The Real Core
When most people think of core exercises, they think of sit-ups and crunches. In reality, your abdominal muscles represent only a portion of your core. From an anatomy standpoint, the core is everything minus your arms, legs, and head.
The primary role of your core is stabilization. Therefore, any exercise that forces you to stabilize your body is a core exercise. Since some muscles are both a part of your core and your limbs, many exercises work both areas simultaneously.
In addition to stabilization, your core assists in the following roles:
- Maintenance of spinal alignment and posture
- Injury prevention
- Digestion
- Urinary control
- Breathing
Next month, we will discuss some basic core exercises and how to modify other exercises in ways that will work your core.
