The majority of us live highly sedentary lives, especially when compared to our ancestors. Unfortunately, our bodies are not designed for such an activity-deficient lifestyle. As a result, we are hunched, weak and soft from hours upon hours of sitting.
Too much sitting kills. Literally. It shaves years off of your life. Your daily hour-long workout doesn’t counter its effects either. The only solution is to get your body moving more often.
So what can you do to keep your core powerful and functional without changing careers to increase activity? Work on your plank. The king of strength building, planks will improve your fitness rapidly and wholesomely. Here are 3 ways doing a plank every day will improve your body:
Strengthen Back Muscles
While sitting increases your risk of back injury, regularly doing planks decreases that risk. It engages the erector spinae, the muscles spiraling along your spinal column that are hugely responsible for stabilizing your spine. Sitting and slouching keeps these muscles unengaged and encourages them to atrophy. Simply waking them up on a daily basis can do wonders for your spinal health.
Be aware, if you already have an existing back injury or you experience back pain during a plank, consult a professional for assistance. Planking doesn’t work miracles, so you should make sure you are physically able before embarking on any sort of plank regimen
Build a Powerful Core
Oh, and if you’re looking for strong abs, planking uses more muscles than plain old crunches do. While crunches only work your outer layer of abdominal muscles, planking works the whole gamut. It strengthens your obliques, psoas, traverse and rectus abs, along with your glutes, quads, shoulders, back and spinal column. And if you start quivering, keep it up. That’s a sign that your muscles are pushing themselves. With practice, the quivering will stop and you'll begin to notice a lot more strength and stability in your day-to-day.
Reduce Slouching
By engaging and strengthening the muscles along the column of your spine and core, they will be better able to support your body in proper posture. You‘ll find yourself slouching less and feeling a little bit taller. Since how we present ourselves says a lot, standing in a tall, stable manner can make you appear more confident, happy and trustworthy. Plus, you’ll feel great.
