Your personal glow-up goal? A beautifully defined waist. A slim waist, lifted curves and sculpted hips can instantly transform the look of a silhouette… Here are 6 exercises and a few tips to help you slim your waist.
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Exercise no1 to slim your waist: the side plank
A strength-training exercise well known for targeting the obliques — the abdominal muscles running along either side of the waist. Because yes, slimming also means strengthening!
- Lie on your side, resting on your right forearm and right foot. Your left leg rests on top of the right and is fully extended. Place your left hand on your left hip.
- On the inhale, straighten your right arm to lift your body off the ground. Your right foot and right forearm maintain firm contact with the floor.
- Hold this core-bracing position for 5 breaths, then slowly lower back down.
- Complete 4 to 5 lifts, then switch sides.
This first exercise should really fire up the oblique muscles — the perfect warm-up for what’s to come!
Exercise no2: the stomach vacuum
This exercise is inspired by hypopressive training and involves deep abdominal breathing. It’s a great way to strengthen the core and tone the entire abdominal belt, waist included!
- Sit back on your heels, legs folded beneath your thighs. Place your hands on your knees, arms extended.
- Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose. At the same time, draw your stomach in as far as possible. Keep your back straight, let your diaphragm expand, and feel your abs “hollow” toward your spine.
- Hold the position for a few seconds, retaining your breath.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth, gently releasing your stomach.
Repeat 5 times. You should feel your deep core muscles working.
Exercise no3: the oblique leg raise
Think of this as the active version of the side plank. To sculpt your waist and get rid of your love handles, you’ll need to put in a little effort!
- Lie on your right side, legs extended, upper body slightly raised, right forearm and left hand on the floor for balance.
- On the inhale, raise your left leg. Keep your torso and right leg aligned, making sure your left leg doesn’t drift out of that line.
- On the exhale, lower your left leg without letting it touch the floor.
- Repeat 10 times, then switch sides.
Aim for 2 to 3 sets of this exercise as part of your waist-slimming routine.
Exercise no4: the cross elbow-to-knee crunch
We continue this waist-slimming routine with a move that demands both coordination and endurance. If your abs are burning, that’s a great sign!
- Start seated on the floor, balancing on your sit bones (the base of your pelvis). Your legs are extended, hands behind your head, elbows bent.
- Bend your right knee and, with a twisting motion of the torso, bring your left elbow to meet your right knee. Be careful not to pull on your neck — let your abs do the work.
- Then reverse: bend your left knee and bring your right elbow to your left knee. Remember to breathe steadily throughout the exercise.
- Complete a set of 10 touches (5 on each side).
Aim for at least 2 to 3 sets of 10 to quickly slim your waist and tone your stomach.
Exercise no5: Parivrtta Utkasana pose
Can yoga really help work your waist? Absolutely. Here’s a twisting pose that can be done standing or seated — though for beginners, a chair is the way to go.
- Sit on a chair without armrests.
- Inhale and sweep your arms overhead in a wide arc, bringing your palms together in a prayer position, arms fully extended.
- On the exhale, hinge forward, bringing your bent arms in front of your chest.
- Inhale again in this position, opening through the back and chest without arching the lower back.
- Exhale as you twist your torso to the right, keeping your hands pressed together at chest height. Rest your left elbow on the outside of your right knee.
- Hold the pose for 5 full breaths, then slowly return to centre.
- Repeat on the other side.
This exercise — deceptively gentle — can be repeated three times.
Exercise no6: the lateral bend
Strength training, fitness, yoga… All that’s left is a stretching exercise to round out this routine — a relaxing yet effective way to finish.
- Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart. Place your right hand on your right hip and extend your left arm straight up toward the ceiling.
- On the inhale, lean your torso to the right. Be careful not to tip forward — your upper body should stay in line with your legs.
- On the exhale, slowly return to standing.
- Repeat 5 times, then switch sides.
Two sets of this exercise is ideal. The key: save it for the end of your workout, as it’s designed to stretch the oblique muscles and help prevent post-session soreness.
Nutrition tips to slim your waist
Exercise is essential, but to truly slim your waist, what you eat matters just as much… Without a balanced diet, all your hard work will count for little. So:
- eat a balanced, varied diet, favouring home-cooked meals and minimally processed foods;
- choose “smart” foods — filling, gut-friendly fibre (wholegrains, vegetables, legumes), lean proteins to fuel your muscles (eggs, white meat, fish, plant-based proteins);
- stay well hydrated, primarily with water;
- chew slowly to avoid bloating, which can make the stomach and waist look puffy;
- cut back on sugar, unhealthy fats, salt and alcohol.
The Cellublue routine for a sculpted waist
Finally, if you want to take your waist-sculpting programme even further, try our power duo:
- our Gel Minceur Cryo Ventre, to apply every morning to the stomach and waist area. Its formula, enriched with Oriental lotus and Arctic algae, helps tone the abdominal area and supports localised inch loss (up to -6.6 cm after 21 days of use);
- our Crème Minceur Nuit Ventre, to apply every evening. A true firming ritual — this cream nourishes the skin while supporting the breakdown of fat around the stomach, waist and love handles. 97% of women who have tried it would recommend it!
