If your goal is to tone your body and get fit and stronger while living a healthier lifestyle, you may be forgetting one important aspect of overall wellbeing. Your core muscles. Though invisible from outside, they still play an essential role in improving your body alignment and posture while giving you balance and better bladder control—among other things!
Strengthening your core muscles can be done by signing up to reformer Pilates classes at your local gym or doing planks every morning in the comfort of your home. Keep reading if you want to find out why strong core muscles are vital for your personal wellness. And, discover how to improve them, both at the gym or at home.
The Benefits of Strengthening Your Core Muscles
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If you can’t see them, you might think your core muscles aren’t that important! But, these muscles which exist in your abdomen, back and peripherally across your shoulders and neck, support your skeleton and so much more. Strong core muscles give you:
- More stability: You have more balance whenever moving your body such as walking or running.
- Strength to perform strenuous activities: Lifting heavy weights and moving objects from one place to another is made easier while putting less strain on your body.
- Better workout routine management: Stronger core muscles give you more resilience to stick to a fitness routine.
- Stronger body in old age: Strengthening core muscles prevents problems associated with old age such as weak knees and back pain.
The benefits of having strong core muscles can be easily attained by doing regular exercise that focuses on this part of your torso. You don’t have to spend hours every day exercising but consistency and doing the right moves are key to keeping your core muscles strong.
4 Effective Options for Strengthening Core Muscles—Home or Gym Based
1. Pilates
Pilates is a low-impact exercise routine that can be done at the gym or in your home. The exercises are specifically designed to improve your body alignment and posture while increasing balance and stability. When focusing on core muscles, you could benefit from signing up for mat Pilates classes at a gym. Mat Pilates uses your body weight as a form of resistance instead of equipment.
This type of exercise focuses on core muscles while toning your legs and arms. With an emphasis on controlling your muscles, you learn how to keep your body in perfect alignment and balance. It’s good for improving coordination, increasing lung capacity and even managing stress levels.
2. Yoga
Yoga includes a combination of body movements that help you find more stability and strength while improving your core muscles. Practicing yoga on a regular basis also allows you to get in touch with your inner being. Furthermore, breathing exercises are another way yoga improves overall wellbeing and physical strength.
Different yoga poses enhance your core and these include:
- Planking
- Chair pose with a twist
- Boat pose
- Warrior pose
Yoga can be done both at home or at a gym if you need guidance to correctly perform the different poses.
3. Walking
If you enjoy early morning walks before the rest of the world wakes up, you’ll benefit from enhancing your core muscles at the same time! The next time you take a stroll, focus on flexing and holding your core muscles by tightening your abdomen as you walk. Stop and then start walking again, repeating the routine.
Power walking is another way of improving your core muscles while taking your early morning stroll. This entails swinging your arms and pushing your legs forward in strong movements. At the same time, tighten your abdominal wall as your take powerful strides forward.
Remember to always start small when introducing a new way of walking so you don’t tire your body out too quickly.
4. Dancing
If the thought of doing any form of exercise makes you frown, consider dancing as a way of strengthening your core muscles. Different dance movements such as reaching, stretching or twisting all contribute to improving muscle tone including your core. Show me a dancer who doesn’t have a strong back or good posture!
With the support of a dance teacher, online or in a gym class, you can learn where your core muscles are and which movements are best for firming them up. Knowing different styles will also make this form of training more interesting and fun while giving your whole body a good workout!
Final Thoughts
Strong abdominal muscles together with those in your back, shoulders and neck make up your core. Strengthening your core keeps you in good health, even in old age. It protects your spine, improves your balance and allows you to perform daily activities with ease.
Luckily, effective core muscle exercises can be done both at home or in a gym. So, practice where you feel most comfortable!
Using a variety of exercises will keep you motivated in order to stick to a fitness routine. And, the stronger your core muscles are, the better you’ll manage and enjoy your workouts! Pick one or more of the effective ways mentioned in this article and look forward to a healthier and stronger body.