Gaining strength to your midsection goes way beyond having a washboard stomach or wanting to look good in a swimsuit, although admittedly this is a great motivation!
Your core consists of all the muscles in your trunk (including your pelvic floor, which is the very important base) They surround your abdomen on all sides, which allows your body to twist, bend and rotate, they support your spine, and aid your posture.
In other words, it’s at the centre of everything you do – Your body depends on your core to hold it up throughout the day and to stabilise the entire body.
Having a strong core is important for promoting a healthy body.
It allows you to stand taller, feel more confident and breathe better too!
Core strength is also transferable to many other aspects of life:
We often notice ourselves being more mindful with daily movements, performance in sports and other forms of physical exercise is enhanced due a significant improvement in overall strength – with a stronger core we can run faster, squat lower, and jump higher!
With a lack of core strength, we are unfortunately more prone to injuries caused by everyday routines:
Remember, your core muscles are a central link, connecting your upper and lower body.
You use these muscles more than you realise: to lower yourself to a seated position, to mop the floor, lift a heavy package or shopping bag, twist to look behind you.
Something as simple as bending down to tie your shoes or reaching up to grab something off a shelf engages your core muscles.
These muscles need to be strong to maintain balance and flexibility, thus reducing your risk of falling or getting injured.
If your core is weak or inflexible, it impacts the way your arms and leg’s function.
It also can cause server lower back pain and in the most serious cases, it can lead to disability.
According to NHS resources, 11% of the total disability of the UK population is caused by just lower back pain.
As a woman, having a strong core is especially important during pregnancy and the early postpartum period - as your abdomen grows, and you experience abdominal muscle wall lengthening.
Your core naturally becomes weaker and less connected during this time, making you far more susceptible to server diastasis recti and injury.
As you edge towards menopause, again core strength is hugely important in promoting overall health.
During this phase, the protective effect oestrogen has on the body declines, making you more susceptible to muscle wastage.
The pelvic floor muscles, which have already been weakened during pregnancy and childbirth, often take the brunt of this - making incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse extremely common.
According to NHS resources, 1-3 women suffer with incontinence and 50% of women over aged 50 have a pelvic organ prolapse.
So whilst some women may not have gone through pregnancy and others may have experienced an easier postnatal recovery – menopause is inevitable for each and every one of us.
Taking the steps to strengthen your core now, is seal proofing your future health, confidence, and quality of life.
Hopefully that’s enough to convince you to take action and do something about it - join me in the new year and make core strength your priority too!
Anna xx
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