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Are You Activating Your Core?

You have probably heard of your core or activate your core or use your core or strengthen your core. Do you know how or why it is so important? 

If you are unsure about what your core is, it is what connects your lower body to your upper body. It involves the muscles in your trunk, abs, hips, pelvis and muscles surrounding your spine.

It plays an important role in keeping us stable and balanced. Which means it helps prevent falls and also prevents any other injuries! The stronger our core the better our balance and coordination is.

The core is what supports your spine so if you have a strong core it can prevent or decrease back pain and improve your posture.

A strong core also allows for more effective strength training of other muscles in your body. The core is what we use for stability and mobility with everyday tasks so it is something we should use often and can practice daily. Housework, playing with grandkids and other daily activities will be easier and safer with a stronger core.

How to engage the core: Start by either lying down on your back with your knees bent or sitting in a chair. Pull your belly button in toward your spine to tighten/engage. Keep your spine in a neutral position, meaning nothing moves you are just tightening by pulling your belly button in. Keep breathing while you tighten. There can be a tendency to hold your breath but please keep breathing through it. Start with holding it tight for 3 seconds and slowly work up to be able to do 10 and then work up being able to hold it for 10 seconds. For more of a challenge try to activate your core while walking.

There are great core exercises that you can do anywhere and without any equipment. I recommend Bridges, Bird Dogs and Planks. These can all be modified to make easier or more challenging depending on your individual needs. Avoid sit ups and crunches as they have been found to be ineffective. 

As always please let me know if you have any questions or would like help with any core exercises.

Simple and Quick Activities to Try with Grandkids

Here are some fun energy burners for you to try with your grandkids. I know my kids love doing these activities with their grandparents. They can be played both indoors and outdoors and only with things you can find around your house!

Red Light Green Light

Green means go, yellow means slow down, and red means stop. Sometimes we add in different colors like purple for backwards walking. This game is also good for grandparents to work on speed changes and reaction time!

Simon Says

A classic game that can be as active as you want it to be. Some examples: Simon says take 3 big steps. Simon says walk as fast as you can. Simon says tip toe. Simon says walk side ways (side step). Simon says walk like a monster. So many ways to play this and also great for grandparents to participate!

Obstacle Course

Use random things from around the house or that are outside to manuever around, step over, step under, step on, balance on, go through, etc. So many options and ways to get creative with objects that you have! Also good practice for grandparents to participate.

Scavenger Hunt

You can do this by having kids find objects of a certain color, shape, theme, or specific objects. Many more options can be found on google.

Stand on One Leg or Tight Rope Walk

See how long you and your grandkids can stand on one leg, you can pretend to be a flamingo. Next see if you can walk a pretend tight rope in the circus by walking heel to toe. 

If you want to participate with the grandkids of course be safe and know your limits! If there are things that are challenging, if you feel unsteady or like you aren’t able to do, feel free to contact A to Z Personal Wellness to increase your confidence and improve your strength, balance and mobility to keep up with the grandkids!

Benefits of Small Group Training

Meeting with a personal trainer one-on-one may be intimidating to some people. It can also be intimidating to start a group fitness class that has a lot of participants. If either of these sound like you, you might benefit from small group training. 

There are many benefits to small group training, such as:

  • Exercise programs are designed by a personal trainer to meet your individual needs and goals
  • The small group allows for camaraderie which can also increase motivation, accountability and make it more fun 
  • The personal trainer is able to build a connection with each individual and give proper attention to each participant’s form and other needs which prevents injury, increases safety and effectiveness of exercises
  • Trainer can offer more personalized attention for modifications or progressions of exercises
  • You can meet new people or sign up with a small group of friends 
  • Some group fitness classes may be too easy or too hard but a small group training class will be just the right challenge for you
  • It can be more financially friendly which is always a welcome perk

If you have any questions or would like to know more about small group training offerings contact A to Z Personal Wellness.

Why Posture Matters

Did your mother ever tell you to stand up tall or sit up straight? Well, she was right if she did nag you about your posture. Posture matters!

Poor posture can lead to neck, shoulder, and back pain. Exercising with poor posture can increase risk of injury and cause more harm than good. Poor posture can also decrease your balance and increase risk of falling.

Good posture allows you to stay active longer, have a more youthful appearance, increases your energy level and improves balance. It also decreases risk of falling, strengthens core muscles, improves blood flow, increases confidence and improves your ability to breathe deeply.

If you are unsure of your posture, I would recommend looking in a mirror, both front and sideways, or taking a picture of yourself.

When you are sitting, you want your head, and specifically your ears, over your shoulders and your shoulders stacked over your pelvis. It is also best to sit with feet flat on the floor and hips above your knees.

Our bodies were designed to move, so even if you are sitting, it is important to change positions frequently. Set a timer or reminder on your phone or computer to take movement breaks throughout the day to avoid staying in one position for too long.

With so much time spent sitting at a computer, watching TV or using tablets and phones it is easy to get into a habit of slouching or rounding your shoulders and looking down. Holding your phone at eye level can help improve posture, and making sure to adjust your computer monitor so that you can look at the screen at eye level can also help.

It takes 3 weeks (but usually longer) to change a behavior, so be mindful of your posture and practice the exercises below frequently to make a positive change.

Standing Posture Exercise to try:

  • Stand with your heels approximately 12 inches from the wall and lean back so that your buttock and shoulders touch the wall. 
  • Try to get your head to touch the wall too, but if it doesn’t, make sure to look straight ahead and keep your ears over shoulders. If you are able to do this, try to move your heels closer to the wall.
  • Hold this position for 5-10 seconds and repeat 10 times

Seated Posture Exercise to try:

  • Sit at the edge of a chair and lift your chest up and shoulders back, with your ears being aligned over your shoulders. 
  • Hold this position for 10 seconds and then relax back down to your resting posture. – – Repeat this 10 times and try to hold this position for longer if you can.

If you have questions about your posture or would like more guidance on postural exercises contact A to Z Personal Wellness.

Get Balanced, Stay Balanced, Be Balanced

Most of the time we don’t think about our balance until we feel unsteady or until we have a fall. However our balance starts to decline as early as our 30’s. The good news is that we can improve it with exercise! There are many factors that contribute to decreased balance as we age such as vision loss, medication side effects, decreased muscle strength, other health conditions, fear of falling, not getting enough sleep and the list goes on. 

Training static and dynamic balance can increase your coordination, better your reaction time, increase you mobility and agility, reduce fitness related or other injuries and allow you to perform better in your daily life. Falling is NOT a normal part of aging! Be proactive and prevent a fall. Even if you don’t feel old or are not concerned about your balance, focusing on these exercises can help you improve your tennis or golf game. 

Personal training is beneficial to determine what area or areas of balance you need to work on. Do you need to train to increase muscle strength, or train one of your sensory systems? A balance assessment can determine what areas need work and what exercises to focus on.

You may have heard about practicing standing on one leg as you brush your teeth or as you are in the kitchen waiting for your coffee and thought why do I need to do that? Well, it is important to practice single leg balance because we are on one leg during walking, climbing stairs, getting in a car, and stepping into a shower or tub. Try to do single leg balance at a counter top 2x/day and hold up to 1 min on each leg with as little or no hand support if possible. 

Another exercise to try at home:

Stand with your feet as close together as possible and hold for 30 seconds if you can, if that is too hard you can separate your feet a bit. If it is too easy try with your eyes closed. Another way to make it more challenging is to try it while standing on a pillow. Do this exercise in a corner and with a chair in front of you for safety.

Contact A to Z Personal Wellness for a balance assessment!