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Benefits Of Having A Strong Core
Many people associate core strength to having a flat belly and a nice six pack. As motivating as it may sound to have those thoughts in mind, understanding how to strengthen core muscles is crucial when it comes to improving your overall health.
There is also a misconception out there that the core is made up of just the abdominals when really the core consists of both the lower back and pelvic area.
Many people neglect working on the core since you do not see immediate results, but the health benefits of having a strong core can be tremendous.
I will try to help explain why it is important to have a strong core when it comes to achieving your fitness goals.
What Are The Benefits Of Strong Core Muscles
Back Pain Relief – Dealing with low back pain can stop you from being productive in your daily routines. Those with weak core muscles are more prone to injury and back pain.
This is due to the spine not having adequate support from the back. Many people who have suffered from back pain found immediate relief as a result of strengthening the core.
Better Posture – If you have ever worked or been in an office, look around at the posture of those sitting down. How many are leaning forward with backs arched while working on their computers?
Those who have strong core muscles are more cognisant of their posture because of the continuous effort to maintain proper posture when working out the core.
When backs are arched in the way you see many are in the office, that tends to be a welcoming party for lower back pain.
Having a stronger core can help you be more aware of your posture when sitting for long periods of time.
Improved Balance – When it comes to improving balance, you hear people talk sometimes about center of gravity. Your center of gravity comes from the lower part of your body, mainly your core and legs.
So when trying to improve balance, making sure you strengthen the core helps bring better balance to your body.
Prevent Injuries – Like most people who are busy with kids, work or family life, there are always chores to do around the home or office.
Whether you are cleaning or moving heavy objects arounds, you are more prone to injuries with these type of activities.
It helps to have a strong core as it may make you less susceptible to injury. Especially if you are not educated on how to lift things up properly.
Many people tend to lift with their back instead of their legs, in which a strong core can assist in.
Improved Performance – When you put everything together, having a strong core can drastically improve your overall performance in anything you do. Regardless if you are a professional athlete, or just someone who is working on improving their fitness.
Strengthening the core can improve your performance drastically. Many people don’t realize how much they engage their core in many of their daily activities.
Your core is pretty much the link between the upper body and the lower body and in order for everything to move properly, the link must be strong.
Activities To Strengthen Your Core
Since the core is pretty much used for almost any activity you participate in, doing just about anything can help, but you want to make sure you are focused on strengthening the core while having fun in the process. So below are some of the many activities that you can participate in to help activate the core and have fun doing it:
Yoga – is great for strengthening the core with all the different poses which target core specific muscles. Although it may look simple since there are no weights involved, but don’t be fooled by it since it takes a lot to be able to hold the poses for the amount of time necessary.
Kickboxing – if you are looking for the ultimate core strengthening exercise, you will definitely find it with kickboxing. Whether you are doing Jab, crosses or roundhouses, you are sure to be strengthening the core with every twist and turn. Not only will the workout be intense, you will have a lot of fun doing it.
Swimming – not only is swimming easy on the joints, but with every movement you are getting a major core workout. Especially if you are someone that is new to exercise, swimming is a good way to get the core activated without putting too much stress on the body.
Rowing – requires a lot of core strength, so if rowing peaks your interest, then know that it is a great way to stay active and help build up a strong core.
Jump Rope – great warm up tool for anyone getting started with exercise. Using a jump rope is one of the best total body cardio workouts out there as it takes good core strength to make sure you have proper balance while improving coordination. A very underutilized tool, try adding jump roping to your fitness arsenal.
So please share below the benefits you feel from having a stronger core
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