Ready for This 7-Minute Beginner Core Workout?
Nearly every movement you make calls on the muscles of your midsection (aka your core), from walking your dog to squatting with a heavy load to simply reaching for a glass of water. If you haven’t been working out these muscles (or haven’t in a while) try this absolute-beginner-friendly workout.
“The core is where all movement begins,” says Maricris Lapaix, a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified personal trainer in Los Angeles who leads workouts on the Centr app. The core, which comprises several abdominal muscles and the muscles in your pelvic floor, spine, and hips, stabilizes and controls the pelvis and spine and, by extension, affects upper- and lower-body movements.
In addition to making everyday activity possible (and easier), strong core muscles help make fitness pursuits safer and more efficient by improving balance, stability, and posture. Because the muscles in your torso help support your spine, a strong core is also one of the best ways to keep your back pain- and injury-free as you age, per the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Some research suggests core strength could help with performance in other sports, too, like running.
Excerpted from Everyday Health
