These moves make the top five

OK, I get it. It’s July and the kids have been out of school for more than a month. I know, I know. Your home is turned into an unrecognizable square box as the locusts descend on your privacy. They gnaw on everything that halfway resembles food and it somehow doesn’t matter if it is cooked, raw or left under the couch from the day prior.

The stereo is thumping a very strange load roar that they call music. Various video games are blasting at full volume, taking over you entire living room — a familiar space that I use to find a little solitude with a book and a candle. The kids all plant their flip flops and tennis shoes in a pile at the front door.

But what if you sneak away for a brief workout? What about the hordes of kiddos packing the house? Or the chores that await? The realization that it is summer and you’ve been begging the “Ab Gods” to show up and make magic happen.

While we all wish it were as simple as a little prayer, it’s not.

The hard, cold reality? You must work on your physique on a regular basis. You can’t do ab exercises on Friday expecting to show some gains during the weekend beach barbecue. Here are some simple exercises (in no particular order) that you can do at home that will help you.

Stay consistent and you will soon see the results of all your hard work.

• Planks: Everyone rolls their eyes at the simplicity of a plank… but, I love them! Do four sets/1 minute each.

• Bicycle crunch: Yes! Do them. Do four sets of 15 repetitions

• Side plank: Do four sets of 15 repetitions and work that oblique muscle group.

• Russian twist: Do three to four sets of 15 repetitions.

• Ball Exchange: Do three to four sets of 12 repetitions.

Start with what you can do and push yourself to complete the sets and reps indicated. You will be getting stronger each time you work your abs.

Exciting, huh?

Don’t forget to clean up your nutrition. If you want those sexy, cut abdominal muscles you gotta give up the junk food and start eating clean, whole nutrition.

It will be difficult for those abs to pop if you are eating sugary foods and other foods that are not fueling your body with what you need. Make sense?

Natalie Dreger is a certified fitness professional. She can be reached at nataliedreger.com.