FOUR CORE ACTIVATION TIPS
1. Strengthening Perform specific strengthening exercises that engage all the layers of your abdominal wall, pelvic muscles and spinal muscles. Lying on your back, place your hands on your lower abdomen. Try to activate the transverse abdominis muscles beneath your hands drawing the muscles together towards your belly button. Keep breathing while you do this and hold for 10 second counts. Repeat 10 times and do 3-4 times a day, even while you stand! 2. Balance While keeping your abdomen tight in standing, try to stand on one foot. Stand close to a wall so you can keep your hand on it. Hold for 10 seconds each foot and repeat 5 times a day. Enhancing your balance engages the nerves that control the core muscles, helping everything work together. 3. Move Avoid sitting for prolonged periods and if you have to work, then break up the day with standing for 1-2 minute periods every 30 minutes. Keep working on tightening up your abdominal muscles in sitting, standing and lying down. Walk for 15-30 minutes a day, focusing on your posture and abdominal muscles. 4. After pregnancy Pregnancy severely stretches out the abdominal wall and many women can suffer from a condition called diastasis recti. Carefully strengthening your core muscles is essential for long term spinal rehabilitation after child birth. Talk to one of our physiotherapists today about having a complete recovery, even years after your last pregnancy.
Exercise Essentials
MODIFIED SIDE PLANK: The side plank is an excellent core strengthening exercise which generates more engagement of the obliques than the traditional plank. Strengthening the core in a static posture helps eliminate the risk of repetitive movements of the spine and is a great option for those with back pain. The obliques are strong contributors to movements with a rotational component (think shoveling) and are an excellent group to strengthen to prevent back injury.
To perform the side plank: Start laying on a firm surface with both knees bent 90 degrees and the elbow beneath the shoulder. Push the hips off of the ground, keeping the spine in a neutral line with equal pressure on the forearm and lower leg. Make sure the shoulders are both facing forwards and no rotation of the torso occurs. Hold for 30 seconds if able.
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