Although we covet and drool over an impressive set of abdominal muscles, we often overlook how much support those muscles provide in our bodies! Your core (abdominal muscles, back muscles, pelvic core muscles and diaphragm) is the support system for a multitude of movements: bending forward, straightening up to standing, bending back, bending to the side, twisting your torso as well as stabilizing your spine.

When we think about working our core, we often just focus on abdominal movements, but we need to be working our backs and strengthening our pelvic core muscles, too! Many people suffer from lower back pain, and strengthening your core is a great way to help combat back tightness and weakness.

Figuring out what to do to strengthen these muscles can be a challenge. As a client recently told me, “I lay down on the mat, and my mind goes blank. I can’t think of a single core exercise we’ve ever done!” This workout is for those days when you need to focus on working your core but aren’t sure where to start. It’s a simple workout that can be tacked on to the end of an exercise session or something you can do when you don’t have time to work out. As always, if a movement hurts or is uncomfortable, stop! Protect your body and skip that particular movement.