Never Tried Pilates? Strengthen Your Core And Get Flexible Now With These 5 Easy Moves

At some point or other in our lives, many of us fall prey to poor posture and forget to put time and energy into strengthening our core. We're constantly on our iPhones, slumped over at our desks, or sitting on a couch at a coffee shop with a laptop on our laps. With a modern world that lends itself to constant hunching, working on strengthening our core is the key to improved confidence, overall strength, and injury prevention.

Pilates has been around since founder Joseph Pilates invented it in the early 1900s. He brought his tried and true method to the States in the early 1920s, and people quickly fell in love with it as an injury-prevention method.

The cornerstone of Pilates has to do with controlling our core movements. A strong core means a strong back, which leads to fewer injuries. As we strengthen our core, our posture improves as a result—because our core is directly related to the health of our spine. Joseph used to say, “You’re only as young as your spine is flexible."

Sit nice and tall as you lift out of your lower back. Extend your arms in front of you like Frankenstein, scoop your belly in and up, and round over an imaginary beach ball. Inhale back up to sit tall. Repeat this 3-4 times.

Finish with a glute and hip strengthener. Lie on your side with your knees bent. Open and close the top leg, working the outer hips and glutes and concentrating on your turnout while also keeping the abdominals engaged. Repeat 20 times, then switch sides. This is a good one to do while watching TV at night or surfing the web. Our hips and glutes are important for keeping us upright; and weak or tight hips can cause lower back pain and weakness.

Try these moves three to four times per week, and check in throughout the day and notice when you’re slouching or rounding forward. Soon enough, you'll have your strongest core ever.