Standing core exercises are a good addition to your routine. They’re beginner friendly and most importantly, they can improve posture and balance!

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With so many skin care products on the market today, choosing the right ones can be very difficult. It’s hard to know which ones are synthetic and which ones are natural. Even the “natural” and “chemical-free” products can contain harmful ingredients. Most products have the potential to benefit your skin, but natural, homemade skin care products are often the better choice. 

It is very difficult to trust products that have a long list of ingredients, especially if you can’t pronounce them. A product may claim to be “natural” or “organic,” but a lot of greenwashing occurs in the beauty industry. That means a company uses misleading labels and language, environmental imagery, or hidden tradeoffs that makes it seem sustainable and natural. In fact, a product can claim to be natural even if it only has a few natural ingredients. A drop of essential oil can make a product natural. These products may also contain ingredients that are not certified natural or organic. 

For those reasons and and more, we encourage people to make their own beauty products when possible. Consider the following reasons to make DIY skin care products. Let us know if you agree or disagree in the comments below. Have you made your own products before? We’d love to hear from you, especially if it was a recipe that we posted!

Better For The Environment

Natural skin care products are simply better for the environment than synthetic alternatives. Synthetic chemicals can harm animals and plants that they come in contact with. If those synthetic chemicals seep into the ground, they can wreak havoc on surrounding ecosystems. The manufacturing of traditional skin care products can also lead to environmental pollution. Companies need to extract certain ingredients, such as aluminum or lead, in order to make products. DIY skin care products don’t need mining or manufacturing because they use simple, natural ingredients. 

You Decide What Goes Into The Products

When you make your own skin care products, you know exactly what goes into them. If a body butter recipe contains shea butter, almond oil, coconut oil, and some essential oils, you know that there are no other fragrances, stabilizers, or chemical additives. Using natural ingredients on the skin helps reduce the risk of common skin reactions that can result from chemicals in skin care products. 

Learn What Works For Your Skin

As previously mentioned, store bought skin care products contain a long list of harmful ingredients. That can make it difficult to determine which ingredients are the best for your skin. The great thing about DIY skin care products is that you can customize them with ingredients that your skin needs. Cater to your skin type or skin condition/ailment to boost the overall health of your skin. You can also research which ingredients have the best compounds, vitamins, and other nutrients that benefit your skin type. 

Streamline Your Routine

Homemade skin care products contain simple ingredients, but they don’t just serve one purpose. What we mean by this is that a facial lotion can double as a deodorant. Homemade shaving cream may also serve as a post-shower moisturizer. Sometimes, you can even use raw ingredients, like shea butter, on their own to help improve skin barrier function and promote hydration and moisture. 

Manufacturing Doesn’t Harm Animals

A lot of big skin care manufacturers continue to test their products on animals. This is a detriment to the wellbeing of animals that receive testing. Fortunately, not all skin care product manufacturers use animal testing, so no harm is done to living beings. These are the more ethical companies that don’t contain a lot of synthetic materials. If you are against inhumane treatment of animals and testing, natural DIY skin care products are the way to go. 

They’re Easier On The Skin

Synthetic skin care products are very harmful to certain skin types. Ingredients in those products can cause swelling, redness, rash, itchiness, or a serious allergic reaction. Look out for paragons, sulfates, synthetic dyes, propylene, petrochemicals, triclosan, and more. You don’t have to worry about that when you use DIY skin care products. Natural ingredients don’t contain chemical irritants and instead of being detrimental to the skin, they actually nourish it.

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Remember the days when going to the gym was a regular occurrence? Those were fun, right? You know what wasn’t fun? Waiting for people to finish with the equipment you needed to use to complete your workout. There’s one piece of equipment that put an end to all of that waiting: the kettlebell. 

For the average home gym, the kettlebell is the perfect piece of workout equipment. There’s no need for benches, elaborate dumbbell sets, plates, barbells, pulley systems, or squat racks. The kettlebell is perfect for full body circuits that tone the major muscle groups. 

While the exercises in this article will help tone your entire body, it’s important to accompany them with a clean diet. Eating the right foods will take your body to the next level, just like the following exercises. 

