This workout will floor you.
In case you haven’t heard the good news, Katie Couric Media is partnering with fitness entrepreneur Ryan Cooper to help you get started on some manageable, mindful fitness goals. Unlike a standard gym membership, our new Going Strong series comes complete with Cooper’s meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises, and some tasty and refreshing recipes. The best part? You don’t need to leave the house to access any of them. This week, Cooper is helping us zone in on our cores with a quick ab routine.
When we talk about working out our abdominal muscles, a lot of us might picture a rippling six-pack or a set of disembodied and intimidatingly glistening muscles. If that sort of imagery feels overwhelming and inaccessible, it might help to step back and really think about what ab workouts do.
Core workouts aren’t just an aesthetic choice — they improve your balance and help you maintain stability. Balance declines in mid-life, which means that it’s never too early to work toward the goal of remaining stable. After all, as balance decreases, your risk of falls and fractures increases. And none of us want to put our lives on hold to manage injuries of any kind.
Plus, we can’t help but love that ab workouts are astoundingly low-cost. In Cooper’s tutorial, all you’ll need is the floor, your body, and a mat for comfort. If you’ve got some old yoga equipment gathering dust in the back of your closet, it’s time to break that out. Other than that, just be sure you’ve got some exercise clothing you feel comfortable getting a little sweaty.
Cooper’s “Abs Blast” video tutorial also has the advantage of being short. You can complete this workout in just 12 minutes (and yes, that includes a cool-down portion). If you devote just a sliver of your evening Netflix time to this video, you’ll end up feeling ready to conquer the world (and you’ll still have plenty of time for a good binge sesh). The routine incorporates moves you’re likely already familiar with, like bicycles and scissor kicks, so you won’t waste time trying to learn lots of new tricks.
If you like Cooper’s steady pace and genuine encouragement, keep in mind that he’s cutting a deal for Katie Couric Media readers: Using the promo code KCM50, you can get 50 percent off Cooper’s fitness packages. Getting strong just got a whole lot easier.
