Late Night Eating and Core Exercises (a response to Robin's post below)

Robin, I wrote this in the comments section of your post below, but after seeing how long a response it was and full of decent advice I've learned these past two months, I thought it'd be worth it to share with everyone else on the main page!

To help with late night munchies you should try to find a snack you can eat either with or directly after dinner that is good for you but filling. For me it's cottage cheese and adding chia seeds to my dinner. I never get the PM stomach grumblies, ever, when I eat those two things. You may also want to try drinking something like hot tea or just plain old water until you feel full. Another tip is to brush and floss your teeth right after dinner to keep you from wanting to get your chompers all mussed up again. Or, final tip, take up an activity you can do at night that makes you use your hands while you're lounging...I find when I crochet or knit at night it prevents me from wanting to stop my project and snack.

Regarding abs/core exercises, here's a fun core exercise that I think I've told you about. It seems simple enough, but once you get going you'll really feel it the next day. Lay flat on your back and fold your arms behind you so that your hands are resting under your lower back. Point your legs straight ahead of you at about a 45 degree angle and then keeping your legs straight and toes pointed, use your legs to spell out your first and last name. Then spell out a friend's name in the air. Then spell out your pet's name. Towards the end you'll be feeling it! It gets harder if you keep your legs closer to the ground. My favorite thing about this one is that you don't have to do any counting and dreading the fact that you're still 10 lifts away or whatever. Before you know it, your abs are feeling it and you're motivated to not let your friend down by not being able to get through spelling out their name!