#1: The Kettlebell Swing

If there’s one exercise to know how to do with a kettlebell, it’s this one. It works the core, glutes, legs, shoulders, abs, and back. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the kettlebell with both hands between your legs. Hinge at the hips and bend your knees slightly. In one powerful motion, press your weight into your heels and swing the weight upwards to shoulder height, thrusting with the pelvis. Don’t lift the weight with your shoulders. Drop it back down and repeat this swinging motion, engaging the glutes throughout. The motion of this exercise is mainly driven by the glutes as you thrust forward, so keep that in mind. 

#2: Goblet Squat

Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and point your toes slightly outward. Invert the kettlebell so that the bulbous part is facing up. Grab the handle with both hands and hold it close to your chest like a goblet. Squat down and engage your lower abdomen to protect your lower back. Squeeze your glutes and drive through your heels to return to the starting position. 

#3: Kettlebell Push Press

This is an explosive move that helps to tone the traps, triceps, and deltoids. It also works to build core stability. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and hold the kettlebell in your right hand at chest height. Hold your left arm out to the side or keep it down and relaxed by your side. Lift your chest, keep your back straight, and lower into a subtle squat, but only a couple inches before exploding upward, extending your right arm above your head. Your right bicep should be by your ear. Finish your reps and then repeat on the other side. 

#4: Russian Twist

It’s all about the abs and obliques with this exercise! Take a seat, no literally, please take a seat on your buttocks to start the exercise. Sit with your knees bent and your feet pressed into the floor in front on you. Hold the kettlebell with both hands by your right hip. Contract your abs as you twist toward the other side, bringing the weight with you. Try to tap the kettlebell on the floor each time you twist. 

#5: Bent Over Row

When engaging in this exercise, proper posture and form is key because you don’t want to injure your back. Stand in a lunge position with your right leg out in front and bend your right knee slightly. Keep your chest up and back straight as you lean forward at an angle to be in line with your back leg. Hold the kettlebell in your left hand and pull it back, drawing a line with your elbow as the guide. Your upper arm should be in line with your back, engaging your back to hold the weight. Return to the starting position in a controlled manner; you don’t want to release the weight. Repeat on the other side once you finish your reps. 

#6: Kettlebell Offset Squat

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the kettlebell in a rack position with your right hand at shoulder-height. Extend your left arm out in front of you and lower into a squat, engaging your glutes and core. While down in the squat, make sure that your back is straight and that your knees don’t extend beyond your toes. Drive through your heels to return to the starting position. Finish the reps and then repeat with the other hand holding the kettlebell. 

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From the days of the quarantine-15 to the fabled holiday weight gain, it’s safe to say that this year and last year were not kind to your waistline. In times of stress, many people resort to food for comfort. Are we right or are we right? It’s too easy to find comfort in food, especially when holiday treats and sweets attack you from all angles. 

The holiday season is fast-paced, what with shopping, end of the year projects, travel, and coordinating with family. Even though the holidays involve a lot of family time, functions, gatherings, parties, and more, it’s still important to carve out a portion of your day for physical activity. If you don’t feel safe heading to the gym or it’s too cold to exercise at an outdoor gym or outside, engage in the following exercises that you can do no matter where you spend the holidays. 

Push-Ups

You can do push-ups anywhere, no matter if you’re in a basement, on top of a mountain, or in your grandma’s living room. The push-up is a great upper body workout that engages your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles. Start in a plank position with your legs extended back and your hands on the ground directly beneath your shoulders. Engage your pectorals and shoulders and lower your body down until it’s hovering above the ground. Press back up to the starting position, keeping your body in a straight line the entire time. Complete three sets of 8-10 reps. 

Side-Ups

These are wonderful for the obliques, which don’t receive the attention they should. Lie down on your right side, stacking your left leg on top of your right. Place your right forearm on the ground perpendicular to your body. In one motion, press up into a side plank position, squeezing your right oblique, hip, glute, and shoulder all at once. Hold at the top for a split second and then lower yourself back down. Complete three sets of 10 reps per side. 

Bodyweight Squats

Whether you need to break up your at-home work life or work off some extra holiday sweets that you put away, squats are the answer. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight as you squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Make sure your knees don’t extend over your toes, engage your glutes, and drive through your heels as you return to the starting position. Complete three sets of 10 reps per side. 

