I’m an avid gardener.  It’s my ‘happy place’.  Well it’s one of them!  I get it off my Mum…she’s 86 (at the time of writing this) and still on the ride-on lawn mower and digging holes.  Maybe not as enthusiastically as she used to…but still doing it!

When I go back to New Zealand it’s 2 weeks of hardcore gardening!  Last time I was super impressed with my body and how it handled day after day of digging, pulling, chopping, sawing, lugging and bending.  I felt powerful!   And I was chuffed I’d spent years training my core to be strong and flexible.

Until the very last day, when my Mum says “Oh we just need to dig these ferns in over here Elaine” and I’m like…

“Mum, I’ve got NOTHING left in the tank!  Sorry but you’re going to have to do it yourself!”

I was beat!  I’d reached my capacity for physical exertion.  I needed to get back to the tropics to recoup!

Your CORE…

…is everything from your shoulders to your butt – excluding your arms.  Basically, the trunk of your body.

If you haven’t placed much emphasis in the past on keeping this part of your body strong, long and flexible.  Then over 50 is the time.

All your organs are housed here…

…and like the rest of us, they’re ageing daily.  You don’t need me to tell you how unforgiving your body is in this age bracket. So they need all the support they can get.

I’m not going to dissect all parts of  your core.  But I want to touch briefly on two.  Your spine and your butt muscles!

Your Spine…

If your spine starts to round over and you lose that beautiful natural curve in it…

• It compresses your diaphragm.  You won’t be able to breathe calmly and deeply.  Straight away this puts pressure on your heart and all your vital organs.
• This compression also puts downward pressure on your pelvic floor.  Which is NOT what you want post 50!

And on a side note…if you’re gripping through your stomach all the time.  Constantly trying to hold your stomach in during the day.  Or wearing pants that are digging into you.  That gripping action pushes up on your diaphragm.  Compressing it and restricting your breathing.   AND it also puts downward pressure on your pelvic floor.  Everything we want to avoid!

Feel like you’re becoming more injury prone? Want to massively minimise the aches and pains in your neck, shoulders and back?  Start lengthening and strengthening the muscles that support your spine.

Hunching and bad posture will age you…

And if that’s not much of a deterrent for you, then think of the above.  And the pressure you’re putting on other areas of your body.

Your Butt…

Your butt muscles will get sleepy over 50!   It’s a hormonal fact.  A fact you need to accept.  Then you CAN and should, start to turn it around.

Those butt muscles affect nearly every part of your body if they’re not firing up as needed.  They’re there to support your hip joints, lower back and your whole pelvic floor.

And it messes with your knee joints if this 3 part muscle group isn’t working correctly.  You want these muscles to be switching on and off as needed.  Not in a constant state of gripping!

You can easily strengthen and lengthen the CORE of your body with dynamic movements…

Movements and exercise patterns that replicate how you move during the day. Let me show you how with my Train Shorter & Smarter Body Shaping system!  You’ll stand taller and breathe easier with these body-shaping movements!