Cardio and Core

We trust you are becoming stronger, leaner and more flexible performing your upper and lower body exercises at home. This week, we’re focusing on our core and our cardio fitness. The ‘core’ is the term we use to describe the muscular complex around the abdomen, lumbar spine and pelvis. When the core becomes weak, there is an increased tendency to develop lower back pain. Cardio exercise means elevating the heart rate, which improves the circulation of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the body. Cardio exercise is also essential for improving mood and wellbeing.

Abdominal Curl Up/Crunch – lying on your back with your knees bent, slowly curl the head and the upper body upwards and slide the arms down the side of the body. Once you have curled up and felt an abdominal contraction, relax back down to the original position. To perform a crunch, bring the head, and the upper body upwards following with the rest of the trunk towards the knees, then relax back down to the original position. * Feet can remain on the floor or lift them to knee height to create a challenge.

Dead Bug – laying down on the floor, lift both legs, both arms and your head. Slowly lower your right arm and left leg until they are just above the floor. Once this position is established, bring the legs back to the start position and repeat with the opposite arm and leg.

Breathing – laying down on your stomach, aim to fill the diaphragm and the stomach with air by raising the pressure in the tummy. Breathe into the bottom half the trunk and fill up the sides of our belly. By doing this, we are contracting our diaphragm and gently using the abdominal muscles.

WALK/JOG or RUN! 15-30 minutes a day opens up the mind, gets the blood flowing and gets the muscles moving. It’s essential to our wellbeing to get out and move our bodies, especially if we are working from home. A walk/jog in nature is even better, it’s proven to improve our immunity, reduce anxiety and stress and increases wellbeing and happiness.

If you have a step, doing some step-ups/downs and even some side steps at a moderate pace for 30 secs-1 minute at a time is great to get the lungs and legs pumping. If you don’t have a step, find some stairs to step up and down or even run up and down.

Safe variations of jumping and hopping are also great cardio exercises. Again, in 30 secs-1 minute at a time intervals and focus on good technique. If you have skipping rope, use it!

With restrictions lifting, we hope you all get out and about, making good use of the many parks and beaches for exercise that we are so fortunate to have here in Sydney. If you are staying in or self isolating, our online Zoom Yoga is running on Monday’s and Wednesday’s at 6pm and our Zoom mat Pilates on Thursday’s at 6pm. Book online, give us a call or drop us an email.