Shoulder Taps

This takes the plank to another level! The most important thing to remember is to engage your core to prevent rocking from side to side. Start in a plank position and widen your feet so that they are shoulder-width apart. Keep your core engaged to stabilize your body as you bring your right hand to your left shoulder to tap it. Return it to the ground and then repeat with your left hand to your right shoulder. Complete three sets that last 20 seconds each. 

Lunges

This is the final workout that will propel you through the holiday season. It’s a great exercise because it engages your leg muscles, glutes, and core. Start in a standing position with your feet hip-distance apart. Step your right foot forward and plant your foot on the ground. Bend your legs and make sure that your right knee doesn’t extend beyond your toes. Your left knee should kiss the ground. Don’t bounce off your left knee because that increases risk of knee injury. Squeeze your right quadriceps and glutes as you press back to the starting position. Repeat on the other leg. Complete three sets of 8-10 reps per leg. 

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The six-pack is the holy grail of fitness. Something magical happens when you look at a person with chiseled abs. How do you get abs of steel? As with toning the rest of the body, the recipe is simple: eat a healthy diet, drink less alcohol, do ab workouts, and engage in light cardio exercises.

In your quest to have a shredded abdominal area, you inevitably strengthen your core. A strong core can help you improve balance, overall strength, and reduce your risk of injury when performing other exercises. The core includes all the muscles that exist between your chest and hips. When you do an ab workout, you engage your rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscles), your transverse abdominis (muscles that wrap around your stomach), and your obliques (the side abs that assist with rotation).

The abdominal workout sequence in this article will engage all of these muscle groups to help you tone and strengthen your core. You’ll definitely feel the burn in your core so make sure to stretch after your workout. 

Plank

This is the go-to core workout that demands engagement from your entire abdominal area. Start in a kneeling position with your toes tucked. Walk your hands out until your legs are extended. You should be balancing on the balls of your feet and your hands, which should be directly under your shoulders. Engage your abs, glutes, thighs, shoulders, and chest to keep the body in a straight line. Hold this pose for 30 to 60 seconds and then rest for 15 to 30 seconds. 

Bird Dog

This exercise forces you to work on stability, which means that you have to engage your core to avoid twisting and rocking. Start in a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Engage your core as you extend your right arm in front of you and left leg in back of you. Pause in this position for half of a second and then draw your right elbow and left knee into your torso. Repeat until you complete 8-10 reps and then repeat on the other side. 

Russian Twist

This exercise focuses on working the obliques, but you still need to engage your abdominals. Sit down on your mat and lean back until you feel that your abs are engaged. Extend your legs up into a shallow “V” for a more intense workout, or bend your knees and hover your feet about six inches above the ground. Bend your elbows out to the sides and clasp your hands together over your chest. This is the starting position. Rotate your torso to the right side and reach your elbow back as you twist. Try your best to keep your core and legs stable. Rotate back to center and then to your left side in one fluid motion. Continue rotating back and forth for 10 reps per side. 

The V-Up

Get ready to feel the burn! Start by lying on your back with your legs extended. You can keep your arms by your sides or extend them overhead. In one movement, engage your core and lift your legs and upper body into a “V” shape. To make it more difficult, reach your fingers all the way to your toes instead of bringing your hands by your calves. Complete 8-10 reps. 

Bicycle Crunch

This is one of the most effective moves for your obliques and rectus abdominis. Lie flat on your back and place your palms behind your head with your elbows out the sides. Keep your legs extended out in front of you. Contract your abs and lift up slightly as you twist toward your right, while you simultaneously draw your left knee in. Your right elbow and left knee should almost meet. Return to center and repeat on the other side. Complete 10 reps per side. Make sure that you reach you elbows toward your knees and don’t simply bend your knee all the way in because that is an ineffective way to do this exercise. 

Leg Raises

Lie down flat on your back with your legs extended and your arms by your sides. Engage your lower abdominals and raise your legs until they are in a vertical position. The most important thing during this exercise is to keep your lower back flat on the ground. The way you do that is by holding in your lower abdomen the entire time. Lower your legs down slowly and then continue the leg lifts. Complete 10 reps. 

You can start with one time through this circuit and then advance to two or three times through the circuit for an intense ab workout. 

