How I Built a Strong Core

I've been in a steady routine with yoga and working out in general for years - pretty much since I started doing yoga seven years ago. Butttt insert a worldwide pandemic and years (literally years, which is so crazy to say) of staying home, I had some extra time to make tweaks to my workout routine and introduce new fascets that I'm now in love with! This is where my core comes in! I honestly never gave my core a ton of thought or extra attention until the last few years. It was just something that I maintained through all the yoga I was doing. Well, not anymore! I'm much more intentional about my core these days and have a few things to share that have made all the difference!

Intentional core work

I can't nail down a specific timeframe when I decided to focus more on my core, but the intention started small and grew over the last few years. It's exciting to start to feel yourself getting stronger, which is what I think encouraged me to keep going with it even when it felt pretty darn hard. I decided last November I was ready to build out a core-focused program for you guys in my app so if you're interested in working on your abs, I have my Core Strength Program, which is a 30-day ab challenge that includes 22 classes to feel and look stronger (for real... 3 babies later and my abs have never looked or felt so strong!). Classes range from 5 to 15 minutes so you can do them as stand-alone or layer them with your normal movement practice!

Yoga

Like I said, I've been doing yoga for years now and I know it's what gave me my core's foundation. Your core muscles activate in so much of yoga that even if you're not being intentional about working on your core, you're still laying that foundation. There is no doubt yoga did that for me but I also learned in the last year there are other ways to mix up my movement routine while still being all about yoga!

Enter: my Peloton!

My Peloton

I've shared a lot about my Peloton routine here on my blog and also on Instagram. It's something I never thought I'd enjoy but I really do. I look forward to my rides and that strong feeling it gives me. In the past, I'd never really been much of a cardio person but during pandemic times I think we all were looking for new ways to work out or even just entertain ourselves, hah! So, I bought a Peloton. Cycling really is a full-body workout and, like yoga, it engages your core so much! Mixing up my workouts I think was the tipping point for me...

Mixing up my workouts

In 2021 I really started searching for new ways to feel strong. I wrote about this a bit in this post and also shared my exact workout schedule. Ultimately, I know yoga will always feel like home for me, but at this last year, I didn't want to limit myself to only yoga simply because I teach it. Adding in my Peloton, intentional core work, and even weighted exercises were some of the best things I did for myself in 2021. It's made a difference for me physically but also helps keep me excited and interested in my movement routine. And honestly, excitement and interest are key if you're trying to build a long-lasting habit.

So there you have it! My secret is out, lol! No really, I don't have a secret, but I do promise that mixing up your movement and putting some intentional focus on your core can make all the difference!