My Core: Planks!

This February, I noticed I was having a hard time getting up off the kitchen floor. I’d go down on my knees to clean up a spill, and then struggle to get up again. Yikes! Suddenly, I felt eighty.

Enter the issue of strengthening my core. I’ve been avoiding the topic for years. The time had come.

“Planks,” said both of my daughters.

“Planks,” said the trainer at Planet Fitness, my beloved purple gym.

And so I’m in. No need for special clothes or shoes. On Sunday, I even did a plank in my church clothes for a change of pace. I just drop to the floor and start that plank.

There are all sorts of variations and modifications to planks. For starters, this is what I’m doing:

My first goal was to hold the plank for thirty seconds, which I now can do. It may be wishful thinking, but It seems like my stomach is a bit flatter. Hooray for that. It needs it. And I’m already getting up with less of a struggle.

What about you? Anybody else into planks? Any other core exercises that you find easy and efficient? What about you yoga people? Do you feel yoga does wonders for your core?

Photo: I wasn’t wild about posting a photo of me mid-plank. Instead, I put up the sweet rug from my mom. It’s a treasured possession, and it’s my Plank Place although, of course, you can do a plank almost anywhere.