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You’re never too old to get into strength training. Even if you’ve never exercised a day in your life and you’re 57 years old, you can start developing strength for a healthier body. While aerobic and flexibility exercises are beneficial, strength training helps keep the body functional. Women over 50 tend to lose one percent of muscle mass each year, but strength training can help them to preserve muscle tissues. 

After the age of 30, the body has to work hard to build and produce bone. As you age, you lose bone mass much quicker than your body can produce it. Bone loss accelerates during menopause, increasing a woman’s risk of osteoporosis. You don’t have to let statistics dictate your future, though.

Benefits Of Strength Training After 50

Strength training is not just about biceps and quads, ladies. The primary reason to engage in strength training is to reduce the body’s risk of injury. When women engage in strength training exercises after age 50, then can experience higher bone density, decreased body fat, reduced risk of chronic disease, and better muscle mass. You won’t be flexing like the hulk, but you can dramatically improve your physical health, stability, balance, coordination, and more. The best part is that you can easily do strength training exercises at home!

Squats

Squats are life, ladies, and you need them to increase lower body strength. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Make sure that your toes, knees, and hips are facing forward. Bend your knees and sit your butt back as if to sit on a chair, ensuring that your knees don’t go beyond your toes. Once your thighs are parallel to the ground, engage your glutes and drive through your heels to return to the starting position. Complete three sets of 10-12 reps.

Forearm Plank

The forearm plank takes the stress off your wrists, but you have to engage your abdominal and lower back muscles to maintain a straight line from head to toe. Start by lying face down on the floor. Before you press up into a plank, make sure that your elbows are directly underneath your shoulders and nestled close to your sides. Tighten your abdominals as you press up, keeping a straight line from your head to your feet. Don’t let your body sag towards the ground. Hold this pose for 30 seconds. If this pose puts too much stress on your elbows, drop your knees to the ground for a modified forearm plank. 

Bird Dog

The bird dog is a classic pose in yoga, but this exercise calls for more movement than the static yoga position. This exercise helps you enforce core stability. Get into a tabletop position on your hands and knees. Make sure your knees are below your hips and your hands beneath your shoulders. Extend your right arm out in front of you while simultaneously extending your left leg backward. Both your right arm and left leg should be in a straight line. Fight the urge to twist or lean to one side as you hold for one second before returning to the starting position. Do this for 10 reps before repeating on the other side. Complete three sets of 10 reps per side. 

Chest Fly

More often than not, women have underdeveloped chest muscles. This is because most women focus on lower body exercises. To begin the chest flies, you’ll need a pair of light dumbbells (5 to 10 pounds is sufficient). Lie flat on your back on a mat and bend your knees, keeping your feet flat on the ground near your butt. You can also do this exercise on a bench if you have one. With one weight in each hand, extend your arms up towards the ceiling. Slowly but surely, open your arms out until your wrists are almost touching the floor (or in line with your chest if on a bench). Engage your chest muscles to return your arms back to the center position. Complete three sets of 10 reps. 

Modified Push-Up

The push-up, regular or modified, helps to strengthen your pectoral, shoulder, and abdominal muscles. Begin this exercise by getting into a tabletop position, exactly how you did for the bird dog exercise. Tuck your toes under so that the tops of your feet are flat on the ground. Lean forward ever so slightly, tighten your abdominal muscles, and slowly lower yourself toward the floor. Keep your elbows close to your sides throughout the motion. Once you chest is hovering above the ground, press back up to the starting position. Complete three sets of 10 reps. 

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Go to any fitness Pinterest board or look at the most popular online workout videos for women and you’ll notice one thing: it’s all about the butt. On top of that, try to count the amount of fitness “gurus” and influencers on Instagram showing how to do butt exercises. All of this information can be overwhelming, though, and you may not know which exercises are best for a shapely booty.

The gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus are the muscles in your butt. Not only do they help stabilize your pelvis, but they also keep your knees and hips aligned. Weak gluteus muscles make it difficult to go up stairs, walk, stand, have proper posture, or engage in numerous activities.

The common sedentary lifestyle, which involves hours on end in a seated position, the gluteus muscles start to shut down. If you don’t regularly exercise those muscles, you may experience back pain or an inability to workout out properly. All of this is to say that butt workouts are very important. The following exercises are very simple and can be done from the comfort of your home.

