If you are looking to either lose weight, build muscle or simply improve the way you feel health-wise, improving your core strength and stability is a great goal. Core strength is something you can work on daily to improve, and doing this can give you a lean stomach and less body fat overall.
Moreover, improving your core strength can help also help you improve your balance and stability so doing this is a great idea for dancers, athletes and anyone else who likes to engage in regular physical activity. According to Alkalign Studios, “The way to go about it is to focus on several exercise moves that target the core and the surrounding muscles and also to form some other habits in your daily life.”
1. Do the basic crunch
The basic abdominal crunch is probably the most well-known of ab exercises. This move involves lying on your back, crossing your arms over your chest, and raising your legs to form a 90 degree table top. Pull your head, neck and chest up as you tighten your stomach muscles before releasing and coming back down. Do this move about 20 to 40 times per day for 3 to 4 days per week.
2. Try working on your balance
Simply using a balancing step can help you maintain good stability, and this will also strengthen your core. You can buy a balance step at any sporting goods store. Put it on the floor and step on it with one foot. At first, you will wobble, but slowly, you should regain some balance and be able to stay balanced for about 60 seconds at least. Do this on each foot, and every day, increase the amount of time that you stay on the step.
3. Avoid simple sugars in your diet
When you are going about improving your core, it’s a good idea to focus on your diet as well as exercise. You should be limiting refined, simple sugars because these are what will build fat instead of healthy, lean muscle in your body. Doing this step will also help people who want to lose weight.
4. Make sure you include cardio in your exercise routine
Cardio is not something that is going to vastly add to your overall stability or muscle mass, but there are a few reasons why it’s good. First, it will improve your overall health. Second, if you need to lose fat, cardio is king. Third, depending on what form of cardio you do, your stability may be improved. For example, cycling is great for stability.
5. Move more in general
People who do not move a lot on a daily basis tend to have low stability and low core muscle strength. Take the stairs when you can. Park at the back of the parking lot. Daily movement will help your core.
