Okay, fitness people, help me out here

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I want to tone my abs, but the only way I know of is to do sit-ups, which is very difficult and kind of painful with my scoliosis. I also want to lose a bit of fat around the waist/hips (there's not a lot) but I can't jog or run due to my heart condition. Am I doomed forever to an exercise-free existence, or can someone offer me some suggestions?

And no, I can't join a program or take martial arts lessons or anything. I have neither the time nor the money, and I live in a pretty remote area.

can you use an elliptical training machine? other than that, swimming is good.

I can, yes, but have no access to one. Or to a pool, for that matter. I need equipment-free options, since all working out would be done in my home. I don't drive and there's really no gyms near my house anyway.

I feel your pain. I have scoliosis too, in addition to four discs bulged in my low spine. Sit-ups are out. Here's a couple of things you can do.

1. Probably the best one for you, if you have a heart condition, is a side bend. Stand with your legs apart, wherever is most comfortable for you, place one hand on your hip and reach as far as is comfortable with the other hand over your head as you lean sideways. You'll feel the muscles tighten in the sides of your abs. Don't do too many of these at first, until you know how sore you'll get! They really work.

2. Yoga. It's gentle and it firms you in ways you wouldn't think possible. An added bonus is that it make your back muscles stronger and helps a LOT with the scoliosis pain. The benefits can be felt after the first workout in terms of pain reduction. I recommend Yoga for Dummies. I've had many yoga videos and it is still my favorite.

3. Tae Bo. I don't know what your heart condition is, but Tae Bo is an excellent exercise if you can do cardio. The Cardio or Flex series are wonderful. They also have an Ultimate Series, Ultimate Abs and Butt. That DVD is freakin' amazing!

Hope this helps

Thanks

I was going to suggest a skipping rope as good cardio even though you said no equipment. It's cheap, takes up no space and is great for burning fat, though I don't know how suitable that is with your medical condition (which I have to admit I know nothing about, looks like I need to google it before I finish this message). (Edit, skipping definitely not recommended unless cleared by someone with more knowledge then me, i.e. a physiotherapist or some such person.)
Sit-ups and crunches are pointless if you're trying to lose fat from your mid section as there is no such thing as spot reduction with fat loss. You lose fat from the whole body when you exercise, not just from one place, anyone who says differently is lying.
Okay, just read up on your condition and have to admit it makes it difficult to exercise, but not impossible.
I'd guess the best course of action would be to seek out someone in the medical profession, but i'm sure you know that anyway.
To burn some fat and sculpt your body a little i'd guess Yoga could be quite good for you, along with some gentle body weight exercises.
Sorry I can't be more specific but i'm not qualified to answer this properly and I don't want to give you bad, and potentially dangerous advice.

The best advice I can give is a quote "Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym."

I hope all goes well for you.

Pilates, Pilates, Pilates!! !! It's all about exercising the core - not only your rectus abdominus (the part of the abs you can see), but the stabilizing muscles deep inside your body that you can't see. It tones your abs, plus it can improve your posture and you can find DVDs for beginners. It would be nice if you could take classes, since an instructor would be able to help you work around your scoliosis and heart condition, but it sounds like that's not a possibility for you. So just be careful, start off easy (beginners versions of any exercise you try) and don't do anything that's even remotely painful - skip the exercise and go onto the next one.

Yoga might be good - it's very health-enhancing for the spine - but try it with caution, because of your scoliosis, especially if doing it on your own without a teacher's help. Same thing with any exercise, really - always be careful.

Because of your heart condition, if you can't even jog, then Tae Bo and jumping rope probably won't be good either. I gather you're not supposed to raise your heart rate too much, and both these exercises will do just that.

As for losing fat, sorry, but you'll have to cut down on starchy carbs and sugar for that. Even with exercise. I write about fitness for a living, so I know whereof I speak.
-J.

But I love starchy carbs

there are exercises for working your midsection and this thread contains a lot of pointers... i hear your pain, though - my sister has an incredible hollow-back and finding a suitable abdominal exercise for her was a pain.

fat reduction might be very tricky for you, though... usually, one would say to do either cardio training in a certain spectrum of heart frequency or go all out and do high intensity interval stuff - both do burn fat, but they both tax the cardiovascular system.
my guess would be to try to work your way around the cardio stuff as good as possible in two ways:

a) make sure your body needs more calories for basic maintenance, i.e.: develop some muscle. a stronger muscle needs more energy, even if you dont use it all the time.
b) reduce intake... i know, this is a huge bummer, but i fear theres no real way around it. (on the bright side of it: its quite possible to feel a lot better thgrough eating high quality food. make water your primary beverage, and try to eat more fruit when you yearn for sweets. theres tons of exotic fruit out there that waits to be tried.)

and theres no need going all-out now... start with small steps, both in terms of exercises and food changes.

Yeah, it sucks, but starchy carbs - and salt too - encourage your body to retain water, which keeps your abs from showing. Too much sugar (refined sugar, mainly, as opposed to fruit) isn't too good either if you're trying to get toned - empty calories and all. (Trust me, I love mac and cheese as much as the next person... but it's a rare treat in my house.)

Gekitsu is right about taking small steps - if you try to change everything at once, it's nearly impossible to stick to it all. If you go step by step, see how it works and if you want to add another change for better results - that is usually a more successful route.

-J.