Pop Squat

Stand upright with your feet together and hands at your chest. Jump your feet out to the sides (a little wider than shoulder-width apart) and squat down, engaging your glutes as you bend both knees. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor in the squat position. Tap the ground with your right hand and extend your left arm behind you. Jump back to the starting position and immediately jump back down into a squat, this time touching the ground with your left hand and extending your right hand behind you. Continue to alternate which hand touches the floor with each squat. Complete 3 sets of 10-12 squats.

Reverse Lunge

Start in a standing position with your feet hip-distance apart. Engage your core and step back with your left foot, landing on the ball of your foot with your heel off the ground. Bend both knees until your left knee kisses the ground. Try not to bounce off the ground with your knee because you don’t want to injure it. Push off the ball of your left foot and engage your right glute and thigh as you return back to the starting position. Now step back with the right foot and repeat the lunge motion. Continue to alternate legs. Complete three sets of 8-10 reps per leg.

Lunge Pulses

Get ready to feel the burn! Step into a lunge position and keep your back knee a few inches above the ground. Make sure your front knee doesn’t pass your toes. Keep your core and glutes engaged as you pulse up and down a few inches. Do not raise up completely. Stay in this low position and continue to pulse up and down for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds and then repeat on the other leg. Complete 2 more sets.

Side Step Wide Squat

Start in a standing position with your feet hip-distance apart. Hold your hands at chest height and step your right foot out to the side. Hinge at your hips and sink your butt back into a wide squat. Engage your glutes and return to the starting position. Do three sets of ten reps per leg. Do all your reps on a single side and then follow on the other side.

Glute Bridge

Lie face up and bend your knees, keeping your feet flat on the ground with your heels about six inches from your butt. Place your arms by your sides with your palms facing down. Engage your hamstrings and glutes as you lift your hips toward the ceiling. When you reach the top, hold the position for a second before returning to the floor. Complete three sets of 12 reps.

Romanian Deadlifts

Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise your arms in front of you, extending them out so they are parallel to the ground. Keep your legs slightly bent, hinge at the hips, and push your butt back a little as you lean forward. You essentially create a right angle with your body at the middle point of the movement. You should feel a little tension in your hamstrings. Contract your hamstrings and glutes and return to the starting position. Complete three sets of 10 reps.

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Yoga is all about your core and flexibility, but mostly your core. Did we mention that it’s good for core? Because that’s exactly what it’s good for. Gyms are closed in most states, due to the pandemic, and exercising at home is more popular than ever. Since yoga is so easy to do in any location, you don’t have an excuse to avoid it!

People work from seated positions throughout the day, and back and neck pain has increased across the country as a result. When you strengthen your core with yoga, you can help relieve back and neck pain, and improve your posture. When you regularly engage in the following yoga poses, you’ll find that you correct your posture more often. Work that core with the seven yoga poses in this article!

Plank Pose

This is the go-to core-strengthening pose that never fails. It is more common in fitness programs, but it still belongs in many yoga sequences. To begin, get on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Make sure that your hands are directly beneath your shoulders. Step your feet back into the plank position, engage your core and glutes, and remain in a straight line. Don’t round your back or shrug your shoulders. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds.

Chaturanga/Low Plank

This pose demands more core engagement than the previous plank pose. Chaturanga takes it up a notch by building strength in the forearms, triceps, and wrists. From the plank pose, lower your body down until you are only a couple inches off the floor. Keep your elbows close to your sides and focus on tightening your abs and glutes. Hold this pose for 30 seconds and then rest.

Side Plank

Unlike the previous two poses, this side plank works your obliques, but you also engage your shoulders, abs, and glutes. When you’re in this pose, the most important thing to remember is to lift your body up towards the ceiling to remain in a straight line and avoid sagging to the floor. From a plank position, shift your weight onto your right hand and roll onto the outside your right foot. Stack your left leg on top of your right leg. You can also stagger one foot behind the other if that is more comfortable. Extend your left arm upwards and turn your gaze to look up at the ceiling. Hold this pose for 30 seconds and then repeat on the left side.

