Is your core the strongest it could possibly be? For those of us who feel like there’s room for improvement, I am leading a 30-Day Core Challenge that will help get your core stronger than ever. We are going to increase core strength through safe and effective exercises, and increase core awareness by focusing on proper core engagement though our daily activities.
Exactly What Is The Fitnotic Core Challenge?
Every day, for 30 days, we will do at least one safe and effective core exercise, and/or put intense focus on our core during one daily activity. Ideally, of course, we will do more than one exercise a day, AND focus on properly engaging our core during more than one daily activity. But let’s start with manageable, attainable goals and go from there.
Each day we will share the core strengthening activity we did, because the accountability factor and getting motivation, inspiration and ideas from one another will be huge!
What Are The Core Exercises?
So exactly what exercises or daily activities am I suggesting you do? There are endless options.
But first, let’s make sure you’re educated about HOW TO PROPERLY ENGAGE YOUR CORE. Whether or not you have diastasis recti, the most effective way to engage your core is to draw the entire stomach up and in towards the spine, including the upper abs/ribs, middle abs, and lower abs. You also should think about “wrapping” your torso, or in other words, cinching your waist (imagine lacing up an old-fashioned corset).
*Safe and effective core exercises are those in which you are able to maintain this proper core engagement while breathing normally and maintaining good posture.
Now for specific exercises and activities I recommend:
- Fitnotic’s Online Core Strengthening Program will provide you with 30 exercises, detailed videos and written instructions for each exercise, and also a series of introductory videos giving you the foundation you need to make sure you’re engaging your core most effectively, exercising safely, and avoiding the core weakening and abdominal separation that can easily result from normal daily activities. You will also learn how to take your every-day activities, like caring for kids, doing laundry, and unloading a dishwasher, and turn them into a core strengthening workout. The Program is designed in a way that ensures you’re progressing safely and challenging yourself appropriately as you work your way through the Program. Each day during our 30-Day Core Challenge you can pick one or more exercises from the Program, or work on engaging your core during every-day activities the way that I teach you to in the Program.
- If you’re not interested in the Online Core Strengthening Program at this time, you can get some basic safe and effective core exercises from my blog.
- Another option is searching the hashtag #fitnoticcorestrengthening on Fitnotic’s Instagram or Facebook Page. I will try to post some specific core challenge exercises and activities on those pages as well once the Core Challenge begins, using the hashtag #fitnoticcore30.
- You can also pick activities you do during the day when you’d be able to focus on properly engaging your core. Some examples are brushing your teeth, feeding a baby, waiting at a red light, sitting on the train, washing dishes, pushing a stroller, etc. Again, this is thoroughly discussed in the Core Strengthening Program.
- If you’ve got your own ab exercises that you’d like to do, great! Just make sure that you’re able to keep your core properly engaged for the duration of the exercise, as I explained above. CRUNCHES & SIT-UPS, along with any exercises that involve you lifting your head and shoulders in a back-laying position, are NOT exercises I recommend. If you’re not sure why, go here.
How Do We Share The Activities We Are Engaging In?
However is easiest and most comfortable for you:
- You can post a comment to this blog entry each day.
- You can post pics, videos or just text on your social media using the hashtag #fitnoticcore30.
- If you’re part of the beta Core Program, you can post in our private Facebook group. Contact me if you’ve purchased the Online Core Strengthening Program and have questions about our private Facebook group.
I really hope you’ll join us for the Core Challenge! I’m so excited to see how strong you can get in the next 30 days, and hear all about the great effect I know it will have on your life going forward!
And don’t worry if you’re late joining us – just jump in and get started!