The necessity to keep fit even in the face of hectic work schedule has given birth to the invention of various at-your-desk exercises that can be done while at work and are effective in toning various parts of the body. Doing abdominal exercises at your desk not only shapes your waistline, but is also good for the general functioning of the organs held by the stomach cavity. Let us take a look at various exercises that you can do at your desk and find out the benefit each imparts. Belly Squeeze Belly squeeze is the simplest and one of the best abdominal exercises at your desk. This exercises the abdominal walls and vibrates the organs of the stomach cavity, keeping them active. These are isometric exercises that do not require continual movement.

• Sit upright in your chair, keeping your backbone erect, and look straight ahead.
• Contract your abdomen as hard as you can and hold it for 4-5 seconds.
• Release and repeat in 2-3 sets at a time.

Platform Lifts Also known as plank poses, these popular yoga poses can be modified to turn them into ab exercises at your desk. This is one of the slightly complex ab exercises to do at your desk, as you need to get up and take a yogic stance while maintaining balance on office furniture. However, these lifts are very good for working and strengthening your abdominal muscles.

• Grab the edges of your chair or work desk and walk your feet in towards the back till your body forms an angle with the chair or desk (depending upon which of these two you're using for support).
• Keep your toes hip width apart and lift your hips so as to align your shoulders and heels in a straight line.
• Hold this position for 35-40 seconds and return.
• Repeat in a couple of sets at a time.

Leg Jerks These exercises are targeted at working the lower abs and are among the most motion-oriented lower abdominal exercises at your desk.

• Sit near the front edge of your chair and stretch your legs out in front of you.
• Grab the edges of your chair behind the seat, lift your legs about 6-8 inches off the floor and lean back slightly.
• Now lean forward, pulling your knees into your chest as you do so. Squeeze tightly and stretch back out.
• Repeat 3-5 times.

Belly Rise and Dip This is a Pilates exercise and one of the best abdominal exercises while sitting at your desk. This exercise incorporates a sync between respiration and abdominal muscle activity. This is an excellent exercise to prevent your belly from "brimming over" and keeping your waistline under control.

• Sit up straight, keeping your backbone erect, and imagine your belly button to be an elevator at the top of a six storied building.
• Lower the elevator to the first floor as you breathe out and hold it there till a count of 10, breathing lightly all the while.
• Repeat thrice each day for best results.

Ab Crunches Traditional abdominal crunches can be modified to suit your workplace limitations to give you the same benefits.

• Sit tall with your knees bent and the soles of your feet flat against the floor.
• Placing your hands at the sides, behind your head, curl your torso downwards, squeezing your abs tightly.
• Return and repeat.

Torso Twists This could be a fun routine if your workstation has a swivel chair.

• Sit with your backbone stretched and upright and hold the edge of your desk with your fingers and thumbs.
• Keep your feet flat against the ground (adjust your chair's height so that your feet do not dangle loosely; they should be firmly set on the floor matting), suck your stomach in and use your core as the axis to swivel the chair from left to right and vice versa.
• Do at least 4-5 sets of twenty rotations (1 rotation equaling 1 left-right-left set).

Imagine yourself to be the rotating tub of a washing machine and you'll get an idea of what kind of movement we're talking about. Understand that, where there is a will, there is a way! If you really wish to keep that tummy trimmed, then start up with these simple exercises at your desk. Most of these, like the Belly Dip and the Belly Squeeze, can be done while you work on your computer; don't you think so! You can also incorporate some oblique variations and love handle exercises to these at-your-desk abdominal exercises, to tone up the sides of your torso. After all, being the master multitasking employee that you are (I know, I know...how you manage to hold a phone conversation with clients, read your emails and chat on IM at the same time!!), with a little determination and effort, you can keep yourself feeling fit and looking your sexy best with those toned up abs and trimmed down waist!