Bird Dog Pose

Continue to strengthen your obliques while working your glutes, hamstrings, and shoulder muscles in this pose. Bird Dog pose is all about stability, so make sure to engage your core to avoid leaning side to side. Begin on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Make sure hands are beneath your shoulders and your knees are beneath your hips. Lift your right leg back and keep it straight and parallel to the floor. Extend your left arm out and keep it parallel to the floor. Hold this pose for five deep breaths and return to the tabletop position. Repeat on the other side.

High Lunge

Train your core and practice stability in this high lunge pose. You may even find that you receive a beautiful stretch in your hip flexor. Start in a plank position. Bring your right foot to the inside of your right hand. Slowly but surely, engage your core and rise up, reaching your arms toward the ceiling. Make sure that your knee does not go over your toes; in fact, it should be directly above your toes. Stay here for five deep breaths and then repeat on the other leg.

Three-Legged Downward Dog

For this pose, you need to focus on tightening your abs, glutes and hamstrings. To get into downward dog, begin in a plank position. Stick your butt towards the ceiling and widen your shoulder blades. If you can straighten your legs then that is great, but your back needs to be flat. If you can’t straighten your legs, bend your knees slightly to allow for a flat back. Once you are here, extend your right leg up and back to be in line with your back and arms. Push your palms into the ground, engage your core, and keep your hamstring and gluteus muscle tight to hold that right leg up. Stay here for five breaths and then repeat on the left side.

Boat Pose

This balancing pose will force you to strengthen your core. While it can be difficult to balance on your butt at first, we have faith that you’ll get the hang of it and be holding this pose for days in no time. Start by sitting up straight with your legs extended out in front. Bend your knees so that the soles of your feet are on the mat. As you lean back slowly, extend your feet up so that your body is in a “V” shape. Keep your back straight and reach your arms a little past your thighs. Hold this pose for 30 seconds and then return to the starting position.

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Muffin tops used to be viewed in a positive light. They were the golden-brown, firmest parts of the muffin that were utterly delicious and addictive. Nowadays, a muffin top represents the fat that hangs over your waistband, be it in the stomach region, sides, or even that fat that creeps over the back of your pants. Since you can’t successfully tuck it all away in flattering attire, there’s only one way to get rid of it: the combination of diet and exercise.

Exercises that strengthen the core are wonderful, but they won’t yield the results you want unless you change your eating habits. Diet and exercise go hand in hand, and you can’t out exercise a poor diet. In addition to maintaining a healthy diet and engaging in core workouts, cardiovascular exercise is a must. Don’t try to spot-reduce; rather, the goal should be to spot-sculpt. Get rid of excess fat through diet and cardio workouts, and then add in the following core workouts to sculpt that midsection.

Hip Bridge

This exercise works to target your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. If you decide to extend one leg up toward the ceiling to increase difficulty, you’ll activate those lower back muscles even more to help get rid of back fat. Lie flat on your back with your feet flat and knees bent. Keep your arms by your sides as you lift your hips toward the sky. Engage your core and hold for three seconds. Lower your back onto the floor and then repeat to finish your reps. Complete three sets of 15 reps.

Hip Dips

Are you ready for those obliques to burn? These are great for toning the entire waistline! Lie down on your right side and plant your right forearm firmly beneath your shoulder. Extend your legs out, resting your left leg on top of your right. Press yourself up into a side plank and then dip back to the ground. Complete three sets of 12 reps per side.

Bicycle Crunches

This is one of the most effective exercises to target your entire abdominal area. You can almost feel the muffin top melt away with every set. Lie down on your back and place your hands behind your head to support your neck. Extend your right leg out and bend your left leg. Bring your right elbow to your left knee. Once you do this, extend your left leg out and twist to bring your left elbow to your right knee as you bend it. This should be done in one fluid motion, as though you are riding a bike. Keep alternating for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times.

Mountain Climbers

Your abdominal area cannot just be thought of as your abs. You have to tone your entire midsection to get rid of that muffin top, often times incorporating aerobics into your abdominal workouts. Mountain climbers do just that! Start in a plank position with your arms fully extended and hands planted firmly on the ground beneath your shoulders. Bring your right knee between your arms, quickly extend it back, and then bring your left knee between your arms. Keep alternative for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times.

