GeneralHow To Improve Your Core Strength When You Are Over 50

Aging is not fun and can lead to a deterioration of your quality of life. But, it doesn’t need to be so bad. There are a lot of ways that we can slow down the effects of aging and enjoy our twilight years relatively pain free and very mobile.

One of the best ways is to maintain your core strength. Unfortunately, many people ignore core strength training because it doesn’t become apparent that it is lacking until you start approaching your 50’s. Back pain starts to become more frequent and arthritis can start to flare up.

Just about everything you do physically goes through your core so it is the most important part of your body to keep strong. If you want to be able to stay active and keep up with your grandkids when you have them then you need to start working on your core right away.

In this article, I will go over some of the ways that you can improve your core strength and age gracefully.

Planks

One of the best ways to strengthen your core is to do planks. Not only is it an extremely effective exercise, but they can be done anywhere. They sound simple to do, but if you are just learning about how to plank then they’ll seem much easier to do than they actually are.

Planks are a bodyweight exercise with some resistance thrown in. Using a chair or some other support, you will use muscles like abs and your quads to hold your position. Again, this sounds simple but they will prove to be harder than you think. Once you are able to maintain your position longer and longer, your core will be strengthened and give you a lot of power.

The correct form is important, however, so make sure that you are following the proper guidelines.

Yoga

 Once you get to a certain age you will probably think that you are not nearly flexible enough to do yoga. Not only is this not true, but yoga is one of the best ways to exercise and build your core strength when you are older.

It will take quite a while to get to the point when you do get more flexible, but even if you aren’t able to do all of the positions you will get a lot out of doing yoga.

One of the biggest benefits to doing yoga besides the way it helps to strengthen your core is that it is low impact. It is very easy on your joints so you won’t feel strain on knees or hips. In fact, it is great at opening up your hips to allow for increased blood flow to the area which will help keep arthritis at bay.

The Superman

Like the plank and yoga, the Superman uses your own body to do the exercise. Unlike planks, however, it is not that difficult to do. If you have frequent back pain and think that planks would put a strain on it, then this exercise is your best bet. It will actually strengthen your back and help you avoid back pain when it is strengthened.

The way it works is that you lie on the ground on your belly with your arms out in front of you and your legs stretched out behind. Imagine how Superman looks when he is flying and you understand how it got the name.

It isn’t as simple as lying there, however. You have to lift up your head while you raise your right arm and left leg up into the air. Tighten your stomach muscles and hold the position for a few seconds. Alternate arms and legs and repeat. Do this for at least for at least five reps and repeat three times.

Segmental rotation

Rotating your torso is a good way to strengthen hips and give you far more stability. This exercise is a great way to achieve this as it is very simple. The moves are simple to do, but since you are trying to flex and stretch it can feel intense.

You’ll need to lie down on your back with your feet flat on the ground and knees bent. Then, while tightening your abdomen, raise your knees to your chest, but rotating them towards your left or right as far as you can bring them up. You will feel some stretch if you haven’t done this exercise before but it shouldn’t be painful.