Core Strength 1

It's three days since Thanksgiving. Do you still feel full? Is your belly showing signs of stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn souffle (that's one of my family's favorites - my daughter-in-law's recipe) and all those wonderful desserts? Yes, the calories do pile up on turkey day, so let's get to some exercises for your core - abdominals, buttocks, hip, thighs - all those places pumpkin pie likes to sit (and so hard to kick him off). This first one, wall slides, will strengthen all those spots, improve your posture and help create a healthy spine. But, you've got to do something aerobic to burn those extra calories, so get going, take a walk, swim, bike, hike, dance...whatever gets your heart pumping.

• Start by standing with your back against a smooth wall.
• Place your feet about a foot in front of you and shoulder width apart
• Here we go!!
• Retract your head so you are bringing the back of your head as close to the wall as possible - keep your nose pointing straight ahead - keep your chin level
• Press your shoulders toward the wall - if they can touch, that's great - if not, just get them as close as possible
• Now for the fun stuff!!
• While keeping your head and shoulders pressing as close to the wall as possible, pull your navel into the wall - yeah, I know, you can't get your belly button to actually touch the wall,that's just the image I want you to have in your head --- you are pressing your abdominals in while trying to get the small of your back into the wall -- again, get it as close as possible - and keeping your butt against the wall the entire time
• Okay - you've got the head, shoulders and lower back pressing toward the wall -- and you are breathing
• Exhale and slide down the wall - NOT TOO FAR- you want to feel your thighs working, but not your knees. If you feel pressure on your knees, come up a little. Your knees should be happy.
• Stay in that position for 5 seconds to check your head, shoulders and lower back. Are they all as close to the wall as possible?
• Good
• Slide back up the wall - you can let your lower back come off the wall a little - then repeat the slide 10x, or longer if you want.
• Make sure your knees never feel pressure or pain, your head, shoulders and lower back (small of the back) are as close to the wall as possible while you slide down - and that you are breathing!

If you have any questions about this exercise, or any others that I post, please leave a comment and I'll get back to you. Not sure how that all works yet, but I'll figure it out. This blogging stuff is all new to me. How am I doing?