By: Susan Heart

ABDOMINALS… PILATES…

The two are synonymous.

Every exercise in Pilates is an abdominal exercise. That’s right, every one!!!

So, now that you’re learning how to hold your tummy to your spine and to stretch, we need to get into that `core’. Come on, just do it!! Don’t say, I can’t, or I don’t have any time. As Jerry Seinfeld used to say… “Yada Yada Yada…” I don’t want to hear the excuses, come one… Get out your Yoga Mat and or Towel and place it open on the floor. Let’s do our A,B,C’s..........

A) SINGLE KNEE STRETCHS (sore lower back – keep legs higher)

1. Lay back. Bring one knee into chest, extend the other leg to a 45-degree angle from the floor. Hold your hands on the bent knee. Look to your belly button, soft neck and chin. Inhale.
2. Exhale: change legs and arms.

Repeat 7 more sets. Place your head down and relax your neck. If your neck was starting to hurt, that shows you that you aren’t using your abdominals enough. You’re straining your neck too much. If this happens again, bring your head and shoulders up off the floor about another ½ inch and hold your abdominals more into your spine and see if your neck hurts. It shouldn’t.

B) DOUBLE KNEE STRETCH (sore lower back, keep legs high)

1. Both knees into chest. Hands to ankles. Soft chin to chest, look to navel.
2. Inhale: reach arms and legs to ceiling. Keep shoulders down.
3. Exhale: Circle arms out to the sides; bend the knees into the chest and reach to ankles with both hands.

Repeat 7 times. Bring your head down and relax your neck.

Exercise B on inhale

C) SINGLE LEG STRETCH (lower back sore, keep legs high) This exercise is also known as `Scissors’.

1. Bring knees into chest, soft chin to chest. Extend one foot to ceiling; other leg extends to a 45 degree angle to the floor. Hold onto calf of leg straight to ceiling. Scoop tummy to spine, shoulders down. Inhale. Pulse that leg in towards your head 2 counts.
2. Exhale: change legs and pulse 2x’s toward head

Repeat: 7 more sets. Rest your head down and relax your neck.

***Now, doesn’t that feel good? You did it. The first 3 of the series of 5 abdominal exercises. Keep practicing these and the `100’s’ and you’ll be well on your way to a flatter tummy.

Until next time, Be well and breathe.

Sue Heart is a certified Pilates trainer and a former Rockette for Radio City Music Hall for 16 years. She currently owns her own Pilates studio in NJ, USA and visits Playa del Carmen to do seminars and teach. You can reach Susan through her website www.roxysbodyspecific.com.

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