg at the same time. Then, you alternate between the two sides to complete a set.

The Superman exercise is one of the best ways to strengthen the lower back. Not many people realize just how important a strong lower back is. Think about how many things you lift in a day. Without strong lower back muscles, you may not be able to lift heavy items such as your kids.

Also, as mentioned, your lower back muscles support your whole body as they make up your core. When you have weak lower back muscles you may find that you have bad posture or you have trouble doing everyday tasks such as sitting for an extended period of time. If you can strengthen your lower back muscles, you help tighten up your core, which can make you not only look taller, but much thinner as well.

The Superman exercise can be added to any type of strength training workout or even a yoga routine.

So beach season is right around the corner, and you might be busy making plans to get your fair share of some sun and sand. But is your body really ready for bikini season? If you're still struggling with a few extra pounds or want to whittle down your waistline to be really bikini-ready, we've got you covered. Here are some easy ways to slim down and tone up that midsection to get a show-off worthy six pack this season:

1. Lose the carbonation. Soda, that is. Soda, even the 'diet' and calorie-free variety, can make you bloated and retain water. Eliminating sugary soda from your diet will also make your diet cleaner. Skip the soda for a few weeks and start drinking more water, and you'll start to see your waistline shrink in no time.

2. Make commercial time your crunch time. Squeezing in a series of crunches during a commercial break is one of the easiest ways to tone up that midsection. Don't become a couch potato for hours on end; make a point to do some form of light exercise between your favorite shows for a mini workout session. Your efforts will pay off!

3. Pack a lunch. Skip the greasy fast food menu and unhealthy snacks at the office vending machine, and whittle down your waistline by eating a healthy, satisfying lunch. Simple and healthy lunches such as lean turkey and salad sandwiches, tuna and low fat mayo wraps, and grilled fish with a green salad will give you the energy you need to get through a busy workday, and keep your calorie counts low. Just pack up a lunch tote each night so you're well prepared for a diet-friendly day.

4. Eat more protein. Lean protein sources including turkey, grilled chicken and tofu are great choices for your slim-down routine. Eat more of these throughout the day to stay satisfied and support your weight loss goals.

5. Ramp up your core training routine. Trade out treadmill days for resistance training to strengthen the core muscles of your stomach, lower back and obliques. These will help you create that chiseled look, and will also improve your posture in the process!

Crunches are one of the most popular exercises to tighten and tone abdominal muscles. It is sometimes also referred to as a curl-up. Many people prefer to do crunches over actual sit ups since crunches put less of a strain on your back and are considered safer.

Here is how you can do a basic crunch:

1. Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. If you are not on a carpeted surface, you may want to use an exercise mat.

2. Fold your arms behind your head and place them on your neck for support.

3. Lift your upper body, including your shoulders off the floor using only your abdominal muscles.

4. Lower your body back down to the floor, making sure to keep your abdominal muscles contracted and tight.

5. Return to starting position and repeat.

There are several variations of the crunch that you can do. There are ones that will work your obliques (side of your stomach) and other ones that will focus on either the upper or lower part of the stomach. Here are just some of the different variations of crunches that you can do.

Twisting crunch
This is done by lifting the shoulders to the opposite knee. It focuses on slimming the obliques.

Bicycle Crunch
This is another variation done to work your obliques. Instead of just lifting the shoulders towards the opposite knee you are alternating your knees in and out like riding a bicycle in the air.

Reverse Crunch
This exercise can be done different ways. You can extend your legs straight out and lift them straight up in the air. The other way is to bend your knees into your chest and pull them in and out towards your chest while your upper body is flat on the ground.

You can also make your crunches harder by adding weights to your exercise. Place a weight on your stomach or hold weights over your chest as you perform the exercise.

Crunches can be added into strength training workouts, interval workouts, or at the end of a cardiovascular workout. Crunches must be done properly for them to be effective. This means that you should go on quality not so quantity when it comes to doing crunches.