Friday, February 7, 2014

Working Your Core

My YMCA instructor constantly emphasizes core strength. What is she talking about? You can access mayoclinic.org for a good explanation. Suffice it to say, core strength as we age is extremely important for balance and stability. Recently, the instructor has challenged us to incorporate core strengthening into the daily things, such as putting on and taking off your shoes and socks… standing. This was really hard for me at first. Why not just sit down… isn't that why I put that cute little bench near the closet? I have taken her challenge seriously, though, because I know in my head that we either use it or lose it. Try just your socks for a few weeks if it is too hard. Set a goal for some specific time in the near future. Treat yourself to a new pair of shoes once this becomes habit. A pair of shoes will be much cheaper than a broken ankle if you trip and can't catch yourself from lack of core strength.