Just when you can't do another sit-up and think the battle against the midriff bulge is lost, there comes some hopeful news. Regardless of your body weight, flat tummies need maintenance, according to the Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. Whether the extra mid-line pounds are due to a genetic tendency to accumulate fat in that area or to the height-shrinking, bulge-producing aging process, you can get rid of some of them, the HealthSource says. Here's how: Avoid such foods as beans, cabbage and bran that can cause bloating and highlight your bulge; straighten your posture since slouching causes the stomach to stand out; do more than sit-ups -- which of themselves won't flatten stomachs -- to burn calories and reduce overall body fat; work the lower and deeper abdominal muscles with exercises such as the pelvic tilt in which you lie on your back, knees bent, back flattened against the floor, abdomen tightened, pelvis bent up, hold for five to 10 seconds and repeat 10 to 20 times.
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