Today’s “Words for the Weekend” quote is about standing up, speaking up, or showing up for something.  I believe that everyone should feel passionately enough about something in their lives that they would do any of the above.  For me, that’s fitness (obviously) and taking care of my body.  I feel strongly about healthy living, and when people make excuses for not taking care of themselves I want to just scream sometimes!  People are capable of anything, they just need to choose it.  That being said, I want to encourage everyone to stand up to your excuses, speak – literally say out loud – why you will make better choices when that voice in your head tells you “tomorrow,” and then show up.  Be present and accountable.  Eat healthy.  Go to the gym.  It’s pretty simple when you think about it.

During the 31 Day Abs Challenge, I’ve tried to tie my Words of the Weekend quote into my core strength tips.  At the end of Week 1, I included this quote about thinking back to the reasons you started something in the first place when you want to quit.  And my core strength tip was to do just that and talked about starting your workouts with your abs.  At the end of Week 2, I included a quote about balance, and then listed out various ways to improve balance which in turn will improve your core strength.

This week, since my quote is about standing up to something, my core strength tip is just that – stand up!  Doing core moves on your back will target only one part of your mid section.  If you stick to the floor, you may accidentally overlook muscles that are deeper lying.  Plus, sometimes doing ALL ab work on the floor can lead to neck strain if not done appropriately, and sometimes we cheat and use our hands, etc. while we are on the floor instead of truly using our core muscles.  I challenge you to take your abdominal workout upright so you can truly engage that core more and work not only your abs, but your hips, pelvis, lower back, and more.  It will help make your workouts more creative (and therefore less boring), and standing helps improve your posture too!  Plus, for anyone with a back injury or a true beginner that has a problem getting up and down from a lying position – standing exercises are a great place to start.

Do any of you work your abs standing up?  What’s your favorite standing core exercises?

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Sunday Circuit, which will include some standing moves for you!  Also will be back with Week 4’s plan.  For now, I’m off to Providence for the day!  Catch you guys later 🙂