Exercises that target muscles deep in the torso – such as the abdomen, hips, pelvis, and lower back – are called core exercises. Why strengthen your core muscles? Here are some benefits to strengthening your core.
Strengthening your core muscles benefits your entire body. Core muscles are akin to your body’s powerhouse. The core muscles encompass the trunk of your body, and they help stabilize that region by providing a steady center of gravity. You draw on your center of gravity to remain balanced during any physical activity. Your core links both your upper and lower body. In this way, strong core muscles facilitate body movement and range of motion. Indeed, many of your body’s major movements originate from your core. Also, your core is the region that houses important organs and systems – like your digestive and central nervous systems. In other words, keeping your core muscles strong contributes significantly to keeping you healthy.
Core strength eases back pain. According to Harvard Health, a weak core results in increased back ache, even back injury, due to inadequate support. Put another way, when your abdominal muscles are weak, the back muscles become overly strained. Strengthening your core muscles will thus provide balance and stability for both the front and back parts of your body. For instance, if we have poor sitting posture, the core muscles aren’t as engaged and that could lead to compression of spinal discs. This is why many exercise specialists recommend sitting on a stability ball instead of a traditional chair. The stability ball helps a person engage their core muscles to strengthen them. Moreover, strengthening your core muscles brings about alignment so that your muscles can work in sync to bolster mobility and support.
Strengthening your core muscles prevents injuries. Remember that working on core strength enhances core stability, which is another way of saying “stability of the spine.” That is, core strengthening techniques promote spine support via decreased risks in disc herniation and vertebral degeneration. You can therefore perform physical tasks and activities more effectively and safely. This will alleviate any stress to the lower back, the lower limbs, and even the upper extremities.
Core strength fortifies your posture and balance. When your core is strong, you tend to carry yourself in a tall, upright manner rather than remain slouched, hunched, or slumped over. Having better posture, in turn, emboldens one’s body language. A tall, straight posture, after all, telegraphs self-assurance, poise, and mettle. More importantly, the benefits of good posture from core strength include less wear and tear on the spine as well as greater exercise and physical performance. Likewise, with strong core muscles, your balance in posture and movement will be refined, thanks to added control of your core.
Strengthening your core improves your breathing. Your core muscles are connected to your diaphragm. Hence, strengthening the former will naturally strengthen the latter. Men’s Fitness Magazine further adds that through core strengthening, your diaphragm moves to “sit in the proper position,” which is conducive to breathing well. Then, too, when you nurture your alignment and posture, this helps open up your airways so that you can inhale and exhale easier, more efficiently. And, as your elevated core strength augments your breathing capacity, the increase in oxygen distribution throughout the body will also boost stamina, recovery times, and revitalized internal workings for optimal health.