The Best Exercise to Strengthen Your Core

What would I tell my 30-year-old self about exercise?

You need this body to be functional and healthy for decades. Listen to your body!

Before I became a trainer, I was ridiculously skilled at getting injured.

My injuries included:

• Torn calf muscle

• Fractured foot

• IT band strain

• Tendinitis in the left knee

• Tendinitis in both of my Achilles' tendons

• Groin strain

The list represents months of rehab, pain, and frustration — and so many crying sessions! I was exercising a lot, but I had no clue what I was doing.

Until I became a trainer, I didn't know what not to do. I followed my instructors in class and did what they told me to do—much to my detriment.

No workout is worth being injured. Listen to your body and do what feels right.

We want to train correctly, safely, and comfortably.

This Week’s Exercise:

We will build on last week's push-up exercise and add in a core movement.

Your core is made up of layers of muscle that support your spine, hips, stomach, pelvis, back, and butt.

You use your core in almost every activity you do.

Anytime you are bending, lifting, twisting, reaching, standing, or sitting, you are using your core. Your core also helps with posture and balance, and it protects your organs.

We will practice forearm planks this week. Planks are one of the best exercises you can do to strengthen your core, and there are a lot of options for skill levels.

We will keep our push-ups from last week and add planks to our routine.

See below for a video tutorial on how to properly (and safely!) do a forearm plank.

Day 1 – 10 push-ups & 15 - 30 sec. plank

Day 3 – 10 push-ups & 15 – 30 sec. plank

Day 5 – 10 push-ups & 15 - 30 sec. plank

Day 6 – Any activity you want – just get moving for 10-15 minutes.

Your core is getting a double workout between the planks and push-ups, so adjust your reps as needed.

If you can’t do all of the reps or plank for the suggested time, no big deal! Exercise is not a one-size-fits-all scenario. Do what works for you!

Try to follow the training schedule as many days as you can!

Want more tips and workouts? Sign up for my email list below.

Join Me for a Six-Week Beginner Strength Training Program

Every day, I would nervously walk by the free weight section in my gym. Beefy dudes and hard-core lifters were always flexing in front of the mirrors.

I felt out of place and intimidated, so I avoided the free weights.

Sometimes I would try the machines, but I didn't know how many repetitions I should do and at what weight.

Now that I'm a trainer, I never want anyone else to feel like I used to about lifting weights.

Intimidated. Overwhelmed. Clueless.

If you haven't been working out or aren't sure how to start weight lifting, join me for the next six weeks as we begin with the basics.

Strength training is so good for you – and it's vital to your health as you age.

It doesn't have to be a long, overcomplicated process.

We will focus on one movement each week – that's it!

This week, I want to start with variations of a push-up.

Push-ups work your pectoral muscles and arms, and they are the muscles you use to push open a door, lift objects, or get up off the floor.

I want you to do ten push-ups three times this week on Days 1, 3, and 5. On day 6, I want you to walk, ride your bike, do some gardening, or do another light activity. Try to move for at least 10-15 minutes.

In the video below, you will see several variations for push-ups. You can do them standing against a wall, counter, stairs, on your knees, or on your toes.

If you can't fit in all of the days, that's ok. Some exercise is better than no exercise.

Want to be a part of this six-week journey? Sign up for my email list below!

First of all, could my facial expression be worse?!? A quick tutorial on how to do a push-up and variations for all skill levels.

How to Get Back to Working Out in One Simple Step

Over a month ago, I went in for a routine procedure. I ended up being one in 250 people who had complications. It’s been a long month, and I’m still not back to my old self. But, I have been cleared to get back to working out.

Where do I start? My instinct is to go hard and try to gain back all of my missed workouts in one month. (BAD IDEA) I know that is not safe, smart, or feasible. Instead, I’m going to start slowly.

If you’ve been on an exercise hiatus, are coming back from an illness, or need to start slower, this workout is for you!

This workout is a circuit workout. Do it once all the way through and stop. Or go through it again. You determine what feels right for you. It’s comprised of bodyweight exercises, so no weights or equipment are needed. If you are truly coming back from an exercise break, I wouldn’t recommend doing it more than three times.

10 Jumping Jacks

10 Squats

10 Push-ups

10 Bridges

10 Hydrants

10 Bird Dogs

20-Second Plank

5 Close Grip Push-ups (on knees or toes) - this will work your triceps

10 Reverse Lunges

If you liked this workout, try some other quick ones:

10-Minute Upper Body Workout
Beginner Bodyweight Workout

Easy Thanksgiving Workout: No Equipment Needed!

I love Thanksgiving.

I love the food, the warm atmosphere, Black Friday newspaper ads, and the relaxed pace.

Although I enjoy kicking back, I usually feel better if I try to move for 20 minutes before or after eating. So, I try to squeeze in a quick workout once I’ve gotten the turkey in the oven.

The workout below is what I will be doing this year. It’s a bodyweight workout you can do anywhere, and it only takes 20-25 minutes.

If you don’t love this workout’s format, check out some of my previous Thanksgiving workouts:

Alphabet Thanksgiving Workout (Bodyweight!)

Full-body Turkey Day Workout

Directions: Complete 2-3 rounds of the exercises listed below.

