Welcome to day 1 of the Verywell 7-Day No Equipment Fitness Challenge! Having a strong core and abdominal muscles supports your spine, makes daily activities easier, protects you from back pain and injury, and best of all, feels great. These seven exercises will work your abs from every angle in about 10 minutes.
“If you ever feel your low back in a core exercise, you need to make sure it is pressing down on the ground (for crunches) and that you tuck your tailbone by drawing your ribs towards your hips on the front of your body.” — Tara Laferrara, CPT, of the Verywell Fit Review Board
Crunches have been the mainstay of ab workouts for decades. They target the rectus abdominis, the "six-pack" muscle that runs along the front of the torso. Building strength here is a key part of developing your core muscles for stability and performance.
Let's do 25 reps.
Tip: Make sure you keep your chin off your chest and eyes up towards the ceiling. Don't let your hands pull your head down.
The reverse crunch is a variation of the popular abdominal crunch exercise. Your upper body remains on the mat as you contract your abs to draw your legs towards your chest. It exercises the full length of the rectus abdominis muscle (the six-pack muscle), getting to the deep lower abs.
Set your timer and do as many reverse crunches as you can for 2 minutes while maintaining good form.
The bicycle crunch is one of the best ab exercises you can do, reaching not only the usual abs, but also the deep abs and the obliques.
Do 20 bicycle crunches, twisting from right to left. Do this exercise in a slow and controlled manner to maintain good form and make sure you're feeling this in your obliques (and not your back or shoulders).
Double leg stretch is a great ab exercises that radiates from the core powerhouse, demanding both strength and endurance from the abdominal muscles. It also helps improve your stability and coordination.
The plank is an excellent abdominal and core exercise. It works not only the rectus abdominis, but also the other ab muscles and the core muscles that run from the pelvis along the spine and up to the shoulder girdle.
Get into your plank position and hold it for 30 seconds.
For an extra challenge: Work your way up to holding the plank for 1 minute as you become more advanced.
The side plank is an effective exercise for strengthening the oblique abdominal muscles. You will hold your body on your side in a straight position, supported only by one arm and the side of one foot. Strong obliques can be quite useful as core stabilization muscles.
Get into your side plank position, and hold it for 30 seconds on each side.
Trunk rotation is an exercise used to improve core strength, stability, flexibility, and greater mobility of the spine. It's also a feel-good move that helps you stretch, relax, and cool down at the end of your workout.
Rotate your knees from side to side, holding it for several seconds on each side. This should feel like a soothing way to end your ab workout for today.
You've completed day 1 of the Verywell 7-Day Challenge, and taken valuable steps to strengthen your abs, which is at the core of enjoying everyday activities with strength and ease. We'll see you again tomorrow!
Preview: Tomorrow it's all about the glutes and hips.
Visiting Iceland's majestic north from other European cities just got easier.
Destination of the Day
Puerto Rico
Planning a Puerto Rico getaway just got a lot easier: the Caribbean island has eased local COVID-19 restrictions for domestic travelers, per executive order. Starting today, March 10, all domestic travelers flying to Puerto Rico will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test before departure. The Travel Declaration Form online portal—where visitors would upload their vaccination card and test results pre-flight—is also being done away with, according to the island's official tourism website, Discover Puerto Rico.
Things to Do
Puerto Rico is one of the few places in the world where you can see and experience the ocean, arid land, forest, and mountain ecosystems and geological features on the same trip. Its culture is active and vibrant, its monuments and museums have faithfully preserved its history and cultural diversity, and there are so many breathtaking beaches you could spend your entire vacation just lying in the sun and enjoying them. Fishing, swimming, snorkeling, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, zip-lining, bird watching, boating: name your favorite form of recreation, and your Puerto Rican vacation can include it.
What to Eat and Drink
Mofongo is the unofficial king of Puerto Rican cuisine. This tasty concoction of mashed plantains, seasonings, and an unlimited choice of fillings—including vegetables, shrimp, steak, pork, and seafood—graces the menu of nearly every restaurant. Lechón asado, or spit-roasted suckling pig, is a traditional delicacy worth traveling to Puerto Rico for, too. In fact, it's such a beloved dish that there is a road in Guavate—the Ruta del Lechón (Pork Highway)—dedicated to it. Puerto Rico is also the top rum producer in the Caribbean; consider ordering up a piña colada at either Caribe Hilton Hotel or Barrachina, both of which claim to be the birthplace of the rum-based cocktail.
Where to Stay
Even if you plan to explore extensively outside the city limits of San Juan, the capital city may still be the best place to stay. Puerto Rico is not a large island, and you can reach Ponce on the southern coast and Mayaguez on the west coast (the next two largest cities) in two hours or less from San Juan. Budget and luxury hotels alike are widely available in San Juan, Ponce, Mayaguez, and in smaller coastal cities like Arecibo and Ceiba, as are inexpensive Airbnb facilities, giving you a wide range of suitable options if you'd like to stay near the beach and the ocean during your time on the island.
Your Packing List
You should prepare for both the heat and the rain if you travel to Puerto Rico in the spring. Be sure to take rain gear for outdoor activities, in addition to light, summer clothing for daylight activities.
Long-sleeved shirts and long pants may be necessary at night, and for any trips you take to the cooler interior.
Visitors to Rwanda should head to Volcanoes National Park, often lauded as the best place in the world to go gorilla trekking. Located in the northwest of the country, the park spans 160 square kilometers and is home to 12 gorilla troops that have been habituated for tourist encounters.
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