You probably take it for granted, but given its importance, it may be time to pay attention. That’s because your “core,” that intertwining group of muscles wrapped around your abdomen, hips, sides, and buttocks forms the essential components of your body strength and stability. Without a strong core, you’re at greater risk of pain, injury, and falls, and you run the risk of losing your ability to handle such daily activities as putting away groceries or getting on the ground with grandchildren. While it may take time and effort to insert core strengthening exercises into your daily routine, the payoff will be a stronger, more comfortable, and more stable you.

First, a better description of your core muscles and what they do. While you may have the image of “six-pack abs” in mind, in fact, abdominal muscles are just one component of your core. The grouping also includes muscles essential to moving your hips and back, as well as your buttocks and pelvis. In fact, a strong core, enveloping your spine, is considered essential for protecting your back and reducing the risk of back pain and injury. There are an abundance of recommended exercises specifically targeted to strengthen your core and reduce back pain. For some illustrations of how to do such core-strengthening exercises as “the bird dog” or “the dead bug”, stretch out your mat and click here.

Perhaps the most recommended, yet feared, core exercise is “the plank.” While it can be simplified and modified for beginners, the essential set-up of a plank is to stretch your body out and elevate it, as you would for the top part of a push-up. You can either rest on your elbows or completely elevate your body by placing your hands onto the floor and pushing your body up with toes sunk into the ground. The challenge is to hold yourself in such a position for a period of time. As one expert explained, “There’s a saying that when you can hold a plank for a minute, your back pain will be gone.” That’s because the effort needed to hold yourself up in a plank position engages all of your core and strengthens the muscles in the process. For images and recommendations of how to get started on your own “plank journey”, brace yourself, take a deep breath and click here, here, and here. And for one woman’s journey to a 7-minute plank, give her a round of applause and read here.

And even if you don’t have back pain, there are many more reasons to work your core muscles, including the ever-present concern in older adults of stability, balance, and fall prevention. For more suggestions of stability-inducing core exercises, check out the recommendations here, or check in with agebuzz Balance Expert Molly Rothman, whose online classes include essential core sessions to strengthen and stretch your core!