20 Forward Lunges

20 Mountain Climbers

20 Supermen

20 Push-ups

20 Squats

20 Scarecrows (with or without light weights)

20 Single-leg Deadlift

20 Seal Jacks

20 Plank with Alternating Leg Lifts

20 Fire Hydrants

20 Seated Straight Leg Raises

20 Triceps Dips

20 Elbow Plank Alternating Arm Reaches

20 Bicycle Crunches

20 Single-leg Bridges

20 Cross Punches

20 Lateral Lunges

20 Jumping Jacks

20 Skaters

20 High Knees

Indoor Workout for Kids

Every Friday morning, I’ve been Facetiming with my nephew, so he and my son can do a workout together. My nephew lives in northern Idaho, and it definitely doesn’t feel like spring up there. In fact, they got several inches of snow yesterday! Being active is a bit more challenging, so we take these family workouts very seriously!

Keeping the boys engaged is a challenge. I created this ladder workout for last week’s session. The boys liked it, and I thought it was a great way to burn some energy. If you need more activity for your kiddos, check out this fun, easy workout!

Ladder Workout:

Go through all of the exercises listed below and do 9 repetitions of each movement. When you are done, start at the top of the list and do the exercises again, but this time, only do 8 repetitions. Continue with this decreasing pattern until you are down to 1 repetition of each exercise!

Jumping Jacks

Squats

Push-ups

Lateral Jumps/Hops

Cross Punches

Frog Hops

Crunches

Nutrition Experts No. 1 Piece of Advice for Long-Term Health

I stumbled upon this article last week, and I was instantly sucked in by the headline. What is the one thing nutritionists are recommending to help maintain long-term health? I figured it was going to be about limiting your sugar intake, striving for a vegetable-rich diet of cutting out processed foods.

It wasn’t.

The recommendation the nutrition experts offered had nothing to do with food. The recommendation? Exercise.

As we start a new year, I want to encourage you to drop those unrealistic resolutions. Don’t try to go from no trips to the gym to a goal of six visits a week. That’s not realistic – or fun.

Let the 20’s be the decade of movement. Start with walking the dog, taking the stairs at work or trying to complete 10 push-ups before bed. Start where you are at and commit to something reasonable. Maybe it’s just walking once or twice a week, or a goal of planking for 30 seconds, 2-3 times a week. Pick somethings small and do it – regularly.

I have a new ebook coming out in February about movement. It has a variety of workouts and suggestions on how to get moving and incorporating strength training into your weekly workouts. Until then, check out some of my favorite workouts on my site. They are all 30 minutes or less and require little to no equipment.

Low-Impact, Full-Body Workout

Feel the Burn Dumbbell Workout

Workout for Small Spaces

Beginner Bodyweight Workout

Top 5 Most Popular Workouts of 2019

I’m always interested to see what workouts on this site get the most traffic and interest. All of the workouts on this list are bodyweight workouts, so you don’t need equipment. You can easily do them from the comfort of your home, at the gym or even in a hotel room. Many of these workouts have knee-friendly or wrist-friendly variations, so be sure to scroll down through all of the workouts.

My five most popular workouts for 2019 are:

5. At-Home Tabata Workout (An equally popular workout on this blog post is the Knee-Friendly Tabata workout.)

Click on the image for instructions on how to set up a Tabata timer and do the exercises.

4. Heading Back to the Gym Bodyweight Workout - Beginners Workout, Knee-Friendly Workout and Wrist-Friendly Workout

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

3. Bodyweight Cardio Workout You Can Do Anywhere

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

2. Bodyweight Knee-Friendly Workout

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

1. Five Minute Ab Workout

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

Visit my workout page for more cardio, strength training and HIIT workouts.

Personal Trainer's Top 3 Tips for Exercising

I’ve been a personal trainer for many years, and there are three tips that I wish the general public knew: 1) don’t let an old injury or sore body part keep you from exercising 2) you know your body best and 3) all exercise is beneficial – even if it’s only for 5-10 minutes!

If you have a sore knee, you don’t need to forgo exercising altogether. There are so many knee-friendly modifications that can be made for your workouts. It would be worth hiring a personal trainer for one or two sessions to share modifications for popular workout moves. 

Sore lower back? Avoid exercises that require you to have both of your feet/legs hovering off the ground (if you are lying on your back); opt for a plank rather than lying double leg lifts. Again, research back-friendly workouts or hire an exercise professional to share some modifications.

I have had dozens of clients come to me with a variety of physical ailments – plantar fasciitis, artificial hips, artificial knees, rheumatoid arthritis, broken arms and legs, etc. We always find a way to keep them active while being conscious of the injured area. (In some instances, we are able to strengthen and improve the functionality of a chronically injured body part!)

You Know Your Body Best

No matter how experienced an exercise professional is, he or she does not know your body as well as you do. If a movement hurts, stop. Tell the individual that you don’t want to do that movement or explain the discomfort you are feeling. There are so many exercise modifications that it’s easy to substitute another movement.

I want clients to tell me when something is painful, uncomfortable or if they don’t feel the movement. On many occasions, I’m able to identify a muscle weakness because of their feedback. We can then focus on strengthening that body part.

Exercise – Even If It’s For 5 Minutes

Moving your body is beneficial. If you only have 10 minutes, work out for 10 minutes!  Being active is the overall goal, so fit exercise in wherever you can. We are working out to improve our overall health, which means any and all activity is welcome.

Many times, a client will tell me she didn’t exercise because she only had 20 minutes. A 20-minute workout is all you need on most days. I have several 5, 7, 10 and 20-minute workouts on my workout page. Check them out if you are needing a fast workout!

You can be active even if you have an injured body part or have limited time. However, remember that you know your body the best! If you need modifications or have questions, please comment below or email me!

If you are interested in doing a low-impact workout or one that is modified for sore knees or wrists, check out some of my favorites:

Wrist-friendly Bodyweight Workout

Best Workout for Bad Knees

Back-friendly Ab Workout

Low-Impact, Full-Body Workout