Strong Core Muscles Make A Big Difference
by Pam Brooks

With the approach of spring we begin to imagine ourselves in our summer clothes — shorts, swim suits, sun dresses, etc. One thing that can instantly make us look thinner in any of those clothes is to improve posture. As an experiment to help you see what a difference posture can make in how we look is to stand in front of a mirror. Tuck your stomach in as if trying to touch your navel to your spine. Next, imagine that you’ve just added three inches between your navel and your rib cage. Shoulders back. A look in the mirror can affirm that you look more fit when you make the effort to carry your body in the way it was built to move.

Just thinking about standing up straight isn’t enough to make a lasting difference in your posture. As soon as you think about something else, posture goes back to the normal slouch that most of us sport much of the time. To permanently achieve the look you just saw in the mirror it’s good to make a plan to strengthen your body’s core posture muscles. The abdominal muscles work in tune with the muscles of your back to hold your body upright. If your core is strong, you won’t have to think about standing up straight because your muscles will do the support work for you.

If you are training the abdominal muscles of your core, you need to balance that work with strengthening of the opposing back muscles. Otherwise, you have an imbalance. One set of muscles will be ready to work and the opposing set that is meant to work in unison won’t be up to the task. One set of muscles will be tight, the other, slack.

The exercises for this month are designed to bring your posture muscles into balance. Along with the improved posture also comes the benefit of minimizing back pain. Years ago, back extension exercises like the one shown below in #4 below were considered risky or unsafe. Now, doctors and physical therapists seem to agree that safely moving our backs in an arched position promotes a healthier spine and helps to counteract the sitting we do in our daily lives.

– Pam Brooks

#1-A and 1-B: Mid-Section Tightener:

1A: Rest your weight on your knees and forearms. Knees are behind hips. Elbows are directly under shoulders. Place palms flat on the floor, curl your toes under.	1B: Push against your forearms and toes, slowly straighten knees and push your thigh bones away from the floor. Draw your tailbone toward your heels and tuck your abdominals tight to support your spine. Hold the position for 10 seconds. Lower slowly and work up to 10 repetitions.

#2-A and 2B: Slow Motion "V" Sit-up:

2A: Lying on your back, extend your right leg. Keep knees at the same level and thighs parallel to each other. Stretch arms in front, reaching toward the toes with arms parallel to your thighs. Inhale when you begin.	2B: Exhale, pull your navel towards your spine and use your abdominal muscles to help roll your chest, shoulders and back slowly off the ground. Continue to roll up until you are balancing over your hips. Pause at the top of the movement, then slowly roll back to the starting position. Do 10 repetitions, then switch legs and repeat.

#3-A and 3-B: Slow Motion "Ab" Curls:

3A: Lie on your back with your hands clasped behind your head. Bend both knees with your feet flat on the floor. Inhale slowly, taking 10 seconds to do the following:

3B: Stretch your right leg straight out in front of you at the same time you extend your arms behind your head. Lower your head and torso to the floor. Keep this movement slow and controlled by pausing a few times as you extend. Keep your arms just above the floor. Continue to keep abdominals tucked and don’t let your back arch. At the end of the movement, when you are fully extended, you should have just a slight arch in your back, just enough to fit a finger between the floor and the small of your back. Exhale and repeat the slow motion contraction by curling forward to the start position. Work one side first, gradually improving to 10 repetitions. Rest for 30 seconds and then work the other side. This movement is really powerful for "abs" because it works all of the muscles of your core in two different ways — squeezing on the way in and resisting on the way out.

#4-A and 4-B: The Cobra:

4A: Begin by lying face down on a mat. Keep the tops of your feet on the mat and tighten your thighs to lift your knee caps off the floor. Keep this body position while you place your hands on the floor underneath your shoulders. Fingers face forward with elbows pointing in the direction of your feet.

4B: Slowly take a deep breath and without putting much weight on your hands, use your back muscles to raise your head, shoulders and chest off the floor. Slow is the key word here! Hold the position at the top as you exhale. Return to the base position, rest with your head rotated to one side on the mat and arms stretched alongside your body. Repeat this exercise slowly working up to 10 repetitions. Change the direction that you rest your head in the recovery phase of this movement.