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| | | Heather's Tip | | “Still struggling with 'bracing' your core? Think about it this way: try to decrease the space between your hips and your rib cage. When your core is relaxed, your lower back tends to arch, sending your hips forward and placing pressure on your lumbar spine. When you bring your hip bones and rib cage closer together, your core muscles naturally engage, which is exactly what 'bracing' is.” — Heather Black, CPT, of the Verywell Fit Review Board | | | | |
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| | | Warm-Up: Bird Dog | | |  | | | The bird-dog exercise is a gentle way to engage both your abdominal and back muscles at the same time, and get warmed up.
Do 10 alternating reps, moving slowly and with intention.
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| | | Hip Lift | | |  | | | The hip lift is a great way to strengthen your major abdominal muscles as well as your deep abs without putting stress on your back.
Aim for 25 reps.
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| | | Crossover Crunch | | |  | | | This move works more than your abdominal muscles—it also targets your external obliques and internal obliques, helping you feel more "pulled in" at the waist.
Do 25 reps on each side.
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| | | Inchworm | | |  | | | This exercise offers a little bit of everything—strengthening the muscles of the front side of your body while stretching the muscles of the back half of your body. And because it targets your entire body in some capacity, it gets the blood flowing.
Aim for 10 reps. (Take breaks between reps if you need to!)
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| | | Basic Bridge | | |  | | | The basic bridge strengthens your glutes and hamstrings, and also enhances core stability.
Get into your bridge pose, and squeeze your legs and glutes. Hold it for 15 seconds. Relax, then repeat this two more times.
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| | Pilates Pike on a Ball
| | |  | | | Pike on the exercise ball is an intermediate-to-advanced move that targets your abs and your shoulder stabilizers. If this move is too intense, you can try holding a regular plank with your feet on the ball, and working your way up to the pike.
Aim for 5 reps.
Modification: If you don't have a ball, try doing 5 dolphin pushups instead.
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| | | Cool Down: Mermaid | | |  | | | This exercise stretches your obliques, shoulders, and inner thighs. It opens your side body, lengthening the muscles between your ribs and pelvis.
Do 5 reps on each side.
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| CONGRATULATIONS! | You've completed day 4 of the Verywell Fit 5-Day Core Challenge.
We'll see you again the day after tomorrow!
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| | | You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Fit Life newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. | | A DOTDASH BRAND 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10036 | | | | | |
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