January Week 3 Stretch and Exercise

Core Exercise of the Week- Standing Wood Chop

Including exercises that work both our core and balance are important for making our abdominal muscles even stronger. Utilizing other muscles than just your abs, will be more effective for a strong body for everyday living and tasks.
The "Wood Chop" move is one that is performed while standing and uses all muscles of the core, your back, arms and legs. With the coordination of all of these muscles coming together, you are doing an exercise that provides you with core stability, mobility and balance all in one.
Depending on what equipment you have available, you can do this exercise using tubing, dumbbells or a medicine ball.

• Stand with your feet hip width apart, core muscles engaged and your legs slightly bent.
• As you squat, rotate the weight down to your right foot. Use your abs and your glutes to stand up, rotating the dumbbell back to your left shoulder.
• Do 10 repetitions on each side.

Core Stretch of the Week- Standing Side Bend

• Stand up tall with your core engaged, back straight.
• Raise one arm above your head and slowly bend towards one side until you feel a stretch down your side.
• Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on each side.