STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

Its now a generally held principle that core strength is the single most important asset a person can have in order to perform well in sports.  Even if your aim is not sports, your appearance and performance of every-day tasks will be enhanced with excellent core strength.

I'm here to add something to this theory.  Core flexibility is just as important as core strength.  By core flexibility I mean the lower abdomen and hip area.  Swivel hips have long been admired by football coaches as well as male oglers.  The muscles in your girdle need to be kept loose and stretched.  This becomes more important each year as you age.  Here are five minutes of exercises to improve your core flexibility.

Lay on the floor on your side.  Your lower arm can be bent and used to hold your head in spine alignment.  Bend your legs at the knees so you don't fall over.  Straighten the top leg and raise it slowly as high as it will go.  Hold it at the highest elevated point for 30 seconds.  Do three on each side.

Now lay on the floor on your back with hands at your sides.  Bring knees up so that your feet are flat on the floor.  Now take one leg and cross the other as if you were sitting with legs crossed.  Now, slowly rotate your legs, maintaining the crossed position, until your foot that is crossed is flat on the floor.  Maintain your shoulders and back in contact with the floor throughout.  Do three on each side.

Now sit up on the floor with you legs flat.  Bring one knee up until the foot is flat on the floor.  Put the opposite upper arm outside the raised leg push to turn the maximum rotation possible.  Do each side.

Got it?  Or you can drink about six beers...that makes my hips pretty limber.
:-)