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Fit For You: The Importance of Core Exercises

Audrey Nowakowski
Personal Trainer Sonya Wren demonstrates the "bird-dog" exercise on the Swiss body ball.

A big misconception about core strength is that is just involves your ab muscles and lots of crunches. Personal trainer Sonya Wren says it's way more than that, it's "the brain of the body."

"(The core is) all of your muscles from your chest to your knees, and front to back."

Wren, a Milwaukee area AFAA certified personal and group trainer, says, "[Your core is] all of your muscles from your chest to your knees, and front to back."

True core strength, she says, is the ability to have your spine appropriately connect with your lower body.

From a functional perspective, a strong core can also help balance your body. Wren notes that if you have a strong core and you fall, you're less likely to get seriously injured.

She's a big advocate for core strengthening as a lifelong commitment for people of all fitness levels. "The stronger your core muscles are the more likely you are to run faster, run longer, to be able to jump higher," adds Wren.

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Fotolia
Core exercises

Over the last 10 years, Wren says more focus has been put on core exercise as more people have come to realize that, "in order to be strong, you have to be flexible; and in order to be flexible, you have to be strong."

She recommends adding exercises to your fitness regimen that include both core stabilization and core strength. "Stabilization is your holding a pose and you're creating strength from holding that pose, and core strength is more of a movement."

Wren believes in muscle confusion, which is doing as many different exercises as possible so that your body is always challenged. One of her favorite core exercises is the smiling plank:

Credit Audrey Nowakowski
Sonya Wren demonstrating the smiling plank.

"Just take your toes and your feet and you walk them around into a smile - and you do that without changing the direction of your shoulders for as long as you can," she explains. "I happen to love that exercise because you can use it with a very novice person who's just getting into the gym because it's low impact, and then you can do that with an athlete."

"Start small, but think big."

If you are at a loss as to how to start in strengthening your core, Wren recommends going to a group exercise class or asking a local fitness professional. However, if you do not feel comfortable in that environment right away, she encourages you to go online and get some ideas or even follow guided videos.  

"I think there are so many great ways to get in to excellent shape in the privacy of your own home, but I don't think that's the end all be all," says Wren. "Ultimately you're going to need to change your game...to get that extra push and just to get that oversight from a true fitness professional."

Wherever you choose to begin, Wren says core exercises that help with flexibility, strength, and cardio endurance will result in a well balanced body.

Audrey is a WUWM host and producer for Lake Effect.