Activate Your Abs

BEFORE AND DURING YOUR WALK

Studies show walking is one of the best ways to banish the belly bulge, in less time than you may think. By walking briskly for just 2 1/2 hours a week (about 20 minutes a day) you can shrink your belly by about 1 inch in 4 weeks.

In order to get the most out of your walk and turn it into an ab-activating workout, it’s important to focus on turning on the muscles in your core both before and during your walk.

STEP 1: BEFORE YOUR WALK, ACTIVATE YOUR ABS WITH THESE 2 MOVES

When your core muscles aren’t activated before your walk, your form suffers and you not only increase your risk of injuries during the workout, but you also won’t get the most benefit out of your routine. During a walk, you’re typically targeting your glutes, quads, and thighs. When you simultaneously engage the core, you stabilize your spine, which allows you to pick up your pace.

How do you get the core firing? Before you walk, try these two exercises…

WHAT IT DOES:

• This move is a plank with a twist, a core stabilizing exercise that recruits your obliques for rotation.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Start in plank position, but this time, rest on your elbows instead of your hands. Be sure to keep the shoulders depressed back and down and the neck nice and long throughout the movement.
2. Keeping your abs engaged, slowly swivel the hips underneath you to the right. Feel your obliques driving this motion as you swivel to the other side with a slow, controlled motion.

BEGINNERS:

• You can modify this movement by resting on your knees instead of full plank position.

ADVANCED:

• Keep your feet stacked and move your toes as you rotate. So as you swivel the hips to the side, you’ll rest your weight primarily on the bottom toe, with the top foot resting on top of it

CANNONBALL

What it does:

• This move is sometimes called the ˙banana,” because of the slightly-curved line your body forms at the start of the exercise. But no matter what you call it, this full-body core-strengthener is a surefire way to fire up the entire abdominal wall.

How to do it:

• Start lying on your back, with your arms reaching out overhead, legs lifted slightly off the floor, and toes pointed. Even here, at the start of the move, you’re activating core muscles by stretching them out. Keep pressing the lower back into the mat or floor to ensure the back doesn’t arch. If this feels like too much tension on the back, try lifting the legs a little further away from the floor.
• Imagine that, as you’re stretching the fingers and toes away from each other, the core is a strong magnet working to pull them back in. Using the force of that imaginary magnet, bring the knees in toward the chest. At the same time, reach your arms toward the legs.

Beginners:

• Start by doing this move just one leg at a time. Resting your left leg on the floor, perform the move as described above using only the right leg. Do 10 repetitions and repeat on the left side.

Advanced:

• At the top of the move, when you’re in ˙cannonball” position, wrap your arms around the shins. The objective is to find your balance point. To do that, you need to strongly engage your core muscles when you hit the top of the movement. Coordinating the arms and legs to hit that balance point is the challenge.

STEP 2: EVERY 10 MINUTES DURING A WALK, CONCENTRATE ON THE NEUTRAL SPINE POSITION

When you engage your core during a walk, you’re using your transverse abdominis. That’s the core stabilizer, and it runs horizontally across the abdomen. It’s essential to recruit these muscles for good posture…and a sleek physique! Think of your transverse muscles as your built-in Spanx. The transverse muscles stabilize your pelvis and help you balance and move your legs during your walk. Engaging your transverse will also allow you to further increase your speed, pump up your power and burn more calories.

Every 10 minutes during a walk, engage your transverse abdominis with a “TA Isometric Neutral Spine” for 30 seconds by pulling your belly button towards your back while maintaining a neutral spine, which means you’re not arching or rounding your back.