Strengthening your core: Challenge yourself!

So last week, I wrote about the topic of exercise: the benefits, different types, and ways to incorporate physical activity in your daily life. To extend this discussion further and offer you more motivation, I decided to focus on the topic of strengthening your core muscles for this week’s blog. 

For those of you who are clueless about what I mean when I say ‘core muscles,’ these include your lower and upper abdominal muscles (located near your stomach) and lower back muscles. Often overlooked, these muscles are crucial for our well-being. They help keep our body balanced, maintain proper posture, reduce inflammation and pain in the lower back area, and allow us to reach our optimal potential when we are engaged in any form of physical activity such as biking, running or dancing.

For the above reasons, it is important that we strengthen this part of our body by proper stretching and resistance training exercises. With time and a good workout plan, not only will you see the benefits but you will feel them as well! Remember to be realistic with your goals and exercise plan to avoid failure and disappointment. Starting small and being consistent with your workout plan will ensure lasting results. Summer is almost here, which makes this a perfect time to shape up :)

To help get you started with your exercise plan, I recommend that you watch the following video by Jillian Michaels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zI5EoiYi1c If you feel these exercises are too difficult, check out some other great videos on YouTube. Here is another video which includes more detailed information about the topic of core muscles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOFG2SxuaXg

Consider joining our Muscle Conditioning and Stretching class on Tuesdays evening. Click here for more info.

Diva in Heels