Get strong abdominal muscles with moves straight from the dance and yoga studio.
“Isolation movements are a great substitute for sit-ups to achieve a lean core,” says popular fitness and dance expert Jennifer Galardi. “With slight shifts of the body you can isolate and strengthen the abdominals without stressing arms or wrists. In a similar way, yoga can tone the midsection, improve posture, and help keep us moving through the day!”
Firm and flatten your core with Galardi’s 3-step workout:
What to do:
Stand with feet just wider than hips, knees bent and stomach in.
Move chest forward (by expanding the ribcage) and then pull it back. Keep shoulders and hips steady and square. No slouching! Work up to 15 repetitions.
Now, slightly shift ribcage from right to left. Again, keep shoulders and hips steady and square. (Don’t lean to the side.) Work up to 15 sets.
2. For lower abdominals
Image courtesy of Cory Sorensen.
What to do:
Stand with feet just wider than hips, knees bent, and stomach in.
Pull lower abs in and up. (Think of pulling navel to spine and scooping pelvic floor forward.) To emphasize this motion, place fist on lower belly. Then, roll it under and up as you engage the lower abs. Keep gluts relaxed. Work up to 15 sets.
3. For abs, back, chest, and shoulders (Yoga Pose)
What to do:
Begin on all fours, with hands slightly in front of shoulders and at shoulder-width. Position knees slightly behind hips and at hip-width.
Spread fingers wide. Support weight between forefinger and thumb, and roll shoulders back and down.
Breathe in deeply and gaze down about five inches in front of you. On you exhale, draw navel to spine, tuck toes under, and straighten legs, bringing head, shoulders, hips, and heels into one straight line. Keep it comfortable! Hold for a few seconds at first and gradually work up to 3 minutes.
Jennifer Galardi’s latest DVD “Flowetry” features a customizable menu of core strengthening and toning yoga poses. Available at livWhole and other online stores.
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