I recently gained weight, and a lot of it went to my bust. Are there certain exercises I should do to target this area? --Annie

You have the classic apple-shaped body because you gain weight in your torso, and in this instance, in your chest. Be careful -- the additional weight is close to the heart and can cause problems down the road. The short answer to your question is that it's really difficult to spot-reduce, making losing excess weight in the chest area alone highly challenging. However, that being said, there are certain exercises that can be done to help shape and tone the area and give you a stronger and leaner look. I recommend the following moves:

1. Shadow Boxing: Do 20 repetitions of each of the following moves with three-pound dumbbells.

• Crossovers: Punch across your body and parallel to the floor
• Uppercuts: Punch up toward your jaw with the underside of your fists facing the ceiling
• Hooks: Punch across your body in a hooking motion, parallel to the floor, as if you were trying to hit someone on the side of the jaw

2. Dumbbell Pullovers: Lie on your back and hold a pair of dumbbells over your chest with your palms facing forward. Extend your arms straight up over your head, so they are almost parallel to your body. Make sure to keep your abdominals tight throughout the movement. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

3. Dumbbell Flies: Lie on your back with your arms above your chest. Bend them slightly and lock them in this position. Open up your arms out to the side, leading with your elbows. Stop when your arms are even with your body, and then raise them back up, squeezing your chest throughout the movement. Envision yourself wrapping your arms around a big oak tree. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

4. Dumbbell Wraparounds: These are a combination of dumbbell flies and dumbbell pullovers and are a highly effective chest-shaping, lifting and toning exercise. Start with your arms extended straight over your chest. Take your arms straight back as you would for a dumbbell pullover but, instead of bringing them straight back up, take them out and wrap them around outside of your torso, bringing your hands together (palms facing each other) right above your waist. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

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