Superman

You have to tighten the lower back muscles for a full-fledged core workout. This is a great prone position (face down) to counteract the supine (face up) ab workouts in this article. Lie face down on the floor and extend your arms above your head. Tighten your core and glutes to lift your legs and arms off the ground. The goal is to look like Superman in flight. Hold for 20 seconds and then drop back down to rest for 20 seconds. Repeat two more times.

Crunches

Let’s keep toning those abdominal muscles by continuing with crunches. This is an exercise to really help you develop that washboard. Lie flat on your back with your feet on the ground and knees bent. Place your hands behind your head, but don’t pull your head up with your hands. Engage your core and use those muscles to lift your head off the ground. Complete two sets of 10-20 reps, depending on your level of fitness.

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Although yoga is an age-old practice, it has risen to popularity within the past 30 years and has become integral part of people’s lives. Yoga is a meditative practice that focuses on breathing techniques while improving core strength and flexibility. Many elderly people, women in particular, have turned to yoga to maintain healthy joint mobility and flexibility.

If you don’t know where to begin, yoga can be an intimidating form of exercise. It seems that there are endless poses, some of which involve mild contortion, which can overwhelm people who are new to yoga. If you are over 60 years old, the last thing you want to do is push your body to do more than it can because this can increase your risk of injury.

The Benefits Of Yoga For Seniors

Maintaining balance, flexibility, and strength is paramount as we age. Not only does this help maintain bone health and muscle mass, but it also helps to improve the mental state and emotional wellbeing. Anecdotal research has found that women in their sixties and seventies who practice yoga have fewer calcium deficiencies in bones than women who don’t do yoga. If you are a senior, you can practice the following poses to keep the body strong and beautiful.

An Important Note: You should not push the body to the point of discomfort. All yoga poses can be modified and you can always return to a comfortable position like child’s pose at any time. Keep that in mind as you move through the poses below.

Uttanasana – Standing Forward Fold

This is a mild inversion pose that intends to gently stretch the hamstrings. It may help ease stress and combat osteoporosis. Stand upright with your feet hip-distance apart. Take few deep breaths in this position and begin to fold forward until your forehead is facing your legs. Don’t bend your knees as you fold. If you can’t touch the floor, you can support yourself with yoga blocks.

Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Facing Dog

This pose is beneficial for strengthening the shoulder muscles, calves, hamstrings, and more. Downward dog has been known to improve circulation and combat menopausal distress. Begin on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Raise your knees up and sink back into your heels as best you can to establish an inverted “V” position. You can always bend your knees slightly if it becomes too difficult.

Virabhadrasana – Warrior 1 Pose

Strengthen your legs while simultaneously opening up the hips by engaging in Warrior 1 pose. Tight hips can lead to back pain, so create mobility in the hips and legs via this pose. From Downward Dog, bring your right knee into your chest and place your right food between your hands. Plant your left foot on the ground and turn it outward at a 45-degree angle. Slowly rise up, keeping the right leg bent, the left leg straight, and your hips facing forward. Extend your hands over your head and sink into the stretch. Repeat on the other leg.

Parsva Balasana – Bird Dog Pose

This pose is beneficial for abdominal, back, and hamstring support. Keeping the spine as healthy as possible is integral as we age, and Bird Dog pose can assist with this. Begin in a tabletop position with your hands on the ground beneath your shoulders and knees directly beneath your hips. Extend your right arm out in front of you while extending and lifting the left leg backwards. Engage your core to maintain your center of balance. Repeat on the other side.

Baddha Konasana – Bound Angle Pose

This pose works to target the lower back and hips, two common areas of pain for menopausal women. The goal is to open the hips in this pose, but it can take time so be patient. Sit down on your buttocks with your knees out to the sides and the soles of your feet touching near your groin. Make sure to sit tall and allow your knees to drop closer to the floor.

Bhujangasana – Cobra Pose

Give your back muscles a good stretch by practicing Cobra pose. Make sure to relax your shoulders in this pose and keep the tops your feet on the mat, being careful not to roll them out to the sides. Begin on the ground on your stomach and place your hands on the mat by your chest. Place the tops of your feet on the mat and push up until your arms are straight. If this is too difficult, you can modify the pose by keeping your forearms on the ground with your elbows near your chest. This still helps to strengthen and lengthen the back.

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