Getting a flat tum - any advice?

[SageMother]

One reason for them to tell you this is to keep you coming back to the gym longer. Doing all over conditioning takes alot longer than just hitting the spots you want to reduce.

If anything, brisk walking with a few crunches, those that only raise the shoulder off the floor and not full sit ups, would activate your abdominals, but not the whole ab package. Try looking at a few magazines that feature serious work out info, not those light and fluffy "get ready for summer" things, to figure out the anatomy of the area you want to isolate. Your exercises will be more effective.