The core is the support system/foundation of the body. It encompasses your abs, hips, back, and pelvis. It is the connecting link between the upper body and the lower body. Having a strong core will help you perform movement with greater ease and can positively affect the longevity of your health.

Additional benefits of a strong core:

1. Protect, stabilize, twist, flex and extend the spine
2. Absorb shock
3. Improve power in movement and sports
4. Assist with balance
5. Prevent and relieve lower back pain
6. Protect internal organs
7. Support the pelvic floor and reduce incidences of incontinence
8. Enhance sexual satisfaction
9. Improve posture
10. Increase energy

Muscles of the core

There are 35 muscle groups connecting into the pelvis from the core and hip. The major muscles include the pelvic floor muscles, transverse abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae, and the diaphragm. The minor muscles include the latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus and trapezius.

Signs of a weak core

• Low back pain
• Poor posture
• Bad balance
• Low endurance for standing
• Incontinence
• Using arms when going from sitting to standing
• Hard time building strength with workouts
• Holding breath during exercise

How to engage the core

For today’s purpose, lay on your back on a mat with your knees bent so that your feet are flat on the floor, and your arms are resting by your sides. Ensure that the top of your pelvis and the lower part of your ribs are in contact with the floor.

Women: Imagine a blueberry outside of your vaginal and/or rectal wall. While exhaling, gently pick up the blueberry and draw it toward your belly button without bursting it. As you pick up your blueberry, give a little cough or a giggle. You will feel a contraction in your abdominal region. Hold that contraction for 2-3 seconds. Gently release the contraction as you inhale.

Men: Imagine stepping into cold water and lifting your genitals as you exhale. As you lift your genitals, give a little cough or a giggle. You will feel a contraction in your abdominal region. Hold that contraction for 2-3 seconds. Gently release the contraction as you inhale.

To get you started, here are three exercises to target some of the major muscles of the core:

**Only perform these exercises AFTER you have MASTERED the core engagement exercise above.

90-degree Hold

Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent so that your feet are flat on the floor and hip-width apart. Your arms rest by your sides. Contract the core as described above. Take a deep breath. As you exhale, maintain that core engagement and bring your legs into your chest with your knees bent to a 90-degree angle. Raise your arms so that they are directly over your chest. Inhale again and as you exhale, slowly move your legs away from the chest until the front of your thighs form a 90-degree angle with your abdomen, or until just before your lower back wants to lift off the floor. Stop! Hold this position, while practicing the core engagement described above, for 20-60 seconds. Perform 2-3 sets.

Reverse Bird Dog

Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent so that your feet are flat on the floor and hip-width apart. Your arms rest by your sides. Contract the core as described above. Take a deep breath. As you exhale, maintain that core engagement and bring your legs into your chest with your knees bent to a 90-degree angle. Raise your arms so that they are directly over your chest. Inhale again and as you exhale, slowly move your legs away from the chest until the front of your thighs form a 90-degree angle with your abdomen, or until just before your lower back wants to lift off the floor. Stop! Hold this position. Then inhale and extend one arm overhead and the opposite leg away from the body while keeping the top of the pelvis and the lower part of the ribs in contact with the floor. Only go as far as just before your lower back wants to lift off the floor. Return to starting position and repeat on the other side. Always practice core engagement throughout the movements. Perform 8-20 repetitions and 2-3 sets.

Bridge

Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent so that your feet are flat on the floor and hip-width apart. Your arms rest by your sides. Contract the core as described above. Take a deep breath. As you exhale, maintain that core engagement while contracting your glutes and inner thighs to lift your hips up toward the ceiling. Hold for 2-3 seconds. Inhale and return to starting position. Perform 10-20 repetitions and 2-3 sets.

I am confident that, if you practice these exercises for the next fourteen days, you will be feeling stronger. Take these principles and apply them to all activities of daily life, including working at your desk or walking your dog, as well as to bigger movements, such as during your workouts or washing your car.

If you would like more help on building and toning your core, e-mail kim@livingwell-hfc.com for a free assessment to get you started.