‘Tis the season for pumpkin spice, trips to the local farm for fun and maybe a candied apple or two. Speaking of apples, do you know how important your core is?
Your “core” generally refers to muscles in and around your torso that help move, support and stabilize your spine, trunk and pelvis. Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and stability.
Let’s look at five exercises you should do daily to strengthen your core:
PLANK
Plank brings it all to the table, activating the shoulders, all layers of the abdominals and the glutes. Line your wrists up just under your shoulders. Take the knees down for a modification.
BRIDGING
With the hips extended, lift up to the ceiling and squeeze your seat. Keep knees in line with the ankles. Elevate the hips and keep the neck down.
BIRD DOG
This works the erector spinae, rectus abdominis and glutes. This posture helps you work on control and stability of the whole body. It’s an ideal exercise to help develop good balance and posture.
SUPER WOMAN
This fun exercise gets a grip on the posterior (back) chain of the body. From the shoulders to the hamstrings and glutes, it’s designed to strengthen and improve the stabilization of your lumbar and hip extensors.
SIDE PLANK
This fun variation of a standard plank focuses on the obliques and shoulders but helps to strengthen your lower back. You can do this on your forearm or with a straight arm. You can even bend the knees as a modification.
Commit to these five exercises for just five minutes a day. Spend one minute in each posture, and watch your core get stronger weekly. Be sure to eat a delicious fall apple this season, too! As the saying goes, one a day keeps the doctor away. Happy fall, y’all!
