Are you looking for core exercises that will sculpt your mid-section? Not only will you look better, but you’ll also see better posture and feel better, too!
According to the Center for Disease Control(CDC), more than 60 percent of American women do not participate in physical activities. This statistic is a worrying number considering how vital exercises are for our health. Those who engage in routine workouts end up ignoring core exercises in their workouts, which is not a good idea.
These are physical activities that help to strengthen your pelvic, lower abdomen, hips, and lower back muscles. Every time you work out, you should include these exercises in your routine. The American Heart Association recommends two and a half hours of strenuous exercise each day.
The two hours are enough for you to include those exercises and achieve a well-rounded work out routine.
Exercises enable you to live a healthy life and prevent unnecessary ailments. If you spend most of your time on a desk, you should consider some posture exercises to help improve your health.
1. Push-Ups
Push-ups are the exercises that build the upper part of the body from the chest to the shoulders, then triceps and finally the core and glutes. These exercises are great for you as a woman because they help in shaping and toning your chest muscles
They are good at burning calories, building strength effectively, and controlling the fat deposits in your body. It’s one of the most essential bodyweight exercises to learn before you begin exercising.
Push-ups are quite challenging at the beginning considering that your body muscles, which are not strong enough, have to contract. However, as soon as you build momentum, you won’t feel the resistance in your body.
2. Side Plank Exercise
Side plank is one of the core exercises that also doubles as an ab workout. Exercise improves your sense of balance. The target of the exercise is to strengthen the abdomen, legs, and arms.
How to Do the Exercise
The exercise is pretty simple.
- Lie on your side and ensure your legs are straight together.
- Support your body with your right hand as you raise your hips to attains a straight line in line with your feet and the head. Rest your left hand on your hips.
- Once you raise yourself, remain in the position for at least five seconds before switching to the other side for five seconds. Maintaining the same time on both sides helps with muscular balance.
- Keep in mind that the hips and knees should not touch the floor. Likewise, prolonging your stability depends on the side of feet support and not the sole.
Remember to succeed at the side plank exercise. You should keep your body rigid to avoid swaying and falling.
3. Hip Raise Exercise
A stronger core can heal back pain. One crucial exercise for an effective back pain remedy is hip raise. One of the muscles that most women ignore while working out is the hip muscles known as the hip cuff. When these muscles are weak, the chances of getting injuries on your back, hip, and knees increase.
The hip raise is an ab workout that focuses on strengthening the abdominal muscles. It is also a good exercise if you have back injuries as it helps in aligning those muscles.
How to Do It
The hip raise is pretty simple to perform. You need to:
- Lie on your back and ensure your head and back are comfortable on the floor.
- Place both your hands on each side facing down.
- Bend your knees as you lift them in such a way that they are perpendicular to your upper body.
- Lift your hips as you lift your legs in the direction of the ceiling while exhaling. Ensure the head is resting on the floor.
- Lower your hips back to the floor as you inhale. Ensure your knees are bent or lying straight on the floor.
- Repeat the exercise for a couple of minutes.
4. Chair Dips
Among the best and easy core exercises to work out to strengthen your triceps is the chair dips. The exercise is quite flexible because you can perform it anywhere. Indeed, you only need a chair, and you are good to go.
Chair dips are essential for every woman because they engage your core as well as the arms. The triceps helps when you are trying to reach out for something.
How to Do it
- Face away from the chair and slide on it; ensure your hands are holding the edge for support
- Ensure the position you have assumed looks like you are about to fall, but you are still close to the chair.
- Lower your body by bending your elbow
- w, almost like you are about to sit on the floor. Then lift yourself back to the previous position.
- Repeat the exercise for a few minutes.
5. Mountain Climbers
This move is among the exercises that also work as a full-body workout.
How to Do it
- Get on all your fours facing the floor. Ensure you support the body on your toes and your hands. The core and glutes should be engaged.
- Ensure your legs and arms are extended, but your feet should be apart.
- Bring your right foot forward toward your chest, then hold it for a few minutes before returning it to its position.
- Do the same with the other foot as you alternate for a few minutes.
6. Step-ups
Step-ups exercise is a full-body workout that targets your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. This is also a more comfortable exercise to accomplish, so whether you are a beginner or a pro, this exercise will help you work out.
How It’s Done
- You will need a step such as a chair or a bench for these exercises.
- Step of the chair using your right foot.
- Bring the other foot and step on the chair such that you are standing on it with both feet.
- Takedown the right foot then followed by the left such that you are no longer standing on the chair but the floor.
- Repeat this process for several repetitions.
7. Squats as one of the Core Exercises
Doing squats is a full-body workout. However, it’s known for targeting certain parts of the body, which include the core, buttocks, and thighs.
Women who are worried about toning and tightening their abs can benefit from this exercise.
Squats are beneficial to your body in many ways. They help improve digestion, blood circulation, and improving your posture.
How it’s done
- Ensure you are standing in an upright position with your hands hanging on the side
- Push your hips down as lower your body to the ground by bending your knees but don’t sit.
- The lower part of your body should be parallel to the floor. Allow the weight of your body to fall to your toes, but be careful not to let the knees go over your toes.
- Return to your starting position the back. Repeat the exercise for a few minutes.
How to do Planks
Get in a push-up position on the floor
- Bend your elbows at 90 degrees such a way that your whole body depends on them.
- Your tummy and knees should not touch the surface but be on a straight line with the feet.
- Inhale as you stay steady in that position a few minutes.
Assuming the correct position will help you stay steady for some time.
9. Arm Circles
The arm circle is another exercise that helps in toning your muscles and increasing endurance.
The Process
- Stand on a steady floor and spread your legs and shoulders apart such that your hands are parallel to the floor.
- Make circles of one diameter on each arm slowly then increase the pace.
- Keep doing it for a few seconds before reversing the circle’s direction.
- Hold your abs tight as you make the circle– you’ll engage your abs and tone your arms.
10. Lunges
If you want to develop strong thighs and hips and lower abs, then lunges are the right exercises for you. The exercise targets explicitly your hip extensions, and you can squeeze your abs to engage them, as well.
